MSI X870E Godlike motherboard drops at an eyewatering $1,099 — AM5 motherboard unleashes DDR5 9000+ RAM, five M.2 slots, 10 GbE, and Wi-Fi 7 alongside two USB 4.0 40 Gbps ports

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Still want more I/O? Get a Threadripper!

MSI MEG X870E Godlike
(Image credit: MSI)

MSI's flagship and top-of-the-line MEG X870E Godlike motherboard is now available for purchase, and it doesn't come cheap—it is priced at $1,099 over at Newegg. Of course, this motherboard isn't for the faint of heart (and wallet) and requires you to shell out a pretty penny if you want the best there is—after all, it doesn't get any more premium—unless you want a Threadripper, that is.

Let's talk specs. The MSI MEG X870E Godlike uses the E-ATX (Extended ATX) form factor - measuring around 288 x 304.8mm. The board incorporates a 10-layer PCB with a heavy-duty 24+2+1 duet rail power setup rated at 110A - five more amps than its predecessor. The X870E Godlike features four DIMM slots rated for DDR5-8400+ speeds at 1 DPC (DIMM Per Channel), supporting up to 256GB of RAM. MSI touts speeds of over 9000MT/s - so you can complete mayhem with the overclocking.

In terms of expansion, we find three PCIe slots: two full-sized PCIe 5.0 slots (from the CPU) - one wired at x16 and the other at x8 and one PCIe 4.0 x4 slot (from the chipset). One of the most exotic offerings, the X870E Godlike, comes packed with five M.2 slots: two using PCIe 5.0 (from the CPU) and three using PCIe 4.0 (from the chipset).

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Model NameMSI MEG X870E Godlike
CPU SupportRyzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 CPUs
SocketAM5
PCIe Expansion slots (CPU)1x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot + 1x PCIe 5.0 x8 slot (both full sized)
PCIe Expansion slots (Chipset)1x PCIe 4.0 x4 slot
M.2 Slots (CPU)2x M.2 Gen5 x4 slots + 2x additional M.2 Gen5 x4 slots (via M.2 Card)
M.2 Slots (Chipset)3x M.2 Gen4 x4 slots
SATA 4x SATA 6Gbps ports
USB Ports (Front)1x USB 20Gbps (Type-C) + 1x USB 10Gbps (Type-C) + 4x USB 5Gbps (Type-A) + 4x USB 2.0
USB Ports (Rear)2x USB 40Gbps (Type-C) + 5x USB 10Gbps (Type-C) + 8x USB 10Gbps (Type-A)
LANMarvel AQC113CS 10Gbps LAN + Realtek 8126 5Gbps LAN
ConnectivityWi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4
Audio Realtek ALC4082 Codec + ESS9219Q Combo DAC/HPA

Theoretically, you could slot MSI's M.2 XPANDER-Z SLIDER GEN5 accessory in the aforementioned PCIe 5.0 x8 slot - raising the total number of M.2 drives to seven. There's a catch though—the total number of CPU lanes adds up to 32 which isn't possible as Ryzen 7000/9000 processors only support 24 PCIe lanes from the CPU - it looks like some PLX wizardry is happening behind the scenes. MSI also managed to pack four 6Gbps SATA ports - if you want to install typical 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs.

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MSI X870E GODLIKE
(Image credit: MSI)

The motherboard sports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 functionality, and side by side; there are two Ethernet ports - one at 10 Gb/s and the other at 5 Gb/s. MSI's EZ DIY features make it easier to install the Wi-Fi antenna in addition to magnetic M.2 shields and easy PCIe GPU release. If that wasn't enough - you also get a cute 3.99-inch LCD "Dynamic Dashboard III" for real-time hardware monitoring, troubleshooting, BIOS updates, visualizing music, or even displaying personalized media - the possibilities are endless.

The MSI MEG X870E Godlike is available for $1,099 - a godlike price for a godlike experience. The motherboard is available on Newegg and should soon be available at other retailers.

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Hassam Nasir
Hassam Nasir
Contributing Writer

Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • hotaru251
    really wish people would stop buying these extremely overpriced boards. They only get made becasue they sell. the consumer base is to blame as much as the vendor.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    over $1000 and no tb5 in late 2024? Thanks I'll wait.
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    hotaru251 said:
    really wish people would stop buying these extremely overpriced boards. They only get made becasue they sell. the consumer base is to blame as much as the vendor.
    Some people have a lot of money to spend, and would prefer to have every feature they can get because the price is no impediment and when that's the case you just buy the thing with the most features. And these do have actual features that lesser boards do not.
    Reply
  • TechieTwo
    It's simply really, the mfgs. have figured out that there are enough gullible people that will pay exorbitant prices for hardware as a stutus symbol. It's no different than paying $5,000+ for a watch so you can claim you own a Rolex or similar. It's doesn't tell time any better it's just a vanity based purchase.
    Reply
  • Li Ken-un
    Look at the block diagram in their manual on page 90. There is all that I/O, but it’s massively oversubscribed. You’re paying over $1,000 only for the flexibility. There is no scenario in which you can utilize all of the components that you paid for. At that price, just get a Threadripper.
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    hotaru251 said:
    really wish people would stop buying these extremely overpriced boards. They only get made becasue they sell. the consumer base is to blame as much as the vendor.
    Why do you care if companies sells products intended for people other than you?
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    TechieTwo said:
    It's simply really, the mfgs. have figured out that there are enough gullible people that will pay exorbitant prices for hardware as a stutus symbol. It's no different than paying $5,000+ for a watch so you can claim you own a Rolex or similar. It's doesn't tell time any better it's just a vanity based purchase.
    I don't know where you live you, or your financial situation, but $1000 is not much money for an adult to spend on a hobby. It actually falls towards the cheaper end of the scale.
    Reply
  • TechieTwo
    I'll bet $1000 for a mobo that doesn't do anything better than a $300-$500 mobo is considered an outrageous price by 95+ % of PC consumers. If you're rolling in the dough maybe you'd consider buying all of Tom's Hardware members one of those $1000 feel-good mobos??? We'd all like to brag that someone bought this mobo for us all. ;););)
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    spongiemaster said:
    Why do you care if companies sells products intended for people other than you?
    because once they raise ceiling they raise floor as well (becasue what ya gonna do? not buy a mb?)
    and fact if one does it rest follow (because its shown to be profitable)

    oh and fact greedflation should be stamped out in every part of the economic world even if doesnt effect you specifically.
    Reply
  • Urzu1000
    This doesn't seem like a bad deal with the specifications. It's not for a normal user, but a lot of enthusiasts would be able to take advantage of most of these features.

    I would imagine their profit margins are actually a bit lower on this compared to their other boards. It's so over engineered...
    Reply