MSI has lifted the lid on its new line of MEG Z490 motherboards compatible with Intel’s new 10th-Gen Comet Lake-S processors. These are the MEG Z490 UNIFY, and the MEG Z490I UNIFY.
Touted as MSI’s flagship line-up, the new MEG series aims to ‘transcend current gaming products’ thanks to innovative technology that provides operational improvements, gaming efficiency, and customization.
The MEG Z490 UNIFY features active cooling Frozr heatsink design with Zero Frozr tech, a Frozr M.2 shield to prevent throttling and allow speeds up to 2400 Mbps, full aluminum IO cover with a 7W/wk thermal pad, and a heat pipe design that connects two MOS heatsinks to offer larger heat dissipation surface. The motherboard is also geared to accommodate all-in-one or customized water cooling solutions thanks to a dedicated water pump PIN.
Alongside the MEG Z490 UNIFY includes a six-layer PCB design, PCIe steel armor to protect GPUs against damage, ISL digital PWN with 16 phases with 90A Smart Power Stage and titanium choke III. In terms of power, the motherboard offers a 16+1 digital power phase design with aggressive VRM and mirrored power arrangement.
Connectivity and networking-wise, we’re looking at two Lightning ASmedia 3241 USB 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 6, 2.5 G LAN, and triple turbo m.2 connectors with PCIe Gen3 x4 with bandwidth up to 32 GB/s.
Here are the full specifications:
- Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ / Pentium® Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
- Supports DDR4 Memory, up to 4800(OC) MHz
- Ready 4 the Future: Support Lightning Gen 4 Solution for the future
- Extreme Power Design: INTERSIL digital PWM, 16+1 phases with 90A Smart Power Stage, dual CPU power connectors and exclusive Mirrored Power Arrangement to unleash the true power of your processors.
- Outstanding Cooling Solution: Frozr Heatsink, VRM Heat-pipe, Aluminum Cover and M.2 Shield Frozr ensure the extreme performance with low temp.
- Latest Network Solution: Onboard 2.5G LAN and latest Wi-Fi 6 solution delivers the best online experience without lag.
- Smart Button: One button with multiple hardware control. Reset Computer, Safe Boot, Turbo Fan, and EZ LED control functions with just one click.
- Triple Turbo M.2 with Shield Frozr: Turbo M.2 delivers PCI-E Gen3 x4 performance with transfer speeds up to 32 Gb/s for the latest SSDs.
- Audio Boost HD: Isolated audio with a high-quality audio processor with ESS DAC & Nahimic for the most immersive gaming experience.
Jumping to the MEG Z490I UNIFY, this one is the small form factor companion with Mini-ITX compatibility. It pacts virtually all the features of the larger Z490 UNIFY but shrunk down to the smaller form factor.
Here are the full specifications:
- Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ / Pentium® Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
- Supports DDR4 Memory, up to 5000(OC) MHz
- Ready 4 the Future: Support Lightning Gen 4 Solution for the future
- Thunderbolt™ 3 ports: Experience Thunderbolt 3 with unprecedented interface bandwidth speeds up to 40Gbp and support for up to six daisy-chained devices.
- Extreme Power Design: INTERSIL digital PWM, direct 8 phases with 90A Smart Power Stage, and Titanium Choke III unleash the true power of your processors.
- Outstanding Cooling Solution: Frozr Heatsink, VRM Heat-pipe, Aluminum Cover and M.2 Shield Frozr ensure the extreme performance with low temp.
- Latest Network Solution: Onboard 2.5G LAN and latest Wi-Fi 6 solution delivers the best online experience without lag.
- Twin Turbo M.2 with Shield Frozr: Turbo M.2 delivers PCI-E Gen3 x4 performance with transfer speeds up to 32 Gb/s for the latest SSDs.
- Pre-installed I/O Shielding: Better EMI protection and more convenience for installation
There’s currently no word on pricing, but as top of the line performance models, we can safely assume they won’t come cheap.