MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X Review

The MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is a powerful motherboard targeted at enthusiasts looking to overclock their PC builds to the max. It leverages high VRM power phases, six M.2 connectors, and usability features designed to simplify building and overclocking. These features ensure the Z890 UNIFY-X is designed to handle anything you can throw at it. To determine the value of the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X, we’ve tested and analysed it, looking at how it compares to the previous generation offering.

The MSI UNIFY range has always been an impressive series of motherboards. Even since the Z490 chipset, UNIFY motherboards have been among the best options for overclocking. With the LGA1851 platform, the UNIFY-X is an incredibly compelling offer, featuring more straightforward overclocking methods and high-quality VRM power delivery that hasn’t been seen on Intel gaming hardware before.

As per our motherboard reviews, this article discusses the specs, accessories, connectivity, and expansion options of the Z890 UNIFY-X to determine whether it’s a worthy board to buy.

Specification

At a glance, there are some pretty staggering differences between the MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X and the Z690 UNIFY-X. Intel never released a Z790 UNIFY motherboard for 13th-Gen or 14th-Gen processors, giving them plenty of time to work on a refreshed design. First and foremost, overclocking speeds are excellent on the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X. It supports up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM and 9600MT/s speeds, while the Z690 UNIFY-X was limited to 6800MT/s. It’s worth noting that there are only two DIMM slots on UNIFY-X motherboards due to the increased heatsink coverage for SSDs and storage slots.

As we alluded to in the intro, CPU overclocking is pretty beefy on this board. The Z890 UNIFY-X features a 20+2+1+1 VRM power phase configuration, which is noticeably better than the 19+2 power delivery on the Z690 UNIFY-X. This design allows users to push their Core Ultra CPUs, increasing clock speeds and performance.

On the expansion front, the Z890 and Z690 UNIFY-X are similar, with both boards utilising two Gen5 x16 slots and one Gen4. Storage, however, has seen some improvement, with the Z890 UNIFY-X offering six slots, two Gen5 and four Gen4. This opens up options for those with plenty of storage devices and caters to those looking to maximise performance with blazing-fast Gen5 SSDs.

Again, the front USB is pretty much the same as what’s available on the Z690 version. There are five headers: two USB 2.0, two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C. It would be nice to see an additional USB 2.0 header, primarily because more fans and CPU coolers use these headers to interface with software.

As expected of a board of this calibre, ample USB ports are available on the rear IO. In total, builders can leverage twelve ports, all of which are blazing-fast. The ports comprise two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, eight USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, and two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C ports. The audio selection on this board is slightly more limited than the Z690 UNIFY-X. There are two 3.5mm audio jacks and optical S/PDIF versus the five 3.5mm audio jacks on the Z690 version. This means that those with complex speaker setups are slightly missing out.

Finally, this board offers 5 Gigabit LAN and WiFi 7 on the networking front. The lack of a second LAN port is a shame, especially as the Z690 UNIFY-X offered two. WiFi 7 is a solid value add that offers increased speeds and stability versus WiFi 6E if you have a supporting router.

What’s in the Box?

Before discussing the design of the Z890 UNIFY-X, it’s worth considering the box accessories. The MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is designed to make building a PC easier and streamline the overclocking experience, and many of the included gadgets make this possible.

First up is the WiFi 7 antenna. This plugs into the rear IO of your motherboard and extends the range. The WiFi 7 antennas also use a snap-in style connector, making installation or removal easier.

One of the more exciting accessories is the Tuning Controller. This small remote control has been a staple of the MEG UNIFY-X range for quite some time. The tuning controller lets you quickly adjust the BCLK overclock without the BIOS. By enabling it in the motherboard’s OC settings, enthusiasts can increase or lower speeds through the ‘JDASH1’ header. It features a Q-Code LED to check it’s booting and buttons such as ‘Reset’ or ‘OC Fail Save’ to restart the PC or boot the system into safe mode.

The rest of the cables and gadgets are standard for MSI top-end motherboards. The MEG Z890 UNIFY-X and MEG Z890 ACE share similar cables. There are four SATA data cables, one front panel cable, two RGB extension cables (one male, one female), and a JAF_1 EZ connect, which streamlines cooler and RGB cabling and thermistor cables to measure temperatures accurately.

The final few items offer tool-less ways to install SSDs. The MEG Z890 UNIFY-X comes with four EZ M.2 Clips along with a screw and standoff set. These are easily removed using the small clip in the box that acts like a key.

The last item in this box is a small USB stick. MSI leaves this USB stick blank, which could be handy as a Windows media drive or to help you install drivers.

MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X Design

Despite focusing more on performance, the Z890 UNIFY-X offers a solid, albeit simple, design. This is a black ATX motherboard, donning heatsinks covering the VRMs and M.2 drives. Compared to the previous generation Z690 UNIFY-X, much of the board is more exposed, allowing the rougher and sharper parts of the PCB to remain visible.

The PCB uses a slightly lighter black colour than the heatsinks, which provides some contrast, although the lack of consistency in the colour won’t be to everyone’s taste. On top of the rear IO heatsink, you’ll find some small strips of RGB that surround the MSI dragon logo. This lighting can be customised and synced with other RGB components in your build. MSI has kept the lighting simple, aligning with the more barebones aesthetic of this board.

It’s good to see that all the M.2 drives have a heatsink covering them. It’s common to find performance-focused boards sacrifice some features to offset costs, but this board has a premium feel and look throughout. I’m also a big fan of the tool-less latches on the heatsinks, which save time when installing drives.

Overall, I like the aesthetic of the Z890 UNIFY-X. It doesn’t look as sophisticated as the Z690 UNIFY-X, but the black heatsinks and slightly offset grey colouring on areas of the board look solid. The more visible areas of the PCB won’t appeal to everyone, but I don’t see this as a deal-breaker.

Connectivity Options

Graphics Card Slots

As covered in the specs section, the Z890 UNIFY-X shares a similar set of slots to its Z690 counterpart. This board offers two Gen5 x16 slots and one Gen4. The top Gen5 slot runs at full x16 speeds, ready for the next generation of graphics cards. This slot also uses the EZ PCI-E release, which is attached to a small button on the right-hand side of the board. This locks the card in place and allows for quick removal.

It’s also worth highlighting that this board uses the PCI-E 8-pin header at the bottom of the motherboard. This allows higher power excursions with graphics cards for those pushing their system with demanding workloads.

M.2 Slots

While the amount of M.2 slots on this board are sufficient, the configuration is slightly strange. Starting from the top slot, based on the fancy heatsink, you would assume that this is one of the Gen5 slots. However, this is actually a Gen4 drive. The heatsink is tool-less which is a nice touch, but it’s slightly misleading that this is a Gen4 M.2 slot.

Below the larger heatsink that spans the board’s width are four additional M.2 slots. The two drive slots at the top are Gen4, the bottom left is Gen5, and the bottom right is another Gen4 slot. I’m unsure why MSI placed the slots in this order. It might have something to do with where the traces on the board are, but it’s strange.

The final slot at the top right of the motherboard is also Gen5, sitting under another tool-less heatsink. These drive slots feature thermal pads, keeping any installed drive nice and cool.

RAM DIMMs

The RAM configuration is quite strange compared to other ATX boards. However, those familiar with the UNIFY-X line will know these motherboards only come with two DIMM slots. This means the max RAM capacity is limited to 128GB instead of the 256GB we’re used to. However, RAM can be overclocked to 9600MT/s, which is slightly faster than the MEG Z890 ACE.

Rear IO

The MEG Z890 UNIFY-X’s connectivity selection is pretty solid across the board. There are twelve ports in total, all of which are high-speed; there is no USB 2.0 on this board. The weaker areas of the rear IO are the networking and audio. We tend to prefer dual LAN ports on a high-end board as they cater to those with home servers. Additionally, the audio is basic, so there are two 3.5mm jacks and S/PDIF out. I’m a fan of including an optical port, but it would be nice to see more jacks for those with speakers or music setups.

It’s nice to see a return of PS/2. The serial mouse and keyboard ports disappeared from modern motherboards recently. As this is an overclocking board, it makes sense to use PS/2, as you can interface with the BIOS without any drivers, which is a more significant limitation of USB and can be a potential issue for overclockers.

Internal Headers

CPU and Motherboard Power

As expected, the Z890 UNIFY-X uses a standard motherboard power configuration. Even with ATX 3.1, motherboards use the universal 24-pin power connector. Below is an additional 6-pin PCI-E header, but note that this is for 60W fast charging through the front IO USB-C port.

Despite being an overclocking motherboard, the Z890 UNIFY-X only uses two 8-pin EPS CPU connectors. This likely reflects the efficiency improvements with the new platform, as the Intel Core Ultra CPUs don’t require as much power.

Front USB Headers & SATA

The front USB headers and SATA data ports are relatively close together. The right-angled USB type-C port sits directly below the motherboard power. This port supports up to 20Gbps speeds and 60W power delivery if the PCI-E 6-pin is plugged in.

To the left of the USB-C port are the two USB 3.2 Gen1 headers, followed by six SATA data ports. I’m not entirely sure why MSI has included more SATA data ports, but this caters to those with older SATA-based storage devices.

The USB 2.0 headers sit underneath the final PCI-E slot, lining the bottom width of the motherboard. This board has only two headers, but as mentioned earlier, we’d prefer to see three.

Pump and Fan Headers

Because there’s more focus on expansion and performance, the Z890 UNIFY-X has fewer headers than some other Z890 boards we’ve reviewed. However, there are still ample places to plug fans and coolers into. Starting at the top-right, there are three 4-pin PWM headers. The white header is a ‘PUMP_Sys’ combo port, so you can plug in a liquid cooling pump or system fan header and operate either by changing the BIOS settings. The other two are for ‘CPU_Fan’ and ‘SYS_Fan1’.

There are three remaining PWM headers at the bottom right of the motherboard. Again, the white header is a combo port, while the other two are both for system fans, for a total of six headers.

RGB Headers

The last area to cover is RGB, which the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X offers three headers to leverage. Three is a pretty standard amount across most motherboards we’ve seen. While some manufacturers will provide more, it makes sense that this performance-focused board doesn’t prioritise RGB lighting.

There is one addressable RGB header at the top right of the motherboard, while the others are at the bottom, one on the right and one towards the left.

Building with the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X

The MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is incredibly easy to build. The numerous tool-less features make installing SSDs and graphics cards seamless. The M.2 latches have been available on MSI motherboards for quite some time, but it’s great to see them used across all slots instead of just a few. Because this is an ATX motherboard, getting the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X installed inside a case is hassle-free. It is worth noting that the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X has a fair bit of heft, so we recommend holding onto it with two hands.

The backplate on this motherboard is something that we’d like to see more of on modern boards. As we build PCs so often, it’s common to pick up a couple of scratches due to some of the connectors on the PCB. However, the backplate alleviates this entirely while adding stability to the PCB. The big push for usability features makes building with the new boards incredibly easy, and it’s a significant change that we’re welcoming with open arms.

Features We Like

Built for High Overclocks

The MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is built to sustain solid overclocks. This board offers a high VRM power phase count to maintain consistent CPU power. MSI has also simplified overclocking with one-click profiles and the included tuning controller, allowing enthusiasts to make quick changes without interacting with the BIOS.

Ample Storage Options

It’s not particularly common for motherboards to house six M.2 drives. While many top-end motherboards may have space for four or five, six is somewhat unheard of. We’re impressed with the storage expansion on the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X.

Features We Don’t Like

Restrictive RAM Capacity

One of the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X’s more significant drawbacks is that it only supports 128GB of RAM. While this will be ample for gamers, those building gaming/workstation hybrid systems may need more RAM for intense tasks.

No Dual LAN Support

The rear IO selection on the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is, for the most part, solid, but the lack of dual LAN support is somewhat frustrating. As this board is aimed at enthusiast-level PC builds, dual LAN would cater to those with complex home networks or server setups.

Conclusion

MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X

Product Name: MEG Z890 UNIFY-X

Brand: MSI

• Features
• Design
• Performance
• Value For Money

4.4

Summary

The MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is one of the best LGA1851 motherboards on the market. If you’re a builder who plans to overclock their Intel Core Ultra 9 system to the max, this is the board you want to pick up. MSI has meticulously designed the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X to make building and overclocking with this board a seamless process. With a 20+2+1+1 VRM power phase design, a tuner to make minor adjustments on the fly, and plenty of tool-less features to simplify installing components, the MEG Z890 UNIFY-X is built with enthusiasts in mind.

The only major caveat of this motherboard compared to other options is that its RAM support is restrictive. Those building a workstation/gaming hybrid may want to max out RAM capability with a full 256GB stack of DIMMs, but with the Z890 UNIFY-X, this isn’t possible and is limited to 128GB instead. I think this is a relatively small weakness in the grand scheme of things when the overall design, performance, and set of features are overwhelmingly strong. Compared to the Z690 UNIFY-X, there are some massive leaps in performance that will make the platform jump worth it for many.

Pros

✅ Perfect for overclocking

✅ Storage expansion

✅ DIY-friendly

Cons

❌ No Dual LAN support

❌ Restrictive RAM capacity

❌ Simplistic design