Jesper Berg
- Great value
- Solid VRM
- Mostly silent
- Inconvenient layout
- Few extras included
The MPG X570 Gaming Plus is one of MSI’s entry-level motherboards based on the AMD X570 chipset (the other one being the nearly identical X570-A Pro). An entry-level designation is somewhat misleading, however, as the X570 is a high-end platform in itself. Like all boards based on this chipset and launched in 2019, the Gaming Plus introduces the PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 interface on the consumer market. PCIe 4.0 doubles theoretical transfer rates over PCIe 3.0, leading to improved performance for (primarily) SSDs that can utilize the added bandwidth.
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus: Key Features
As a rule, motherboards based on the X570 chipset are actively cooled using a fan mounted directly on the PCB, and the MPG X570 Gaming Plus is no exception. The VRM components are also cooled by heatsinks. Due to the board’s entry-level positioning, MSI does not disclose what type of VRM is used but it seems to offer 8 CPU phases. It should nevertheless be capable of housing any Ryzen 3000-series CPU, but may not overclock as easily as more expensive options like the MEG ACE or Aorus Ultra. It comes with 8-pin and 4-pin 12V ATX connectors.
As with all X570 motherboards launched in 2019, the PCIe 4.0 interface is a key feature since it’s only available to consumers via this platform initially. The MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus is equipped with one PCIe 4.0-compatible M.2 slot for similarly capable SSDs, plus one PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot. One MSI-branding Lightning Gen 4 M.2 heatsink is included. Other hard drives and SSDs can be connected via the board’s six SATA ports. It also has two full-length, x16-sized PCIe 4.0 slots for graphics cards, plus three x1 PCIe 4 slots. Multi-GPU setups using AMD cards is possible (CrossfireX), but Nvidia SLI is not supported.
Another feature it shares with all X570-based boards at launch is the RAM arrangement: the MPG Gaming Plus has four DDR4 memory slots (dual channel) and will hold up to 128 GB of RAM in total (four 32 GB modules). These will run in up to 4400 MHz in OC mode.
Being one of the more affordable motherboards with this chipset, there’s only a bare minimum of LEDs and no onboard RGB. MSI’s Mystic Light, which consists of a red LED, can however be complemented with RGB fans or strips via a header on the Gaming Plus.
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus Vs. X570-A PRO
| Product | MSI X570 Gaming Plus | MSI X570-A PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | ATX | ATX |
| CPU Support | 2nd- and 3rd-gen AMD Ryzen | 2nd- and 3rd-gen AMD Ryzen |
| Power Delivery | 8-phase(?) | 8-phase(?) |
| RAM Support (up to) | 4400+ MHz (OC) | 4400+ MHz (OC) |
| Memory Slots (Channels) | 2 (4) | 2 (4) |
| Max. RAM | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| PCIe 4.0 X16 Slots | 2 | 2 |
| PCIe 4.0 X1 Slots | 3 | 3 |
| SATA III Ports | 6 | 6 |
| PCIe 4.0 M.2 Slots | 2 | 2 |
| RAID Support | 0/1/10 | 0/1/10 |
| Network Adapters | Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN | Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN |
| USB Ports incl. header | 8x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 6x USB 2.0 | 8x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 6x USB 2.0 |
| SLI/Crossfire | N/Y | N/Y |
When comparing the specs and layouts of the Gaming Plus and X570-A Pro it’s obvious that the two are mostly identical. There are some design differences and the MPG Gaming Plus comes with larger heatsinks over the power delivery parts. The MPG board also comes with an included M.2 heatsink, which the X570-A lacks.
Specification: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus
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J. –
I purchased 2 of these mother boards for 2 pc builds and the upper M.2 didn’t work in either board but bottom M.2 worked fine.
The board also requires a fully modular power supply needing 2 PCU power outputs which forces you to buy 750w+ power supply.