MSI MEG Z790 Ace vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula

Summary

These motherboards have a different manufacturer feature set.
These motherboards are different sizes, the MSI MEG Z790 Ace is an E-ATX (305mm x 277mm) motherboard whilst ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is an ATX (304mm x 244mm).
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula takes DDR5 memory and supports faster memory speeds, upto 8000 MHz, which is 200 MHz more than the MSI MEG Z790 Ace which only supports speeds upto 7800 MHz.
The MSI MEG Z790 Ace has 2 memory channels and supports a greater memory total memory capacity of upto 256 GB, which is 64 GB more than the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula which only supports upto 192 GB.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula supports faster LAN speeds, upto 5000 Mbps, which is 2500 MHz more than the MSI MEG Z790 Ace which only supports speeds upto 2500 MHz.
MSI MEG Z790 Ace supports Wi-Fi gen 6E and the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula supports Wi-Fi gen 7 .
MSI MEG Z790 Ace supports bluetooth version 5.3 and the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula supports bluetooth version 5.4 .
These motherboards come with diffent box contents.

Comparison Table

Show Only Differences

	MSI MEG Z790 Ace	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula
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Manufacturer	MSI	ASUS
Series	MEG	ROG
Market	Gaming	Gaming
Price Point	Enthusiast	Enthusiast
Key Features	IT-170 Server-grade PCB material Thickened 2oz copper Enlarged PCH Heatsink	LIVE Dash OLED Panel AI Overclocking
Color Scheme	-	White
Form Factor	E-ATX	ATX
Height (mm)	277 mm	244 mm
Width (mm)	305 mm	304 mm
Power Stages	24+1+2 Duet Rail Power System 105A	20+1+2
PCB Layers	8	-
Backplate		-
VRM Heatsink
Chipset Heatsink
M.2 Heatsinks
CPU
CPU Socket Type	LGA1700	LGA1700
CPU Sockets	1	1
Chipset	Intel Z790	Intel Z790
Memory
Memory Type	DDR5	DDR5
Memory Slots	4	4
Memory Channels	2	2
Max Memory Speed	7800 MHz	8000 MHz
Max Memory Capacity	256 GB	192 GB
Graphics
Supports CPU Integrated Graphics
AMD Multi GPU Support		-
Audio
Audio Chipset/Codec	Realtek ALC4082 + ES9280AQ PRO	ROG SupremeFX 7.1 ALC4082
Audio Channels	7.1	7.1
Rear Panel Audio Jacks	5	5
Rear Panel SPIDF	1	1
Connectivity
LAN Chipset	Intel® 2.5Gbps LAN	Realtek 5Gb Ethernet
LAN Speed	2500 Mbps	5000 Mbps
Wi-Fi Chipset	Intel Wi-Fi 6E	Intel Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Gen	6E	7
Bluetooth Vn	5.3	5.4
PCIe Slots
PCIe 5.0 x16	3	2
PCIe 4.0 x4	-	1
Storage
SATA 6Gbps Ports	6	4
M.2 Slots	5	5
SATA Raid Support	RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 10	RAID 0:1:5:10
M.2 Raid Support	RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 10	RAID 0:1:5:10
USB / Thunderbolt
Rear Panel Ports
Thunderbolt 4	2	2
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 C	-	1
USB 3.2 Gen 2 A	7	5
USB 3.2 Gen 2 C	1	-
USB 3.2 Gen 2 A	-	4
Motheboard Headers / Expansion
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Headers	2	1
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Supported Ports	2	1
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Headers	2	2
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Supported Ports	4	4
USB 2.0 Headers	2	2
USB 2.0 Supported Ports	4	4
Other USB Info	USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support 60W fast charge via PD connector	USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support 60W fast charge
Motherboard Features / Connections
Power
24 pin ATX Power	1	1
8 pin 12v Power	2	2
8 pin PCIe Power	-	1
6 pin PCIe Power	1	-
Fans / LED Headers
4 Pin CPU Fan	1	2
4 Pin Pump Fan	2	1
4 Pin System Fan	5	4
ARGB v2 3 Pin LED	3	3
RGB 4 Pin LED	1	1
Other Features / Headers
Debug LED's
Debug Code Display
Chassis Intrusion Connector		-
Tuning Controller Header	1	-
Water Flow Meter Header	y	-
Clear CMOS Jumper		-
CPU Over Voltage Jumper	-
Slow/Safe Boot Jumper		-
Low Temp Boot Jumper		-
Voltage Check Point		-
Other Features	-	1 x W_PUMP+ header 1 x 2-pin Water In header 1 x 2-pin Water Out header 1 x 3-pin Water Flow header
On Board Buttons / Switches	Power Reset LED On/Off Multi-BIOS	1 x FlexKey button 1 x ReTry button 1 x Start button 1 x Alternative PCIe mode switch
Dual Bios		-
Rear Panel
HDMI	-	1
Audio Jacks	5	5
SPIDF	1	1
Wi-Fi Antennae	2	2
RJ45	2	1
Thunderbolt 4	2	2
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 C	-	1
USB 3.2 Gen 2 A	7	5
USB 3.2 Gen 2 C	1	-
USB 3.2 Gen 2 A	-	4
Buttons	Clear CMOS Flash BIOS Smart Button	Clear CMOS BIOS Flashback
In The BOX
Box Contents	USB Drive Wi-Fi Antenna 4 x SATA Cables Rainbow RGB LED Extension Cable 1to2 RGB LED Extension Y Cable 2x DP to Mini DP Cables EZ Front Panel Cable 2x Thermistor Cables EZ M.2 Clips and Screws MSI Cable Stickers	1 x ARGB RGB extension cable 2 x ROG weave SATA 6G cables 2 x SATA 6Gb/s cables 1 x DDR5 fan holder 1 x Thermal pad for M.2 1 x ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna 1 x Q-connector 3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch packages 1 x ROG key chain 1 x ROG stickers 1 x ROG VIP card 1 x M.2 rubber package 3 x M.2 backplate rubber packages 1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
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