MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Motherboard Review

The FPS Review may receive a commission if you purchase something after clicking a link in this article.

Benchmarks

Sandra Dhrystone

MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Sandra CPU Dhrystone Test.

In the Sandra CPU Dhrystone test, we see a result of 707.28GFLOPS compared to 730.12GFLOPS while using MSI’s default values. More specifically, with the power limits for the CPU uncapped, we get a considerable boost in performance. Interestingly, despite being a DDR4-based solution on an older chipset, the GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X is slightly faster than the Z790-P PRO WiFi. Though not by a significant margin.

Sandra Whetstone

MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Sandra CPU Whetstone Test.

This is a strange result. Compared to the older test systems, the MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi is considerably faster. There may have been some issues with the power limits in the older tests, or some other software issue at work here. I cannot say. In any event, the Intel default power limits seem to help ever so slightly compared to the MSI default values here.

V-Ray

MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi  V-Ray 5 Test.

In this test, we can see that memory clocks and memory bandwidth are essentially meaningless with both DDR4 and DDR5 systems coming in very close to each other. These results are only a few hundred VSamples apart though the GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X takes the lead here. Again, the difference is virtually minuscule. MSI’s defaults do provide a slight improvement over the Intel settings but again, it’s hardly a significant improvement.

Cinebench R23 – Single Thread

MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Cinebench R23 single-thread test.

Unsurprisingly, the results are all within 28 points of each other. The older Z790 APEX has the most divergent result with the GIGABYTE and MSI boards being only two points apart.

Cinebench R23 – Multithread

MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Cinebench R23 multithread test.

In this test, we see some of the largest differences we’ve encountered across the benchmarks. Interestingly, the MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi does a bit worse here. Of further note is that there is around an 800-point difference between Intel’s and MSI’s CPU power limits. The Z690 boards both do quite a bit better with the DDR4 board achieving the highest result of 28,483.

Join the discussion in our forums...

REVIEW OVERVIEW

Features
6
Motherboard Layout
8
Performance & Stability
8
Price Value
7

SUMMARY

The MSI Z790-P PRO WIFI has a good layout, excellent stability, awesome performance but unfortunately falls victim to some cost cutting when it comes to features. The HD audio CODEC is ancient, you have no optical output and the network controller isn't fantastic. However, these issues may not be a deal breaker if you are going wireless or are using a USB DAC or headphones. At the end of the day, the MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi is what you'd expect in this price point.
Dan Dobrowolski
Dan has been writing motherboard reviews for the past 15 years, with the first decade or so writing for [H}ard|OCP. Dan brings his depth of knowledge about motherboards and their components to his reviews here at The FPS Review to help you select the best one for your needs.

Recent News

The MSI Z790-P PRO WIFI has a good layout, excellent stability, awesome performance but unfortunately falls victim to some cost cutting when it comes to features. The HD audio CODEC is ancient, you have no optical output and the network controller isn't fantastic. However, these issues may not be a deal breaker if you are going wireless or are using a USB DAC or headphones. At the end of the day, the MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi is what you'd expect in this price point.MSI Z790-P PRO WiFi Motherboard Review