The MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi is MSI’s latest motherboard geared towards that mid-to-lower premium range of gamers and power users who need a board that can handle top-tier components and future upgrades. Featuring the new LGA 1851 designed for the new Intel Arrow Lake processors, MSI put in one of its best efforts when it comes to features, ease of use, an overall look. But is there enough here to justify the $400-plus price point?
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi Review
Despite what people might tell you, a quality motherboard can be just as important as the CPU going in your system. In many ways, it’s the backbone of your gaming rig, and picking the right one can make or break your experience. What MSI has with the MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi is a product aimed at making that experience as easy as possible, no matter how well versed you are in building your own machine.
It all starts with the overall design.
Building a PC can sometimes feel like a test of patience, but this motherboard makes it as painless as possible. The pre-mounted I/O shield is a small but welcome touch, saving you from the hassle of aligning it just right and possibly snapping or bending the shield. Labels on the board itself are clear and beginner-friendly, making it easier to slot everything into place without second-guessing yourself.
Installing components is refreshingly simple. The tool-less PCIe x16 slot release is a game-changer for those rocking a massive GPU like the RTX 4090 as there’s no more wrestling with tiny latches or putting an obnoxious amount of pressure just to unlock the card from the board. And the screwless M.2 installation? A dream. Pop the drive in, click it down, and you’re done.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Socket | LGA 1851 |
| Chipset | Intel Z890 |
| Memory Type | DDR5 |
| DIMM Slots | 4 |
| Maximum Memory | 256GB 9200MHz |
| Storage | 5x M.2 (1x PCIe 5.0, 4x PCIe 4.0), 4x SATA 6G |
| USB | 13 Rear I/O, 9 Internal Header |
| LAN | 2 (2.5Gbps and 5Gbps) |
| Wireless | WiFi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.4 |
| External I/O | 10x USB-A, 1x USB-C 10Gbps, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x LAN connections, Wi-Fi Antenna, Optical S/PDIF Out, Clear CMOS, Flash Bios, Smart Button, Mic/Speaker Connectors, HDMI |
| Audio | 7.1 Channel |
| Onboard Video | HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4 DisplayPort |
Layout & Accessibility
MSI does a solid job with the board’s overall layout. Everything feels well-placed on this ATX board, making cable management and clean builds way more achievable.
There are three PCIe slots for components. The top is PCIe 5.0 x16, perfect for modern graphics cards. The middle slot is PCIe 5.0 x8 while the third is PCIe 4.0 x4.
For storage, there are plenty of options. Five M.2 slots give you plenty of space to make sure you always have enough storage on your machine. My only problem is that only one supports PCIe 5.,0 speeds. For a motherboard in this price range, you’d expect at least two or three. If you’re planning a full Gen 5 build, that could be a letdown.
With cooling and RGB, there are 7 fan headers, 4 RGB headers, a 3-pin water flow sensor, and a 2-pin thermal sensor that gives you a lot of flexibility.
Connectivity Galore (And Then Some)
When you are spending, possibly, as much as your CPU on the motherboard, one thing you’ll want to make sure of is that what you buy has the connections you need. And one thing the MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi doesn’t skimp on is connectivity.
On the rear I/O, there are 13 total USB ports—10 USB-A 3.2 and 3 USB-C. The 10 USB-A ports support up to 10Gbps while one of the USB-C ports also supports 10Gbps. The other two USB-C are Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort output that have speeds up to 40Gbps.
If you need more USB functionality, there are four USB 2.0 headers, four USB 5Gbps Type-A headers, and even a single 20Gbps USB Type C header. Again, if you need connections, this board has connections. With everything I use on a daily basis—Stream Deck, capture card, audio interface, and multiple external drives, just to name a few—I have found no issue with speeds or connection quality in the months I’ve used this motherboard. For full transparency, there were times with the last-gen Z790 Carbon WiFi where you could sense a noticeable slowdown when trying to move files across external drives even with a high-end CPU. That hasn’t happened once with the Z890.
For the wireless user, the motherboard supports Wi-Fi 7 with speeds up to 5.8Gbps as well as Bluetooth 5.4. There are still some issues with Bluetooth audio cutting in and out, but I have yet to find a motherboard that works perfectly on that front. Two LAN ports support 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps.
On the audio front, the board has built-in optical output with 7.1 channel audio.
BIOS & Customization
It’s long been my opinion that MSI has one of the most user-friendly BIOS there is. With the Z890 Chipset, this becomes even more so with a new look that makes it even easier to find and adjust the settings you’d like. It’s as straightforward as it can be in my opinion, even if you’re not a seasoned overclocker.
As you’d expect from any BIOS, MSI’s offers users the ability for custom fan control, overclocking, boot order, and more. What makes it stand out, however, is how simple they make it.
The EZ Mode works as expected, which isn’t always the case with some BIOS. From boosting the CPU to NPU to Memory, everything is one click away, which helps take the worry out of your hands. If you want to get more in the weeds, however, even the Advanced Settings are laid out in a way to prevent you from getting overwhelmed.
Everything from PCIe settings to P-Core and E-Core ratios to CPU and Memory Frequency and more is available for your adjustment. Just be careful. If you do decide to try your hand at overclocking, or messing with the settings at all, take it slowly and in increments. Making too large of a change could lead to stability problems and damage your machine.
Lastly, there’s the MSI proprietary software like MSI Center, Mystic Light, and others. Personally, I find these programs to weigh down a system more than help it. Mystic Light for RGB management is kind of a neccessity if that’s what you need to pair with other programs, but for hardware monitoring, there are other lightweight options.
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi Review Verdict
The MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi is one motherboard with a ton going for it. It has plenty of connectivity options, a great-looking design, and is one of the easiest borders to build in for the DIY PC enthusiast. It’s price can scare people away, especially with the belief that the LGA 1851 socket will only be supported with new CPUs until 2026. That said, if you are looking at picking up this board, it’s likely you won’t be upgrading again for quite some time.
The support for DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 helps future proof the board as much as you can with how fast technology moves. Again, it would’ve been nice for more PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. If the $400-plus price tag doesn’t scare you away, you’d honestly be hard-pressed to find a more well-rounded motherboard.
For more Insider Gaming Tech, read Nvidia’s short response to reports of bricked RTX 5090 graphics cards. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
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