MSI Pro Z690-A WIFI (DDR5) & Z690-A (DDR5)

The MSI Pro series of motherboards represent a more modest pathway to the Z690 chipset, with a lower entry-level price, more modest features when compared to the MPG series, but on a similar level to its MAG gaming-focused series. Both the MSI Pro Z690-A WIFI and the Pro Z690-A share the same aesthetic and core feature set, which includes a primarily black color theme with a professional-looking silver strip going along the rear panel cover. As the Pro series is aimed at professional users and functionality over style, MSI hasn't included integrated RGB LED lighting. The only difference between both models is the WIFI model includes a networking CNVi, while the standard Z690-A does not. 

Looking at PCIe support, both models include one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, two full-length PCIe 3.0 slots but MSI hasn't shared the configuration, and a smaller PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. Storage options include three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with one PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot and six SATA ports, which support RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. In the top right-hand corner of the board are four memory slots that are capable of supporting up to DDR5-6400, with a maximum combined capacity of 128 GB.

Most of the input and output on the Pro Z690-A WIFI and Pro Z690-A is the same including one Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller, and the WIFI model does include an Intel AX210 Wi-Fi 6E CNVi. The rest includes one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. For integrated graphics, there's one HDMI 2.1 and one DisplayPort 1.4 video output pairing, while a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec controls six 3.5 mm audio jacks. Finishing off the rear panel is a PS/2 combo port for legacy peripherals and a small BIOS Flashback button.

MSI MAG Z690 Torpedo (DDR5) & Torpedo EK X (DDR5) Choosing The Right Z690 (DDR5) Motherboard
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  • mode_13h - Friday, November 12, 2021 - link

    I was really disappointed not to see more discussion of costs and why the price distribution of these boards tends to skew so high.

    However, I was most surprised to see how much lower some of the entry-level models are priced. Do we think these will be produced in sufficient volume, or are they primarily there as a means of upselling would-be buyers who, out of frustration at seeing them always out-of-stock eventually end up buying one of the more expensive models?
  • mikk - Saturday, November 13, 2021 - link

    MSI Pro Z690-A WIFI, MSI Pro Z690-A and many more have the cheaper Realtek ALC897 Codec, the audio table is not accurate and it says Z490 instead of Z690.
  • ajollylife - Sunday, November 14, 2021 - link

    Wtf is with the PCIe 3.0 slots? I'm looking at the Gigabyte Aorus Master, has 10gig onboard, great, but then the other two pcie slots are pcie 3.0 So confused.
  • mode_13h - Sunday, November 14, 2021 - link

    From what I've read, PCIe 4.0 tends to require retimers, which adds cost and takes space. Those could be reasons why we don't see more PCIe 4.0 slots.
  • back2future - Monday, November 15, 2021 - link

    maybe mainboards start getting reshaped/redesigned (vertical m.2, backside slots/connectors, ?) instead of using retimers (chipset TDP includes retimer power?, cooling power for peripherals on PCIe 5.x speeds on 4GB/(s*lane)=~2 lanes sufficient for fastest available (2021, consumer) SSDs )?
  • ecclesiastes121314 - Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - link

    2 ram slots? I've seen this on a few of these new DDR5 boards. Most people here are talking about Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. Yes these are very useful to a select group of people yet these can be achieved with add on cards. Then you can pay for the devices to take advantage of these technologies. Reducing ram slots from 4 to 2. Wow. Yes you can buy high density ram. But this is forcing you that direction. What is wrong with 4x16 or 4x32 ram kits? If you (me) are interested in high performance video then affordable and available ram is a huge consideration. Is it just me?

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