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MSI · LGA 1700 · Z790

MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE

E-ATX · DDR5 · 4 DIMMs · 26-phase VRM · 6E

Quality
106
VRM
110
Value
29
Amazon
$690
MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE
View MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE in high resolution
$690
Unavailable Updated 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Overall105.6
VRM110.0
Chipset100.0
Expansion / storage110.0
Connectivity110.0
Audio98.0
Quality / price29.1
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Written analysis

MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE at a glance

The MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE uses the E-ATX form factor, LGA 1700 socket, and Z790 chipset. This is a high-end platform with the feature headroom expected in an enthusiast gaming or productivity build.

Memory support is DDR5 across 4 DIMM slots, with up to 256 GB and rated overclocked speeds up to 7800 MT/s. XMP / EXPO memory-profile support is recorded for easier tuning.

Best fit: a premium gaming or creator build that will use the stronger VRM, storage, and I/O rather than simply needing a compatible socket.

Power delivery

The calculated VRM score is 110.0, placing the power delivery in the ultra high-end class. The board lists 26 CPU power phases, 105 A power stages in a 26+2 layout. CPU power input is listed as 2. That is appropriate for sustained high-power CPUs and aggressive tuning when case airflow and VRM cooling are also adequate.

Expansion and storage

The expansion and storage score is 110.0: exceptionally well equipped . The platform supports PCIe 5.0. Physical expansion includes 2 ×16 slots.

On-board storage consists of 7 M.2 slots and 6 SATA ports. Supported M.2 lengths are listed as 22110, 2280, 2260. That is enough NVMe capacity for a multi-drive gaming or creator setup without immediately relying on an add-in card.

Connectivity and rear I/O

The connectivity score is 110.0, rated premium . Wireless networking is Wi-Fi 6E ; wired networking is Marvell® AQC113CS-B1-C 10Gbps LANIntel® 2.5Gbps LAN at up to 10000 Mbps. Bluetooth 5.3 is included. The recorded USB provision is 10 rear connections and 10 front-panel connections. USB4 Type-C is available at the rear. The specification sheet below separates every USB speed and connector type.

Display connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort. These motherboard outputs require a processor with integrated graphics.

Audio

The audio score is 98.0. This is an ultra-premium onboard implementation based on Realtek® ALC4082 Codec + ESS ES9280AQ Combo DAC/HPA, aimed at users who want strong analogue output without immediately adding a USB DAC. Optical S/PDIF is present for digital audio equipment.

Buying verdict

Overall quality is 105.60, placing this board in the specialist flagship class. Its appeal is breadth—power delivery, expansion, I/O, and onboard features—not merely socket compatibility.

At the recorded Amazon price, the quality-to-price score is 29.1. This is a feature-first premium purchase; compare nearby boards if several flagship extras would go unused.

Board data

Full specifications

Platform, expansion, storage, rear I/O, internal headers, networking, audio, and board controls in one sheet.

General

Manufacturer
MSI
Motherboard
MSI MEG Z790 GODLIKE
Chipset / socket
Z790 / LGA 1700
Form factor
E-ATX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$690
Availability
Unavailable
Price updated
7 months, 3 weeks ago

VRM

CPU phases
26 (105 A)
Power design
26+2
EPS connector
2

Memory

Type / slots
DDR5 / 4 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
256 GB / 7800 MT/s
Per DIMM
64 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 5.0
x16 physical
2
x16 Gen 5
2

Storage

M.2 slots
7
M.2 lengths
22110, 2280, 2260
SATA ports
6

Display outputs

HDMI
Yes · 4096x2160@60Hz
DisplayPort
Yes · 4096x2304@60Hz
USB-C DisplayPort
No

USB

Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 10 Gbps
7
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 10 Gbps
1
Rear USB4 Type-C
2
Rear USB-C PD
15 W
Front USB 2.0
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C 20 Gbps
2
Front USB-C PD
60 W
USB4
Type-C · rear

Networking

Ethernet
Marvell® AQC113CS-B1-C 10Gbps LANIntel® 2.5Gbps LAN
LAN ports
2
LAN speed
10000 Mbps
Wi-Fi
6E
Wi-Fi bandwidth
2.4Gbps
Bands
2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Bluetooth
5.3

Audio

Chipset
Realtek® ALC4082 Codec + ESS ES9280AQ Combo DAC/HPA
Analog jacks
—
Gold-plated jacks
No
Optical S/PDIF
Yes
Spatial audio
No

Buttons

BIOS flashback
Yes
Clear CMOS
Yes
Q-Flash Plus
No
Smart button
Yes
Onboard start / reset
No

Additional information

Memory notes
Supports un-buffered memory. Max overclocking frequency varies by configuration: 1DPC 1R up to 7800+ MHz, 1DPC 2R up to 6600+ MHz, 2DPC 1R up to 6400+ MHz, and 2DPC 2R up to 5600+ MHz.
Display notes
Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed. Supports up to 2 displays simultaneously.
Expansion notes
PCI_E1 supports up to x16 (From CPU). PCI_E2 supports up to x8 (From CPU).
M.2_1
4.0 4 · 22110, 2280, 2260 · From CPU
M.2_2
4.0 4 · 2280, 2260 · From Chipset
M.2_3
4.0 4 · SATA · 2280, 2260 · From Chipset
M.2_4
5.0 4 · 22110, 2280 · From CPU — PCI_E2 slot will be unavailable when installing an M.2 SSD in the M2_4 slot.
M.2_5
3.0 4 · SATA · 2280, 2260 · From Chipset — SATA5~8 will be unavailable when installing an M.2 PCIe or M.2 SATA SSD in the M2_5 slot.
M.2_6
4.0 4 · 2280, 2260 · From Chipset
M.2_7
4.0 4 · 2280, 2260 · From Chipset
USB notes
The 2 rear Thunderbolt 4 ports support up to 40Gbps with Thunderbolt devices, 20Gbps with USB4 devices, and 10Gbps with USB 3.2 devices. Each port can daisy-chain up to three Thunderbolt 4 or five Thunderbolt 3 devices and supports up to 8K display when using the Mini DisplayPort Input. One of the front USB 20Gbps Type-C ports (JUSB6) supports 60W PD fast charging when the PD_PWR1 connector is connected, but this port does not support USB 2.0 or older devices.
Audio notes
7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio. Supports S/PDIF output. Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback on front panel.
Networking notes
The Wireless module is pre-installed in the M.2 (Key-E) slot. Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX. Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax. Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz may depend on every country’s regulations and will be ready in Windows 11. Bluetooth 5.3 will be ready in Windows 10 build 21H1 and Windows 11. Bluetooth supports FIPS, FISMA.
Button notes
The text lists a 'Flash BIOS Button'. It also includes a 'Slow Mode Booting Jumper(JSLOW)' and a 'Tuning Controller connector(JDASH)'.
Fan / RGB headers
1 CPU · — OPT · 2 AIO · 7 chassis · 3 ARGB · 1 RGB
Thermal sensors
2
Other headers
Front audio · System panel · TPM
Dimensions
30.5 cm x 31 cm

Extracted notes sit here. Official manufacturer copy is at the bottom of the page.

Amazon

Price history

Nearby quality

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VRM fit

VRM-appropriate CPUs

LGA 1700 processors whose TDP sits in this board’s VRM window. Socket match is required; chipset extras still matter on sTR5. This is a power-delivery filter, not a ranked CPU guide.

Open LGA 1700 CPUs in the CPU table

Discussion

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Vendor copy

Official manufacturer data

Raw manufacturer text kept for reference. Structured specs above are extracted from this copy and are the source for scores and tables.

Memory

4x DDR5 UDIMM, Maximum Memory Capacity 256GB
Memory Support 7800+(OC)/ 7600(OC)/ 7400(OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(JEDEC)/ 5400(JEDEC)/ 5200(JEDEC)/ 5000(JEDEC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz
Max. overclocking frequency:
• 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 7800+ MHz
• 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6600+ MHz
• 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MHz
• 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 5600+ MHz

Supports Intel® XMP3.0 OC
Supports Dual-Controller Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC, un-buffered memory

Expansion slots

2x PCI-E x16 slot
PCI_E1 Gen PCIe 5.0 supports up to x16 (From CPU)
PCI_E2 Gen PCIe 5.0 supports up to x8 (From CPU)

Storage

7x M.2
M.2_1 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 , supports 22110/2280/2260 devices
M.2_2 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 , supports 2280/2260 devices
M.2_3 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA mode, supports 2280/2260 devices
M.2_4 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 , supports 22110/2280 devices
M.2_5 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA mode, supports 2280/2260 devices
M.2_6 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 , supports 2280/2260 devices
M.2_7 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 , supports 2280/2260 devices
6x SATA 6G

*PCI_E2 slot will be unavailable when installing M.2 SSD in the M2_4 slot.
**SATA5~8 will be unavailable when installing M.2 PCIe SSD in the M2_5 slot.
***SATA5~8 will be unavailable when installing M.2 SATA SSD in the M2_5 slot.

USB

Onboard Thunderbolt Thunderbolt chip JHL8540 Thunderbolt Resource JHL8540 2x Thunderbolt4 ports (Rear) 2x Thunderbolt4 (USB-C) ports Q’ty Supports up to 40Gbps transfer rate with Thunderbolt devices Supports up to 20Gbps transfer rate with USB4 devices Supports up to 10Gbps transfer rate with USB 3.2 devices Supports up to 5V/3A,15W power charging Each port can daisy-chain up to three Thunderbolt 4 devices or five Thunderbolt 3 devices Supports up to 8K display (need to connect the DisplayPort of the discrete graphics card to the Mini DisplayPort Input port on the back panel) USB 4x USB 2.0 (Front) 4x USB 5Gbps Type A (Front) 7x USB 10Gbps Type A (Rear) 1x USB 10Gbps Type C (Rear) 2x USB 20Gbps Type C (Front) *To achieve 60W PD fast charging for JUSB6, the PD_PWR1 connector needs to be connected to the power supply unit. **JUSB6 doesn’t support USB 2.0 and older USB devices.

Internal I/O

1x Power Connector(ATX_PWR)
2x Power Connector(CPU_PWR)
1x Front Type-C Quick Charge Connector(PD_PWR1)
1x CPU Fan
2x Pump Fan
7x System Fan
2x Front Panel (JFP)
1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI)
1x Water Flow connector
1x Slow Mode Booting Jumper(JSLOW)
1x Front Audio (JAUD)
2x Thermal Sensor connectors(T_SEN)
1x Tuning Controller connector(JDASH)
3x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2)
1x RGB LED connector(JRGB)
1x TPM pin header(Support TPM 2.0)
V-check point
4x USB 2.0 ports
4x USB 5Gbps Type A ports
2x USB 20Gbps Type C ports

Rear I/O

Clear CMOS Button
Flash BIOS Button
2.5G LAN
10G Super LAN
Thunderbolt 4 40Gbps (Type-C)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Audio Connectors
Smart Button
USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (Type-C)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (Type-A)
Mini DisplayPort Input (for Thunderbolt passthrough)
Optical S/PDIF-Out

Wireless

Intel® Wi-Fi 6E
The Wireless module is pre-installed in the M.2 (Key-E) slot
Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz* (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
Supports 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac/ ax

Supports Bluetooth® 5.3, FIPS, FISMA

* Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz may depend on every country’s regulations and will be ready in Windows 11.
** Bluetooth 5.3 will be ready in Windows 10 build 21H1 and Windows 11.

Audio

Realtek® ALC4082 Codec + ESS ES9280AQ Combo DAC/HPA
7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio
Supports S/PDIF output
Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback on front panel

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