INTRODUCTION

   When Intel released the Core I9-9900K CPU (3.6GHZ base clock with 8 cores / 16 threads) back in late 2018 it was considered the best a gamer could get and to date that hasn't really changed so if you're in the market for a new gaming rig (a powerful one at that) this is the CPU to get. Of course, you can always opt for the slightly faster Core I9-9900KS (4GHZ base clock with 8 Cores / 16 Threads) released in late 2019 but considering that the "regular" I9-9900K can easily hit 5GHZ 24/7 with the proper cooling i wouldn't recommend it (not to mention that the I9-9900KS has an MSRP twice as much as that of the I9-9900K). The Intel Z390 is without doubt the best chipset/platform for the Core I9-9900K CPU and today we have yet another such motherboard, the MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon by MSI.

   As a world leading gaming brand, MSI is the most trusted name in gaming and eSports. We stand by our principles of breakthroughs in design, the pursuit of excellence, and technological innovation. Integrating gamers' most coveted extreme performance, realistic visuals, authentic sound, precise control and smooth streaming functions into its gaming rigs, MSI frees gamers from tedious trial and error and pushes gaming performance beyond limits. The determination to surpass past achievements has made MSI a ‘True Gaming’ brand with gaming spirit throughout the industry!

   As clearly stated by its name MSI launched the MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard with gamers in mind which is also why it's fully equipped with RGB headers (two 4pin 12V and one 3pin addressable) and RGB LEDs (Mystic Light - 17 effects) located both over the VRM heatsink and beneath the motherboard itself. Because its aimed towards gamers this particular model is based around an 11-phase design (five doubled ones for the CPU and one for the integrated graphics) which still should have no problem pushing an I9-9900K all the way up to 5GHZ (if not more). The MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon however comes fully packed with plenty of goodies including 4 reinforced DIMM slots (dual-channel support for non-ECC, un-buffered memory / up to 64GB), three full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4 modes - two are reinforced and EMI shielded), three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, six native Intel SATA 6Gb/s ports (courtesy of the Z390 chipset - RAID 0/1/5/10), two M.2 slots (compatible with SSD models up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s), Realtek ALC1220P audio codec (7.1), Thunderbolt card connectivity (header) and the Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller. In terms of available external connectors, the MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon features five USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps) ports (3x Type-A, 1x Type-C at the rear I/O and 1x Type-C via internal header), four USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gbps) ports (via internal headers), six USB 2.0 ports (two in the rear I/O and 4 via internal headers), v1.4 HDMI output, v1.2 DisplayPort output, RJ45 LAN connector and the analog (OFC jacks) and digital (S/PDIF) audio outputs.