Detailed Specifications Overview
Packaging
The packaging for the MSI MEG X570 is what you would expect from a premium motherboard manufacturer and one of their most expensive products. The box details some of the features of the motherboard and major specifications. It also has the box flap detailing even more information and showing off the motherboard. Our sample was well protected and arrived intact. Inside the box, you’ll find one of the most staggering arrays of included accessories I’ve ever seen.
Actual Included Hardware
Inside the box, you’ll find the following accessories: M.2 Xpander 2 Gen4, 10G Super LAN card, quick guide, user manual, registration card, quick installation guide, product catalog, MSI drawstring pouch filled with SATA cables. There is also a Corsair RGB LED extension cable, 2 x rainbow RGB LED extension cables, 6.3mm audio adapter, MSI case badge, driver DVD, and SATA label cables.
Most of the time, the description of the accessories should generally be sufficient. However, sometimes the accessories require further description. The main thing to talk about is the M.2 XPander-Z card which is a unique offering from MSI. It’s a card that adapts two M.2 slots, to a 4x PCIe Gen 4.0 card. It features an almost GPU like appearance and heat sink complete with fan. A six-pin PCIe power connector is even used to power the card. This brings the total M.2 slots to five out of the box. Thanks to PCIe Gen 4.0, the X570 platform has the ability to do that. As M.2 prices drop and these drives become more popular, these features will be more appreciated.
There is also an included PCIe 10GbE Super LAN controller which I’ll talk about more in the subsystem section. Being an ultra-premium offering, MSI also includes the drawstring bag for your extra cables, alongside some fancy SATA cables covered in the same kind of material used for other braided cables typically found on mice and keyboards.