MSI X670E Gaming Plus WiFi Review UK (2026). Tested & Rated

Look, I've spent two weeks hammering this MSI X670E Gaming Plus WiFi through every scenario I could think of. Overclocking a Ryzen 9 7950X, stress testing until my office felt like a sauna, and yes, navigating yet another BIOS interface (spoiler: this one doesn't make me want to throw things). If you're wondering whether this board can actually handle a proper high-end Ryzen build without melting its VRMs or nickel-and-diming you on features, you're in the right place. I've done the tedious bit so you don't have to.

Right, let's talk about what you're actually getting here. The X670E chipset is AMD's top-tier consumer option, and the 'E' is important because it means you get PCIe 5.0 lanes from both the CPU and the chipset. Not just marketing fluff. Your primary GPU slot runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 (128GB/s bandwidth), and you get a proper Gen5 m2" class="vae-glossary-link" data-term="m2">M.2 slot that'll handle those absurdly fast SSDs that are starting to hit the market.

I've tested this with both Ryzen 7000 and the newer 9000 series chips. Works brilliantly with both. The board automatically recognised my 7950X and applied sensible default settings without any drama.

One thing that caught me off guard: if you populate all four M.2 slots, you lose two SATA ports. It's in the manual (which I actually read, because I'm sad like that), but worth knowing before you plan your storage layout. Most people won't care since M.2 drives are the way forward anyway, but if you're clinging to old SATA SSDs, plan accordingly.

Here's where MSI didn't mess about. The 14+2 phase design uses 80A power stages in a Duet Rail configuration. In English? Each phase can deliver serious current, and the dual-rail setup means the load gets distributed intelligently. I ran Cinebench R23 loops for an hour with a 7950X pulling 230W, and the VRM temperatures stayed below 65°C. That's with the included heatsinks and my case's airflow, nothing fancy.

Compare that to some budget B650 boards I've tested where the VRMs hit 85°C with a 7700X. Not great. This board has thermal headroom to spare.

The heatsinks themselves are chunky aluminium affairs with 7W/mK thermal pads. MSI claims they're optimised for airflow, and honestly, they work. I didn't see any thermal throttling even during the most aggressive stress tests. The extended heatsink design covers all the phases properly, which sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many manufacturers cheap out here.

One niggle: the 8-pin + 4-pin EPS power connectors are positioned at the top-left, which is standard, but they're quite close together. If you've got a modular PSU with chunky connectors, it can be a bit fiddly. Not a dealbreaker, just something to be aware of during installation.

Right, BIOS time. I've got opinions here. MSI's Click BIOS 5 interface works, but it's not what I'd call intuitive. The layout is logical enough once you know where everything is, but finding specific settings requires more clicking through menus than I'd like. Want to enable EXPO (AMD's memory overclocking)? That's buried under OC > DRAM Settings > EXPO. Not terrible, but ASUS puts it on the main page.

That said, the fan control is actually quite good. You get six PWM headers (one dedicated CPU, one pump, four chassis), and the fan curve editor lets you set custom curves based on CPU or motherboard temperatures. I set up a quiet profile for normal use and an aggressive one for rendering, and it worked exactly as expected. No complaints there.

Memory overclocking is where things get a bit average. EXPO profiles loaded fine with my DDR5-6000 kit, but manual tuning options are more limited than I've seen on premium boards. You can adjust primary timings and voltages, but some of the advanced sub-timings are either hidden or not exposed at all. For most people running EXPO, this won't matter. If you're the type who tweaks tRFC and tRDRD_sg, you might find it limiting.

BIOS updates are straightforward via M-Flash. I updated to the latest AGESA firmware without issues. Just stick the file on a USB drive, boot into the BIOS, and let it do its thing. Takes about five minutes.

I tested with a 32GB kit of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 (two 16GB sticks). EXPO enabled without drama, and the system booted straight into Windows at the rated speed. Ran MemTest86 overnight, zero errors. Stability was rock solid across two weeks of testing.

The four DIMM slots support up to 192GB total (4x48GB), which is frankly absurd for a consumer system but nice to have if you're doing heavy virtualisation or video editing. Most people will run 32GB or 64GB and call it a day.

One thing MSI's done well here is the Memory Boost isolated circuitry. It's marketing speak for better trace routing and power delivery to the RAM slots. Does it matter? In my testing, yes. I've seen cheaper boards struggle with DDR5-6000 in a four-DIMM configuration, but this handled it fine. If you're planning to populate all four slots eventually, that's reassuring.

Storage options are genuinely impressive. You get one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot (the top one, closest to the CPU) and three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots. All four have M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks, which are basically aluminium covers with thermal pads. They work. My Gen4 SSD stayed at 45°C during sustained writes, which is perfectly acceptable.

The Gen5 slot is ready for those ridiculously fast 14,000MB/s SSDs that are starting to appear. Do you need that speed? Probably not. But it's there when you want it, and that's what future-proofing means.

Four SATA ports might seem stingy compared to older boards, but honestly, who's using SATA in 2026? I had one old SSD connected during testing, worked fine. If you've got a massive SATA drive array, you'll need to think carefully about your storage layout or consider a different board.

The rear I/O is well thought out. That 20Gbps USB-C port is brilliant for fast external SSDs. I was getting 1,800MB/s transfers to a Samsung T7 Shield, which is basically the drive's limit. The three 10Gbps USB-A ports are perfect for peripherals, and there are enough slower ports for keyboards, mice, and other low-bandwidth stuff.

WiFi 6E is handled by an AMD RZ616 module with Bluetooth 5.3. Range was solid in my testing (router's downstairs, PC's upstairs), and I was getting 850Mbps on my gigabit connection. Not quite wired speeds, but close enough that I wouldn't bother running a cable unless you're competitive gaming.

The 2.5GbE LAN port uses a Realtek controller. Works perfectly, and you'll actually benefit from the extra bandwidth if you've got a multi-gig network setup or do lots of local file transfers.

Against the Gigabyte B650 EAGLE AX, you're paying extra for proper X670E features: PCIe 5.0 GPU support, a Gen5 M.2 slot, and a beefier VRM. If you're running a 7600X and don't care about future GPU upgrades, save your money and get the Gigabyte. But if you're building with a 7900X or higher, the MSI makes more sense.

The ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-Plus is the closer comparison. It's got a slightly better VRM (16+1 phases) and two Gen5 M.2 slots instead of one. But it costs £122.46-50 more, and honestly, the MSI's 14+2 VRM is already overkill for most users. Unless you're doing extreme overclocking or need that second Gen5 M.2 slot, I'd save the money.

The front panel headers are where they should be (bottom-right corner), but the USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header is positioned right next to the 24-pin ATX power connector. If you've got a case with a chunky Gen 2 cable, it can interfere with the 24-pin. Not a huge issue, just requires some cable routing creativity.

One thing I appreciated: the M.2 mounting screws are captive, so you can't lose them. Small detail, but it shows MSI thought about the actual build experience. The M.2 heatsinks attach with proper screws rather than those rubbish push-pins some manufacturers use.

Here's the thing about motherboard pricing: there's a massive jump in value once you cross into the upper mid-range segment. Budget boards make compromises that can bite you later (weak VRMs, limited connectivity, questionable BIOS stability). Premium boards add features most people never use (10GbE networking, excessive RGB, premium audio that you can't hear the difference on unless you've got £122.46 headphones).

This MSI board sits right in the middle. You get the features that actually matter: proper VRM cooling for high-end CPUs, full PCIe 5.0 support, WiFi 6E, and enough M.2 slots for a sensible storage setup. You're not paying for gimmicks.

Compare it to a premium £122.46+ board, and you'll struggle to justify the extra cost unless you need specific features like Thunderbolt 4 or 10GbE. Compare it to a budget B650 board, and you'll immediately notice what you're missing: no PCIe 5.0 GPU support, weaker VRMs, fewer USB ports.