MSI MEG X570 Ace motherboard review. Letter of marque

A number of users are not familiar with the new index in the name of MSI motherboards, but not so long ago we already considered the MEG Z390 Ace. The idea underlying the construction of such boards is to refuse support for the video core integrated into the processor in order to strengthen the power supply system for the CPU itself. Otherwise, there are no truncations, and the highest market segment obliges the manufacturer to equip the model with a number of bonuses. These can be counted here: three pre-installed coolers for M.2 form factor devices, a strong cooling system for the remaining nodes, combined with a heat pipe, a second wired network adapter with support for a 2.5 Gb / s connection, and there is also the most advanced wireless network controller.

You can learn more about the nodes during the review, first I suggest getting acquainted with the list of key parameters:

The general idea of ​​building products based on the X570 was considered in the course of acquaintance with the ASUS Prime X570-Pro.

Packaging and equipment

A medium-sized box with a colorful design, good quality cardboard, as well as printing.

Various details and aspects are described in typed collage style on the back of the package. A schematic sketch was organized for the rear panel, and there is also a small plate with a list of the main parameters. The QR code will point to the user manual in pdf format, posted on the support page.

The package included:

• user manual (not shown in the photo), which illustrates and describes the UEFI sub-items in detail (in English);
• MSI Shout Out promo flyer;
• a set of three fixing screws for M.2 format devices;
• multilingual quick installation guide;
• buyer registration card;
• set of twelve labels for labeling SATA cables;
• disk with drivers and proprietary software;
• four SATA 6Gb / s cables, two of which have an L-shaped connector on one of the ends;
• a small promotional booklet with MSI products;
• MSI Gaming Series logo sticker (not shown in photo);
• three extension cords for connecting LED strips (a splitter for a pair of type 5050, one for type WS2812B and one more for Corsair strips, the shortest one);
• remote antenna with the possibility of fixing only one position.

The cables are carefully packed in a branded black bag. The antenna stand is equipped with a pair of holes for the possibility of mounting the structure on a steep surface; there is no integrated magnet here.

Appearance

The dimensions of the board correspond to the ATX standard, there are traditional nine holes for fixing the device in the case. The central one is blocked by cooling structures, therefore, instead of a screw fastening, a guide pin, originally installed in a number of modern cases in this place, can be used here. Shades in the design are predominantly black, the designations are made using a golden tint. To power the processor, two eight-pin sockets are implemented.

The method of fixing all hinged structures and coolers is screw. The manufacturer has made a special marking of places where there should not be racks in the case, in order to avoid failure of the device.

The backlight is integrated into a plastic visor located above the I / O ports of the rear panel, and the VRM heatsink is also partially covered from above. The glow aims to create a light tunnel effect. Four different platforms are provided for connecting third-party devices with illumination.

Active cooling of the hub heatsink is performed by a four-wire fan, shifted to the lower right corner of the product.

All cooling structures here are combined in one way or another. The radiator, which is necessary to remove heat from the hub, is located in the center and will actually be completely covered by the overall video card. For some reason, the remote sector with the MSI logo is made completely without any relief that could increase the heat dissipation area.

Three removable plates under the M.2 form factor SSD complement, one way or another, the overall cooling array on the board. Heat transfer will occur due to the wide grooves in their bases. The top seat has no length restrictions for devices, but only NVMe drives can be mounted here. The bottom two are accompanied by support for both types of interfaces, they are connected to the hub, but here there will be a limit of up to eight centimeters in length, inclusive. All radiators have thermal pads. About temperatures. In system idle mode, with the initial settings of the fan operation algorithm, it was 41 °C for the top one, 43 °C for the middle one, and 38 °C for the bottom one. They did not additionally cool any devices with us.

There are only four SATA outputs and they are all longitudinal. This photo shows how unusually they approached the care for the beauty of the edge of the board, it is literally rounded!

There are five seats for USB cables: two pieces 2.0, a pair of version 3.2 Gen1, also one 3.2 Gen2, for a symmetrical output on the case.

The PCI-E processor lines lead to the upper M.2 slot and two full-size x16 slots, the third, lower one, works with the hub, like the rest, smaller x1 ones.

The organization of the sound subsystem is no different from the previously considered model. There is an older Realtek codec, a dedicated ESS DAC with an integrated op-amp, a group of specialized capacitors. All this is covered with plastic protection on top.

In the center of the board are soldered: an independent BCLK frequency generator, four repeaters for the needs of the fourth generation PCI-E lines (PI3EQX16000ZHE), four switches (PI3DBS16412) that provide the second slot for the video card. All this is covered from above with a structural element that cools the hub.

The system start, reset buttons and the automatic overclocking rotary mechanism are highlighted with a red tint. The POST code indicator is accompanied by the same color. Subsequently, it is able to display the actual temperature of the processor.

A simplified diagnostic complex of four, still red, LEDs is soldered above the main power socket on the board. There is a shielding structure around the RAM slots.

The radiators for power elements of the CPU voltage stabilizer are low and therefore are unlikely to create problems when installing a cooling system.

The eight-phase PWM controller IR35201 coordinates the operation of the voltage converter, it is assisted by six external doublers IR3599. Thus, twelve channels are prepared for the CPU voltage. Two more “phases” (without any auxiliary elements) are intended for SOC voltage. All power assemblies of IR3555 models. A set of capacitors is unusually typed – only for the SOC Voltage group they took tantalum ones, while more traditional “barrels” are used in the CPU voltage circuits.

Part of the heated air, as was seen before, after the fan is running, goes up to the video card, but most of it goes to the motherboard itself, towards the RAM modules. The ends are muffled, because everything spreads exactly along its surface. Heat sinks on transistor assemblies are cast, mutual contact is well provided with regular thermal pads. All elements are connected by a heat pipe, their connection is provided by hot melt adhesive.

On the rear panel, a lot of various connectors were provided, except for video outputs. Two buttons are of particular interest: the first will allow you to reset the CMOS settings, and the second will start the UEFI update procedure even without a processor in the system. The sound outputs are gold-plated, which makes it hard to comment. The wireless adapter is mounted in an M.2 Key E slot.