Product: MPG X670E CARBON WIFI
Type: Motherboard (PC)
Price: ~ $829 AUD
Availability: Out Now
Link: msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-X670E-CARBON-WIFI

When looking at motherboard prices, you’d expect top-of-the-line models carrying a premium price tag to basically go all out in terms of features and tweaking options. The new MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI fits into this category, a premium AM5 motherboard tailor-made for the new AMD Ryzen 7000 series. As such it’s the sort of motherboard you’d pair with the new AMD Ryzen 7900X, which is exactly what we did for this review.

With the new AMD Ryzen 7000 series, the CPU maker has finally decided to retire the AM4 chipset in favour of the new AM5 standard. This will be the standard for a few Ryzen generations to come, so choosing the right motherboard will make a difference in terms of future upgrades. Not only in terms of the CPU but DDR5 memory with AMD EXPO overclocking and the new super-fast PCIe Gen5 storage that will become more of a thing in the next year or two.

And with that, the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI is packed with impressive features, from its server-grade construction to support for all of the high-end features that the new AM5 chipset brings to the table. The power delivery and cooling are all excellent too, which is one of the reasons why it makes the most sense to pair this with one of the higher-end Ryzens - the 7900X or the beastly 7950X. As the top Ryzen 7000 CPUs push performance and power usage to record-breaking new heights, having a motherboard that can actually deliver that power without issues or throttling is super important.

Board Talk

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The MPG X670E CARBON WIFI has been built to the specifications of the new X670E chipset, which is the top-of-line spec with full support for PCIe Gen 5 - even though none of the new GPUs from either NVIDIA or AMD actually support this. Again, a lot of what’s on offer here is more future-proof than something attainable for most new builds. DDR5 at 6600+ OC speeds is insane to think about, not to mention the sort of speeds a 1TB or 2TB PCIe Gen 5 M2 storage solution will provide.

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The MPG X670E CARBON WIFI is packed with impressive features, from its server-grade construction to support for all of the high-end features that the new AM5 chipset brings to the table.

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It’s a shame then that AMD’s AM5 spec doesn’t support backward compatibility with DDR4 memory because if you’re eyeing one of the new top Ryzen CPUs you’re better off shelling out for something like the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI and worrying about high-speed DDR5 and storage somewhere down the line. This isn’t a fault of MSI or the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI, as DDR4 support simply isn’t there.

CPU Socket: AMD Socket AM5 for AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop Processors

Chipset: AMD X670

Memory: 4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5 6600+(OC) and Supports AMD EXTended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO)

Interface: 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, 1 x PCIe 5.0 slot, 1 x PCIe 4.0 slot

Storage: 4 x M.2 slots (2 x PCIe 5.0 x4 mode, 2 x PCIe 4.0 x4 mode), 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports

USB Ports: 2x USB 2.0 (Rear), 4x USB 2.0 (Front), 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A (Front), 6x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A (Rear), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C (Rear), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C (Front), 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type C (Rear)

Network: AMD Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2

Audio: Realtek ALC4080 Codec, 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio, Supports S/PDIF output, Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback on front panel

Back Panel: Clear CMOS Button, Flash BIOS Button, DisplayPort, USB 2.0, 2.5G LAN, Audio Connectors, Smart Button, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (Type-C Display port), USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (Type-A), USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps (Type-C), Wireless/Bluetooth, S/PDIF-Out

Okay, so one area where the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI earns its premium price and then some comes with the whopping 4 M2 storage slots, two of which are PCIe Gen5 capable. Not only are they all cooled with onboard and impressive heatsinks but installation is a plug-and-play screwless dream come true. As great as M2 storage is, one of the problems of installation comes with the teeny tiny screws and dealing with the general heat of motherboard surface temps. None of that is an issue here, and that’s awesome.

In terms of look and build quality, this is easily one of the best boards we’ve seen to date from MSI, with the “carbon” styling giving it all a sleek black finish with the larger heatsink featuring some high-quality MSI dragon RGB action. You can also turn this off to ramp up the carbon style. There is of course some lighting that is purely there for overclocking and tweaking, with a handy debug code LED and other LEDs to let you know if there are issues with the CPU, RAM, graphics, or boot.

Outside of the main stuff, the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI is packed, which you instantly pick up on when looking at the rear panel. More high-speed USB ports than you’ll ever need plus WiFi, ethernet, and audio handled by the capable Realtek ALC4080 chip.

Performance Report

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Building a PC usually means going to the motherboard’s BIOS screen during boot more than once, doubly so if you’re dealing with brand-new tech in the form of the AMD Ryzen 7000 series and DDR5 memory. On this front, MSI deserves a lot of credit for making a clean and easy-to-follow interface that gives you all of the important information you need right away - from the current CPU and DDR5 speed settings to current temperatures, voltage, and even a quick look at what hardware is actually connected to the motherboard. It’s an excellent setup with the added bonus of being able to drill down and make changes - and there are heaps of options and profiles if you’re of the sort that likes to mess around with memory.

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MSI deserves a lot of credit for making a clean and easy-to-follow interface that gives you all of the important information you need right away - from the current CPU and DDR5 speed settings to current temperatures, voltage, and even a quick look at what hardware is actually connected to the motherboard.

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You can also monitor hardware, lighting, and other things from directly within Windows via the MSI Center app - which also has a very clean and easy-to-follow interface. For actual CPU tweaking within Windows, it’s probably best to use AMD’s Ryzen Master - though MSI’s app is great for monitoring and quickly switching between performance and eco-friendly silent profiles.

The only real drawback with the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI is its high price point, and because you need the CPU and DDR5 memory to make it work out-of-the-box, it’s definitely something for those looking to put together a beastly build for 4K gaming and content creation. This was the board we used when testing the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT - and it’s so feature-packed it’s hard to think of moving to a more affordable entry-level option. So like those enthusiast-grade graphics cards, and the impressive Ryzen 7900X, to make sure you’re Ryzen rig is ready for 2022, 2023, and even 2024, the MPG X670E CARBON WIFI is an excellent, if costly, option.