Tuesday, September 25th 2018

MSI Z390 Motherboard Lineup Detailed: Includes a "MEG GODLIKE"

MSI is ready with seven new socket LGA1151 (300-series) motherboard models based on Intel's upcoming Z390 Express chipset, which the company recommends to make the most out of its upcoming 8-core processors. Among MSI's new motherboards are the MEG Z390 GODLIKE, the MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon, MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Edge, the mini-ITX MPG Z390I Gaming Pro Edge, Z390 Gaming Plus, MAG Z390 Tomahawk, and the Z390-A Pro. MSI probably feels that everyone and their aunt are selling motherboards with the Gaming moniker it perfected, and wants to throw in more brand extensions to differentiate its products. The MEG brand, abbreviating "MSI Enthusiast Gaming," is top of the line, and debuted recently with the MEG X399 Creation. The MPG (MSI Performance Gaming) series is a notch below MEG, and covers the upper mid-range. The MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) covers the entry-mid range gaming-grade motherboards, including the popular Tomahawk and Mortar brands.

MSI positions the MEG Z390 GODLIKE as your go-to board to max out the Core i9-9900K with connectivity and features packed to the brim, combined with a strong CPU VRM setup to overclock the living daylights out of the 8-core chip. Clad in aluminium+ABS, including a back-plate, this board offers connectivity for up to five M.2 PCIe SSDs (including a riser card), a U.2 port, an HDMI streaming card that offloads your CPU for streaming, a massive 18-phase VRM that delivers HEDT-levels of current to your LGA1151 processor, and a monochrome LED display.
The MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon is the next best board from the lineup. You get premium audio and networking, including WLAN, but with an overall lighter feature-set than the MEG GODLIKE. A simpler 10-phase VRM powers the CPU, and storage options are narrowed to just two M.2 slots, one of which is covered with a heatsink. The MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC is based on the same exact PCB as the Gaming Pro Carbon, but comes with a lighter onboard audio solution, ordinary (non gold-plated) rear I/O connectors, and cost-cutting in other areas such as ports and slots (lack of metal reinforcement).

The MPG Z390I Gaming Edge AC is the sole mini-ITX offering in this lineup, and its designers have made sure it's packed to the brim with features. You get a 5-phase CPU VRM that's split between two areas, each cooled by a heatsink (rare for a mini-ITX board), and a unique contraption that sandwiches the Z390 chipset between the PCB and the M.2-2280 slot that's cooled by a heatsink. High-grade audio and Intel WLAN make for the rest of it, besides a healthy dose of RGB LED lighting controls.
The MAG Z390 Tomahawk is this generation's offering for the unexpectedly popular "Tomahawk" brand from MSI, characterized by silver + black color scheme, with heatsinks and other metal design elements resembling body covers of a Tomahawk missile; this board features a light yet well laid-out design that doesn't exclude M.2 SSD cooling. Lastly there's the MPG Z390 Gaming Plus and the Z390-A Pro, which are mutually identical, but for the Gaming Plus having a more racy color scheme, red LEDs, and a PCB cutout near the storage connectivity area. Both boards stick to the feature-set of the Z390 PCH, and could be among the least expensive Z390 boards out there.
Source: VideoCardz
Add your own comment

20 Comments on MSI Z390 Motherboard Lineup Detailed: Includes a "MEG GODLIKE"

#2
dj-electric
If these have a proper adaptive vcore, i might consider.
The MEG Z390 Godlike seems fitting.
Posted on Reply
#5
Caring1
MSI, stop with the stupid names, for the love of …. :banghead:
Posted on Reply
#6
Bones
diatribeIt's short for Megatron...
Could also mean this:
Posted on Reply
#7
cadaveca
My name is Dave
MEG. Msi Enthusiast Gaming.

:pimp:

MPG. Msi Performance Gaming.

MAG. Msi Arsenal Gaming.

We need to work on educating people what this all really means, I guess, since no one seems to understand. It's right in the article, yet people are still guessing.
btarunrThe MEG brand, abbreviating "MSI Enthusiast Gaming," is top of the line, and debuted recently with the MEG X399 Creation. The MPG (MSI Performance Gaming) series is a notch below MEG, and covers the upper mid-range. The MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) covers the entry-mid range gaming-grade motherboards, including the popular Tomahawk and Mortar brands.
Posted on Reply
#8
E-curbi
Waiting on any news of the Asus ROG Z390 Maximus XI Extreme and Apex. Would be so cool if Asus printed "Extreme Eleven" directly on the mobo.

...photos teasers, I'll take anything at this point. :D

Hoping for the same iridium armor and LiveDash like the Rampage VI Extreme.
Posted on Reply
#9
Alexandrus
MEG = MSI Extreme Gaming
MPG = MSI Pro Gaming
MAG = MSI Advanced Gaming

Stupid as hell, M stands for MSI which stands for … Micro-Star International.
Posted on Reply
#10
E-curbi
AlexandrusMEG = MSI Extreme Gaming
MPG = MSI Pro Gaming
MAG = MSI Advanced Gaming

Stupid as hell, M stands for MSI which stands for … Micro-Star International.
Agreed. Way too many acronyms. I dated a MEG in college. lol :D Sometimes when one of these tech companies comes up with some Marketing naming strategy that just seems extremely non-creative, you just have to think the type of mental effort they must place into their product might also be lacking.

None of them are perfect, but Asus seems to always be out front on the innovation side of things. I like the ROG E-ATX boards for work and play, had zero issues since 2012 using them. :)
Posted on Reply
#11
Caring1
cadaveca…..
We need to work on educating people what this all really means, I guess, since no one seems to understand. It's right in the article, yet people are still guessing.
Pretty sure they were attempts at humour.
MPG could also mean Miles Per Gallon :D
Posted on Reply
#12
DeathtoGnomes
cadavecaWe need to work on educating people what this all really means, I guess, since no one seems to understand. It's right in the article, yet people are still guessing.
Please no more homographs ! MEG was a shark movie!
Posted on Reply
#13
cadaveca
My name is Dave
E = Extreme, sure. But probably actually Exaggerated
P = Professional
A = Average.
Caring1Pretty sure they were attempts at humour.
:rolleyes:

I guess you failed to see the sarcastic humour in my own post. Congrats! :peace:
Posted on Reply
#14
Caring1
cadavecaE = Extreme, sure.
P = Professional
A = Average.


:rolleyes:

I guess you failed to see the sarcastic humour in my own post. Congrats! :peace:
Yep, without visual cues i'm pretty literal.
Posted on Reply
#15
Vayra86
cadavecaMEG. Msi Enthusiast Gaming.

:pimp:

MPG. Msi Performance Gaming.

MAG. Msi Arsenal Gaming.

We need to work on educating people what this all really means, I guess, since no one seems to understand. It's right in the article, yet people are still guessing.
Perhaps its an indicator of how much people actually care. If I read sentences full of caps lock I tend to skip over fast, because it reminds me of kids screaming at me in chat. I've just been conditioned to not read it I suppose :D
Posted on Reply
#16
Ruru
S.T.A.R.S.
MEG? More like MEH.
Posted on Reply
#17
Alexandrus
cadavecaE = Extreme, sure. But probably actually Exaggerated
P = Professional
A = Average.
I seriously doubt any Chinese marketing team would use or even think of the term "Average" in any product :D
Or any marketing team ever ;)
Posted on Reply
#18
cadaveca
My name is Dave
AlexandrusI seriously doubt any Chinese marketing team would use or even think of the term "Average" in any product :D
Or any marketing team ever ;)
Such a horrible mistake, that one. So many average people just might identify with such products that they sell as well as "gaming" and RGB.
Posted on Reply
#19
DeathtoGnomes
AlexandrusI seriously doubt any Chinese marketing team would use or even think of the term "Average" in any product :D
Or any marketing team ever ;)
i'd suggest get more marketing experience. How else do they target people with mid-range products?
Posted on Reply
#20
Alexandrus
Bad joke done badly, could even be good.
Posted on Reply
Add your own comment
Oct 11th, 2024 07:12 EDT change timezone

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts