The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTMSI MEG X570 Ace
Our full review of the MSI MEG X570 Ace is currently live with many more X570 models set to be fully reviewed and analyzed over the next couple of months.
The MSI MEG X570 Ace motherboard represents its premium MEG range and as we've seen from its range on the Intel Z390 chipset, MSI has followed the same naming structure for users to easily identify which each range signifies. The X570 Ace benefits from an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface, a Realtek 2.5 G NIC, three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, and a 12+2 power delivery. Like all of MSI's X570 product stack with four memory slots, there is support for up to 128 GB of RAM.
The board has four DDR4 memory slots with support for up to DDR4-4600, three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4, with an additional two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots. Built into the X570 chipset heatsink is a cooling fan which uses MSI's Zero Frozr design as the X570 chipset has a rated TDP of up to 15 W. Providing power to the CPU is two 8-pin 12 V ATX power inputs, while the power delivery is using an extended 8 to 6.5 mm heat pipe which extends from the power delivery directly down to the chipset. The MEG X570 Ace has three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, each with its own individual Lightning Gen4 M.2 heatshield which amalgamates into the boards black and gold designed heatsinks. Like the MSI MEG X570 Godlike, MSI's RGB Infinity Mirror 2 is present on the rear panel cover to allow users to customize the look of the board.
On the rear panel of the MSI MEG X570 Ace motherboard, there's a clear CMOS, and BIOS flashing button which has its own dedicated USB 3.1 G1 Type-A slot highlighted with a red outline. There are three USB 3.1 G2 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. Networking capability consists of a Realtek RTL8125AG 2.5 GbE NIC with the other Ethernet port being controlled by an Intel I211-AT Gigabit NIC. This model also includes integrated Wi-Fi with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax wireless interface which also offers users with Bluetooth 5 connectivity. The five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output are driven by a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec.
The MSI MEG X570 Ace in terms of price and feature set is quite impressive and with an MSRP of $369 which makes it a highly competitive when compared with other models in its price range. The need for MSI to upgrade its networking capabilities on desktop motherboards is something they have started to implement, and the rear panel on the X570 Ace is also without video outputs so users looking to use Ryzen based APUs will need to look elsewhere.
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Tunnah - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I really love how advanced motherboards are nowadays. I can pick up the most "basic" model and it'll cover everything I need, and even include stuff I won't. Gone are the days frantically trying to find a motherboard that ticks all the boxes for even the most basic of needs.Plus having such a competent board as my soon-to-be secondary system means I can leave all my drives in that and put it in a nice quiet place. I'm fairly certain the 8 HDDs in this one are what caused my tinnitus :/
Jansen - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace has officially validated ECC support. This is a really big deal, as Ryzen has usually only had unofficial ECC support. It opens up a whole other revenue steam for AMD that Intel has deliberately cut off in order to drive Xeon sales.Micron is ramping up its 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 ECC modules MTA18ADF2G72AZ-3G2 specifically for this market.
JoeyJoJo123 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I'd much sooner get a Ryzen platform for their value and unbuffered ECC support for an upgrade for my NAS box running FreeNAS, but it's well documented that FreeBSD still has teething issues with Ryzen chips, scheduling, and overall reliability... FreeBSD is what powers FreeNAS OS.So I'm kind of stuck with Intel workstations/server CPUs and ECC ram for a FreeBSD machine (assuming I don't want to do the legwork of trying to get it stable first, and even so, I may not always have the same stability that mature FreeBSD+Intel support...)
I'll very likely be moving to Ryzen for my main PC, though.
quorm - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I agree with the general sentiment. Core i3 is another option if you don't need a lot of cpu power.teldar - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
I used a ryzen 1600 for my bad. Rock solid after updating board bios.danjw - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
I built a file server on Ubuntu Server. You might try that.BillC - Saturday, October 31, 2020 - link
You might want to check out Open Media Vault which uses Debian Linux for the OS, it can be installed as a NAS only installation or on top of the full Debian OS.spikebike - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Wow, pricey board. Sad that AMD handles ECC in such a half assed way. Intel's price premium for low end servers is approximately $0. Xeon E3's were priced very similarly or even cheaper to the similar desktop parts. In particular the cheapest hyperthreading E3 was often cheaper than the cheapest i3/i5/i7 with 4 cores/8 threads. Similar with the HEDT, the intel premium for a better socket/additional memory busses is much less than the low end Eypc/Threadripper.So you either have the luck of the draw trying to buy a reliable AMD with ECC (not just physically compatible, but actually corrects memory errors), or you pay a substantial price premium.
Aikouka - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
ASRock Rack has a Ryzen motherboard that officially supports ECC and also has IPMI support (X470D4U). They're also developing a Threadripper variant of their Epyc server board that has IPMI support, but it uses the X370 chipset.cascadehealthcare - Tuesday, August 13, 2019 - link
Authorized seller of thousands of top-quality medical products, supplies and equipment at a competitive price. We have online presence that serves the needs of Assisted Living Homes, Nursing Facilities, Hospitals, Government Agencies, Schools and Military Locations across the country. Cascade Healthcare Solutions was founded on the premise of helping our customers save money and making their buying experience as smooth as possible.Authorized seller of thousands of top-quality medical products, supplies and equipment at a competitive price. We have online presence that serves the needs of Assisted Living Homes, Nursing Facilities, Hospitals, Government Agencies, Schools and Military Locations across the country. Cascade Healthcare Solutions was founded on the premise of helping our customers save money and making their buying experience as smooth as possible.
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