CES 2026: MSI showcases RTX 5090 Lightning Z & more

We visited MSI at CES this week to get an early look at a huge range of new technology. The star of the show is the new RTX 5090 Lightning Z, a limited edition graphics card with world-beating overclocking potential. We also take a good look at MSI's new MEG PC, based around the flagship Maestro 900R chassis, alongside new peripherals, OLED monitors and more. 

Watch via YouTube below:

Timestamps:
00:00 MEG PC Build / Maestro 900R
00:33 X870E Unify X Max / Coreliquid E15 360
00:48 Motherboard Kit
01:17 Screens / features and other hardware
02:06 New Motherboards
02:17 New ‘professional’ monitors
02:48 Supercomputer / AI Edge
03:29 ‘White’ Components
03:49 Pro Max White 271UPXW12G
04:11 Pro Max 24
04:51 Power Supplies and alert software
06:06 Limited Edition 5090 GPU
07:40 Storage
08:15 RadiX BE9400 & Roam II BE Pro Mesh
08:46 New Peripherals

Aside from the new Maestro 900R chassis, the MEG system also utilises the new X870E Unify MAX motherboard, and a CoreLiquid E15 360mm AIO liquid cooler. The chassis allows you to rotate the motherboard by 90 degrees in all directions, and supports horizontal and vertical GPU mounting, giving you numerous ways to set up the internal layout of the system. You can also remove the central mount entirely to use as a dedicated test bench if the situation calls for it. To enhance visual appeal, there are multiple integrated displays as well, including one large one at the chassis front panel, and another inside the case, so you can monitor system stats or display custom graphics. It is unclear when the MEG PC will become available via retail channels but we should hear more on that front later in the year. In the display version here at CES, the only non-MSI component that can be seen is the RAM, which in this instance is a set of G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB memory.

On the display front, MSI is showcasing both new gaming and professional monitors this week. On the professional side, MSI has a new PRO MAX monitor using Gen 4 QD-OLED panel with anti-glare and low-glare coating, complete with a KVM switch for those who rely on multiple devices, making this an ideal monitor choice for a home office set-up for editing. There are also new OLED displays hitting the gaming market, with new Gen 5 QD-OLED panels and a special new coating that increases surface hardness to reduce scratches, and a new sub-pixel structure that reduces text fringing, addressing one of the very few complaints early adopters had with QD-OLED monitors. We actually already have a review of one of these MSI Gen 5 QD-OLED monitors live, so you can see our in-depth analysis of the new QD-OLED panel already.

If you like the Pro Max monitor but don’t have much space, MSI also has a 24‑inch version. The difference is that this one is a complete all‑in‑one system, featuring its own integrated motherboard, CPU and integrated graphics. There’s a pop‑up camera on top, and a cable‑management hole underneath so wires can disappear neatly. It’s still a 120Hz panel, well‑balanced in colour and very flat in appearance.

In the realm of desktop supercomputers, MSI is showing a localised AI supercomputer based on the NVIDIA DGX Spark platform, allowing you to create and run AI agents locally and upload them to the cloud when needed. The AI Edge is a slightly different concept product from MSI, likely to appear in a more complete form around Computex. For now, it’s a Windows‑bootable box that can emulate the AI environments needed to create solutions, and everything built on it will remain fully compatible with cloud‑based AI hosting platforms.

MSI also has a new range of power supplies coming. They look stylish from the outside, but something less obvious is the USB port on the back. To demonstrate what can be done with this connector, MSI has rigged up a large RTX 5090 with breaker points on each cable. On a nearby screen, you can see a live demonstration — for example, cable number two drawing 0.6 amps. When one of the assistants creates a fault, the current drops to zero, and the system triggers both an audible and on‑screen alert. In real‑world use, this would happen within seconds. The idea is that you power everything down for at least three minutes, check the generated log file, fix the issue, and then the system will return to normal.

Earlier we saw the MEG system, but while the booth was being set up, something else appeared – a new MSI Lightning graphics card. The MSI Lightning has long been a favourite amongst serious overclockers and this new model has already been used to set several world records, as we reported HERE. This will be a very expensive GPU, as it is intended to be a halo product, offering the very best speeds and overclocking potential that money can buy. Only 1300 units will be made, with availability starting in February.

On the storage side, MSI has the Spatium N571 DLP. The stand is enormous for such a small product, but the SSD itself is a blazing‑fast Gen 5 model using a new TSMC 6nm controller. It includes enterprise‑grade technology MSI calls DLP, which is short for Data Loss Protection. This feature safeguards data during sudden power loss, so if severe weather suddenly hits and you end up with a power cut, your data should be safe when power returns.

MSI has also expanded its gaming peripherals. The new 60% Strike 700 wireless keyboard is an 8K HE model using magnetic switches, allowing extremely fine control over actuation down to 0.005mm. It’s expected around Q2. There is also a new Maestro 500 wireless headset, which we found to be very lightweight and comfortable. The headset should offer up to 100 hours of battery life without noise cancellation, and close to 60 hours with it enabled.

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KitGuru Says: What do you think of MSI's new product line-up for CES? Is there anything here that you'll be looking to get your hands on in the coming months?

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