Performance tests
I didn’t bother with gaming in the benchmarks, as there were de facto no differences between the MSI MEG X670E Ace and the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi outside of possible measurement tolerances. I was given a fresh Windows 11 23H2 and all necessary updates, the latest UEFI and the latest AMD chipset drivers. Of course, I also collected the idle tasks and removed everything that wasn’t needed from the autostart.
AutoCAD is a pretty good indicator here, because virtually every cough of the system is immediately noticeable. Even though the new board has a wafer-thin lead in all three benchmarks, the biggest difference is in the 2D performance (maximum 4 threads), where the Ryzen 9 9950X performs with a slightly higher clock rate at only a medium processor load. In the pure CPU test and under full load, the Ace and Carbon WiFi are no different. Only the Tomahawk is slightly behind in all benchmarks.
The MSI MPG X670E Ace is slightly ahead in Cinebench R23, although the differences are completely blurred here. The Tomahawk seems to suffer a little from the higher voltage converter temperatures, as the efficiency drops and the CPU receives slightly less. But even these are only nuances.
The bottom line is that the new chipset hardly delivers any more performance and if it does, you will still have to consider whether you are already operating within the range of possible measurement tolerances. That’s exactly why I’m leaving out the games, because it’s completely pointless as it’s redundant.
Temperatures
The cooling of the voltage converters was particularly impressive. As we can see in the picture, there are no other fans that could have generated a helpful airflow. This is the disadvantage of water cooling, whereby the cooling at a fully air-conditioned 21 °C room temperature after 30 minutes of Cinebench R23 with an average of 211 watts was around 70 to 71 °C, which is not really much. With a helping and slowly rotating fan on the side, they quickly drop to 63 °C.
I’ve also shown that I’ve reapplied thermal putty to the board in the VRM and coil area. The VRM temperatures then look completely different, as the maximum 66 °C is a full 4 to 5K lower than with the original pad. With a fan, it even goes down to around 60 °C, but then physics kicks in again.
With a maximum of 55 °C without a fan, the chipset is also not an issue that could cause worry lines. The CPU ran at a maximum of 75 °C, but this is due to the custom water cooling, which only uses a 280 mm radiator. However, this is easily enough. I welcome the fact that MSI has opted for a stable LOTES socket, which also benefits the stability of the socket’s backplate and speaks for quality. Noname replacements don’t have to be bad per se, but at least here you know what you have. MSI has installed a much simpler socket on the cheaper Tomahawk.
Summary and conclusion
The finished test system (on the left, the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi) is based on two platforms and an active KVM switch (HDMI 2.1 and USB 3.x) with key switch and a 43″ monitor. On the right, the respective Intel boards alternate depending on the CPU to be tested. There you can also see the optional fan for the voltage converters (so that you can see everything). As I have already tested a few things, I can also draw an objective conclusion.
Apart from a few details, such as the missing 10Gb Ethernet port, no backplate, a few virtual phases less in the power supply and various gimmicks of the Ace, the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi can actually fully replace the MSI MEG X670E Ace without having to cry. This will certainly also be the reason why MSI has not even released the X870E Ace at the moment, as it has been gallantly cannibalized away in its current form. However, there is still a fairly large price gap between it and the Godlike, so MSI will probably follow suit at some point if they see a real need. This will probably have to be determined by potential customer demand.
The MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi is a rock-solid board for under 500 euros, which didn’t have any weaknesses in any of the tests and certainly doesn’t need to shy away from comparison with the competition. The new, tidy UEFI is even easier to use than the old one, especially as significantly more features can be set in EZ mode without the need for a degree in engineering. The thermal pads are ok and the overall temperature behavior anyway. I can therefore recommend the board with a clear conscience at this point in time, as there is simply nothing wrong with it other than perhaps the higher price compared to the previous model. But this is a general market problem.
The MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi was provided by MSI on loan for tests and benchmarks. The only condition was compliance with the embargo period; there was no influence or compensation.
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