Verdict and Conclusion
This is our first experience with a motherboard that has power connectors and pin-headers on the reverse-side of the the motherboard. And I’m glad to say, it’s been very pleasurable and I really enjoy building such a system.
One of the reasons that make these motherboards so attractive, is the fact that there are no visible cables on the motherboard (apart from the one that powers the graphics card). It provides a much cleaner and neater look, and allows you to fully display the motherboard, liquid cooler, and graphics card. Plus it makes it easier to plug in all the cables, without having to awkwardly feed them through the motherboard’s backplate … you can do it all on one side of the case with ease!
What I described above, the MSI Z790 Project Zero has it all. On top of that, it features a 14+1+1 Duet Rail Power System for excellent power efficiency, reliability and stability. The motherboard also comes with a 6-Layer, 2oz thickened copper PCB, and large heatsinks for cooling thanks to their M.2 Shield Frozr, 7W/mK Thermal Pad & Additional Choke Pad, and Heavy Plated VRM Heatsinks.
During our tests, we managed to get some really good scores in all of our benchmarks. We got a Cinebench R23 scores of 36,092 (multi core) and 2,111 (single core). For PCMark 10, we got a score of 10,412, and a score of 17,586 for PassMark 11.
For UL’s latest Procyon Video Editing Benchmark, we got a pretty good score of 55,592. For 3DMark Nomad Steel and Speedway, we got decent scores of 6,641 and 7,468 respectively. And finally, for Port Royal and Timespy, we got a score of 18,314 and 27,632 respectively.
All-in-all, I’m quite pleased with the overall performance of the MSI Z790 Project Zero. It pretty much falls in line with other Z790 motherboards we’ve tested in the past.
Storage options include 6 x SATA ports and 4 x PCIE Gen4x4 M.2 slots for SSDs, which I think is more than plenty for most users. However, there’s no support for PCIE Gen5x4 SSDs, which is a shame but understandable, since the MSI Z790 Project Zero isn’t targeted at the high-end enthusiast market.
When it comes to connectivity, there’s a total of 17 USB ports (8 rear, 9 front). On the back I/O panel, it’s jammed packed with connectors. These include the flash BIOS button, PS/2 keyboard & mouse, 4 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x HDMI port, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 ports (blue), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 port (red), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20GB/s Type-C), 1 x 2.5GB LAN port, WiFi 7 antenna, and an array of audio connectors including Line-out, Line-out and Mic-in.
Other features include the WiFi 7, Intel 2.5GbE LAN, support for Bluetooth 5.4, Thunderbolt headers, 2 x 3-pin ARGB header 2 x 4-pin RGB header, and the Realtek ALC897 CODEC for 7.1 HD for high performance audio. However, there’s no onboard reset switch, power button or diagnostic LEDs, which I would have liked.
Do I see a trend with reverse-connection motherboards? Yes, maybe … it’s still too early to say. Although they have been showcased in last year’s Computex 2023, we’re only starting to seem them on the shelves this year (2024). And what’s even more confusing, is that Asus has it’s own version called BTF, while Gigabyte’s own reverse-connection motherboards are called Project Stealth. Apparently, all 3 brands are not compatible with each other. What a nightmare!
And another thing to remember, is that case manufacturers need to be able to support these new reverse-connection motherboards (all 3 different types). Which ever brand you choose, make sure you get a compatible case too!
You can buy the MSI Z790 Project Zero motherboard for around USD $275 ($399 CAD) from Amazon – https://amzn.to/46ncyIu
Final Words:
If you’re planning to build a PC with great aesthetics, as well as a clean and neat looking motherboard, then the MSI Z790 Project Zero will do just the job, provided that you have a compatible case. The motherboard comes with plenty of features, and offers decent performance as expected from a Z790 chipset.
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