The MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard [7B17-012R] belongs to the MSI Performance GAMING series, is not far from the top solutions: with this motherboard you can build a powerful PC that can handle both modern games or serious work, such as video processing and 3D graphics.
It has a strict stylish design: the motherboard textolite is painted black, but some of the heatsinks are in contrasting white. The bends of the device resemble sports car bodies.
The motherboard has a powerful Intel Z390 chipset, focused primarily on Intel 9th generation processors with great overclocking support.
The board is equipped with a large number of modern interfaces and expansion slots, some of them: 3 x PCI 3.0 Sli, Cross; 3x USB 3.1 Gen2; 6 x SATA, 2 slots for fast SSD of M.2 format. You can install 4 x DDR4 memory units up to 64 GB with a maximum speed of up to 4400 MHz. Memory slots are additionally shielded.
We should also note the sound based on Realtek ALC1220P-VB2. Microphone noises, echo, and other artifacts that interfere with normal communication – all this does not threaten the owners of the motherboard from MSI.
Another argument in favor of buying MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon for gamers is supporting of the MYSTIC LIGHT synchronized backlight system, all devices compatible with the MYSTIC LIGHT will glow in the same color.
MSI managed to create not only a functional, but also the most reliable motherboard. MSI STEEL ARMOR technology protects the slots for video cards and RAM from interference, deformation and high voltage. Overcurrent protection is achieved through enhanced soldering and earthing points on the RAMe and PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. In the production of the motherboard used solid-state Japanese capacitors SOLID CAP with a service life of up to 10 years and Titanium Choke chokes, which allow the device to work on high temperatures better than conventional components.
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Specs
- ATX gaming motherboard
- socket LGA1151 v2 (Intel 9th / 8th Gen Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron)
- Intel Z390 chipset
- 4 x DDR4 DIMM slots, 2133-4400 MHz, up to 64 GB
- SLI / CrossFireX support
- SATA connectors: 6 Gb / s – 6
- EFI, SLI / CrossFireX support
- The number of slots M.2: 2 x (PCI-E / SATA 3.0, Key M, 2242/2260/2280/22110)
- Sound 7.1CH, HDA, based on Realtek ALC1220P-VB2
- 1000 Mbps Ethernet based on Intel I219-V
- Interfaces: 15 USB, 9 USB 3.1 (4 on the rear panel), S / PDIF output, 1xCOM, HDMI, Ethernet, PS / 2 (keyboard), PS / 2 (mouse)
- Manufacturer’s warranty: 3 years
Additional specifications
- Main 24-pin power connector
- 8-pin + 4-pin processor power connector
- Type of cooling system: passive
- ATX Form Factor
- RGB tape connector
Review of MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard [7B17-012R]
Main features
- Supports 9th i9-9900K, i7-9700K, i5-9600K and 8th Generation Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron processors for LGA 1151 socket
- Supports dual channel DDR4 Memory, up to 4400(OC) MHz
- Audio Boost 4 with Nahimic 3, 2x TURBO M.2, Intel Optane Memory Ready, M.2 Shield Frozr, Turbo USB 3.1 GEN2, Pre-installed I/O Shielding
- MYSTIC LIGHT: 16.8 million colors / 29 effects. Connect RGB or RAINBOW LED strips with addressable headers and create an RGB gaming PC. Control Mystic Light SYNC enabled products
- Built for high-performance gaming – ATX form factor ready for multi-GPU
What’s inside MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON
- Pre-installed I/O Shielding
- Intel Turbo USB 3.1 Gen2
- Intel LAN
- DisplayPort
- Golden audio jacks
- Gaming I/O cover with Mystic Light. Change up to 16.8 million colors & 17 LED effects
- Front USB3.1 Gen2 Type-C. Reversible connector, easy to access
- DDR4 Boost with Steel Armor. Optimized traces and isolated memory circuitry
- Twin Turbo M.2. NVMe support, up to 32 Gb/s using PCI-Express Gen3 x4, ready for Intel® Optane™ memory
- M.2 Shield Frozr. Thermal enhancement for M.2 devices for best performance
- PCI-E Steel Armor. Protecting VGA cards against bending and EMI
- Audio Boost 4 with amplifier. Optimized gaming audio using best components
DIY FRIENDLY
MSI motherboards feature tons of convenient and smart design, such as convenient pin-header keep out zone, friendly SATA & USB location and so on, so DIY users can pick and choose any gaming rig they want.
Cooling
STAY COOL FOR ULTIMATE GAMING PERFORMANCE
Cooling your PC is essential for reliable performance. MSI motherboards feature excellent power design with solid and heavy heatsink. We’ve made sure to include enough fan headers with full control to allow you to cool your system any way you want.
M.2 SHIELD FROZR
World’s fastest SSDs can start to lower performance when getting hot. Part of the motherboards heatsink design, M.2 SHIELD FROZR is the next generation M.2 thermal solution to avoid this by offering the best thermal protection to make sure that SSD maintains maximum performance.
With MSI M.2 Shield FROZR
– Prevents throttling
– Maximizes drive performance
– Higher maximum SSD speeds
Without M.2 thermal
FULLY CONTROLLABLE IN BIOS AND SOFTWARE
MSI motherboards let you manage speeds and temperatures for all your system and CPU fans. Total Fan Control allows you check your primary system characteristics in a simplified graphical interface. You can also set up to 4 temperature targets for CPU and motherboard, which will adjust the fan speeds automatically.
AUTODETECT DC OR PWM MODE WITH HYSTERESIS
MSI fan headers automatically detect fans running in DC or PWM mode for optimal tuning of fan speeds and silence. Hysteresis also makes your fans spin up fluently to make sure your system stays silent, no matter what.
MSI:
‧Smooth fan speeds
‧Smooth sound levels
OTHERS:
‧Spiking fan speeds
‧Annoying sound levels
OPTIMIZED FOR WATER COOLING
Designed to support the most popular All-In-One & customized water cooling solutions on the market. A dedicated water pump PIN header supports up to 2 amp, giving you full control of the water pump speed. A clearly marked ‘keep-out-zone’ allows for easy and safe installation and a perfect fit.
Hardware
USER FRIENDLY DESIGN
MSI motherboards feature tons of convenient and smart design for DIY users, countless system tuning and troubleshooting tools are at your disposal to push your system to new heights and satisfy even the most demanding tweaker. Makes it so easy to install your own motherboard and gaming rig without any issue.
PRE-INSTALLED I/O SHIELDING
Featuring the pre-installed I/O shielding, makes your installation process easier and safer. The patent-pending design protect your I/O ports also prevent electrostatic discharge damage, makes your motherboard a strong gaming foundation.
XL CLIP
The enlarged PCI-E clip helps you swap or remove your devices easier. Keep the PCI-E slot stronger and safer.
EZ DEBUG LED
Run into trouble? Onboard LEDs for key components will indicate the source of the problem so you know exactly where to look to get up and running again.
Compatibility
MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY
Every MSI motherboards are certified by strict mechanic that feature convenient pin-header keep out zone, friendly SATA & USB location for compatibility with the widest range of components and devices, so DIY user can pick and choose the components they want. More than that, we offer a dedicated Qualified Vendor List (QVL) for the most critical part – memory. Combining with MSI DDR4 Boost technology, we provide the maximum compatibility even over clocking, so you confirm and choose any gaming rig as you want.
9TH AND 8TH PROCESSORS SUPPORT
MSI Z390 motherboards perfectly support Intel® 9th and 8th processors, so you can still enjoy latest MSI motherboard technology if you use 8th processors. Combining MSI Core Boost, you can release maximum performance no matter what CPU you use.
EXTREME STABILITY & COMPATIBILITY TESTING
MSI conducts thorough memory testing with the most popular memory brands under extreme conditions to ensure your system runs stable no matter what. Our memory partners include brands like Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, G.Skill and many more to optimize memory modules, configurations and even improve overclocking.
Bios and Software
APPS TO GREATLY IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
With years of experience in creating performance enhancing tools that are easy to use, only the highest quality applications are at your disposal. Use these tools to get the most out of your motherboard and achieve victory when gaming. Moreover, we made sure our BIOS contains all the latest options and is easy to use for everyone. The extensive features let you fine-tune your system to deliver reliable maximum performance when gaming.
DRAGON CENTER
The exclusive and brand-new UI merges all the MSI software functions into one specific application – MSI Dragon Center. Not only integrates all the MSI software functions, but also sync all the MSI desktop products to work together, providing the best user experience. No more messy programs or ICONs, just one click and you can enjoy all the functions in Dragon Center.
Gaming Mode
MSI Gaming Mode provides the most suitable setting for your whole gaming system, bring you the best gaming experience with one click!
MSI APP PLAYER
Developed under an exclusive partnership with BlueStacks, the MSI APP Player brings seamless gaming experience between mobile games and PC platform, and leverages customized features as specific keyboard lighting and better graphics with multi-task works.
CLICK BIOS 5
We made sure our BIOS contains all the latest options and is easy to use for everyone. The extensive features let you fine-tune your system to deliver reliable maximum performance when gaming
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
MSI motherboards featured all the latest solution for enthusiast gamers and prosumers. CPU and memory enhancement and fast storage and USB transfer speed are ready to be on the battlefield.
CPU
LOOKING COOL WHILE KEEPING COOL
High quality materials and smart fan optimizations contribute to cooling all essential components, which is key to making sure your system runs stable and delivers the best performance at all times.
CORE BOOST
Core Boost technology combines MSI’s premium layout and optimized power design which allows for faster and undistorted current delivery to the CPU at pin-point precision. Not only supporting multi-core CPU, also creating the perfect conditions for your CPU overclocking. For Z390 Motherboards, MSI also adopt slightly boost technology under the Intel standard X.M.P to squeeze more performance on Intel Core series processors for gamers without damaging the hardware or adding the voltage.
1-SECOND OVERCLOCKING!
MSI Game Boost enables one-second overclocking, giving you the performance boost you need to get more FPS.
LOAD-LINE CALIBRATION
What you set, is what you get. LLC makes sure your CPU voltage remains 100% stable under any load. This greatly improves stability when demanding more CPU performance.
OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION
Prevents potential short-circuit damage to the CPU and other critical components.
DIGITALL POWER DESIGN
A fully digital power design allows for faster and undistorted current delivery to the CPU at pin-point precision. Creating the perfect conditions for CPU overclocking.
DOUBLE POWER CONNECTORS
8+4 pin connectors delivering adequate power supply for multi-core CPU, unleash the ultimate performance with the most reliable motherboard for best gaming experience and extreme overclocking.
Memory
UNMATCHED MEMORY PERFORMANCE
Optimized layout design and a fully isolated memory circuitry ensures perfect stability and performance. you never have to worry about your system crashing during games with MSI DDR4 BOOST.
FOR HIGHER MEMORY SPEED: DDR4 BOOST 2
Besides optimized PCB design, MSI OC lab has also co-worked with world-known memory brands, pushing memory speed to a peak. MSI Z390 motherboards are going to free the these selected memories’ performance with stability.
A HUGE STEP OF DDR PERFORMANCE
MSI OC LAB does not merely work hard on extreme overclocking. Compare to Z370 motherboard memory support, MSI does have great improvement on performance and efficiency.
LOWER LANTENCY AND MORE EFFICIENCY
RELEASE HIGHER MEMORY FREQUENCY
EASY OVERCLOCKING WITH XMP PROFILE
The XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles) in MSI BIOS are tested and certified by MSI OC lab. It is easy to enable with auto power settings to get the best memory speed and stability.
Storage
FAST AND FUTURE-READY STORAGE
MSI motherboards support all the latest storage standards, which allows users to connect any ultra-fast storage device. Start games faster, load levels faster and have a real advantage over your enemies.
OPTANE: BOOST YOUR HDD TO PERFORM LIKE AN SSD
Gamers and PC Enthusiasts can now enjoy the performance of an SSD on their HDD by coupling it with the new Intel® Optane™ Memory device. Intel® Optane™ technology provides an unparalleled combination of high throughput, low latency, high quality of service, and high endurance.
STORAGE BOOST YOUR STORAGE PERFORMANCE
This great little tool is very simple to use and automatically detects your storage devices connected to the system. When enabled, Storage Boost optimizes your SSDs to keep your system fast and maximize storage performance, saving you a lot of time when loading or transferring data.
EASY RAID SETUP WITH M.2 GENIE
Looking to go all out in terms of raw data speed and put multiple SSDs in RAID 0? Setting this up can prove to be quite the challenge. That’s why we created M.2 Genie, a brilliant feature to make setting up RAID 0 for M.2 and U.2 much easier and less time consuming.
USB
MAXIMIZE YOUR USB DEVICE PERFORMANCE
Read and write your files over USB faster than ever. MSI offers a wide variety of options to connect and boost your USB devices, delivering lightning-fast transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s
MORE STABILITY WITH INTEL TURBO USB 3.1 GEN2
Featuring the Intel TURBO USB 3.1 GEN2, MSI motherboards offer never before seen USB speeds with more stability when connecting USB devices.
TYPE-C REVERSIBLE CONNECTOR FOR NEXT-GEN USB
Get all the performance benefits from USB 3.1 combined with the convenience of the USB Type-C connector. This reversible USB connector allows for effortless connecting of USB devices.
IN-GAME ADVANTAGE
MSI motherboards provide the most fascinating in-game advantages, allowing gamers to dominate any game anytime. Elevate your listening experience and network connection with MSI Audio & LAN. Enjoy extreme sound quality and uninterrupted online gameplay.
Conectivity
DOMINATE THE GAME WITH THE LOWEST LATENCY
Get ready to crush your enemies on the battlefield with MSI GAMING LAN. Featuring the highest quality components tuned to deliver the best online gaming experience without lag.
LOW LATENCY GAMING LAN POWERED BY INTEL®
Experience smooth gaming with Intel® LAN. Intel® LAN is optimized for championship level online and LAN eSports by reducing CPU overhead and offering exceptionally high TCP and UDP throughput. This means your CPU can be used more effectively, giving you more FPS when gaming.
OPTIMIZE ONLINE GAMING TRAFFIC FOR LOWER LATENCY!
MSI GAMING LAN Manager automatically classifies and prioritizes the latency-sensitive applications for online games, giving you the best online gaming experience with low latency.
MSI GAMING LAN MANAGER
- Automatically prioritizes games above other applications
- Allows you to change applications’ traffic priority
- Allows you to customize bandwidth for each application
Audio
SOUND THAT PULLS YOU INTO THE GAME
Deliver the highest sound quality through the use of premium quality audio components and get the most immersive sound experience when gaming. MSI motherboards let you enjoy breathtaking, gaming-changing sound.
ISOLATED AUDIO DESIGN
EMI-shielded HD audio processors let you enjoy the purest sound quality in front and rear connectors.
SEPARATED AUDIO LAYERS FOR CLEAN LEFT & RIGHT CHANNELS
Using separated layers in the PCB ensures equally pristine sound quality for both left and right audio channels.
ALL NEW NAHIMIC 3 – FOR NEXT LEVEL AUDIO IMMERSION
Get ready to be amazed by the all new Nahimic 3 and live the gaming immersion like never before! With simple and intuitive new UI, the Nahimic 3 not only further enhances in game 3D surround sound, but also offers even more finite control over your music, movies, and conference calls.
GET CLEARER ORDER WITH VOICE BOOST
Hear your teammates perfectly but still enjoy your audio. Voice Boost automatically reduces the game’s audio when teammates speak, and sets volume back when no one speaks.
DE-POP PROTECTION
Audio Boost protects your ears by eliminating those annoying loud popping sounds when you plug/unplug devices or turn your PC on/off.
DEDICATED HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER THAT AUTO-DETECTS IMPEDANCE
The built-in dedicated headphone amplifier rewards audiophiles with headphones up to 600Ω impedance by delivering studio-grade sound quality from your gaming PC. Audio Boost 4 automatically detects the optimal impedance for your headphones and adjusts the output for the best sound quality.
EXHILARATING AND INSPIRING
Each MSI motherboard is built based on the specific topic in order to match different tastes and favors. Furthermore, MSI also adopts the modern style to design the heatsink through huge surface and sleek but simple cuts in order to make the heatsink and appearance looks ripped and powerful. Combined with neutral color, such as black, grey and silver, as the main background, MSI motherboard can perfect fit different RGB LED effects and strongly shows the gamers tunes.
Industrial design
GAME IN STYLE
Inspired by supercars, the latest CARBON iteration from MSI is more astonishing than ever. The new MPG GAMING PRO CARBON has been updated with a distinctive look and feel and continues a tradition of colorful customization with MSI Mystic Light RGB.
MYSTIC LIGHT
MSI Mystic Light provides a complete function to control the RGB light all around the ecosystem. Select the available colors from the palette to match your favorite and mood.
MYSTIC LIGHT ON MOTHERBOARD
MSI Motherboard offers multiple colors and variety effects for you to set up the whole rig by your own way.
MYSTIC LIGHT EXTENSION
Still not satisfied with the decoration on the ecosystem? The Mystic Light Extension will help you to have more attractive way to decorate you gaming rig by the LED Strips and still under controlled by the Mystic Light application.
JRGB
The JRGB pin header provides the max 3A(12V) power supply for the up to 3 meters 5050 RGB LED strips showing single color.
MYSTIC LIGHT SYNC
MSI Mystic Light SYNC built with open SDK for all the peripherals. With Mystic Light application, you can easily control all the color and effect in one application.
Quality of components
LOYAL COMRADE
MSI has developed the motherboard market for many years. With rich R&D experience and a long history, the company continuously creates the best performance and humanized motherboard to help users meet the pursuit of high quality components and the stable, reliable and long-lasting system performance.
BUILT ON EVERLASTING QUALITY
Using only the finest quality components and integrating the latest technological innovations delivers the best possible professional experience. Rigorous quality testing under the most extreme conditions ensures a super reliable, long-lasting and high performance motherboard.
SHIELD YOUR MEMORY SIGNAL WITH STEEL ARMOR
Steel Armor protects your memory and memory slots from both physical damage and electrical overcurrent by adding extra ground points. But it also ensures a clean data signal for your memory by shielding it from electromagnetic interference (EMI), for a smooth gaming experience.
FORTIFY YOUR SYSTEM WITH PCI-E STEEL ARMOR
MSI PCI Express Steel Armor slots are armed with more solder points on the motherboard for a stronger hold, preventing any damage due to heavy-weight graphics cards. Steel Armor also protects PCI Express signals against electromagnetic interference for a pure gaming experience and even higher overclocking.
ULTIMATE MOTHERBOARD PROTECTION
We’ve made sure you can enjoy your system endlessly. MSI motherboards feature Double ESD protection with double layer grounding around the motherboard mounting holes, preventing Electrostatic discharge (ESD) surges from damaging the motherboard.
SUPER STABLE GAMING WITH
THE HIGHEST QUALITY COMPONENTS
MSI uses the high quality components , which is shielded by the best protection to make sure your system runs smoothly under the most extreme conditions.
SOLID CAP
With their aluminum core design and Japanese made quality, Solid CAPs are made for high-end design motherboard. Not only do Solid CAPs could provide lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), but also work firmly for over-10-year.
TITANIUM CHOKE
Titanium Choke uses a Titanium core that has better ability in thermal and higher temperature tolerance.
- HUMIDITY PROTECTION
- CIRCUIT PROTECTION
- ESD PROTECTION
- EMI PROTECTION
-
TEMPERATURE PROTECTION
CERTIFIED FOR GAMING
Each model is tweaked to deliver the best FPS for a stutter-free gaming experience. Tested in 24-hour on- and offline gaming sessions with the most popular gaming gear by the world’s best eSports players, so you can enjoy top performance and reliability in the world’s most popular games.
WINDOWS 10 CERTIFIED
With MSI you benefit from great compatibility and a worry-free user experience when using Microsoft Windows 10.
With a true dedication to performance, our R&D team has made sure everything works as intended when using the latest version of Microsoft Windows on any MSI product.
Testing of MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard [7B17-012R]
CPU and memory overclocking
Test bench: Intel Core i5 9600K, 2 x 8 GB memory kit DDR4-2666 Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO (CMW16GX4M2A2666C16) (Due to the system bus frequency 100.75 MHz, the kit worked at 3766 MHz with timings 21-23-23-45 at the memory voltage 1.35 V.), used program LinX processors 0.7.2 for testing the performance and stability.
The limits of testing: frequency 4700 MHz at a voltage of 1.27 V.
AIDA64 test results
WPrime test results
Test results Cinebench R15
7Zip test results
WinRar test results
3DMark test results
The test results were taken from the site i2hard.ru
Customer reviews, advantages and disadvantages
From the words of buyers, the motherboard will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding users. It has excellent performance, top-end chipset, well-designed processor power supply system and element cooling system, has a large overclocking potential. The board is equipped with all modern interfaces and expansion slots: 3 x PCI 3.0 Sli, Cross; USB 3.1; 6 x SATA, 2 x M.2. Buyers were satisfied with the audio chip ALC1220P-VB2, which provides high-quality sound. The presence of a heatsing on the lower M.2, a very convenient bios are also serious advantages. The well-thought-out cooling system is complemented by the ability to connect as many as 5 case fans, a CPU cooler and water cooling. This motherboard pleased customers with its component base, which is perfectly suitable for overclocking and has a strict, but expressive (special thanks to the excellent backlight) appearance. Several additional RGB tapes can be connected to MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON [7B17-012R].
Buyers have noted the following disadvantages of the board in their reviews:
- the use of drives in M.2 slots limits the use of SATA ports;
- the cost of the motherboard is far from cheap, but most buyers agree that you need to pay for the quality and functionality. And this is true when we talk about the MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PLUS board
Great motherboard with many features, but does have issues software wise.
March 11, 2019, Verified Purchase
I purchased this motherboard after using a MSI Z170 Gaming M7 for awhile and an MSI Z370 Gaming PRO CARBON briefly. I was underwhelmed by the Z370 and decided to update to MSI’s Z390 line. I am very happy that I went with the update.The motherboard is equipped with x2 M.2 slots (with one optional heatsink), x6 SATA ports, customisable RGB lights on the board itself (as shown in their product picture), x3 PCIe slots, a dedicated RGB LED connector, an easy to utilise overclocking feature within the BIOS, and 6 fan slots overall (2 PWM’s and 4 DC’s). There are many more options, but way too many to list. This motherboard has everything required for a solid gaming, desktop, or workstation build. I currently have mine paired with a EVGA 1070 Ti, a Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 (as boot drive), a WD Blue 500GB M.2, G.SKILL Ripjaws 2400 (2x8GB), Corsair TX750M 80+ GOLD, and an Intel i5-9600K.
The user interface is very friendly and the BIOS is easy to navigate. The board itself is very easy to install and comes with clear instructions on where everything goes. If you’re not sure on how to install one of the cables based off of the manual, then MSI does offer QR codes that link to YouTube videos for more visual-oriented folks.
I do dislike the Mystic Light program, however, as it doesn’t play well with my other RGB control applications (in particular, my G.SKILL KM780 RBG Keyboard’s program). It automatically syncs my keyboard to motherboard without option for my keyboard to “wave” through the other colours (it keeps it at a solid red and flickers/spazzes out when I attempt to change my keyboard back to previous settings). Currently I have Mystic Light deleted: I downloaded it briefly in order to set the motherboard’s RGB settings and then promptly deleted it). Not sure why the program messes with the other applications but, unfortunately, it does.
If you’re looking for a solid motherboard with some nice RGB features, then this is the board for you. It does have its small problems (application wise) but, otherwise, MSI continues to impress with their products.I am absolutely in love with their motherboards.
Customer review from Amazon
A defective item from msi.January 18, 2019It was run well nonissue, until the week before. I power on the pc from cold boot, it goes through bios screen but then shows no signal on the monitor, only works after a hard restart. Try everything I can, dig through almost every forum. Was advised finding the failed oak on the motherboard. Every disappointed about your products quality Msi.Critical customer review from Amazon