MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) M.2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 DDR4 HDMI DVI CFX ATX Z390 Motherboard

I’ve considered myself to know my way around computers, but this is the first time I’ve ever built one. Picking the MSI Z390 Gaming Plus was the product of 2 decisions I’d made prior: I wanted to use the new Intel i9 processor and go for a red theme.Using PCPartPicker I was able to sort out and see which motherboards were compatible which my processor selection, but a caution message appeared on the first recommended board could need a BIOS update to work properly with the new gen of Intel processors. Since it’s my first build and being more familiar with Macs than PC’s, this scared me off.After looking at other highly rated motherboards, I stumbled upon this one — and the results have been fabulous — and as a bonus is red! Literally everything has been plug-and-play. Ports for RAM, GPU, fans, and power were easy to locate and connect. There are ample internal SATA ports and an additional USB 3 connection I’ll have to think of a use for.So far it’s performed extremely well — the BIOS is intuitive and the board is handling all the gaming I’ve thrown at it.My only complaint is the lack of on-board USB Type A ports. There are only 5. I’d love closer to 8. The inclusion of a USB-C port is a nice touch, but I was hoping to be able to start to move away from the clutter of USB hubs on my desk or adding a PCI card with more ports.Overall, it’s been a great value. Was easy to install, and just makes me happy to look at.

Excellent motherboard!Pros:- TWO m.2 slots for NVMe/SSD that won't break the bank!- BIOS was easy enough - recognized all devices with no issue (including the m.2 NVMe).- SATA port placement & design w/ cutaway functions great – looks good too.- Red LED back lights matched perfectly with my black + red color scheme.- Build quality is nice - doesn't flex too much or feel like it's going to snap.Cons (very minor):- no SLI support, only Crossfire (for AMD cards); not all that important today (for many reasons).- LED back lights are one color (red) - not an issue for me, but may be for others. Someone said LEDs can be turned OFF with MSI Red Dragon light app - I haven't tested this, but that may be a solution if 'red' doesn't match your color scheme.This is a quality mid-range board - not a 'budget' board as some call it - that performs very well.Overall, very pleased!Specs:9900K, 2070 Super, 970 EVO NVMe (boot drive), 1 TB 2.5 inch SSD (storage), on this motherboard = runs like a champ!

I finished putting together a system for the first time in nearly five years, and this board was the centerpiece. Paired with an i5-9600k and 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM, it's been a great experience.PROS:+Very detailed BIOS+Easy OC options if you want a little more speed, but don't want to mess around with voltage and memory timings individually. I enabled game boost and XMP, and it correctly clocked my RAM at 3000 mhz, and zipped my i5 up to 4.4ghz-4.6ghz. Sure, you could probably squeeze a bit more performance by adjusting everything manually and using meticulous trial & error, but I'll take 97% of the performance with 0% of the headaches any day of the week.+ fairly robust (printed!) manual, covering most of the board's layout and BIOS features+ COOL "board explorer" feature in the BIOS - you can mouse over individual ports and see what the system thinks is physically connected to each port.+ attractive board - that black and red is a good look. Plus, the case badge is surprisingly classy.CONS:- no standoffs included! I know typically these come with a case, and not a motherboard, but I wish mobo manufacturers would at least include six-eight simple standoffs to facilitate a smoother install process. They throw in SATA cables, so why not a handful of brass standoffs? This doesn't impact the quality of the board, so I didn't take off a star for this observation.OTHER THOUGHTS:= I typically use only two brands for my motherboard needs - MSI and Gigabyte. Neither has failed me (knock on wood), but this is my second MSI board in a row with a superior BIOS implementation. If this board lasts me for five years (as my last MSI board did), then I'll likely be team MSI for (motherboard) life.

I got this for my first PC build, since my previous PC (a prebuilt CyberPower one) had an MSI motherboard that I had no issues with and was very functional. It was very easy to install, looks great, and the BIOS is very user friendly. I had no problem tinkering with my fan settings and speeding up my RAM. It also automatically overclocks my CPU to a safe speed when in high use to get more performance but not risk stability issues.However, I am disappointed by the LED's. My PC was built with a black/red theme, which was inspired by this motherboard in the first place, so I was hoping that the LED's would provide some nice ambient light that matched the rest of the computer. But they're simply too small/low power to do much of anything. Thankfully, my case (Phanteks P400S) came with a LED strip that compensates.First picture is with flash to show the motherboard, with the case's LED strip turned on. Second picture is no flash, case's LED strip turned off, to show the motherboard's LEDs.