Question MSI X570 Motherboards

[Shmee]

So I was thinking of picking up an X570 board, as I would like more m.2 slots, as well as better UEFI updates and Gen 4 PCIe. I was eyeing the MSI X570 Meg line, particularly the Ace and the Unify. Both are around the $300 dollar range, but what is the difference? I hear MSI has pretty good UEFI for Ryzen, where Gigabyte is lacking, and I do not know if Gigabyte has a flashback button.

The wifi AX and 2.5G LAN is nice on these, but I likely would not even need it. Only drawback I see is only 4 SATA ports.

Anyone have experience with these boards, or could recommend another? I will likely be selling the ASrock X470 if I get an X570.

 

[UsandThem]

I can't answer what the difference is between the MSI X570 Ace and Unify (outside the obvious difference with the LAN options of Intel vs Realtek).
They are both very close in what you get: https://www.msi.com/comparison/motherboard/?unique=id1574186008205&compare_list=["TUVHLVg1NzAtQUNF","TUVHLVg1NzAtVU5JRlk="]

I have to say that that Unify motherboard is one of the best looking boards I've seen in several years. That all-black theme is refreshing to see in a sea of RGB overkill. Looking at the specs of it, it doesn't appear to missing anything you are looking for in a motherboard.

 

[Campy]

I don't have any X570 boards, but I'd recommend taking a look at Buildzoid's recent AM4 board roundup.

Here are some relevant timestamps:

MSI MEG X570 Ace

MSI MEG X570 Unify

So basically you lose a LAN port and some RGB stuff going from Ace to Unify. Buildzoid seems to like the ASRock X570 Taichi at around the $300 price point, but it's gotten a few dollars more expensive since he made the video and costs the same as the Unify now.

BZ on the different BIOSes

BZ favourite boards

 

[Shmee]

Hmm ya that is pretty much what I thought. So I suppose the real question: is having RGB and an extra 1G NIC worth $40? I kinda doubt it, I am leaning towards the unify now.

 

[UsandThem]

Hmm ya that is pretty much what I thought. So I suppose the real question: is having RGB and an extra 1G NIC worth $40? I kinda doubt it, I am leaning towards the unify now.

Not to me.

I'd use the $40 saved for something else cool/fun.

 

[UsandThem]

Oddly, I just received an latest deals email from B&H Photo, and the Ace motherboard has a $20 MIR, which makes the difference between the two $20.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1489701-REG/msi_meg_x570_ace_am4.html

 

[lopri]

Realtek LAN on a $300 board is inexcusable.

 

[Shmee]

Hmm I was also told by a friend that the Intel LAN would be better. I guess I better go with the ace then, as the difference is not too much. I guess I can try both LAN ports and see which is better for my needs.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Realtek LAN on a $300 board is inexcusable.

Is it RealTek 1GbE, or 2.5GbE? If it's 2.5GbE, OK. If it's only 1GbE, yeah, I would find that inexcusable.

 

[Markfw]

Is it RealTek 1GbE, or 2.5GbE? If it's 2.5GbE, OK. If it's only 1GbE, yeah, I would find that inexcusable.

It has a 1 gb Intel lan AND a 2.5 gb Realtek lan, per the specs on the page he linked.

 

[Muadib]

So I was thinking of picking up an X570 board, as I would like more m.2 slots, as well as better UEFI updates and Gen 4 PCIe. I was eyeing the MSI X570 Meg line, particularly the Ace and the Unify. Both are around the $300 dollar range, but what is the difference? I hear MSI has pretty good UEFI for Ryzen, where Gigabyte is lacking, and I do not know if Gigabyte has a flashback button.

The wifi AX and 2.5G LAN is nice on these, but I likely would not even need it. Only drawback I see is only 4 SATA ports.

Anyone have experience with these boards, or could recommend another? I will likely be selling the X470 if I get an X570.

Is there a reason why you don't want another ASrock motherboard? I have the ASRock X570 Taichi, and except for the latest BIOS/UEFI, it's been solid.

 

[Shmee]

Hmm, another board to consider, until just now I hadn't realized it had a USB flashback option. That is a definite requirement I feel. Also, 8 SATA ports are nice.

The only complaint I have really about the X470 Taichi other than the lack of PCIe 4, is the bios support. No BIOS flashback, and most of the newer versions aren't downgradeable. Also Asrock has been slow to release new Agesa updates for the board since matisse.

The X570 Taichi certainly helps alleviate some of these problems with the flashback button.

 

[Shmee]

Just an update here, I got the X570 Meg ace for a good price. It's pretty nice, now running 2 PCIe v4 m.2 drives, and 4 SATA drives. I also put in a kit of Gskill FlareX 16GB, so I now have a total of 32GB. Running RAM at XMP 3200MHz C14 with 4x8GB sticks.