Still aimed at gamers, the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WIFI sits below the Z490 Gaming Carbon WIFI with less overall features, but still has plenty for gamers to sink their teeth into. Some of the primary features include two PCIe 3.0 x4 slots and six SATA ports, with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface, a single Realtek 2.5 G Ethernet port, and four memory slots with support for up to DDR4-4800. Aluminium cover on the heatsink provides advanced heat dissipation and further stability for high-end processors AUDIO BOOST 4: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience Enhanced Power Design: 12+1+1 Duet Rail Power System, 8+4 pin CPU power connectors, Core Boost, DDR4 Boost

Unleash the potential of your PC with the MPG Z490 Edge Gaming Motherboard from MSI. Be ready to game in style whilst experiencing MSI’s exclusive premium features including core boost technology, 6-layer PCB, digital PWM and PCI-e steel armour. With a built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, MSI pushes the limits in connectivity as well as performance. The Features of MPG Z490 Edge Gaming Motherboard at a Glance: AUDIO BOOST 4 with NAHIMIC 3: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience M.2 Shield Frozr: Both M.2 slots with Shield Frozr to built for high performance system and non-stop gaming experience Besides that, this board also features a 4-pin CPU fan connector 1x 4-pin water pump connector, 6x 4-pin system fan connectors, 1x front panel audio connector, 2x system panel connectors, 1x chassis intrusion connector, 1x Clear CMOS jumper, 2x 4-pin RGB LED connectors, 2x 3-pin RAINBOW LED connectors. About SATA connectors, the MSI Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi’s get 6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors. PCI connectorsLAN: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable and fast network connection The MSI Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi has the ATX form with 12 x 9.6 x 2 inches and 4 pounds. Overall we can say that this board’s architecture has nothing innovative, but you still have one RGB LED, so you won’t be left empty-handed, at least. Intel Turbo USB 3.2 Gen 2: Powered by Intel USB 3.2 Gen 2 controller, Turbo USB ensures an uninterrupted connection with more stability and fastest USB speeds The MSI Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi has built-in wifi as every other MSI WIFI model. It also has a pre-installed I/O shield making your installation easier and giving a charm to the motherboard visual.

Premium Thermal Solution: Aluminum Cover with Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system and non-stop gaming experience Realtek® RTL8125B-CG 2.5G LAN Controller Intel® AX201 Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps WiFi 6 Pre-Certified Supports Bluetooth® 5.1 , FIPS, FISMA SATA 6Gb/s ports 2x M.2 slots (Key M) Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s M2_1 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280/ 22110 storage devices M2_2 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280 storage devices Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 PCIe storage devices Besides that, you also have only 2x SSD M.2 slots, being the first one featured with a shield to maintain your SSD running at lower temperatures. Fan, RGB, SATA

Frozr Heatsink Design:Designed with the patented fan and double ball bearings to provide the best performance for enthusiast gamers and prosumers. Lightning Fast Game experience: PCIe 4.0, Lightning Gen4 x4M.2 with M.2 Shield Frozr, StoreMI, AMD Turbo USB 3.2GEN2 MSI has gone with a dozen powerstages for the vcore VRM on the Tomahawk, using a dozen 55A powerstages for a combined 660A capacity. MSI also includes massive heatsinks which weigh a combined 393 grams. For comparison, the MSI Z490-A Pro comes with 237 grams worth of heatsinks. You also get some nice features such as 2.5 Gbit LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 for 20 Gbps support and a few extra USB ports when compared to the cheaper boards. Lightning USB 20G: Powered by ASmedia 3241 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 controller, offering never before seen USB speeds up to 20Gb/s with USB Type-C

Of course, like the Prime Z490-P, the MicroATX version is very limited in terms of features, but that's just par for the course at this price point. x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB Supports 1R 2133/2666/2933 MHz 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 4800+ MHz 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 4266+ MHz 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 4400+ MHz 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4000+ MHz Supports Dual-Channel mode Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) Those who require a balanced Intel motherboard with good features at a low price usually opt for the Z490 chipset. One of the key reasons why people prefer the Z490 to the Z590 is its affordability. LAN with LAN Manager and Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX Solution: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable and fast network connection

However, when it comes to transitioning from Z490 to Z590 costs, the board chosen for today’s review has almost limit prices. HDMI port, supports a maximum resolution of 4096x2160 @ 30Hz 1x DisplayPort port supports a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz