Intel’s newest 13th-generation CPUs like the i9 13900K bring with them a refreshed set of Z790 motherboards. Intel is looking to flex one big advantage over its AMD competition: DDR4 and lower platform costs overall.
Despite only supporting DDR4, the MSI Z790 Edge WiFi DDR4 still supplies most of what gamers or content creators are looking for, such as a decent number of M.2 slots, plenty of 20Gb/s USB, and PCIe Gen 5. The silver design elements are attractive and will work well in most builds, too. Overall, for those who don’t want to spend big on DDR5, this is a good, if slightly expensive, motherboard.
Good set of features for both gamers and content creators; Plenty of I/O, 5 M.2 slots, and 10 USB ports with 20Gb/s USB; Beautiful silver design and aesthetics, plus integrated I/O shield;
$369 MSRP isn’t terrible, but DDR4 should be cheaper; No upgrade path after 13th-gen Intel, as Z790 is the last before a chipset change;