MSI Z790 MAX motherboards appear to be on the way

By now, it's clear that we won't get any Z890 motherboards this year. However, motherboard manufacturers still plan to launch a new series of Z790 motherboards. In MSI's case, we'll be seeing a new round of Z790 MAX motherboards. 

According to price information supplied by chi11edog, the upcoming MSI Z790 MAX motherboards will be more expensive than the standard models. The MAX series has enhanced cooling, power supply, I/O, and compatibility with new network technologies like WiFi 7.

MSI Z790 Max series motherboards MSRP:
MSI Z790 GODLIKE MAX MSRP $1,299.
Carbon Max WiFi @ $499. 🧐🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/Wdsuv9s93y

— chi11eddog (@g01d3nm4ng0) September 1, 2023

When we compare the new Z790 MAX series to the non-MAX models, we can see a considerable price increase. On average, these boards are projected to cost 10.5% more than their non-MAX equivalents. The top Z790 Godlike MAX motherboards will supposedly go for $1,299, while the Pro Z790-A model comes in at a rather high $279. Notably, the latter marks a 16.7% increase over the original Pro Z790-A's MSRP.

The Z790 MAX series will be MSI's last generation of LGA1700 motherboards since this socket will be phased out next year with the arrival of the LGA1851 socket for Arrow Lake-S CPUs.

These motherboards should be available later this year to coincide with the launch of Intel's new 14th Gen Core processors. These CPUs should be compatible with all current 600 and 700 series motherboards though, so you can save some money by going with an older board, rather than springing for a brand-new model.

KitGuru says: Considering the alleged pricing of the Z790 MAX motherboards, if you had to build a new system with a 14th Gen Core CPU, would you choose a Z690, Z790, or Z790 Max motherboard?

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