Intel tends to introduce new chipsets whenever it launches processors, and the recent launch of the 9th Generation Core line is no exception.
Compared to the 8th Gen-contemporary Z370 chipset, the Z390 chipset represents just a slight tweak to the formula.
It integrates a USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller for up to 10Gbps ports and Intel Wireless-AC with support for up to gigabit Wi-Fi speeds.
Not all motherboards will ship with full access to everything listed in the chipset's spec sheet, but the $290 MSI MEG Z390 ACE has all of the important boxes checked, with a few extras ticked for good measure.
That's not to mention MSI's inclusion of a unique "Mystic Light Infinity" panel that should intrigue PC builders looking for quirky new angles on in-case bling.
If you want to go the deluxe route in your next PC build/upgrade with a 9th Gen Core i9 processor, and tweak it, too, this is the board to get.
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A Monochromatic Monster Mobo
The MEG Z390 ACE is an MSI Enthusiast Gaming model.
(That's where the abbreviation "MEG" comes from.) The board is equipped with an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 adapter that supports theoretical data rates up to 1,733Mbps, as well as Bluetooth 5.0.
Other standout features include impressive overclocking capabilities, support for multiple video cards, dual eight-pin CPU power connectors (for beefed-up power delivery), and a large power-phase array designed to let the speedy, power-hungry Intel Core i9-9900K ($369.99 at Amazon) run free.
Although the Z370 chipset-based boards will work with Intel's 9th Generation processors (after a BIOS update), few are built like the MSI MEG Z390 ACE.
MSI has its sights set on serious gamers, avid overclockers, and power users with deep pockets.
Along the bottom edge is an unusual sight: not one but two USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectors for Type-C ports
The MSI MEG Z390 ACE features a matte-black PCB with some angular gray accent stripes that add visual flair.
There are also some white labels for headers, the model, and the manufacturer, as well as key features such as "Core Boost" and "DDR4 Boost." The built-in I/O shield is covered with a shroud that extends over the thick heatsink on the left side of the processor's voltage regulation module (VRM).
The top portion of the VRM has another heatsink that makes good contact with the power-delivery components, and a heat pipe spans the two VRM heatsinks.
Bulky VRM heatsinks, as well as needlessly tall DRAM heatsinks, have long been the bane of DIY builders who prefer tower-style air coolers and top-panel-mounted liquid-cooling radiators.
MSI appears to feel their pain, as the capacitors closest to the socket are left exposed, and the chokes are only partially covered.
The real workhorse of the VRM, the MOSFETs, are the only components that are fully covered, and there's a thermal pad to ensure uniform contact across the heatsinks.
The audio components located on the left side of the MEG Z390 ACE feature a black plastic shroud labeled Audio Boost HD.
(Baffled by all this? See our guide to motherboard lingo, Buying a Motherboard: 20 Terms You Need to Know.)
MSI has added shiny steel plating soldered onto the PCB, what it dubs "Steel Armor," to the DDR4 memory slots and PCI Express slots to help reduce EMI and add some strength to these components.
DDR4 Boost is the name MSI gives to its optimized traces and isolated memory circuitry.
The chipset heatsink is a substantial piece of solid metal with angular designs surrounding MSI's familiar, stylized dragon logo.
The M.2 heatsink actually sandwiches your SSD between two heatsinks, to ensure you never encounter performance-robbing thermal throttling.
You get spaces for a whopping three M.2 storage devices on this motherboard, but only one gets a heatsink.
That being said, I do like that the heatsink-equipped M.2 slot is the one that's least likely to be covered with a graphics card.
The top-most M.2 slot can accommodate Type-22100 SSDs, while the two lower slots top out at Type-2280, or 80mm long.
(Check out our guide to the best M.2 SSDs and our guide to SSD lingo.)
No enthusiast-class motherboard is complete without at least a little RGB frippery, though the MEG Z390 ACE has less than most.
The only programmable built-in RGB LEDs come in the form of the so-called "Mystic Light Infinity" panel on the shroud covering the I/O ports-and-shield area.
The Infinity panel consists of a single strip of LEDs bounded by a pair of parallel mirrors that create an "infinity mirror" regressing effect.
You also get three RGB LED-strip headers on the motherboard.
The ones at the top and at the bottom are for 12-volt 5050 RGB LED strips, and a 5-volt WS2812B header at the bottom of the board is designed for connecting an individually addressable LED strip.
A Corsair-specific connector lives on the top edge of the MEG Z390 ACE for connecting a Corsair fan hub or Corsair-branded LED strips.
If you've built an Intel-based system in the past several years, you'll immediately recognize the LGA 1151 socket's securing mechanism.
All four dual-channel memory slots are to the right of it.
This motherboard also supports Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) for overclocking memory speeds up to and beyond 4,000MHz.
MSI peppers the right edge of the board with some nifty extras, including physical power and reset buttons, a Game Boost knob (humorously, it goes to 11), debug LEDs, a debug-code display, voltage checkpoints, and two front-panel headers for USB 3.1 Gen 2 port cables.
Despite the handful of supreme features on the MSI MEG Z390 ACE, this is still Intel's mainstream platform, which means that most of the processors you plug into the LGA 1151 socket will have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i9-9900K I used to test this motherboard, for instance, has the UHD Graphics 630 for gaming, but the rear I/O on this motherboard doesn't feature any video outputs, so you will still need a discrete graphics card if you plan to build a system out of the MSI MEG Z390 ACE.
Scattered in among the M.2 slots are three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots for CrossFire and SLI multi-GPU configurations.
A single graphics card gets the full 16 lanes, but if two cards are installed, they will be limited to eight lanes apiece.
Although two-way SLI is your limit for Nvidia cards, you can install three AMD-based graphics cards in a CrossFireX configuration, which results in eight lanes allocated to the top-most slot, while the two remaining cards are left with just four lanes each.
A trio of PCI Express x1 slots is available, as well.
The rest of the storage subsystem beyond the M.2 slots consists of a series of six SATA 6Gbps ports, turned 90 degrees to make connecting and disconnecting them easier.
I/O Ports Galore
I've seen designs with built-in I/O shields like this one on a handful of the latest motherboards from Gigabyte and MSI, and I love it.
If you're installing this motherboard into a case that's already packed with components, having the I/O shield bolted in place is a real convenience.
On the panel, starting at the top edge, you'll find MSI's BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons, which simplify updating the BIOS with minimal hardware, and get you back into the BIOS in the event of a failed overclock.
You also get an impressive 10 USB ports: five USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, and four USB 2.0 ports.
That top USB 2.0 port has a red rim to signify that it's the one that you'll need to use if you plan to upgrade the BIOS using the BIOS Flashback button.
Above the USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports is an RJ-45 LAN port, which corresponds to the Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN controller.
Killer's hardware and software use Advanced Stream Detect 2.0 to lower in-game latency by giving the packets that correspond to your multiplayer gaming sessions the highest priority.
Streaming-media packets also get access to the express lane thanks to Killer's NIC.
If you want to go wireless, then you can just bolt on the external antenna to the pair of Wi-Fi coaxial connectors between the bank of USB ports and the rear audio jacks.
As I mentioned above, the controller behind this motherboard's Wi-Fi capability is the Intel Wireless-AC 9560, which is the highest-performing IC available on Intel's Z390 motherboards.
Also back here are five audio jacks that support up to eight-channel HD audio delivered via the Realtek ALC1220 codec.
The rear I/O also features an optical S/PDIF port for a premium audio experience.
The MEG Z390 ACE's Audio Boost HD talents refer to the built-in audio amplifier that supports studio-grade headsets.
The left and right audio channel traces are on separate PCB layers, to reduce interference.
MSI relies on a series of Chemicon capacitors, which the company suggests delivers a "warm" sound.
You can also install the Nahimic Audio Enhancer software to tweak the sound to whatever temperature you prefer.
Given the lusty power draw we saw when overclocking the Intel Core i9-9900K, any motherboard that hopes to keep pace will need some serious power delivery.
On this board, you'll spot dual eight-pin CPU auxiliary power connectors in the upper-left corner.
The VRM consists of a total of 12 phases dedicated to the CPU, so the chances of an unexpected voltage drop hitting the processor are minimal.
Hardcore overclockers also have access to a series of jumpers designed to enable LN2 overclocking, such as the Low Temperature Boot Jumper, and the Slow Mode Booting Jumper.
Most experienced overclockers work from the BIOS menu, but MSI's Game Boost overclocking knob is a definite shortcut.
After enabling Game Boost HW Mode from the BIOS, you can twist the knob through all 11 settings to step up voltage and core frequency.
The core-frequency increments that the knob clicks through depend on the processor installed.
For instance, the Intel Core i7-8700K ($350.10 at Amazon) overclocks to up to 4.8GHz with the knob set to the first position, to 4.9GHz at the second position, 5GHz at the fourth position, and so on.
Set to 11, Game Boost will attempt to overclock your i7-8700K to up to 5.4GHz.
That said, I would not recommend using the Game Boost knob to overclock an i7-8700K to anything beyond 5GHz.
Cooling a high-performance motherboard is serious business, and MSI clearly doesn't take the task lightly.
This board has a total of seven fan headers, and the two on the top edge of the board are dedicated for an all-in-one-style pump and CPU fan, respectively.
MSI also installed seven thermal probes: two for the CPU, one near the VRM, two near the top-most PCI Express slot, and two underneath the chipset heatsink.
If you want, you can hop into the BIOS to take full control of your fan curves and thresholds, or use the MSI Dragon Center software.
(Look for fan settings in the Performance menu.) The system fan headers are all nicely positioned around the edges of the board to ensure you don't have to compromise your cooling plan because of poor header placement.
The front-panel headers for the power, reset, and hard drive activity LEDs are located to the left of the hardwired power and reset buttons.
You'll also find two sets of front-panel USB 3.0 headers, one on the bottom of the board, and another astride the SATA ports.
Bundled Extras and Testing Experience
The MEG Z390 ACE has a handful of odds and ends included in the packaging.
In addition to the Wi-Fi antenna, which doubles as a headset stand if you mount it to the wall, is a high-bandwidth SLI bridge, three LED-strip adapters, a case badge, four 6Gbps SATA cables, the software disc, SATA label stickers, the manual, a quick-start guide, a warranty card, and an MSI Gaming promotional card.
Also, although it's not in the box, MSI is offering a free copy of Assassin's Creed Odyssey to anyone who buys this motherboard before December 31, 2018.
As I've said a number of times already, the system I built to test out the MEG Z390 ACE features an Intel Core i9-9900K.
I populated two of the DIMM slots with 16GB of dual-channel G.Skill Sniper X DDR4-3400 memory.
For the Windows 10 boot drive, I relied on a 240GB Crucial BX300 SATA SSD.
I installed the components into an Alpine White EVGA DG-77 case and used the Fractal Design Celsius S36 closed-loop liquid cooler to flush heat away from the processor's STIM-fused integrated heat spreader.
For my game testing, I installed an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 card, operating at the Founders Edition clock speeds.
A BIOS Crash Course
The MSI MEG Z390 ACE features MSI's Click BIOS 5 UEFI BIOS, which has two operating modes; EZ, and Advanced.
The former hides a number of the more obscure controls that are designed to let you alter the components' performance.
The latter assumes you have some experience and unlocks all settings.
In EZ mode, the UI is fairly intuitive, letting you enable XMP profiles, alter the boot-device order, examine components, and look at sensor data.
Overclockers will need to use Advanced mode almost exclusively.
From the EZ mode main screen, you can click the Hardware Monitor to view CPU and System fans, curves, and temperatures in real-time...
You can also take manual control over these settings right from this menu.
Although the fans can detect whether or not the device plugged in is a PWM or voltage-controlled device, you can override those settings for each header.
9th Gen the Deluxe Way
I hear it time and time again from inexperienced builders, that the motherboard is where they really want to save money.
It's true, the price of the MSI MEG Z390 ACE is significantly higher than that of the cheapest Z370 motherboard that'll support the Intel Core i9-9900K.
But a motherboard that's not capable of keeping up with this processor will limit the voltage that it has access to, and you will have left some significant performance on the table.
This is not the case with the MEG Z390 ACE.
The board is pretty, well-built, and carefully designed, and it lights up like Infinity Christmas if you've got the requisite LED light strips and a clear case side panel.
But the most important thing the MEG Z390 ACE does is give Intel's latest processor, the most impressive mainstream chip I've ever tested, all the room it needs to run like mad.
You don't need...
