Overclocking
Given the VRM’s, I didn’t expect much out of the X570-A PRO’s ability to overclock very high. I figured I’d probably have to keep a fire extinguisher handy and I didn’t dare leave the X570-A PRO benchmarking overnight and unattended while I slept. As I stated earlier, we saw VRM temperatures upwards of 117c/242F. This was confirmed by checking the temperature readings in HWInfo64. To MSI’s credit, the sensors were appropriately labeled so they could be readily identified in software. Not all motherboards make this as easy to check. Regardless, the MSI X570-A PRO is without a doubt the hottest running motherboard I’ve tested in this regard.
That being said, the motherboard performed very well in that I was able to easily clock the Ryzen 9 3900X to 4.2GHz all core. 4.3GHz was flat out not going to happen. However, using 1.3875v, I was able to manage the 4.2GHz clocks easily. I did have to max out LLC and increase thermal protection to 125c. Temperatures notwithstanding, the MSI X570-A PRO did its job.
I believe CPU throttling occurs around 120c or so, which would rob you of performance using the higher-end CPUs. This was with a Ryzen 9 3900X. Using a 5950X or 3950X might create a throttling condition given their increased demand on the VRM’s, but we have not tested this. The 117c thermal images were from this very board using a stock 3950X.
So, while the MSI X570-A PRO worked in this case, conditions to allow that was ideal and not like those you would experience placing the motherboard within a chassis and keeping them in a warmer environment. It’s getting colder and I never run the heat in my office. Ambient temperatures ranged between 68F and 70F. I used an open-air test bench with a 120mm fan actively blowing across the VRM heat sinks.
The irony is that it is motherboards like the MSI X570-A PRO that could really make use of VRM waterblocks. However, motherboards in this price point literally never see them. It’s motherboards like the MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE and ASUS Crosshair VII Formula that receive such aftermarket attention from companies like EKWB and Heatkiller. Those motherboards have VRM’s that are overbuilt to a degree where VRM watercooling isn’t needed and serves no purpose beyond being aesthetically pleasing. At any rate, better VRM cooling with beefier heatsinks would certainly help here.
Conclusion
I’m oddly conflicted about the MSI X570-A PRO. On one hand, the truth is that the motherboard worked very, very well. I had zero trouble with it and it passed all of our testings without issue. The user experience was phenomenal in every sense. It was successful in overclocking our 3900X.
The one contention is the VRM temperatures are disconcerting, to say the least. We aren’t talking about a motherboard that runs just a little hot. Temperatures of 115-117c were observed by two editors. Though we never had any instability issues, or crashing, or throttling in our testing.
VRMs and CPUs
One of the advantages of buying a motherboard with a premium chipset is being able to run the breadth of AMD CPU’s available for the platform and overclock them. Simply put, the MSI X570-A PRO VRM’s run a bit hot to do this with enough headroom to guarantee reliable operation for the long term. Thermal protection and throttling can occur just beyond the temperatures we’ve experienced. Temperatures that could easily be reachable with overclocked 12 core and stock 16 core CPUs inside a case, especially with poor cooling.
To be clear, you should be able to run a six or eight-core CPU just fine. However, I didn’t test this motherboard with those CPUs. I suspect the VRM’s will still run hot, but you shouldn’t encounter throttling or the kinds of temperatures we experienced with the Ryzen 9 3900X.
The fact is, offering a premium motherboard chipset at $160 or less requires budgeting of components to achieve such a price point. The MSI X570-A PRO’s VRM cooling is simply not good enough for the upper-end AMD Ryzen CPU’s and that’s unfortunate given how good the motherboard is otherwise. It doesn’t have any premium features to speak of but the overall package just works.
Performance
When it came to how the board performed, the numbers speak for themselves. The MSI X570-A PRO outperformed all the other X570 motherboards we’ve recently tested outside of thermals which is where all the concern lies. The VRM cooling implementation simply has to be run pretty close to the edge of what it’s capable of to handle the upper echelon of AMD CPUs. It limits the upgrade path one can take with this motherboard. As we’ve seen here, using a 12c or 16c CPU is possible, but it’s so far from ideal.
Despite passing our tests, I have concerns about the VRM temps in confined case builds. I would suggest and recommend to mitigate those issues you have good case cooling, good airflow, and even some airflow around the VRM area. I would also suggest maybe not slapping a 3950X or 5950X inside, but of course, at this price point, you probably are not doing so anyway. We have to keep in mind that at this price point of $139, the likelihood of using Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 5 CPUs are more likely, and that is perfectly fine for this motherboard.
Final Points
The MSI X570-A PRO exceeded our expectations in performance, it did quite well in testing against the competition for being a $139 motherboard. If the VRM’s had gotten much warmer, things likely would have gone quite differently. MSI took criticisms of the X570-A PRO to heart and did offer alternative budget offerings that are renowned for their excellence. However, they are still considerably more expensive. The original price of the MSI X570-A PRO is $160, while the MSI X570 Tomahawk is around $200 if you can actually find one in stock. That motherboard is well known for being the polar opposite of the X570-A PRO in terms of VRM design and implementation.
However, motherboards like the MSI X570-A PRO are still available as of late 2020. For $139 you get a good budget-oriented entry into the AMD X570 chipset ecosystem. The performance will hold up to the more expensive motherboards. Just make sure you have good case cooling, and if you stick with Ryzen 5’s and 7’s you’ll have no problems and will be able to overclock well. Just be wary about what we said about the VRM temperatures, know this fact going in and prepare to keep it cool and you should have no issues. If you don’t, you’ve been warned.