MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY Motherboard Review

Z690 Motherboards and Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Pricing

Here’s a round-up of all the motherboards and processors I’ve reviewed today. This includes up to date pricing that was correct prior to launch. However, I expect prices and stock to be a little more volatile after the launch, so please keep in mind that they are subject to change. Most of the prices and links are from Amazon UK, however, I have included some prices and links to Scan.co.uk for items that were not available on Amazon at the time of writing.

• Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12600K, i7-12700K & i9-12900K CPU (review) – £290 @ Scan / £419 @ Scan / £599 @ Scan
• ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME Motherboard (review) – £935 @ Scan / £1669 Glacial Edition
• ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO Motherboard (review) – £520 @ Scan
• ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 Motherboard (review) – £280 @ Scan
• ASUS ROG Z690-I Gaming WiFi Motherboard (review) – £375 @ Scan
• Gigabyte Z690 AORUS XTREME Motherboard (review) – £767
• Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master Motherboard (review) – £416
• Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Pro Motherboard (review) – £290
• MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi Motherboard (review) – £410 @ Scan
• MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Motherboard (review) – £301
• MSI MEG Z690 UNIFY Motherboard (review) – £510 @ Scan

Overview

While this certainly won’t be the most high-end or extreme MSI motherboard hitting the market today, it is the most expensive MSI board I have for review right now. At £510 it’s certainly not cheap, but when the true flagship boards are around £1000, it’s fair to say it is on the middle to the high side of things. That puts it up against the ASUS ROG MAXIMUM Z690 HERO and that’s tough competition! They’re both well equipped, but MSI has two PCIe 5.0 slots and more M.2 mounts directly on the motherboard too, while ASUS has Thunderbolt 4 and MSI don’t, so it’s really about what you want, but for me, extra PCIe slots and more storage wins, giving MSI the lead here.

Build Quality & Design

This is a really well-made motherboard, but it’s also aesthetically stunning too. MSI has kept everything to a black and slightly darker black design, meaning it’ll blend into your build with ease. They haven’t bothered with any onboard RGB either, and I like that. Of course, there are RGB headers, should you need them. The heatsinks are massive, especially on the VRM, and a thick heatpipe helps cool the impressive 19+2 Power Phase design and 105A Smart Power Stage. The use of Titanium Choke III hardware and quality capacitors look great but also ensure the UNIFY can perform just as well as more expensive models. The inclusion of five M.2 mounts is certainly welcome for all you storage junkies, but the massive heatsinks on all of them are great too, ensuring drive performance is kept in the green. Both of the PCIe 5 lanes use the latest SMT armoured design too, greatly improving their durability.

Performance

Well, as we might have expected, pretty much all of the Z690 motherboards performed around about the same, so if all you care about is straight-up gaming performance, then just pick the one you like. What really affects the price, however, is VMR configuration and connectivity. If you’re building a system that will render high-resolution video 24/7 and push max boost clocks on flagship CPUs, then sure, it’s a good idea to invest in a more premium board with the heatsinks that can cope with sustained loads. Furthermore, some of the Z690 boards have DDR4 DIMMS, making them more affordable, while DDR5 will add a price premium but bring performance benefits too. However, all the boards get PCIe 5.0 lanes, and Gen 4 storage too, which is where some of the most significant gains are to be found from one board to the other.

Added Value

The main feature of this motherboard is the excellent CPU power delivery hardware, it’s up there with some of the more expensive boards and it’ll be great for hitting high boost clocks and overclocking. However, it’s the blend of old-school and new-school connectivity that will appeal to the OC scene. There’s PS2, USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 Type C built into the rear I/O. The audio is superb, with the latest ALC4080 chipset, and Chemicon gold capacitors. Plus, while all the boards have Intel WiFi 6E, the addition of dual 2.5 GbE LAN gives this board a nice advantage.

Should I Buy One?

Honestly, it’s pretty hard to find a problem with this motherboard, it’s visually stunning with its black on black, and RGB-free design. However, as much as those heatsinks look cool, they actually make things cooler too, keeping everything from the VRM to your storage running at their best. The excellent connectivity for peripheral devices, rich networking options, and dual PCIe 5.0 slots make this a prime choice for a high-end gaming build.