[nextpage title=”Introduction:”]
Today, we are testing the MEG Z690 Unify-X motherboard from MSI. This is a board that, in tech slang, we call « XOC ». By this we mean a motherboard that can be used for extreme overclocking tests. Most brands have an XOC model in their catalogue. A few weeks ago we reviewed the ROG Z690 APEX from Asus. Now we’re going to take a look at the MSI model.
The « Unify » series was launched at the end of 2019 with the excellent MEG X570 Unify, which we had the chance to test exclusively. The idea of MSI, with this new series, was to offer a card that goes to the essentials, leaving aside the RGB backlight, in order to focus mainly on overclocking. Afterwards, we also had the opportunity to test the MEG B550 Unify. Our tests, as you will have understood, will therefore be oriented towards overclocking with our Alder Lake i9-12900K and the TeamGroup Delta RGB 6400 MT/s CL40 memory kit. The idea is to try to get the best possible scores. We will also be back with this model for a move to LN2. Why haven’t we done this yet ? Simply because we want to get the configuration right before we go cold.
A special thanks to MSI France and to Robin who managed to get us a sample of this MEG Z690 Unify-X. We have already reviewed the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon Wifi and the « EK X » version will be reviewed in a few weeks. [nextpage title=”MEG Z690 Unify-X:”]
With each new generation of motherboards, MSI offers a Unify model and a Unify-X version which is primarily intended for overclockers. Currently, these two models, which share a lot of common points, are available in France for 670 euros for the Unify and 715 euros for the Unify-X model. You should also know that MSI has a micro-ATX version, the MEG Z690I Unify, available for 456 euros.
The « Unify-X » series represents the best of MSI’s overclocking boards. In recent years, it has been trying to overtake the brand’s flagship model, the GodLike. The card has many tools implemented on the PCB and benefits from regular BIOS updates. The engineering team is very responsive. If you want to get your CPU temperature below 0°C, this Unify-X will certainly prove to be one of the best choices for the Z690 chipset.
The bundle:
A quick look at the bundle of this MEG Z690 Unify-X to see if it has any « special » accessories. And the least we can say is that despite the small size of the box, it hides a lot of things.
The first accessory is a set of brackets/feet for your motherboard. Most overclockers, or even journalists who regularly assemble and disassemble their components, use what we call a bench table. This is a stand that allows easy access to the motherboard and its components. MSI provides in the bundle a « bench table » type stand for your motherboard called by MSI, the « DIY Stands Set ». It consists of six legs to support your motherboard and raise it by 75mm. It is also possible to place a 120mm fan at the end of the four legs. The idea is to bring a breath of fresh air to your motherboard.
The second accessory is a remote control. Of course, not for your TV but for your motherboard. MSI has transferred a series of keys specific to overclocking from the PCB to this remote. We’ll come back to this in detail later in the article.
New Unify-X and PCIe 5.0 support:
The MEG Z690 Unify-X is built around Intel’s new Z690 chipset and is a new socket for this motherboard, moving from the LGA-1200 (Z490/Z590) to the LGA-1700 socket. The reason is simple, the CPU size is bigger.
Above is a capture detailing the difference between the two sockets (source Igor’s Lab). The LGA-1700 socket has 1700 pins, compared to 1200 for the previous one. You may need to invest in a new cooling system. Some brands, like Noctua, offer an adapter for your current cooler. Make sure you ask about this, as it is often free.
The Z690 chipset officially supports PCIe 5.0 offering higher storage performance than the previous generation. However, at present, no compatible devices have been released with this standard. The other big change is the support for DDR5.
The various heat sinks :
The dimensions of the board are 305 mm x 244 mm, which corresponds to ATX format. The dominant colours on the PCB are black and dark grey, but the main aesthetic feature is that it does not have RGB backlighting, which makes it very elegant.
At a time when manufacturers sometimes compete to make your motherboard sparkle, having the opportunity to do without is a real luxury. Let’s start the tour with the heat sinks, of which there are three! Firstly, the two ‘massive’ heat sinks on top of the motherboard that surround the socket. The two larger ones cover the power supply stages. These two blocks are connected by a heat pipe. We are dealing here with a completely passive system. The heat sinks are large enough to not require active cooling. They will benefit from the air circulation within your enclosure.
The third is the one that covers the chipset and has a fairly large surface area but low height. The aim is not to impede the installation of graphics cards.
Five M.2 SSD slots:
The majority of the PCB is covered with various black aluminium plates. The cut-outs fit perfectly with the chipset heatsink. These are actually five heat sinks. MSI calls this technology “Shield Frozr”. We will find a double thermal pad for each slot. The idea is to protect your SSD from overheating thanks to their thermally conductive adhesive strips.
Technically, there are three PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, one PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA and one PCIe 3.0 x4. You shouldn’t be short of storage slots.
The socket and PCIe :
The space around the socket is pretty clear of obstructions and will be easy enough to insulate with rubber for testing under LN2. This MSI Z690 Unify-X can accommodate a maximum of two DDR5 memory sticks. I invite you to read the page dedicated to DDR5 in our article on Alder Lake. And don’t forget that the Z690 chipset will allows for motherboard designs that still support DDR4.
This Unify-X supports dual channel memory kits up to 6800 MHz+ (OC) and a maximum of 64 GB. There are two PCIe 5.0 16x slots which will work as x8/x8 if you opt for SLI or CrossfireX. A third PCIe 3.0 x4 slot is also available. To power all this, the card has a 24-pin connector and two 8-pin connectors next to the power stages. [nextpage title=”The PCB and connectors: “]
The clocker tools :
Let’s start with the elements included on the PCB that can be interesting tools for overclockers. They are quite numerous on this model but also on the remote control included in the bundle. This confirms its position as a board dedicated to overclocking.
- Power button: allows to power up the motherboard.
- Reset button: allows to restart the motherboard in case of failure. The button can now be assigned to another task via the BIOS.
- BIOS switch: allows you to switch between the two BIOS. You can choose to have an overclocking BIOS and a more stable BIOS for a H24 configuration.
- Slow Mode jumper: allows you to boot with a coefficient of 16x and once in the OS to put back the one chosen in the bios. This is mainly for max screens.
- Low Temperature jumper: allows to facilitate the boot of the motherboard during tests under liquid nitrogen.
- Safe Boot jumper: allows the board to be rebooted even if the parameters chosen in the bios do not allow the boot. This avoids having to do a CMOS Clear to reboot and thus lose your encoded settings.
- Retry Button: during cold tests, sometimes the OS freezes and a reset does not allow the motherboard to restart: only solution 6, 7 seconds by holding down the START button. With the Retry button, it restarts immediately.
- EZ debug LED’s: 4 LEDs (CPU – DRAM – VGA – BOOT) which allow to diagnose errors during the boot of the board. If one of them remains lit, it means that the corresponding component is in trouble.
- Debug code LED: displays a code corresponding to the component responsible for the error during boot.
- ProbeIT : allows you to measure voltages with a multimeter directly on the PCB.
- Clear CMOS button: allows you to erase the BIOS settings in order to return to the default ones.
A bonus remote control:
As we mentioned in the bundle overview, this MSI Z690 Unify-X comes with a wired remote control for overclocking. Following are the different functions it offers. The length of the cable is 130cm, so there’s plenty length for convenient placement for tweaking! 
- Debug code LED: displays a code that corresponds to the component responsible for the error during boot.
- OC Button +/-: allows you to increase either the BCLK frequency or the multiplier coefficient depending on your choice in the BIOS.
- Power button: allows to power up the motherboard.
- Reset button: allows to restart the motherboard in case of failure. The button can now be assigned to another task via the BIOS.
- OC Retry: during cold tests, sometimes the OS freezes and a reset does not allow to restart the motherboard: only solution 6, 7 seconds by keeping the START button pressed. With the ReTry button, it restarts immediately.
- OC Fail Safe : allows to restart the board even if the parameters chosen in the bios do not allow the boot. This avoids having to do a CMOS Clear to reboot and thus lose your encoded settings.
- Clear CMOS button: allows you to clear the BIOS settings to return to the default settings.
The PCB:
Our MSI Z690 Unify-X is based on a 19 + 2 phase power supply. The CPU part consists of 19 phases and on this model there is no doubler, but please note that the phases are placed in parallel. The controller is a RAA229131 chip (X+Y=20).
The 19 mosfets are all RAA 22010540 rated at 105A. The other two mosfets in the SOC are 40A RAA 22010540s. The mosfets in the power stages generate the most heat because they are responsible for voltage conversion and delivery to the CPU from the 12-volt EPS connector.
The connectors :
The rear panel has the following components. First of all the Clear CMOS and the button to flash the bios from a USB stick. One of the special features of the motherboard is a PS/2 slot for connecting a keyboard, mouse or combo. But why still use this type of connector in 2021? Simply because some benchmarks perform better under Windows XP (e.g. Super Pi) and the use of non-USB devices makes the installation of the OS much easier.
In terms of USB ports, this MSI Z690 Unify-X has two USB 2.0, seven USB 3.2 Gen 2 and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. Then there are the antenna mounts for dual band Wi-Fi. Audio is provided by a Realtek ALC4080 chip. Finally, there are the various audio outputs as well as the two network ports (2.5G). [nextpage title=”The BIOS:”]
As far as the BIOS is concerned, with one glance we can see the familiar MSI interface. Those who are used to the brand will delve in without any difficulty. As a reminder, the tab that will interest us the most is « OC » tab. Before starting, we remind you that it is essential to regularly update your BIOS. The advantage of a card like the Z690 Unify-X is that it has two BIOSes. You can test a new one while keeping the previous one. For those who tinker, this is a real plus! We have decided to rethink our approach to the BIOS and not just offer screenshots and a few explanations. We’ve highlighted the options you’ll need most in the first instance. Let’s start with the CPU overclocking options.
Options for your processor :
Everything happens in the « OC » section. First of all, check that you are in expert mode. On the first screenshot, we have highlighted the options that will allow you to modify the multiplication coefficient of the P cores, the E cores and the cache (ring). The Advanced CPU Configuration option (screenshot 2) allows you to disable all E cores. The idea is to keep only the performance cores in order to benchmark with them only.
Two important elements. First of all, the voltages of the different cores. We advise you to respect the Load Line Calibration suggestion and not to exceed 1.30 volts, and of course to check the temperatures within your OS with Core Temp for example.
Don’t forget also to set the Load Line Calibration with a preference for mode 5 which we think is the most relevant. Go to the CPU overclocking page to better understand how Load Line Calibration works. Let’s now move on to the parameters of our memory kit.
The options for your memory kit :
First of all the most important one, the activation of your XMP profile. We can’t say it enough, but your memory kit settings are not automatically set after you install it. If this is the case for your processor, it is not the case for your memory kit and a trip to the BIOS will be mandatory! Without this, your performance will be impacted in all areas and you will end up with a kit that does not exceed 4800 MHz at CL40. We will therefore activate our XMP profile directly in the BIOS.
Depending on the BIOS, MSI offers memory profiles in some BIOSes to facilitate and start memory overclocking. If this is the case, it can be found in Load Memory Presets. As you can see here, for now there’s only one profile, and not particularly interesting. More may be added in future BIOS updates..
In order to change the timings and subtimings if you opt for manual overclocking, you will need to go to Advanced DRAM Configuration. We have framed the useful voltages for the memory on the last screen capture.
Additional options :
Finally, you should know that MSI offers you to flash your BIOS via the M-Flash utility. Your motherboard will reboot to launch the flash utility. Finally, saving profiles is highly recommended when you perform tests – it can save a lot of time and anguish! You can also save them on a USB key. [nextpage title=”The test configuration: “]
Here are the different components that equip our test platform. For the publication of these tests, I used the « A12U4 » BIOS which seems to be the most efficient for overclocking. As is the case with Asus, MSI is also very reactive when it comes to updating its BIOS. In the coming weeks, we will also offer you several overclocking guides for your processor but also for your memory kit depending on the type of chips (Micron, Samsung and Hynix).
- Motherboard : MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X (BIOS A12U4)
- Processor: Intel i9-12900K Alder Lake
- Memory : 32 GB Teamgroup Delta RGB 6400 MT/s CL40
- Graphics Card: MSI GT 710
- Cooling system : EK-Quantum Velocity² + 480 mm EK radiator
- SSD: Western Digital SN850 NVMe SSD M.2
- Power supply: be quiet! Dark Power PRO 12 1500w
- Display: ROG PG27UQ
A quick tour through CPU-Z to make sure everything is in order before we start our tests. We notice that with this version 1.99, our i9-12900K is perfectly recognized as well as the DDR5 memory. To do this we activated the XMP profile of our memory kit in the BIOS.
Let’s go for the overclocking of this i9-12900K on this MEG Z690 Unify-X [nextpage title=”Actual frequencies?”]
As with every new processor test, our first idea is to check if the announced frequencies are actually reached. To do so, we will use the Cinebench R15 benchmark. Two cases will be used, a single core benchmark and a multi core benchmark.
Test with i9-12900K :
And in reality? First step, we leave everything in AUTO in the BIOS except the XMP profile which we load to have a frequency of 6400 MHz in 40-40-40-83 for our memory kit. We do not make any other changes in the BIOS. The idea is, as we said, to see if the frequencies on the box are respected.. Let’s start with a single core test in Cinebench R15. As you can see, we have opened several windows to check the frequency and the working cores.
No worries, we can see that two cores 4 and 6 are regularly running at 5.2 GHz, which corresponds to the boost frequency of our i9-12900K. It is especially core 4 that reaches this frequency. In multi-core mode, the frequency is also well respected, with 4900 MHz on all eight performance cores.
Now that we know that our processor is fully operational, we can move on to overclocking. If you want to know the performance of the i9-12900K and the i5-12600K, this is the place to find out. We have also reviewed the i7-12700KF and the i5-12400. [nextpage title=”CPU overclocking:”]
Our CPU overclocking section will focus on the performance of the i9-12900K. We have fat last found a simpler way to get dry ice. So we can finally offer you the tutorial on how to use it in overclocking. In the next few days, we will be testing the i9-12900K, i5-12400 and i3-12100F under dry ice. One of the pots used will be the Copper ECO Pot from Bartxstore.
Protocol :
Before starting, it is necessary to have one or more reference scores with our i9-12900K at stock frequencies, i.e., without having made any modifications other than having activated the XMP profile. It is also very important to have a sheet of paper at hand that will allow you to note all the tests you are going to perform as well as the results or failures. Personally, I have hundreds of sheets of my tests on which I sometimes go back to find out how the processor behaved on a particular motherboard or in a particular test condition. My own little bible. For ‘daily’ overclocking, it will of course be necessary to take more time to fine-tune the voltages in order to provide it with the minimum necessary, but also to adjust each core independently if you want to take advantage of maximum performance.
Load-Line Calibration :
A quick tour through the « Load-Line Calibration » option to fine-tune this parameter to keep the voltage as constant as possible. The idea is not to have too much difference between the chosen voltage, the voltage measured at idle and under load. In the case of our Z690 Unify-X, we opted for mode 5.
For information, mode 3, when our voltage is set in the BIOS to 1.20 volts, gives us in reality a frequency of 1.22 volts in bench. Mode 5 allows us to keep 1.20 volts and mode 7 drops it to 1.12 volts.
Overclocking under watercooling in different steps:
As usual, I will start the tests by choosing, via the BIOS, a starting frequency applied to the 8 cores of the i9-12900K. I have chosen a starting frequency of 5000 MHz with a multiplier of 50, a BCLK of 100, a voltage of 1.20 volts and LLC mode 5. All other options are set to AUTO except for XMP enabled.
The idea is then, in the OS, to test the stability on several runs of Cinebench R15 multithread. If it’s stable, I increase the frequency by 100 MHz while rechecking the stability. If the benchmark crashes, I increase the voltage in 0.05 volt increments in order to regain stability allowing the benchmark to complete. The objective is to get a « quick » idea of the maximum benchmarkable frequency.
It is also very important to have a benchmark score under Cinebench R15, taking care to note the voltage (vcore), the maximum temperature during the benchmark, the power consumption and of course the score obtained. During the benchmark, the Core Temp window is opened which has a slight negative impact on the score. Here are our different results.
The limit for Cinebench is around 5.3 GHz on all eight cores. It will be possible to go higher in frequency on benchmarks that make less demands on the CPU. As you can see, it’s pretty hot. We go from 4160 to 4398 points under R15. The score under R23 is 29362 points.
A quick word about the cooling system that we changed during the tests. We took the opportunity to test the new EK-Quantum Velocity² waterblock. This one allowed us to lose/gain almost 7 degrees! If you want to know more about it, I invite you to read this mini test.
[nextpage title=”Memory overclocking:”]
If you are a regular overclocker, you know that memory overclocking is the most time-consuming and requires patience. The arrival of DDR5 is still very recent and mastering it will require many more hours of testing. Fortunately, you are in luck and can join our Discord community where many of our members have DDR5 but also different motherboards, so we can answer your questions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bl4ckdot who gave me valuable advice and who also has a MEG Z690 Unify-X.
Choosing your DDR5 kit based on memory chips:
As was already the case for DDR4, if you want to overclock your memory, some chips will have a better potential. Currently, the kits announced by the different brands are equipped with Micron, Samsung or Hynix chips. The last two brands will be the most interesting. We have already had the opportunity to review several DDR5 memory kits and to test the potential of these three types of memory chips. We invite you to take a look at the « memory » section of our site.
The « key » voltages of DDR5 :
For memory overclocking, there are 5 key voltages. These are the voltages that will have an impact on overclocking and therefore on the frequency gain or the tightening of the timings. These are the CPU System Agent Voltage (SA), CPU VVDQ Voltage, CPU VVDQ2 Voltage, DRAM Voltage and DRAM VDDQ Voltage. Here is where these voltages are located in the BIOS of our MEG Z690 Unify-X.
Beware, depending on the type of memory chips (Micron, Hynix and Samsung), the balance between these different voltages is different. Don’t panic, we’ll come back to this in detail in our guide on overclocking Alder Lake and DDR5. We also wanted to draw a parallel between the voltages available on our ROG Z690 APEX and their equivalent on this Z690 Unify-X.
Now it’s time to share our tests with the Teamgroup Delta RGB 6400 CL40 memory kit.
Let’s go for the overclocking of this DDR5 from Teamgroup :
As we hinted, we spent several days looking for stable profiles or profiles for benchmarks. As a reminder, our kit is equipped with Hynix chips. Here is a condensed table of the tests we performed and the performance we achieved.
We’ll be fine-tuning our memory overclocking in the coming days with the aim of being able to benchmark at 7000 MHz. We are also preparing a Kingston DDR5 Beast 5200 MHz CL40 kit with Hynix chips for a cold run.
In short, as you can see, overclocking DDR5 is going to be a lot of fun, maybe even more so than DDR4. You can also see how important and useful the profiles in the Asus BIOS are. Thanks to the team behind it who work on these different BIOSes and profiles.
Latest BIOS A.22:
Shortly before the closing of our article, MSI released the A.22 BIOS. We didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to test it. Three profiles appear in the Load Memory Presets section, but unfortunately none of them proved stable with our Teamgroup 6400 MT/s CL40 kit. So we applied our settings used with the A.12U4 BIOS with no issues, our configuration boots up without a problem. Not much difference except a better multi score at Geekbench 3 with 89758 points.
I’m still waiting for other memory kits that will also be tested on this MSI Z690 Unify-X. I’m also preparing a dry ice run of the 12900K, 12400 and 12100F for fun. More info in a few days 🙂 [nextpage title=”The last word:”]
With this MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X, it’s the second so-called « XOC » card that we had the opportunity to review. The least we can say is that we were not disappointed. Let’s start with its price tag of 715 euros, which makes it slightly cheaper than the Asus APEX version. We are aware that these prices are very high, but in recent months we have seen an increase in hardware components and especially in DDR5 compatible motherboards.
This Unify-X has many tools on the PCB! If that wasn’t enough, MSI provides a remote control to make your life even easier. The MSI team is very active and regularly offers beta BIOSes for testing. By the end of the week, we will be testing BIOSes for non-K processors, as well as regularly updating BIOSes for overclockers . In a few days, we will give it a dry ice treatment. This will be the opportunity for us to offer you a tutorial guide that you have been waiting for for far too long. We finally managed to find a way to source it much more easily. Then some liquid nitrogen will arrive…
In the end, it’s an almost perfect result for this MEG Z690 Unify-X. So, why almost? We would like to see more memory profiles in the BIOS. These can be an excellent basis for those who want to start overclocking their memory. Apart from that, we can recommend this model with our eyes closed, or even the 690I version in micro-ATX, which also seems to have a lot of qualities. Once again, thank you to MSI France for providing a review sample of this excellent MEG Z690 Unify-X. See you in a few days for some overclocking under dry ice!
MSI MEG Z690 Unify-X
We liked :
- A high-performance power stage
- The possibility of using high capacity and high frequency memory
- LN2 mode via BIOS
- The presence of two BIOSes
- The “tools” present on the PCB to facilitate extreme overclocking
- MSI team is very responsive with regards to new BIOSes
- The presence of a PS/2 port for overclocking under XP
- MSI Dragon Power and Dragon Ball overclocking software
- The remote control for overclocking
- DIY Stands Set included in the bundle
We would have liked :
- More memory profiles according to the type of chips
MSI has done a great job with this MEG Z690 Unify-X. All dressed in black, the card goes to the basics and that’s what we expect from an XOC model dedicated to overclocking. The tools on the PCB and the remote control are very efficient. The MSI team is perfectly tuned in and regularly proposes new BIOS. Finally, to spoil nothing, the price of 715 euros is, compared to the competition, excellent and makes it the most affordable XOC motherboard currently in France.