Product Comparison: ASUS PRIME X299-A vs MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

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ASUS PRIME X299-A Chipset LGA 2066 DDR4 SDRAM Motherboard

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MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC Gaming Motherboard

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General Specifications

Brand

ASUS

MSI

Model

PRIME X299-A

MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

Origin

China

About the Product

ASUS Prime X299-A is the ATX motherboard that's been expertly engineered for professional content creators and power users who work hard by day and play harder by night. This powerful, innovative board puts a friendly face on advanced enthusiast controls, enabling you to maximize performance, cooling and personalization with ease. So, if you live to create, to explore, to enjoy and to push the boundaries, look no further than Prime X299-A.

As a new motherboard coming to customers’ eyes, the design of MPG Z390 GAMING EDGE AC is full of sharp and salient lines reflecting gorgeous colors in different angles, which presents a cutting-edge look & feel that shows the stereoscopic effect with forceful uniqueness.

Key Specs

Form Factor

ATX

Socket

Intel® Socket 2066

LGA1151

Chipset

Intel® X299

Intel Z390

Supported Processors

Core™ X-Series Processors

Supports 9th / 8th Gen Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron

Memory Slot Type

288 pin

What customers say about "Key Specs"

ASUS PRIME X299-A Chipset LGA 2066 DDR4 SDRAM Motherboard

Said chip and board combination is running at 4.8 GHz at 1.2 volts on 6 core’s and 4.6 GHz for 12 core’s at 1.17 volts’ which is much better number’s than what a Prime could manage with the CPU, so nice work there.
A solid, abit expensive board, which will allow you to extract some amazing performance from your CPU’s and looks amazing while doing so with all the RGB!
A good quality motherboard with latest chipset, and a number of features not found in other versions.
Just don't waste your money on this board unless you enjoy trawling forum boards for "suggested solutions".
I tired to watching my PC boot loop depressingly as if it can't remember how to operate. Bad board, i very unhappy!

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC Gaming Motherboard

I think it's a great board. I haven't done any overclocking since all the parts are so new, games all run great even without it so I haven't felt the need.
It was a highly rated motherboard on pcpartpicker that had a LGA1151 socket, plus the cost to performance seemed to be pretty reasonable.
I chose this board over others because it supported the new generation of intel chipset like the i5-9600k and I am very impressed by it so far.
Runs perfectly with i9 9900k processor!
Two of the four RAM sockets didn’t work. Now I have to run my system using socket 1 and 2, therefore, system is running with 16Megs of not optimized RAM.

Size & Weight

Height

12 in.

Width

9.6 in.

Depth

1.96 in.

1.2 in.

Weight

1.75 lbs.

3.3 lbs.

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

Memory

Memory Type

DDR4

Maximum Speed

4000 MHz

4400 MHz

Number Of Memory Slots

Max. Memory Supported

128 GB

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

ASUS PRIME X299-A

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC

What customers say about "Memory"

ASUS PRIME X299-A Chipset LGA 2066 DDR4 SDRAM Motherboard

Main Desktop Computer - Quad Channel Memory! Amazing! Very pleased for having this board!
I paired my 7900X with 32GB (4x8GB) of G.Skill TridentZ Memory at a speed of 3600 MHz which works perfectly on this board for me.
I've even been able to overclock memory kit to 4000 MHz without issue.
If you have a G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series memory, there's an issue with the board detecting this particular ram from G.SKILL, the board would stuck in boot and the small LED screen on the board would show "Code AF: Detect Memory".
I getting the boot code 'AF: Detect Memory Error' on the OLED panel with the PC boot cycling until it actually posted 3 out of 10 times booting the PC.

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC Gaming Motherboard

Came with a manual that described all the plugins in detail. Actually helped me learn about some new parts like M.2 memory, and different lighting/fan options.
The speeds for this board are beyond expectation, wow!
I used this board with a i5-9600k and a Hyper 212 air cooler. I have corsair memory 3000mhz.. Everything is working fine.
Memory slots have very bright Leads that can't be turned off!
Im so frustrated. Its wont save bios settings what so every. so memory is stuck at 2133mhz. It refuses to do any of the 5 bios updates.

Connectivity

PCI-E

44-Lane CPU- 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16, x16/x16, x16/x16/x8) 2 x PCIe 3.0 x4 (max at x4 mode) *1 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 *3, 28-Lane CPU- 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16, x16/x8, x16/x8/x1) *4 2 x PCIe 3.0 x4 (max at x4 mode) *1 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 *3, 16-Lane CPU- 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, x8/x8/x1) *4 2 x PCIe 3.0 x4 (max at x4 mode) *1 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 *3

3x PCIe 3.0 x16, 3x PCIe 3.0 x1

USB

1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (1 at mid-board), 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (Type-A + USB Type-C), 8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 4 at mid-board), 4 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 2 at mid-board)

3x USB 3.1 Gen2, 6x USB 3.1 Gen1, 6x USB 2.0

SATA

Other Interfaces

1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s), 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, 5 x Audio jack(s), 1 x USB BIOS Flashback® Button(s), 1 x AAFP connector, 2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s), 1 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 2.0 port(s), 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode), 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode), 1 x M.2_FAN connector, 1 x VROC_HW_Key, 1 x CPU Fan connector(s), 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)

PS/2, DisplayPоrt, Optical S/PDIF out, 2x M.2

PCI

HDMI

What customers say about "Connectivity"

ASUS PRIME X299-A Chipset LGA 2066 DDR4 SDRAM Motherboard

I found putting my 960 Pro into one of the M.2 location mounts considerably dropped temp’s, more so if your case is pushing some airflow from front fan’s.
The board is definitely have all the connectivity you would want for.
Excellent with the ability to take three m.2 drives why bother choosing anything else.
Well thought out with a ton of fan headers to power the air flow units.
The worst thing is the overclocking instability. When I do simple gentle overclock using the auto EZ Tuning in BIOS, 2 of my USB 3.1 back ports stop seeing devices.

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC Gaming Motherboard

All USB, audio, and PCIE ports are working great!
Holds a 1070 with 3 fans on it without any sagging.
Only using one long video card 1070 and it fits fine. M.2 slots not used but look very accessible.
I would definitely recommend this board to anyone looking to get a fair priced z390 w/ lga 1151 socket.
I'd rather see more usb ports instead of 2x ps/2 ports.

Features

Native Audio

Realtek® ALC S1220A 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC

Realtek ALC1220P Codec

Additional Accessories Included

User's manual, ASUS Q-Shield, 1 x Vertical M.2 bracket set, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s), 1 x M.2 Screw Package, 1 x Supporting DVD, 1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M), 1 x Q-Connector

RGB LED Extension Cable 80cm x1, SATA Cable Labels, MSI case badge, I/O Shield, 2x SATA cable, Driver disk

Extras

ASUS PRO Clock II Technology, USB BIOS Flashback, MemOK! Button, AI Suite 3, Cloud GO!, ASUS EZ DIY, ASUS Q-Design, 3D printing friendly, AURA-RGB Lighting, M.2 Onboard

Extended Heatsink Design, DDR4 Boost, Twin Turbo M.2, PCI-E Steel Armor, Audio Boost 4 with amplifier, Core Boost, Mystic Light RGB LED, EZ Debug LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot, Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology, Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technology

What customers say about "Features"

ASUS PRIME X299-A Chipset LGA 2066 DDR4 SDRAM Motherboard

This board’s lighting is absolutely amazing. Plenty of pic’s will show you want I mean, but the two way effect is amazing to see.
ASUS’s Aura sync stuff is perfect.
For hardcore overclockers, there are plenty of measurement points, LN2, and component quality to actually make overclocks feasible.
The VRM can be actively cooled (2x 40mm fans under the heatsink).
One area where the board is not absolute perfect is the VRM heatsink.

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC Gaming Motherboard

I have been stress testing the cpu without an overclock and keeping an eye on the component temps. With good airflow no component got over 50 C with the only exception being the CPU of course.
The BIOS makes sense and is easy to navigate in either mode.
At the top of the RAM slots White LEDs tell you if your RAM is recognized, and a Red LED just to the right of those lets you know at a glance if you have XMP active. Seems cool!
The BIOS is super clean and easy to navigate. It took me a matter of seconds to configure the system to what I wanted.
It's not overly flashy for someone who doesn't like a lot of RBG.
The only negative I have is the heatsink over the back panel is a tad big, and was a tight fit behind the rear fan in my case. It still fit though, so not a huge deal.

Power

Power Connectors

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

24-pin ATX, 8-pin ATX 12V, 4-pin ATX 12V

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

3 year(s)

1 year(s)

Certifications

CE, FCC

Other Information

Manufacturer