MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE Motherboard Review

It's been a few months now since the launch of the Z690 chipset which brought support for DDR5 memory clocked up to a staggering 6666+Mhz, PCIe 5.0 that supports speeds of up to 32 GT/s which doubles the 16 GT/s speed limit of PCIe 4.0, this equates to an aggregate bandwidth of 126 Gbps. The new chipset also brings support for Intel's newest 12th Gen processors. And with a new specification, there will always be someone who comes along and sets the bar for the high end of hardware. With that being said, I'd like to introduce you to that bar. MSI has launched the MEG Z690 GODLIKE, a motherboard that's so fully featured that it even comes with the memory you'll need to use it. The important question to address here though is whether the high price tag is worth it, and will it last you long enough to justify that cost? Is this board going to prove worthy of the "Godlike" name or is it merely a false prophet? MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE The Godlike isn't just a motherboard, it's a statement. It features all of the most recent specifications that a motherboard can have and a whole host of additions that have you questioning if you're even buying this for the motherboard and not the extras. The extras in question are threefold; the new and possibly revolutionary M-vision dashboard that can be used for quick motherboard setting changes even whilst in windows and can be used as quick access to launch default programs on your PC like web browsers and the calculator, I do question this though, how much faster can it really be than clicking on the icon with your mouse? The final two extras are simply products that can be bought separately bundled in the box, this includes a dual-stick kit of DDR5 memory and a full fat 360mm AIO liquid cooler from MSI themselves. Unfortunately, however, for the sake of fairness in testing, we won't be using either of those last two as the other boards we tested did not have these additions, so we will be using the same memory and cooler that we have used on the other boards so we can evaluate just the board and not the things it comes with. Features Intel Z690 ChipsetSupports 12th Gen Intel processors for LGA 1700 socketSupports DDR5 MemoryM-Vision DashboardDual Thunderbolt 4 portsPCIe 5.0 slots10Gbps and 2.5Gbps LAN controllersIntel Wi-Fi 6EE-ATX Form factorTPM 2.0 For in-depth specifications, please visit the official Motherboard product page here. You can also see our video on the MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE below. Packaging & Unboxing The front of the box shows you all the core aspects of the board, what it supports, what other high ticket items can be found in the box, such as the AIO Liquid Cooler and the DDR5 Memory. The box also portrays the board in an almost nebulas way, sitting in the void of space, like it's trying to say that it's something more than your average motherboard, but we're yet to see if that holds any value. Ironically, this theme also unintentionally demonstrates how the board is out of your reach. On the left hand side of the box we can see a specifications list for the motherboard, memory and AIO, listing everything you could need to know about the products inside. Over on the right hand side, we can see the same MSI logo from before along with the same products name that was used on the other side, but this time we are missing the specification list, but instead have two small labels at the bottom that tell you that the board is windows 11 compatible, this is most likely to do with the inclusion of TPM 2.0, which we can also see a label for. After lifting the lid of the box we see another product photo of the board with some repeated information from the side of the box. This is the first time we've seen the liquid cooler or the memory pictured anywhere, both of these products are available for purchase separately and aren't the main attraction so it makes sense why, they are the support bands, so to speak, but I still would have liked to see them pictured on the side or back of the box. Under the lid we are greeted by the board itself, sitting nicely in the centre of the box. Besides the board to the left is the included Kingston fury DDR5 memory, it's a very nice inclusion to have. Below the memory is a nice metal necklace featuring the MSIs dragon logo. On the right side of the board is two covers that magnetically attach to included mounting screws to cover up the mounting points to make the look of the build cleaner. Personally, though, I think this is a moot point since there will be visible screws elsewhere in your PC, like on the AIO cooler... that is included in the box. The included Memory is 32GB of Kingston FURY 5200MHz, very no frills when it comes to design, simple branded heat spreader and no RGB, but what are you complaining for? You bought a motherboard, not RAM, just be happy it's here! Stepping things up from the cardboard drinks coasters I got with my old GTX 1660 Ti, included in the box is a very high quality metal necklace, in the shape of the MSI dragon shield logo. These plates magnetically attach to the mounting screws to cover any of the "ugliness" from the board. If I'm being honest here though, I've always had an appreciation for how a PCB looks, so I'm not sure if I'd install these in my own build, but there is no doubt that it would make the whole build look cleaner, and with so little on display anyway, maybe covering it is the way to go. Under the motherboard is where the rest of the goodies are hiding, the AIO and all of its accessories are here along with the motherboard accessories and Wi-Fi antenna. In the middle of everything else is the documentation for the board and some stickers as well as some non-descript pieces of plastic that are packed in some foam, these are actually for constructing an included test bench of all things. I must admit that I'd hope that for long term use you would use something a bit more permanent and sturdy, I don't know if I would trust the board on these for anything more than a few tests. Taking a look at the AIO now, it's a triple radiator, which in some cases (get it?) could cause compatibility issues due to its large size, but really to be able to accommodate the board you'd need a large case anyway so this is only an issue if you were to buy the AIO separately The AIO pump head is covered with a magnetic plate that you will need to take off to be able to mount the cooler to the CPU. The head features an IPS display to show system temperatures, what time it is, the weather, or really anything else you might want, including images and videos. The fans included for the AIO are three of MSIs MEG Silent Gale P12 fans, they feature a 9 blade design and have vibration dampening pads built into them to help reduce noise, the hub of the fan features another appearance of the MSI dragon logo, which I think is meant to be Lucky the Dragon, it's just not as cute. Drivers for the board are included on a laser engraved metal USB stick. When it comes to cables there isn't much to say, it comes with everything you would need to get the board up and running with any of the additional features you might want to be using. Something of note though is that the six included SATA cables are a very high quality braided cable that feels very nice and would look just as good as it feels in your build, and for compatibility, there are three straight connectors and three 90 degree connectors. The previously mentioned test bench, once assembled, looks like this, it does what you would need it to but doesn't feel like it's meant to be permeant, if you wish you can also mount a fan to the bottom to blow air up at the board, if I hazarded a guess this would be for overclocking, to help keep the back of the board within a reasonable temperature. Getting the board on the bench was very difficult, you have to align all 6 holes perfectly and get the board placed onto it, the instructions do have placement guides to help you with this but it's still difficult to place the board down without moving at least on out of place. Another inclusion is a set of two screwdrivers, a Philips head and a flat head, these are specifically to fit the screws used on the motherboard. This gets its own feature here because it's one of the weirder inclusions, for whatever reason, one of the included accessories is a keyboard cleaning brush, why? why not I suppose. A Closer Look Here it is, the motherboard itself, shiny, very shiny in fact, as I'm sure you can notice, parts of the board are almost mirror-like, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make it difficult to photograph. Despite my difficulties with getting photos for you, the board does look fantastic, without any lighting on it it looks clean and mature enough to be considered a professional level board. Once the covers I previously motioned are on and the cooler is attached, you won't be able to see any of the connectors, adding to the clean look of the board. Unsurprisingly, the board features a solid metal backplate that, whilst it does have a design, is taking a simpler approach, basic lines to add at least something to it and a "GODLIKE" logo, if you think about it, this is a smart decision from MSI, they have given something here but haven't wasted resources in designing and manufacturing a more complex pattern on the back. Besides the memory slots of the board is one of the big selling points of this board, the M-Vision Dashboard. The Dashboard is a touchscreen and can be used to control the motherboard either by using it whilst it is attached to the motherboard as is shown here or outside of the pc by connecting it to the appropriate USB connection on the rear I/O using the included cable. Below the M-Vision Dashboard is a decorative metal plate with a Godlike logo on it and some decorative patterns, it also has a power and reset button attached to it, all these do is press the buttons that are attached to the motherboard below them. Something else below the metal plate is a hidden M.2 slot. Very importantly, at teh very bottom right-hand corner of the board is a switch that has "M_SW1" under it, you need to change the position of this switch if you want to use the M-Vision Dashboard through the USB connection. To the left of that is the shielded PCIe Slots, they are PCIe 5.0 16x, allowing for the fastest graphics cards available. Surrounding the PCIe slots are shields that cover the M.2 slots beneath them. Above the DIMM slots for the memory is the CPU power connectors, not much to say here but it's worth mentioning that once the board is mounted in your case and the covers are in place, you won't even be able to see them, so how they look isn't the most important thing here. Interestingly they are located nearer the right side of the board, most other boards have these plugs right near the end of the left-hand side of the board, there is a practical reason for this though, it allows the power to be more direct to the CPU, that'll help with the stability of the board when overclocking if overclocking is your cup of tea. Hidden under the M-Vision Dashboard is the ATX power connector, it's at a 90-degree angle so the cable will come away cleanly and not stick out in an ugly way. Besides that are three fan connectors and one of MSIs JRainbow connectors to control some lovely RGB without the need for a separate RGB controller that adds extra wires and mess inside your build. On the other side of the ATX power is two internal USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connectors. Moving down from there we can see two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A internal connectors, allowing for up to four External USB connectors. Further down from the USB ports are all six of the SATA connectors, but with a board like this I'm sure these won't be used for much. Down once more we can see another two fan connectors on the board. At the very top right of the board is a Postcode display, to help diagnose any issues that you may be experiencing. To the left of the code display is a pump header, this could be used for a fully custom water cooling solution or, more realistically, the included AIO. Moving over to the left once more is a Corsair LED header; by using the included cable you can connect any Corsair branded RGB product and control it without the need for a Corsair Commander module, which would add extra mess to your PC. Rear I/O is fairly robust, there are ten USB ports, two of these are thunderbolt 4 ports, allowing for up to 40Gbps speeds and by using the included Display port cables you can use the thunderbolt to drive a display if that is something you need. Amongst the USBs are two that are dedicated to specific features, one of them is for the bios flashing feature and the other is for the M-Vision Dashboard if you wish to use it. VRM Overview The Godlike features twenty 105A SPS (Smart Power Stages) Phases of power delivery for the CPU with two additional Phases for the SOC (System On Chip) The VRM cooler covers both the top and bottom VRMs and features an RGB logo that is hidden beneath a mirror finish plate, the larger on the left is an RGB MSI Dragon that also features a grid pattern background across part of the design. The smaller plate on the right also features the grid design under a mirror finish but has a "GODLIKE" logo that lights up in RGB, all of which can be controlled through the MSI centre software. The Back of the VRM cooler shows us how it is split into two sections and then connected with a heat pipe to spread the heat around and help cool the VRMs. In the right you can see the hollow section that is used to cover the rear I/O, you can also see the cable that connects to the motherboard to provide power and data to the RGB in the cooler. BIOS Overview The Basic Input/Output System, or "BIOS" has many features and options that can be user-defined and altered to suit what you want to use the PC for, this includes basic settings like fan control and more advanced settings like overclocking. The majority of features in a BIOS will be the same from one board to another but how they work and how to use them can differ, so we'll be looking at the bios to see specifics for this board so you know better how to use the BIOS if you find yourself with your hands on this board. EZ Mode EZ Mode is as its name describes, easy. It compresses everything into basic and easy to understand information with all of the control being one or the other style options, you don't get any more options than on or off and in the fan of fan control you can only change if it's a fan or pump, opening the settings for the fans from within the EZ Mode will open the Hardware Monitor tab that we look at in greater detail a little later in the BIOS overview. Advanced Mode On the front page of the BIOS advanced mode is quick access to all of the separate pages of settings as well as a quick Boot Priority list and automatic overclocking profiles for the CPU and memory. You can also see some basic system information like temperatures, installed CPU and installed memory, the installed memory will also be useful for quick diagnosis, you can very quickly check if all of the memory is showing up as it is supposed to. Settings The first page within settings has 5 options of subpages that we will be going through individually below. The System Status page is simply a list of information about the system, including system date and time, storage information and BIOS version details. In the Advanced Settings page is a list of more sub-pages, each allowing more precise control of the board, in here you will find features like Resizable Bar that can be used to take full advantage of the most modern GPUs. The Boot settings page has some simple on and off settings for the boot process but also has the full boot priority options, that functionally do the same thing as the quick settings that stay on screen throughout the entirety of the BIOS excluding the hardware monitor, the only difference between the two is how you change the order. Finally in settings is security, you can add an administrator password if you wish and you can also enable and change secure boot settings. Overclocking The overclocking page has a very large list of options, within this list, you can manually set the frequencies and voltages of the CPU and memory, but remember to always be careful with overclocking and take it in small steps as to not damage or overwhelm the hardware you have. The OC Profiles are simply different user-defined profiles that when activated will automatically set the values that were saved by the user. You can also save and load profiles onto a USB stick, I guess this is useful if you have a massive collection of OC profiles, maybe tuned individually for specific uses. Hardware Monitor Hardware Monitor is where you can control cooling profiles for the case and CPU fans as well as a pump if you have one. Featured here is also a graph that shows the current temperature of whatever device you are monitoring, this can be chosen in the top left corner. Beta Runner The only thing of note in the Beta Runner is the option to enable SR-IOV Support if you have a Single Root IO capable PCIe device. Software Overview Over the years MSI has dabbled with many iterations of their control software, previously we had Mystic Light as its own software, then we had Dragon Center that went on to have a Mystic Light module for lighting control, and now we have MSI Center, this is one central hub for controlling MSI devices and for some other separate features that aren't exclusive to MSI products. Much like with Dragon Center that came before it, MSI Center has a Mystic Light module for controlling the RGB of your devices or turning it off completely if you wish. Part of the MSI Center is the large list of modules, one of which is the system diagnostics module, which is used for checking the health of the drives and memory. Another module is the User Scenario module, this one is for quickly overclocking the system, there are predefined options and a customisable option that you can go into and configure manually. How We Test Here at eTeknix, we endeavour to disclose vital information regarding the benchmarking process so that readers can quantify the results and attempt to replicate them using their hardware. When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of motherboard, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Therefore, your experience may vary. Testing Your Own System We typically focus on commonly available benchmarks so that you too can run the same benchmarks on your own system. We hope this makes it easy for our readers to gauge the performance improvement available to them when they upgrade their own systems. Gaming Tests All games are run at their specified resolutions using the "high" settings or equivalent. We avoid using the Ultra settings as these often offer diminishing returns for performance vs visuals. Test Bench ProcessorIntel 12th Gen Alder Lake Core i9-12900KMotherboardChanges Per ReviewMemoryCorsair Dominator RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 5200MHzGraphicsGigabyte RTX 3080 Gaming OCStorageSeagate FireCuda 530 2TBPower SupplyCorsair RM1000x 1000WSoftwareWindows 10 Pro 21H1DriversNVIDIA GeForce Build 19043.1320 Audio Performance RMAA suite is designed for testing the quality of analogue and digital paths of any audio device. The results are obtained by playing and recording test signals passed through the tested audio path by means of frequency analysis algorithms. A more common mark is also provided for those unfamiliar with measured technical parameters. Available here. We run the RMAA test using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable connecting the line out to the line in to test the quality of the motherboard audio codec, not any external audio devices. We run the complete playback and recording test at default settings and then get RMAA to interpret the results giving the below outputs. We sync the playback and recording audio devices to the same setting as the test for accurate results The Godlike features the Realtek ALC4082 audio solution and on the board we see very good results; the frequency response gets a very good result while the noise level gets an excellent rating. The overall results are very good and will provide clean and clear audio like you would expect from a board of this calibre. CPU Performance To test the CPU performance in our motherboard reviews, we use a variety of software that can test both single-core and multi-core performance in different ways. While these tests are aimed at the processor more than the motherboard, it does give us a chance to analyse the power delivery that's being fed directly to the socket and the components that are needed on the motherboard for the CPU to perform at the highest level possible. Tests that are run include CPU specific tests, along with render based benchmarks and calculation tests that give us the very best idea of how a specific board compares with the competition when using the same hardware Cinebench R23 Cinebench R23 has consistent results, the Godlike remains in the fourth last place going from the single-threaded test to the multi-threaded test, and while consistency can be good, it's less good when the constant is below average. The Godlike fared better in the single test than in the multi-test; losing two places, including to MSIs own MPG Gaming Carbon WIFI and only managing to beat the boards that use DDR4 memory instead of DDR5. Compression & Decompression Results in 7-Zip aren't the best, with compression being slightly better than decompression, and only managing to beat 1 board in both tests, the board it beats also happens to be one of the two DDR4 boards we tested. This is actually a negative for the board's results as most users will be doing decompression much more than they will be doing compression. Rendering In Blender the results are tied with three other boards, including one of our DDR4 boards, for second-worst, losing by 0.03 seconds to the two boards taking the top position. Corona has the Godlike tied with the ROG Maximus Extreme for the worst result. The good news for the Godlike here though is that the results are so close that in practice you would never actually notice these differences, so the slower render times aren't going to be a large concern for these boards as they are all within 0.05 seconds of each other in the test. Calculation Performance In WPrime the Godlike is in third place with a huge margin between it and the ROG Maximus Extreme in fourth place. MSI's own MPG Gaming Carbon WIFI is on top, however, making it look like MSI are shaming themselves. The Carbon WIFI is still on top in this test, but the Godlike has fallen some places here while Gigabyte gains a sizable lead over the Godlike and even the MSI MAG Tomahawk which was previously second place. Futuremark Performance Unlike in Geekbench, the memory doesn't seem to have made a big difference. The Godlikes score is in the lower half but is still above some other boards, not all of which are even budget options for Z690. Time Spy sees an improvement in Results, it's above all other options apart from the ROG Maximus Hero which has a pretty large lead over the Godlike. The Godlike stays in the same position as it did before and remains below the Hero, but the Godlike has caught up somewhat and has closed the gap between them. Gaming Perfomance We use a few different Gaming benchmarks to test real-world performance of the components we are testing; We keep all of the hardware the same for each test, only swapping out the component we are testing for a fair test. For motherboard testing, we use the high presets for our games, set to 1080p. Unigine Superposition Unigine Superposition has the Godlike at the top of the list, performing better than every other board we tested with a relatively large jump in score over the next best performer. Shadow of the Tomb Raider Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be. Available now on Steam. Like in Unigine the Godlike is again at the top of the list but has a smaller gap from the board below it, which was previously in the lower half of the results. Metro Exodus Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter video game developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver. It is the third instalment in the Metro video game trilogy based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels, following the events of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. It was released in 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Stadia and in 2020 for Amazon Luna. A Linux and macOS conversion was released in 2021. An enhanced version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows on May 6, 2021, and was later released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 18, 2021. Available now on the Epic Game Store and Steam The Godlike has fallen from grace in Metro Exodus, it was once at the top and is now at the bottom, after the two previous tests this comes as a surprise to me, I didn't expect that the Godlike could hold top position through all our gaming tests but such a dramatic drop in performance comes out of nowhere. World Of Tanks World of Tanks enCore RT is the demo of the updated Core graphics engine. It will let you know how well your PC will perform in World of Tanks with the updated Core engine. Available now here. Without Ray Tracing enabled the Godlike sits in the exact middle of everything we tested but is above the average score, this is because of the lowest scoring board is so low that it offsets the average score by quite a bit; if we ignore the lowest score and use just the other boards then the Godlike falls below average. The Godlike goes up in the ranks here and sits above the average score, but this time there are two outliers in score on the low end so ignoring them for a more even average isn't entirely fair, but in case you are wondering, ignoring the two outliers brings the Godlike below average. Memory Performance Memory read speeds fall below most other boards, and is practically at the bottom spot if we consider that the two worst spots are both DDR4 boards as opposed to the DDR5 that every other board is running. The results in the write speed test are exactly the same position-wise from the Godlike and down, and again it is worth noting that the two lowest scorers are using DDR4 memory which puts them at a disadvantage over the other boards tested. The results in the copy test are much the same as the two tests before it, with the only deviation being above the Godlike, so if nothing else at least the Godlike is consistent. Unfortunately for the Godlike, it's consistent at being in the low end of our testing. The Godlike was the highest scorer in this test, which is actually a negative point because you want latency to be as low as possible for the most responsive experience. The best performers in this test were actually the DDR4 that hit the bottom of every other AIDA64 test, so what we can easily gather here is that latency is still a strong point for DDR4 than DDR5 is yet to match. Network Performance For our networking tests, we connect both the test system and another system into our ASUS RT-AX89X router and run our tests. We opted for this over a direct point-to-point connection because we wanted to simulate real-world performance. For our WiFi tests, we do the same except we connect the test system to the ASUS RT-AX89X router via WiFi at a distance of 3 metres from the router. LAN Speed Test Lite LAN Speed Test was designed from the ground up to be a simple but powerful tool for measuring file transfer, hard drive, USB Drive, and Local Area Network (LAN) speeds (wired & wireless). It does this by building a file in memory, then transferring it both ways (without effects of windows file caching) while keeping track of the time. Download the free Lan Speed Test Lite utility from here. 2.5G Port 10G Port Going between the 2.5Gbps and 10Gbps network ports sees a very slight improvement, but if you have it you might as well use it, and if you have access to full 10Gbps internet then you will definitely see an improvement, but maybe less so in writing speeds which see a very slight decrease in the 10Gbps port. WiFi Going from even as little as the 2.5Gbps port to WiFi has speeds noticeably decrease, even from the small three-meter distance we had the board away from our WiFi router, but this is par for the course with wireless internet, you can never expect it to be able to keep up with a good wired connection. Storage Performance To test the storage performance in our motherboard reviews we use CrystalDiskMark and run the sequential read and write tests on default settings (1MiB block size, Queue depth of 8 and 1 thread) to test the maximum throughput of the connector/port. For M.2 tests, we run the benchmark test on a Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB Gen 4 NVME drive. For USB tests, we use the same drive, inside an ASUS ROG Strix Arion NVME enclosure, and for SATA tests, we use a TEAMGroup Delta RGB 250GB SSD. The test is run in various slots/ports and the drives are always formatted before use. The M.2 slots all have pretty much the same results, with a slight edge going towards the first slot, this is because it is connected to the CPU directly and not the chipset. Slot 6 is so low because it is a PCIe Gen 3.0 slot as opposed to the Gen 4.0 slots that the others are, one of the others is a Gen 5.0 slot but since we can't test a type of drive that doesn't exist we used a 4.0 drive in all slots. SATA speeds are significantly slower than M.2 as you would expect, with read speeds being over 50MB/s faster. Bizarrely, USB Type-C has a slower read speed than it does write speed while USB Type-A has a big lead on its read speeds over the write speeds, but USB Type-C sees overall better performance than Type-A does. Web Browser Performance In all our web performance benchmarks we have the Godlike at the very peak of the results table, holding significant margins over everything that hold second place in any test. VRM Temperatures Even though our results don't have the Godlike at the very top, it is still high up, with the lowest boards all being eight degrees lower in temperature, which is a little disappointing given how robust the cooling solution is. My guess as to why we see these results is that the VRM cooler seems to be designed to take advantage of the airflow in your case and isn't designed to be passive. Power Consumption At idle the Godlike is the worst board we tested, likely because of the touch screen it is powering the whole time, it is a full ten watts above the board below it in the list. However, the results for when the board is under load are far better with a power draw right near the bottom, pulling thirty fewer watts than the most power-hungry board, the Gigabyte AORUS Xtreme. How Much Does it Cost? $2,099 or roughly £1,800 but expect it to be a little more than that since it's only a rough conversion. Yep, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it really is that expensive. Added Value For that eye-watering price, it at least comes with a selection of high-value extras, including the AIO liquid cooler that comes in at $280 or £250 and the Kingston DDR5 memory that comes in at $312 or £236 at its lowest recorded price. Of course, it also comes with the necklace and the included test bench, but we will come onto that. Build Quality & Design Most of the board feels very well designed and with amazing quality. It uses obviously good quality materials and has clear thought put behind most of its features and layout. But unfortunately, as you might have realised from my choice of words, there is a fatal flaw in the design that we have found during testing. The problem has three different ways of happening. The first is the M.2 heat sink that extends across the bottom of the board, screwing either side of it down less than half a millimetre too far presses and holds the power and reset buttons down because the buttons are small switches on the motherboard that has a plastic cover that you press onto to press the buttons down, this plastic piece is a part of the M.2 heat sink. The second way of making the issue happen is screwing the plate that sits on top of the M.2 heat sink a tiny bit too far by any of the four screws that are used to hold it down. The third and final way that you can have this issue occur is by having a graphics card sitting on the plate, this also holds down the power and reset buttons. With the graphics card issue, we found that having the GPU be supported in the same way it would be in a case does hold it up enough for it to not press the buttons, but this comes with a test bench that has no support like this so which is quite insulting when this board has an issue like this. To be clear I'm not suggesting that the motherboard needs to come with a more robust and fully featured test bench, I am suggesting that if you are going to include a test bench then make sure you don't have such a preventable issue like this. For a board of this cost, it is frankly ridiculous that an issue like this could make it all the way through the design, testing and manufacturing process without being caught along the way by someone. Performance When we evaluate the board's performance we see middle of the road performance with average to below-average scores throughout testing with the occasional major win where it sits at the top of the leader board and the occasional major loss for the board when it sits at the very bottom of the leader board. Overview Overall the board looks very good, it feels very good, it performs in the middle of the road and is expensive. I'm afraid there isn't much more to say on the matter. I get the impression that this board isn't meant to be a consumer product and more like a collectable for MSI enthusiasts and Hardware collectors alike. With the design flaw with the power and reset buttons in mind it's hard to say that this board feels worth its price tag, not even the M-Vision dashboard can help that feeling as I never used it, it doesn't feel responsive and goes into idle faster than it loads things. To fix the M-Vision dashboard I would suggest making it an optional add-on that is compatible with MSI boards through an internal connector that let sit be used at any point like when it is a part of the board itself, but also make it a standard USB compatible device so you can use it on any system, this would also probably gain more sales than the board as a whole. Oh and fix the touch screen. Should I Buy One? To put it bluntly, you can't. The MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE has a limited quantity globally and is only available to select previously registered MSI customers. Ironically, this final nail in the coffin for the Godlike might be its saving grace, as there is no real way for it to be a commercial failure. So what's my conclusion on the Godlike? Well, honestly, it doesn't matter but I'm going to give you my opinion anyway; the MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE is not worth the money in the slightest, to make it something worth buying they would need to take my advice on the M-Vision dashboard, remove the AIO and RAM from the box and bring the price way down, and maybe then it could also be made in higher numbers and could be actually obtainable for the average consumer who has a lot of spare cash to throw at an extravagant board like this.