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MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon
MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon Review
byMichael Sexton Feb 22, 2020
MSI's X470 Gaming Pro Carbon is a likable, if not particularly stylish, AMD AM4 ATX-size motherboard that will satisfy gamers who can live without extensive overclocking options or built-in Wi-Fi.
Easy to configure.
Plenty of storage potential.
High-end audio solution onboard.
Aesthetically, a little plain.
A price cut would be nice.
AMD's X570 chipset may be the current hotness of the mainstream and enthusiast motherboard world, but there's plenty of life left in the X470 for shoppers who don't need the cutting-edge PCI Express 4.0 features—or who are shopping the stunning discounts on first- and second-gen Ryzen CPUs here in 2020. MSI's X470 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard ($189.99) replaces the company's X370 Gaming Pro Carbon, but the chipset didn't change all that much in that uptick. Besides benefiting from AMD's generational updates to the X470 chipset, such as support for higher memory frequencies and the StoreMI storage acceleration software, the newer board offers an updated appearance, an arguably improved LED lighting system, and a few extra ports and overclocking features. Its solid feature set makes it an excellent ATX-size choice for a new gaming rig, though I'd like to see its price come down a little.
A Conservatively Styled PCB
MSI designed the X470 Gaming Pro Carbon as a midrange solution with some overclocking features to help you get the most out of your hardware. The board features an eight-phase power design with heatsinks to help keep the MOFSETs from overheating. It also has two eight-pin CPU power connectors, which can help to ensure a stable supply of power.
The motherboard doesn't really stand out in today's market in terms of aesthetics; a few words and some silver lines are all that decorate the otherwise austere black PCB. There's a heatsink over the X470 chipset and a shroud over the rear I/O ports, but these do little to enhance the overall appearance. While it's a small step up from the X370 Gaming Pro Carbon, which was even darker with less silver, the board looks rather bland.
As for illumination, you'll find RGB LEDs on the rear I/O shroud, as well as on the chipset heatsink and along the right edge of the motherboard. This adds a dash of much-needed color. The X370 Gaming Pro Carbon had fewer LEDs, just along the right edge of the board and around the audio circuitry, but it also had large non-RGB light zones over the I/O shroud and the chipset heatsink. In my opinion, these added lights gave the older motherboard a more attractive appearance, but you may feel free to disagree. If you'll install it in a non-windowed PC case, it won't matter.
MSI placed three full-length PCI Express x16 slots on the motherboard with two smaller PCIe x1 slots set between them. These slots have a conventional configuration. The first PCIe x16 slot connects directly to the CPU's internal PCI Express controller and is capable of true x16 bandwidth. The second PCIe x16 slot is electronically limited to an x8 connection and it shares the CPU's controller's 16 PCIe lanes, so if both of these first two slots are used they'll both serve as x8 slots.
The remaining PCIe x16 slot and the two PCIe x1 slots connect to the X470 chipset using PCI Express Gen 2 protocols. The bottom x16 slot is electronically limited to an x4 slot; you'll want to avoid putting a graphics card there if at all possible, but it should work fine for other devices such as network and storage adapters.
Memory and Storage Support
The four memory slots have been clad in steel (what MSI calls Steel Armor) just like the PCIe x16 slots, though this is arguably more decorative than functional for RAM slots. The board can officially support up to 64GB of memory clocked up to 3,466MHz using A-XMP memory profiles.
The 16GB of G.Skill memory (two 8GB DIMMs) that I used to test the motherboard comes with a high-performance memory profile that sets the RAM at 3,200MHz with timings of 14-14-14-34 with 1.35 volts. It was relatively easy to overclock the memory kit to the X470 Gaming Pro Carbon's maximum RAM speed of 3,466MHz; I had to increase timings to 15-15-15-36, but the RAM tested stable under Prime95.
I couldn't get the RAM to stabilize above 3,466MHz, though; even hiking the timings to 18-18-18-40 did nothing to help. It appears MSI is spot on with its maximum memory speed recommendation for this board.
There are a total of eight SATA 3.0 ports on the motherboard and two M.2 slots for storage devices. The first M.2 slot was engineered to connect to the CPU, which means the performance of this slot will vary depending on which Socket AM4 processor you have. Ryzen CPUs (with or without graphics) will operate this port with a PCI Express 3.0 x4 connection that will enable the best possible throughput between the storage device and host processor. AMD Athlon CPUs will be limited to a PCI Express 3.0 x2 connection. This slot is covered by a heatsink that helps to keep the storage device cool and running at optimum performance.
The second M.2 slot will have slightly lower performance as it uses a PCI Express 2.0 x4 connection between it and the X470 chipset. It should also be noted that installing an SSD in this slot will disable both the SATA3 port and the PCI_E5 slot on the motherboard.
The X470 Gaming Pro Carbon features relatively high-end onboard audio courtesy of a Realtek ALC1220 DAC that has a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio. MSI also utilizes high-fidelity Chemi-Con audio capacitors and a headphone amplifier, and enclosed the DAC in an EMI shield to help guard against electromagnetic interference. The audio hardware is also segmented from the rest of the motherboard and the left and right audio channels are isolated in separate layers of the PCB. This isn't going to push the SNR above 120dB, but it will help to reduce signal degradation as audio travels from the DAC to your speakers.
The motherboard also comes with Nahimic software that can help you create a more immersive surround-sound experience. You can download Nahimic 2 from MSI's support page, but for best results you will need to download Nahimic 3 from the Microsoft Store. It doesn't cost anything, but it's a bit inconvenient to have to go to a third party instead of getting it directly from MSI.
Connectivity and Rear I/O
The rear I/O panel features plenty of USB ports, including one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port. These faster ports reside within the same complex as the RJ-45 jack, with a row of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports beside them. If you plan to install Windows using a USB device, you should note that the system won't boot properly from installation media in these specific ports.
At the edge of the I/O panel are two legacy USB 2.0 ports, and it's best to use one of these when installing your OS. You can also see an ancient PS/2 peripheral connector here. I'm always amazed to see these ports on modern motherboards; it would be more practical for MSI to put an extra USB port or two here instead, but the company is hardly alone in continuing to place these antique ports on its products.
In addition to the USB ports and Ethernet jack, you'll find five gold-plated 3.5mm audio jacks that can support a 7.1-channel surround-sound setup as well as a microphone. An optical S/PDIF connector is also included for connection to high-end audio devices.
If you are using one of AMD's CPUs with integrated graphics, you will also be able to use the HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort connectors on the motherboard. It would have been helpful for MSI to include a DVI port here as well, but as most gamers will be using a dedicated graphics card, it was a sensible decision to omit the DVI port from this motherboard.
There is also a clear CMOS button on the rear I/O panel, set in a recess to prevent accidental pushes. This is an improvement over the X370 Gaming Pro Carbon, which had the clear CMOS button in a less convenient location at the bottom of the motherboard.
MSI opted for an Intel I211AT Gigabit LAN controller; the board lacks both built-in Wi-Fi and an M.2 Key-E slot to add a compact wireless device internally. There's a PCIe 2.0 x1 port beneath the rear I/O shroud that appears designed to support a Wi-Fi module, but unfortunately all standard PCIe x1 devices are too big to mount in this location. MSI sells a nearly identical motherboard named the X470 Gaming Pro Carbon AC that comes with a customized wireless solution that fits into this space, but doesn't sell the module separately, nor is there space cut out in the rear I/O shield for Wi-Fi antennas to poke through.
A Brief Look at the BIOS and Software
The X470 Gaming Pro Carbon is equipped with MSI's Click Bios 5 user interface. The BIOS's EZ Mode front page displays key information about system hardware including the CPU model, temperature, clock speed, and features. You can also see the memory specs and rearrange the boot order from this screen. As its name suggests, the EZ Mode is all you want to touch if you aren't experienced with overclocking or modifying a system BIOS.
If you want to try your hand at overclocking or change some of the more advanced settings, you'll need to switch over to the Advanced menu, which is graphically similar to EZ Mode but with additional options. Even here, the overclocking options are somewhat limited, but you can still manipulate the core multiplier, voltage, and RAM settings.
After mounting the motherboard into a case, I upgraded to the newest BIOS available, which was version 7B78v26. Visually, this BIOS is identical to the one that came preinstalled, but it reportedly extends memory support and improves various other features.
MSI bundles several software utilities with the X470 Gaming Pro Carbon. Some of these are rather simple, including an app manager that just launches the other utilities and doesn't actually do anything itself. Three of the apps are worth mentioning, however.
The first of these is Mystic Light 3, which is essential to controlling the RGB lights on the motherboard. Most people will also want the Live Update 6 utility, which will keep your board's drivers up to date without having to check for updates manually.
MSI's Command Center app is also a useful tool to have. It gives you information about your system's hardware and operating conditions, as well as letting you control any connected case fans and performing several other functions.
A Sensible Platform
With its improved power design and competitive features, the MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon is a first-class motherboard for a gaming PC. Its enhanced memory support also makes it a smart upgrade from its X370 predecessor. The board may look rather plain, but this does little to tarnish its more important attributes.
On the minus side, the overclocking features struck me as somewhat constrained for a board competing at close to the $200 price point—which is another gripe in itself, as $189.99 feels a bit overpriced for what you get. MSI's more robust X470 Gaming M7 AC is a little more expensive, but offers significantly more value. If you can't afford that board, the company's X470 Gaming Plus takes a step down in terms of features but is arguably a better buy. The same could be said about several rival motherboards from other OEMs.
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