At $699, MSI’s MEG X670E Ace is in the same class as the Asus X670E Hero (which we reviewed recently) and is definitely very expensive, but a far cry from the $1,000+ Ryzen 7000 flagship board. It gives us a better idea of how the competition fared in the benchmark suite, but both face stiff competition from some boards priced at around $500. It would be difficult for a board to find a spot on the Best Motherboards list.
Ace is designed to support up to 6 M.2 modules, 3 of which are PCIe 5.0 x4 speed, with the included M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 dual expansion card. It doesn’t come with USB 4, but it does have 11 USB ports on the rear IO, including two 20 Gbps Type-C ports. Power delivery isn’t the best we’ve seen for a motherboard in this class, but it’s good enough to support the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X. All in all, a solid board for under about $700.
At the time of writing this, there were 4 X670 boards on MSI’s website. From top to bottom, the flagship MEG X670E Godlike ($1,299.99), MEG Ace ($699.99), MPG X670E Carbon WIFI ($479.99), Pro X670-P WIFI ($289.99). There aren’t many to choose from right now, but the company offers four of his B650 boards, two of which use the Micro ATX form factor. Hopefully we’ll see an Unify line sooner or later with a Mini–ITX option. MSI expects to enrich its product stack over time and offer even more options in the future.
The X670E Ace has all the features you would expect from the new AM5 platform. It includes three PCIe 5.0 expansion slots and three 5.0 M.2 sockets. It also features the best audio implementation including flagship-class Realtek ALC4082 codec and ESS DAC/HPA, 10 GbE port and integrated Wi-Fi 6E. It has SATA ports (6), PCIe 4.0 M.2 sockets (4), and plenty of 90A MOSFETs to support VRM. Performance for this full-featured board was average among our early results, neither extremely slow nor fast when tested with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X processor.
To get a better idea of how this motherboard compares to its competitors, we’ll take a closer look at the board’s features and performance below. For more information on platform differences, see our X670 Motherboards Overview article. Before we get into all the details, here’s the complete list of specs for the MEG X670E Ace, straight from MSI.
Specifications: MSI MEG X670E Ace
| socket | LGA1718 |
| chipset | X670E |
| form factor | E-ATX |
| voltage regulator | 25 phases (22x 90A SPS MOSFET for Vcore) |
| video port | (1) USB Type-C (DisplayPort v1.4) |
| USB port | (2) USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) Type-C |
| (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-C | |
| (8) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) | |
| network jack | (1) 10GbE |
| audio jack | (5) Analog + SPDIF |
| Legacy Port/Jack | |
| Other Ports/Jacks | |
| PCIe x16 | (3) v5.0 (x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4) |
| PCIe x8 | |
| PCIe x4 | |
| PCIe x 1 | |
| Crossfire/SLI | AMD Multi GPU |
| DIMM slots | (4) DDR5 6600+(OC), 128GB capacity |
| M.2 socket | (1) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) |
| (2) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) | |
| (1) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64Gbps) / PCIe (up to 110mm) | |
| Supports RAID 0/1/10 | |
| U.2 port | ✗ |
| SATA port | (6) SATA3 6Gbps (supports RAID 0/1/10) |
| USB header | (1) USB v3.2 Gen 2×2, Type-C (20Gbps) |
| (1) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) | |
| (2) USB v3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) | |
| (2) USB v2.0 (480Mbps) | |
| fan/pump header | (8) 4-pin (CPU, Pump, System) |
| RGB header | (3) aRGB (3 pin) |
| (1) RGB (4 pin) | |
| diagnostic panel | (1) EX debug LEDs (4) |
| (1) 2-digit debug LED | |
| Internal button/switch | Power button and reset button |
| SATA controller | (1) ASMEDIA ASM1061 |
| ethernet controller | (1) Marvell AQC113-BC (10GbE) |
| Wi-Fi/Bluetooth | AMD Wi-Fi 6E (2x2ax, MU-MIMO, 2.4/5/6GHz, 160MHz, BT 5.2) |
| USB controller | ✗ |
| HD audio codec | Realtek ALC4082 (ESS SABRE9280AQ DAC/HPA) |
| DDL/DTS | ✗ / ✗ |
| guarantee | 3 years |
What’s in the MSI MEG X670E Ace box
In the box with the motherboard, MSI is designed with quite a few accessories to get your system up and running without having to make a trip to the store. In addition to the usual selection of SATA cables, Wi-Fi antennas, guides and drivers, MSI also includes a M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 dual expansion card that expands his M.2 socket with PCIe 5.0 support to 2 has been added. Below is a complete list of included accessories.
- M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 Dual AIC
- Wi-Fi antenna
- USB drive
- M.2 countersunk screw/EZ M.2 clip
- (4) SATA cable
- (2) Thermistor cable
- 1 to 2 RGB LED extension cable
- aRGB extension cable
- EZ front panel cable
- sticker
- Installation guide
- EU Regulatory Notice
MSI MEG X670E Ace design
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Beneath the Ace’s attractive gold-accented black exterior is an eight-layer board with 2-ounce copper traces to help with power and cooling. VRM heatsinks are big and heavy and use fins (MSI calls it a stacked fin array design) to help remove heat from the power delivery bits. On top of the heatsink is an MSI Dragon backlit with an RGB LED, along with the Ace branding of the M.2 heatsink and the symbol of the chipset heatsink. This is great accent lighting that doesn’t take up the interior of your chassis. Overall, I like the look of the board and the almost black look goes well with most build themes.
I have to mention that MSI makes heavy use of plastic films to protect their hardware. This makes it reach the user without scratching, but I had to remove part of the heatsink to get it all to remove the protective plastic from the heatsink and shroud. Not a problem, but regular users may find it slow at best.
A closer look at the top half of the board reveals the oversized VRM heatsink used to cool the power bits. The finned solution has a lot of surface area for heat to escape from the 90A MOSFET it’s cooling underneath. Heatsinks are also connected via heatpipes to share the load between them.
Moving right past the sockets, we come across four DRAM slots, which are surprisingly devoid of reinforcements. Although not necessary, many inexpensive boards have metal-covered slots. Ace supports up to 128GB of RAM at listed speeds up to DDR5-6600(OC). Achieving these speeds typically requires an appropriate memory kit, so your mileage may vary (see memory QVL for details). I had no issues with the two kits until AMD’s self-proclaimed sweet spot, his DDR5-6000.
Above the DRAM slots are two 8-pin EPS connectors that carry power to the CPU. One of these is required and the other is optional. If you’re overclocking, you’ll need to insert a second one. You’ll encounter the first four (out of eight) fan headers in the top right corner. This area has the CPU, pump, and system fan 1/2 headers. All headers support PWM and DC controlled fans/pumps. The CPU header defaults to auto mode, the pump header defaults to PWM mode, and the system fan defaults to DC mode. You can update the control method from BIOS and MSI Center software. The system fan header outputs up to 2A/24W, while the CPU and PUMP fan headers support up to 3A/36W.
Between the right edge and the RAM slot, MSI has crammed the first of four (onboard) M.2 sockets. This socket feeds lanes from the CPU, runs at PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) speeds, and supports PCIe modules up to 80mm. The socket also uses MSI’s screwless M.2 Shield Frozr heatsink, with a button on the end for easy installation and removal of the heatsink. This is very useful for those who replace the M.2 module for reviews, but it’s also nice not to have to fiddle with tiny screws, even if you only install the drive once.
Starting on the far right, we come across MSI’s EZ debug LED. It consists of four different colored status LEDs for each phase of POST (CPU/red, DRAM/yellow, VGA/white, BOOT/green). If the board gets stuck in one of these phases, the LED will stay lit, giving you a rough idea of where the problem is. Below that is the POST Code LED, which provides detailed information during POST and displays CPU temperature in Windows. Then a 24-pin ATX connector to power the board and an auxiliary 6-pin PCIe to enable USB Power Delivery for 60W fast charging via the front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port. You will come across a connector. Finally, we come across two USB Type-C connections on the front panel. The top runs Gen 2 (10 Gbps) and the bottom runs 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 Gbps).
The X670E Ace’s power delivery is solidly built and can easily handle the flagship 7950X we use for testing. Starting from the EPS connector, it powers the Infineon XDPE192C39 PWM controller. From there, the signal is split (duet rail configuration, doubled without phase doubler) to 22x 90A Infineon OptiMOS TDA21490 SPS MOSFETs for Vcore. The 1,980A current capacity rivals the best consumer boards we’ve seen.
On the bottom half of the board, the left audio section is hidden under a metal shroud. Underneath is the flagship-class Realtek ALC4082 codec and his ESS Saber ES9280AQ USB DAC with built-in headphone amplifier. Also hidden underneath are some Nippon Chemi-Con audio capacitors. Most users should find this high-quality audio implementation sufficient.
In the middle of the board are 3 full-length PCIe slots and 3 M.2 sockets. All three PCIe slots are hardened and feed lanes through the CPU. That is, they all run PCIe 5.0. Slots are classified as x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4 configurations. If you’re still using a multi-GPU setup, Ace lists support for AMD Crossfire implementations.
The M.2 sockets in this area feed lanes from the chipset and run up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) modules. M2_2 and M2_3 support devices up to 80mm and M2_4 (bottom socket) supports modules up to 110mm. Ace supports RAID0/1/10 modes on NVMe storage devices. This new generation of all available lanes allows all 6 SATA ports and 5 M.2 sockets (with expander M.2 AIC) to run simultaneously.
Along the right edge past the chipset heatsink are two 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen1 (5 Gbps) front panel connectors. At the end of this area are six SATA ports (supporting RAID0/1/10) and another 4-pin system fan header. A few more headers are exposed at the bottom of the board. You’ll find the usual stuff like extra USB ports, RGB headers, and temperature and water flow headers for information about water loops fed through the board rather than third party software or devices . Below is the complete list from left to right.
- front panel audio
- 4-pin RGB header
- JDASH tuning controller module
- LED switch
- BIOS switch
- 3-pin ARGB header
- (2) 4-pin fan headers
- 3 pin water flow header
- (2) Temperature sensor
- (2) USB 2.0 headers
- power button and reset button
- Slow Mode/Battery/LN2/OC Jumper
- front panel
Ace’s MSI’s rear IO plate comes pre-installed, matching the board’s black and gold theme. Each port is labeled in gold, making it easy to read against a dark background. There are three buttons from the left (clear CMOS, BIOS flashback, smart button). The Smart Button is new and offers 4 unique functions: Reset, Mystic Light On/Off, Safe Boot and Turbo Fan. Button behavior can be selected from the BIOS. The rear IO has 11 USB ports, 3 USB Type-C (2x 20 Gbps, 1x 10 Gbps), and 8 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports. Last but not least are the Marvell 10 GbE ports, Wi-Fi 6E antennas, and 5 plugs and SPDIF audio stack.
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