It was once the case that Intel’s B-series motherboards had been very fundamental certainly. Going again a number of generations, they could not even overclock reminiscence. However, they’ve come a great distance, and nowadays they’re typically completely viable choices, even with a high-end Ok-series processor. Nicely, lots of them anyway… low-cost remains to be low-cost.
The B760I Edge WiFi will not be an excessively expensive possibility, although the competitors is hard on this worth vary.
The MSI B760I Edge WiFi is positioned as an inexpensive board with an honest mainstream function set. It is a Mini-ITX motherboard, so it must be a great possibility for these trying to put some more cash in the direction of a greater graphics card or CPU for a compact, but extremely succesful small kind issue system.
At $205 / £199 / AU$349 the B760I Edge WiFi will not be an excessively expensive possibility, although the competitors is hard on this worth vary, with Mini-ITX choices from ASRock, Gigabyte, and Asus all priced equally. Being a Mini-ITX board, you will must take care of a sacrifice or two in comparison with ATX choices, however that is par for the course.
I would say the B760I Edge is a horny board. It is related in look to its AMD-toting MPG B650I Edge sibling, although fortunately it lacks that board’s chipset fan. Its silver-on-black theme would look good with the appropriate matching parts—for those who can see it in any respect in a tiny case, that’s. It lacks onboard RGB too, although it does have RGB and ARGB headers. I can think about it trying nice in a white case.
MSI MPG B760I Edge WiFi specs
Socket: Intel LGA 1700CPU compatibility: Intel twelfth, thirteenth and 14th Gen processorsForm issue: Mini-ITXMemory assist: DDR5-7200+(OC), as much as 128GBStorage: 2x M.2, 4x SATAUSB: As much as 3x USB 10Gbps, 6x USB 5Gbps, 4x USB 2.0Display: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4Networking: Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Intel WiFi 6EAudio: Realtek ALC897Price: $205 / £199 / AU$349
At this worth, MSI fairly expectedly did not go all out on the subject of a mega VRM and ultra-fast reminiscence assist. It’s going to fortunately run DDR5-7200 reminiscence, with as much as 128GB supported. That is sufficient for any gaming system.
It has an 8+2+1-phase VRM with 90a phases. That is not excessive, however it’s sufficient sufficient to deal with an i9 processor at full tilt. The heatsinks do a wonderfully sufficient job of preserving issues cool, so long as you’ve got respectable airflow in your case. It is price remembering some ITX circumstances aren’t stellar in that regard due to their compact nature.
The first PCIe slot helps Gen 5, whereas storage smart, you get a pair of M.2 slots, each of which assist Gen 4 SSDs. The one on the entrance is linked to the CPU, whereas the one on the rear of the board is linked to the chipset. They’re joined by 4 SATA ports. That is about nearly as good because it will get for a B760 Mini-ITX board.
The rear I/O has some highlights, however it additionally has one notable omission. It is disappointing to not see a BIOS flashback function. So, whereas twelfth and thirteenth Gen processors are supported out of the field, it is doubtless you will have to flash it with an older CPU to get assist for a 14th Gen mannequin—relying on how lengthy your specific pattern has been ready so that you can take it house.
The USB complement consists of eight ports made up of USB Kind A and C 10Gbps ports, 4 5Gbps ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. A 20Gbps port could be good, however eight USB ports is a strong quantity for any Mini-ITX board. The USB ports are joined by DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1 ports, with three 3.5mm analogue jacks linked to an growing old ALC897 codec. A Realtek RTL8125BG offers 2.5Gbps Ethernet and there are two Wi-Fi antenna connections for the onboard WiFi 6E.
System Efficiency
Gaming Efficiency
Check rig
CPU: Intel Core i9 14900KGraphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders EditionRAM: 2x 16GB G.Talent Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 C36Storage: 2TB Kingston KC3000Cooling: Cooler Grasp PL360 Flux 360mm AIOPSU: Corsair HX1000i
We caught with a trusty Intel Core i9 13900K for this evaluate. Other than the much more demanding i9 14900K, the truth that the B760I Edge WiFi can deal with this chip with out its VRM getting actually sizzling is an efficient indicator the board will deal with any sensible workload you care to throw at it. Ideally although, you’d need a good excessive airflow case for those who go down that path.
The little MSI did not throw up any surprises within the benchmark checks. Nor ought to it or any LGA 1700 motherboard in 2024 because the underlying microcode and bugs have lengthy since been ironed out.
Purchase if…
✅You need a white themed construct: The Edge is a cultured trying providing that may mix in effectively in a white case with the appropriate matching parts.
Do not buy if…
❌ You need 20Gbps USB assist: 20Gbps will not be ubiquitous on this worth vary, however its does exist. A minimum of the MSI has eight rear USB ports, whereas some rivals provide solely six.
❌ You are shopping for a 14th Gen CPU on the similar time: The Edge will assist 14th Gen processors, however solely after doubtless needing a BIOS flash. You may want an older gen CPU to do this because of the lack of a BIOS flashback operate.
The MSI MPG B760I Edge proved itself to be a succesful little board. I’ve at all times favored the structure of MSI’s UEFI design and it is bought an affordable VRM for a B-series Mini-ITX board. Its heatsinks are higher than cheap, its networking and storage complement is about nearly as good as something on this worth vary, and you will have to go ATX if you would like extra storage functionality.
Maybe the largest subject the Edge faces, although, is its sturdy competitors. The newly launched ASRock B760I Lightning helps 14th Gen chips out of the field, and its VRM and reminiscence assist are superior, too. The kicker is it is at the least $20 cheaper.
However the MSI B760I Edge is much from being a nasty board. It should fortunately stay on the coronary heart of a compact gaming system. It is mature, and it appears good. It simply lacks one thing that might elevate it forward of the competitors. If MSI had been to drop the value a bit, or it comes up on sale, by all means seize one. However, now that LGA 1700 is on the twilight of its profession, there are extra compelling Mini-ITX choices to select from.