At Computex in Taiwan, we’re at the exhibition centre looking at all of the new PC building components and products set to hit the shelves within the next year or so. At the MSI booth, a massive range of new products has been announced, including small form factor graphics cards, brand new motherboards for the Ryzen 9000 series of CPUs and current Intel 14th-Gen, along with a range of liquid coolers and more.
We’re particularly intrigued by the new CAMM motherboards, as these have entirely innovated how we install RAM, resulting in a cleaner but perhaps much pricier build. As always, with our Computex coverage, we’ll briefly cover each product’s details and share some insight into our thoughts.
Graphics Cards
SFF (Small Form Factor) & Next-Gen Cooling
As part of an initiative from NVIDIA to bring back the small form factor graphics card, NVIDIA has partnered with various case and graphics card manufacturers to open up options for those building smaller systems. MSI, of course, is one of these manufacturers, and they’ve brought the 4070 Ti SUPER Shadow 3X and 4070 SUPER Ventus 3X to the market.
These new cards adhere to the SFF standard, which is 126mm tall, 304mm long, and 50mm deep. Graphics cards have progressively gotten bigger, with the RTX 4000 series shaping the market with cards that sit well over 340mm, causing clearance issues in older and some newer cases. However, it’s good to see some smaller options become available.
Moving away from smaller graphics cards, MSI showcased their next-gen cooling system. The RTX 4090 SUPRIM FUZION implements a 240mm radiator into the card, designed to efficiently dissipate heat compared to traditional fans. We’re curious to see how this card holds up during a sustained workload, as the compact nature of the cooling system may result in quite a few hotspots.
Liquid Coolers
MPG CoreLiquid P Series
The MSI CoreLiquid range has been a hit since its initial launch and has continued to wow the market with exceptional performance and incredibly affordable prices. The CoreLiquid P series is a unique option, as it offers a single 360mm fan unit, a 4.3-inch IPS display, and a universal mounting bracket that makes installation incredibly simple. The bracket is impressive, as it negates having to swap out mounting hardware depending on whether you’re using an Intel or AMD board.
MAG CoreLiquid I Series
The MAG CoreLiquid I series boasts a dual-sided infinity mirror on the CPU block, providing plenty of flair for your build. It also brings great performance to the table and streamlines cable management as they’re pre-arranged straight out of the box. The CoreLiquid I coolers also have pre-installed radiator fans and brackets, making the building process very simple.
MAG CoreLiquid A Series
The CoreLiquid A series features the best of all of the above with a UNI bracket for easier installation, EDPM rubber tubing designed to last a significant amount of time while resistant to major temperature fluctuations, and featuring ARGB support.
The CoreLiquid A comes with a hexagonal CPU blockhead design and boasts an enlarged copper base designed to cool current and next-gen CPUs from AMD and Intel effectively.
PC Cases
MPG VELOX 300R AIRFLOW PZ
Since the release of MSI PROJECT ZERO motherboards, we’ve looked at a few of their cases, and for the most part, we’ve been impressed. MSI continues to produce its own cases to support these reverse connector motherboards. The PZ version of the VELOX builds on the original design by improving airflow with a mesh-style design.
It comes with two pre-installed 160mm fans at the front, providing solid airflow and reducing noise levels due to the bigger size. Additionally, the Velox supports vertical GPU installations up to 390mm long and 360mm AIOs on the front, side, and top panels.
Modern Series Cases
Alongside the Velox, MSI has also introduced a modern series of cases. The design premise of these cases is to fit comfortably in a home or office environment, moving away from the gamer aesthetic. These cases are constructed from high-quality aluminium alloy and a maple wood top panel to provide a unique aesthetic akin to cases like the Fractal Design North.
This chassis features carry handles to move it around easily and supports ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards, including the PROJECT ZERO variants.
Motherboards
MSI Z790 PROJECT ZERO PLUS
PROJECT ZERO motherboards are designed to minimise cable hassle while providing a clean look for your PC build. The PROJECT ZERO PLUS pushes things further by removing the RAM DIMMs. Instead of supporting traditional memory kits, this board uses a CAMM memory module. This is essentially a small board containing all the memory chips, providing you with the RAM needed for a PC build. This is a unique way of cleaning up a build, and we’re curious to see what a completed system will look like with this RAM module.
It’s worth noting that while this solution brings a unique design offering to the table, we’re expecting CAMM modules and the supporting motherboards to be expensive. These modules also pose some potential e-waste problems if you need to upgrade.
X870 Boards
AMD’s new range of Ryzen 9000 CPUs was announced at Computex, and a release is expected around July. Because we’ve got new CPUs, new motherboards are set to follow, and MSI showcased their latest options. We got to look at the MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WiFi and the PRO X870-P WiFi. Both boards come with a 14+2+1 VRM power phase design, Gen5 SSD and graphics card slots are prominent features, and the rear IO is set to house USB 4.0 ports, rated at 40Gbps.
We don’t have any more details about these boards, but we’re excited to see what they offer once the Ryzen 9000 is officially released within the next few months.
Power Supplies
MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 & MPG A1200G PCIE5
One of the final sets of components that we took a look at was two colossal power supplies. The MEG Ai1600T offers 1600W, while the MPG A1200G PCIE5 is a 1200 unit, supporting the ATX 3.1 and PCI-E 5.1 standards. This ensures they can handle a 3x GPU power incursion, minimising instability.
Both units are equipped with dual 12VHPWR connectors to handle the next generation of graphics cards and demanding workloads without relying on ugly adapters.
Prebuilt Desktops
MEG Vision X AI & Infinite E1
The MEG VISION X AI blends MEG branding with an AI focus in one desktop machine. This PC is exciting as it comes with a large touch screen designed to display system information, but it can also detect active applications, optimise performance, and even provide immersive wallpapers.
This desktop has high-end hardware necessary for demanding AI workloads, making it a great pickup for those looking for a workstation system. Additionally, the components used are MSI PROJECT ZERO so that the internal layout will be immaculate and tidy.
The Infinite E1, on the other hand, is specifically designed for high-end gaming, offering an RTX 4070 and a Core i7-14700F, capable of handling 1440p gaming. The chassis provides a modern design and comes with WiFi 6E networking, which can reach blazing speeds.
Monitors
MSI MEG 321URX QD-OLED
The MEG 321URX QD-OLED was one of the more exciting displays announced at Computex 2024. The QD-OLED panel, rated at 4K, provides crisp visuals that offer an immersive, true-to-life experience. This is also the first ‘AI’ gaming monitor. Technology implemented into the monitor allows the AI to scan for enemies in real time and display them on a HUD.
It can also detect things like your health or ammo status and updates this information on the Spectrum bar towards the bottom of the display. MSI hasn’t mentioned collaborating with game developers to implement this technology, so we’re curious to see how this pans out in the future. However, due to its innovative design, the MEG 321URX QD-OLED could provide some tactical advantages in certain games.
MSI MPG 321CUPF
The MPG 321CUPF is the world’s first curved dual-mode gaming monitor. Essentially, the panel of the 321CUPF is 4K 160Hz, but when dropped to 1080p, the refresh rate can be increased to 320Hz. Depending on your game, this dual mode allows you to sacrifice visual quality or speed.
Peripherals
STRIKE PRO Wireless Keyboard
The STRIKE PRO Wireless is a 100% layout keyboard with a numpad and media controls, which features a reprogrammable multi-function wheel. It offers tri-mode connectivity (wired, 2.4GHz, and Bluetooth), supports 6 N-key rollover, and has per-key programmable lighting effects. The keycaps used are a PBT dye sublimate, so they’re nice and sturdy and have a prominent legend on the top. MSI provides three switches: Sonic Silent, Sonic Red (Linear), and Sonic Blue (Clicky). This keyboard is set to launch with an MSRP of $159.99, a fair price considering this is a more premium keyboard.
VERSA PRO Wireless Mouse
The VERSA PRO Wireless is a programmable gaming mouse offering an 8000Hz response rate and up to 26000 DPI. It features 13 reprogrammable buttons, OMRON optical switches rated up to 70 million clicks, and also has tri-mode connectivity. It comes with a wireless charging dock, minimising pesky cables’ usage.
MAESTRO 300 Headset
The MAESTRO 300 is a budget-oriented headset with an MSRP of $49.99. It features 40mm drivers, a detachable cardioid microphone and a lightweight frame with thick head padding, so it’s designed to last during long sessions of gaming. The Maestro 300 interfaces over USB-C and works with PCs, PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
