MSI MEG Ace X670E: The best performance for Ryzen CPUs

Today’s Best Price: MSI MEGX670E ACE

You might need a premium motherboard if you want to get AMD’s Ryzen 7700 CPUs and maximize its performance.

Enter the MSI MEG X670EACE. The MSI MEG X670E Ace is sleek and simple in appearance. It boasts a 10Gb LAN, a PCIe Gen5 slot, and many M.2 slots. This motherboard is designed for gamers and content creators. What purpose does this “ace” serve?

We’ll go over the specifications and discuss performance and design aesthetics. This motherboard is the best for building a high-end desktop using the fastest Ryzen processors. Let’s see!

MSI MEG Ace: Specifications

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The MSI MEG X670E Ace has serious business. It supports AM5 support, but you will need a new AMD processor like the Ryzen 9 7950X. You can use your existing AM4 cooler if it has an original AMD backboard. Otherwise, you will need a new one specifically for AM5.

The E-ATX version of the board measures 277×304.8mm (10.9×12 inches). This will make it larger than typical ATX motherboards.

PCIe Gen5 and DDR5 are available, along with a long list I/O such as 10Gb Ethernet and multiple USB ports.

It’s a great unboxing experience and retails for $699. It is the most luxurious box we have ever seen. $499 X670E Asrock TaichiHowever, this is not directly related to the topic. (Sorry box-lovers!)

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• E-ATX form factor
• Supports AMD AM5 Ryzen 7000 processors
• 22+2+1 phase design with 8 PCB layers
• DDR5 RAM with Dual Channel, up to 4 DIMMs (upto 512GB)
• 4 integrated M.2 slots (1xPCIe Gen 5)
• Two M.2 slots are available on the Xpander Z PCIe Gen5 card
• 3 PCIe 16x slots (PCIe Gen 5, 8x / 8x / 4x)
• Type C display
• 11 USB ports on the back, including 20Gb/s
• Marvel 10GbE LAN
• AMD Wi-Fi 6E
• Mystic light RGB connectors
• 6 SATA 6Gb/s ports
• 8 PWM fan headers
• Clear CMOS and BIOS Flashback.
• Pre-installed I/O protection
• Realtek 7.1 ALC 4082 audio, ESS ES9280AQ combo DAC
• MSRP $699

MSI MEGX670E Ace:

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This motherboard is an excellent enthusiast-grade model at $699. This motherboard is equipped with the X670E chipset, which means it will have the strongest PCIe Gen 5 Support you’ll find.

MSI has an Xpander Z PCIe Gen 5 M.2 card for this purpose. You can add two additional slots to the card if the four M.2 slots onboard aren’t enough (one is PCIe Gen 5). While gamers may not need six M.2 drives (one of them is PCIe Gen 5), heavy content creators will love it (plus six SATA port ports, too).

MSI also makes these slots M.2 “screwless”, which can be a great benefit for people who don’t like small screws. This is combined with the integrated I/O covers makes for an enjoyable building experience.

The USB ports are plentiful, with 11 of them on the back. This includes USB 3.2 Gen 2 at 20Gb/s. USB 4 isn’t included in this package, which is unfortunate considering the price. Other competitors like Asus ROG X670E HeroUse a USB4.

MSI offers 10Gb LAN to compensate. This is a great feature for content creators who use MSI to connect to NAS or other powerful networking devices. USB4 would also be a great premium option for the same crowd. Wi-Fi 6E with a built-in antenna is an expected — and included — accessory at this price point.

Realtek’s ALC4082 codec, and ESS ES92280AQ DAC combo make this a great sounding device. A headphone amplifier will be included to drive higher impedance headphones. This is a great sound option for those who don’t want additional peripherals and prefer to keep them streamlined within their motherboard.

Clear CMOS Flash buttons and BIOS Flash buttons are also included. There is also a “smart” button. A debug LED is also included, which is very useful, but we would like to see a larger digital display at this price point.

The back also includes a USB Type-C display, since the Ryzen 7000 CPUs have been integrated into the iGPUs. We’d like to see at most an HDMI port, as this can be used primarily for diagnostics, without a discrete GPU. It also has a wider HDMI compatibility than USB Type C, which is ideal for this use case.

The MSI MEG X670E Ace features a lot of features and makes few compromises. For pure gamers, that might include some overkill—especially things like the six M.2 slots and 10Gb LAN. We apologise if your Steam library is large. These features are great for hybrid content creators/players. However, they don’t have the same level of detail as the “Godlike” model.

MSI MEGX670E Ace Design

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With its dark design and gold accents, the MSI MEG X670EACE Ace immediately grabs attention. It has RGB on or off, and it is exactly what you want!

This design is not just for show, it also serves a practical purpose. The M.2 “Frozr” slot shield has thermal pads that help keep it cool — and even reinforced PCIe slots. The heatsinks are also beautiful and provide a useful benefit.

To the right you will find a nicely enhanced PCH section with some cool design patterns. RGB lighting effects can also be found on the word “ACE”, as well as on the triangle in the bottom. Its aesthetics are simple but very effective on this motherboard.

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The VRM heatsink is large and robust. It also connects perfectly to the MSI Dragon on the I/O shield. It glows RGB, adding a little color to the otherwise serious design elements.

We are happy to see a backboard included in this premium offering. It may not do much, but it gives the motherboard a sophisticated tactile feeling in the hands and provides some protection. It also cools MOSFETS, so it’s more than just a pretty face!

The integrated I/O shield keeps the dark theme going with red USB ports and gold accents. This makes it easier to install, and it looks clean and functional. The I/O shield top is also great, continuing the design of the RGB dragon drenched.

MSI MEGX670E Ace: Performance Software, and BioS

How does the MSI MEG X670E Ace deliver performance both for gamers and content creators alike? It seems like an “ace”. Its 22 + 2 + 1 VRM is powerful enough to handle the Ryzen 9-7950X with ease. It also features an eight-layer PCB, and powerful cooling components. You’re actually more likely to reach the thermal limits of your CPU cooler that anything motherboard-related.

This motherboard has heatsinks, stacked fin arrays and heatpipes. This helps maintain optimal performance — whether that’s for CPU or M.2 slots or with MOSFET cooling. Next-generation hardware delivers more performance—and even more heat—than ever before.

High-speed DDR5 RAM can be yours. You’ll get top speeds with your drives. Up to three drives can support PCIe Gen 5 (and the other PCIe Gen 4). This is some of the fastest performance you will find. If you plan to add additional PCIe Gen 5 cards along with the GPU, having the three 16x slots could pay off for you in the long run — but for users who don’t take advantage of it, it can unnecessarily increase the overall cost. All three 16x slots can be used to limit CPU usage.

We would like to see USB4 added for those who require it. You can still get 20Gb/s USB speeds.

MSI BIOS is a great way to increase your system’s performance. You’ll find more options to tweak this motherboard than you might use, including different options regarding RAM and CPU. The Ryzen 7000 generation may be more suited to “economy mode” tweaks that allow for higher performance and lower power draw. The traditional “maximum overloading” approach we’re used too isn’t always the best.

The MSI BIOS is also a great option for those who want to “set it and forget”. It can set Expo RAM profiles for optimal DDR5 performance right out of the box. You can also set up AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive to automatically overclock your CPU with MSI’s help.

AM5 is a brand new platform that can experience growing troubles. We recommend updating the BIOS. It may lead to stability improvements that are greater than what you would normally do on a more established platform. MSI makes it easy to do this in the BIOS!

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MSI’s Center software is available if you wish to retain some customization on the software side. This software, like the Asus Armory Crate is designed to be a one-stop shop for many tasks. You can adjust the RGB Mystic Light profiles and fan curves. There is also hardware monitoring. Driver updates are also available without needing to visit the MSI website.

Although this motherboard software is much more advanced, we still recommend using BIOS (or third-party software) for some functions, such as fan control, hardware monitoring, etc.

Should you purchase the MSI MEG X670E Ace

At $699, the MSI MEG X670E Ace isn’t cheap — and it has competition from other motherboards like Asus ROG X670E Hero. It is a little strange in terms of its pricing and feature list.

The design is appealing and complements well the fantastic cooling solutions on motherboard. Gaming enthusiasts will find the feature set to be very rich, but content creators may find it even more valuable. There are many I/O ports and great sound, as well as 10GbE Ethernet LAN. We would still like to see USB4, particularly at this level of motherboard.

The good news is that M. 2 drive support continues to be available. However, we are starting to notice a pattern. There are many features that are unnecessary for a pure gaming use case and those who create content don’t need the $699 add-ons. With AMD’s average platform costs of AMD’s AMD5, it could make some motherboards cheaper for professional gamers, like MSI’s X670Ecarbon. Asrock X670E TaichiOr the Asus X670E StrixFor less than $500

It’s an outstanding MSI motherboard offering that delivers visually. It perfectly complements Ryzen 7000’s cutting edge design for gamers, and even more for content creators.