MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi Review

The MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi is an affordable Z890 motherboard targeted at those looking for an entry-level option on the LGA1851 platform. Despite being one of the cheapest Z890 boards from MSI, it offers a well-rounded set of features, such as Gen5 SSD support, high overclocking speeds for RAM, and a solid selection of blazing-fast rear IO aimed at those with plenty of peripherals. However, to see whether the MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi is a decent board, we’ve put it to the test, comparing it against its Z790 counterpart to identify strengths, weaknesses, and similarities of the Intel Core Ultra platform.

The MSI Pro series of motherboards is primarily geared to the more price-conscious market. While the ‘Z#90’ chipset boards are generally more expensive than their ‘B#60’ and ‘H#10’ counterparts, the Pro boards balance pricing and performance well. However, it’ll be interesting to see where the Pro Z890-A stands compared to the Pro Z790-A MAX, as those looking to save money may benefit from sticking to the older platform.

In this review, we’ll examine the MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi, analysing its specs, box accessories, design, connectivity, expansion, and features.

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Specification

Looking at the specs, it’s immediately noticeable that the MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi offers some substantial upgrades compared to the Pro Z790-A MAX WiFi. The Z890-A WiFi features a 16+1+1+1 VRM power phase design for overclocking support, one additional phase compared to the Pro Z790-A MAX. RAM overclocking, however, has seen some substantial improvements with support for 9200MT/s at a capacity of 256GB. This is a 1400MT/s boost over the Pro Z790-A MAX.

On the expansion front, the Pro Z890-A WiFi features a Gen5 graphics card slot, one Gen5 SSD slot, and three additional Gen4 slots. The expansion on this board is pretty solid, and it’s nice to see Gen5 support across the SSDs and GPUs, especially considering that the Pro Z790-A MAX didn’t offer Gen5 SSD compatibility. I’m also a fan of the fact that there are four slots. Cheaper boards tend to limit SSD expansion to two or three onboard slots, so the four slots here will be more than ample for most PC builds.

The front IO selection on the Pro Z890-A is similar to the Pro Z790-A MAX. This board has four headers: two USB 2.0, one USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C. Seeing more USB 2.0 connectivity on the front would be nice, but this won’t be a deal-breaker for everyone. The Pro Z890-A has seen significant improvements on the rear IO compared to the previous-gen offering. There are ten ports: two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C.

Much like the other MSI motherboards we’ve reviewed, the audio support is relatively basic. There are two 3.5mm jacks and optical S/PDIF out. While we appreciate the inclusion of optical S/PDIF, the selection of audio ports on this motherboard is limited and doesn’t offer much for those with speaker setups or audio interfaces. For networking, builders can leverage 5 Gigabit LAN or WiFi 7, which provide solid speeds over a wired or wireless connection.

What’s in the Box?

Before we examine the design of the Pro Z890-A WiFi, we’ll look at the box accessories. These often provide builders with additional tools and cables to help ease the building process.

First up is the WiFi 7 antenna. The Z890 range of motherboards supports the WiFi 7 standard, so they come with new antennas. These extend the range of your wireless connection, but they also feature snap-in connectors instead of screws, which make them simpler to install or remove.

The rest of the accessories included with this motherboard are relatively basic. Because this is one of the cheapest Z890 motherboards, MSI has likely had to reduce the number of included gadgets to save on costs. In the box, you’ll find M.2 EZ Clips and the Clip remover, which allow for tool-less SSD installation.

There are also two SATA cables, catering to those with SATA-based storage, and an EZ-connect cable, which uses the proprietary JAF1 header found on modern MSI motherboards. This header combines fan control and RGB into one.

MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi Design

Looking at the design, the Pro Z890-A WiFi is a white motherboard. The previous generation Z790-A MAX WiFi also features white heatsinks on top of a dark PCB, so MSI has retained this theme for the Z890 version. This opens up options for those building a lighter system, but the contrasting black PCB also blends in well with dark components.

While I appreciate the use of white heatsinks, I feel the overall design of the Pro Z890-A is pretty barebones. The lack of heatsinks on the central portion of the motherboard provides a rugged look that not everyone will be a fan of, resulting in a board that doesn’t look as sophisticated as other options.

The various MSI logos and livery across the board look fine. They don’t add much, but they don’t massively take away from the design. I think this motherboard would benefit from being entirely white instead of half-and-half. While I can understand that this was likely done to reduce costs, I’d rather pay more for a wholly white board (which seems to be quite rare nowadays) than one that looks almost half-finished.

Connectivity Options

Graphics Card Slots

On the expansion front, the Pro Z890-A WiFi features a single Gen5 graphics card slot running at full x16 speeds, while the other two are Gen4 running at x4 speeds, which is ideal for expansion cards or potentially more storage.

At the bottom of the motherboard, you’ll find an additional PCI-E power connector. This header provides more juice for the graphics card slot, aimed at users who push their PC with challenging workloads.

M.2 Slots

The MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi for storage expansion has four onboard M.2 slots. The top slot is Gen5, secured with MSI’s EZ latch tool-less mechanism. Drives here can also be installed without any tools required, as the slot features the EZ click latch.

Slot two isn’t covered by a heatsink and doesn’t feature a standoff, so you’ll need to add one from the accessories box. The same applies to the fourth slot on this board. The last two slots are covered by a heatsink held in with a couple of screws. Once removed, this reveals two Gen4 slots underneath. The third slot features another tool-less latch, making installation simpler.

Ultimately, it would be great if all of the heatsinks were tool-less and the slots offered a way to install drives without any screws. However, the lack of these is likely a cost-saving measure.

RAM DIMMs

The RAM configuration on the Pro Z890-A WiFi is pretty standard for an ATX motherboard. There are four DIMM slots, with this board supporting a max capacity of 256GB, with speeds capping out at 9200MT/s. CUDIMMs are also supported on the Pro Z890-A WiFi, so these high speeds are much more feasible due to the improved stability of CUDIMM architecture.

Rear IO

The Pro Z890-A WiFi’s rear IO is where this motherboard stands out compared to its predecessor. The main standout quality of the rear IO is that there are no slow ports; everything on the Pro Z890-A is high-speed, which I’m a big fan of. The inclusion of Thunderbolt4 is a solid value-add, especially if you move around a lot of large files. And it’s great to see 5 Gigabit LAN and WiFi 7 side-by-side on an affordable motherboard.

Internal Headers

CPU and Motherboard Power

Moving over to the internal headers, the Pro Z890-A WiFi features two 8-pin EPS CPU connectors on the right-hand side of the board. The headers have shifted to the right, likely to accommodate the increased heatsink space on the left of the PCB. As always, we recommend plugging in both headers to spread the power delivery, which results in better thermals.

Again, motherboard power is pretty standard. This header is on the right side, just below the Q-Code LED. However, motherboard power can be harder to plug in at times. Ensure the cables are oriented correctly, and give it a firm push into the slot.

Front USB Headers & SATA

As mentioned in the specs section, the front USB options aren’t exceptional, but there’s a decent selection of headers here to get you started. Below the motherboard power is a single USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A header supporting two ports.

Then, slightly below this is a USB Type-C right-angled header rated up to 20Gbps speeds. This port also handles fast charging up to 27W, allowing you to charge peripherals or mobile devices.

You’ll find four SATA data ports at the bottom right corner of the PCB. While SATA isn’t as commonly used due to the rise of M.2 drives, it’s good to see that there are options for those with older SATA-based storage.

Finally, the Pro Z890-A WiFi features two USB 2.0 headers at the bottom of the board. We prefer three or four headers, but two will be fine for most builders.

Pump and Fan Headers

Regarding fan and cooler support, the MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi features a good selection of headers for various build configurations. At the top right of the board is CPU_Fan, a white pump/sys fan header, followed by an additional Sys_Fan connection.

At the bottom of the motherboard, you’ll find three more Sys_Fan headers, along with one on the left side, just below the rear IO heatsink. It’s excellent that there’s a tremendous amount of cooling connectivity, as this provides plenty of upgrade paths for builders later down the line.

RGB Headers

The MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi features four RGB headers, three 3-pin addressable and one non-addressable. All four of these line the bottom of the PCB; two are on the right, and two are on the left. We’d like to see more RGB connectivity on this board, but most fans and coolers use splitters, so the four headers are satisfactory for most builds.

Building with the Pro Z890-A WiFi

The MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi is a simple board to build with. Its ATX form factor allows it to slip inside a wide range of cases without issue. Tool-less features, such as the GPU button or M.2 latch, make installing or removing components incredibly straightforward. A few bonus troubleshooting features, such as BIOS flashback, Q-Code LEDs, and Debug lighting, allow you to find a potential PC-building issue quickly.

My only qualm during the building process is that not all of the M.2 SSD slots have heatsinks and standoffs to install drives, which means you need to add the ones included with the accessory box. The standoffs could have been added at the factory, considering they come included with the motherboard. Otherwise, this feels a bit lazy.

Features We Like

Gen5 SSD Support

One of the main differences between the Pro Z890-A and Pro Z790-A MAX is the Gen5 support. It’s fantastic that MSI has provided a Gen5 SSD slot, as this opens up options for those looking to maximise performance with top-end storage solutions.

Excellent IO Selection

This board’s great feature is its solid selection of rear IO. It has ten USB ports, all of which are high-speed, and no USB 2.0 ports. For networking, there’s 2.5 Gigabit LAN and WiFi 7, allowing you to enjoy speedy and low-latency traffic.

Features We Don’t Like

Not Fully Tool-Less

One significant benefit of the mid-range and higher-end boards is that they are almost entirely tool-less. However, the MSI Pro Z890-A WiFi doesn’t follow suit. I would rather pay slightly more for this board to have a more robust set of DIY-friendly features, further increasing its value proposition.

Contrasting Design

I’m not a massive fan of the half-and-half approach to the aesthetic. While I appreciate the white, I would have preferred the entire board to be white, including the PCB. Again, this would make the Pro Z890-A a more unique offering than other motherboards and further brighten the aesthetic, improving the overall design.

Conclusion