I originally described MSI’s original MEG X870E Godlike as the kind of motherboard that enthusiasts dream about, and the same is true (and then some) of MSI’s new limited edition variant, MEG X870E Godlike X. This is the same brilliant board in terms of core hardware, but with a few twists that take its showpiece qualities up a notch.
MSI MEG X870E Godlike X
£1,249.99
Pros
- Sublime build quality
- Abundant connections
- Stacked feature set
- Beautiful showpiece
Cons
- Intimidatingly expensive
- Minor differences versus non-X
- Limited number of units
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How we test and review products.
Costing £1,249.99, the MEG X870E Godlike X remains an expensive motherboard, but it only costs £50 more than the standard model. Whether spending that extra sterling for additional bragging rights is up to you, but I don’t see any reason not to if you’re already planning to spend so much cash on this particular board.
If you do fancy one for your setup, you’ll want to act fast. MSI is only producing 1,000 of these motherboards for general sale. If you understandably want to take some time to gather more information about the MEG X870E Godlike X before spending over a grand on one, you’re in the right place.
Unboxing
I don’t usually discuss the unboxing experience of components in reviews, but it feels wrong not to indulge in the case of MSI’s MEG X870E Godlike X. This is some seriously epic packaging in both appearance as well as heft – peeling back its layers feels like an event in itself.
In case the relatively small size of my Lucky figurine hasn’t made it obvious enough, this is one seriously big box that dwarfs usual motherboard packaging, even for EATX. Opening it demands a serious amount of space, prompting me to clear the top of my 150cm wide Secretlab Magnus Pro for this very purpose.
Lifting the lid from its hinge reveals an array of accessories, surrounded by thick foam padding. Seeing this bounty of bits intensifies my interest, exuding a delightful aura of quality.
I’ll discuss all these goodies in detail later, including the one-of-a-kind component some eagle-eyed readers may have already spotted. For now, let’s not waste any more time and unveil what lies underneath.
At last, the MEG X870E Godlike X, nestled safely in plastic shrink wrap and foam. Lifting the board out of its cradle, its weight, size, and appearance all leave a profoundly premium impression. There’s no mistaking this motherboard for anything but MSI’s flagship.
Enough unboxing, let’s get down to the business of what makes this motherboard so divine.
Specs
As I mentioned earlier in the review, MSI’s MEG X870E Godlike X carries the same hardware as its vanilla sibling. That’s no slight against the motherboard, as there wasn’t much, if any, room to improve on the original specification. MSI puts the power of AMD’s X870E chipset to full use here, delivering a dizzying number of connections and more.
Starting up top, there’s a completely overkill 24+2+1 phase design, including a 110A smart power stage (SPS). These are the safest hands you could hope for an AM5 Ryzen processor, particularly while running PBO or manual overclocking. Just to cement the confidence of this setup, MSI finishes the VRM heatsink with an undeniably cool stereoscopic motif of its dragon logo with LED backlighting.
| MEG X870E Godlike X | |
|---|---|
| VRM | 24+2+1, 110A |
| RAM support | Slots: 4 Max. Capacity: 256GB Max. OC Speed: 9,000MT/s |
| Onboard graphics | USB-C (x2) |
| PCIe expansion slots | PCIe 5.0 x16 (x1) PCIe 5.0 x8 (x1) PCIe 4.0 x4 (x1) |
| Audio | Realtek ALC4082 + ESS9219Q |
| Storage | PCIe 5.0 x4 (x2) PCIe 4.0 x4 (x2) PCIe 4.0 x2 (x1) SATA 6Gb (x4) |
| Rear USB | USB-C 4 (40Gb) (x2) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) (x5) USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) (x8) |
| Front USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gb) (x1) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) (x1) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb) (x4) USB-A 2.0 (480Mb) (x4) |
| LAN | Marvell 10Gb (x1) Realtek 5Gb (x1) |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 7 |
| Price | £1,249.99 |
To the right are four DIMM slots, capable of supporting up to 256GB (4x64GB) of DDR5 running at 9,000MT/s. While the prospects of pairing this motherboard with such a large amount of speedy DRAM are dwindling at the time of writing, the support remains impressive nonetheless. The enthusiast in me would still love to see a two-slot design for higher performance, much like the MSI Unify X, but I’ll continue to park that dream for now.
I challenge any enthusiast to look at the rear I/O on the MEG X870E Godlike X and not crack a smile. Just look at all those ports, running at no less than 10Gb/s. Breaking down the setup, there are eight USB-A 10Gb headers, and five USB-C ports capable of the same speed. That’s not forgetting the two USB-C 40Gb inputs on top of that. One can’t help but feel like Ryan Gosling’s Ken and cry “sublime!” at the sight of all these high-speed ports.
Of course, networking is suitably high-end too. There’s a choice of Wi-Fi 7, which comes part and parcel with Bluetooth 5.4 support, as well as 10Gb and 5Gb Ethernet ports. Such wired options feel like they’re judging my ‘lowly’ 1Gb broadband and home network when they’re hooked up, but they’re definitely futureproof.
MSI doesn’t miss a beat on the feature front in this panel either, with both Flash BIOS and Clear CMOS buttons. There’s also a ‘Smart’ button, which can serve as a system reset, RGB toggle, safe boot, or macro for maximum fan speed. It’s just a shame you don’t have the ability to create custom functions for this button, or have more added to this selection.
Moving down the motherboard, three toolless heatsinks cover a whopping five M.2 slots. Breaking down the M.2 connections in terms of speed, there are two PCIe Gen 5 x4, two PCIe Gen 4 x4, with a single PCIe Gen 4 x2 connector rounding off the selection. Suffice to say, you won’t be short of storage on the MEG X870E Godlike X, if you’re lucky enough to have so many drives to populate this array.
There are also three PCIe slots for add-in cards. Both Gen 5 slots are full-size, but only the topmost one runs with all 16 lanes, while the other has eight at its disposal. Finally, there’s a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection at the bottom. Note, however, that the slowest of the three slots shares bandwidth with the Gen 4 x2 M.2 slot, meaning it will run at x2 if an SSD is installed there.
Features
Now that we’ve dealt with the techie side of MSI’s MEG X870E Godlike X, it’s time to discuss the motherboard’s many features and accessories. Strap in, as there’s plenty to talk about, both with regards to what returns from the original board, and what limited-edition goodies you get for that extra fifty quid.
What better starting place than the top-most M.2 heatsink? Every MEG X870E Godlike X will come with a one-of-a-kind metal topper for your SSD, numbered X through 1,000. In my case, however, I’ve got something a little more bespoke that I’d argue makes this particular review unit the very best on the planet bar none.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful M.2 heatsink? Of course you haven’t. Yes, that is the same storage shield in a collector’s stand that comes with each MEG X870E Godlike X, complete with USB cable for power and button to cycle through colours. Naturally, I’ve got it with a pink hue for my display.
Don’t worry about your system. MSI ships an alternative heatsink sans engraving but complete with RGB LEDs in the box too, so you can have your pick of which ones you’d like to have inside your PC, and what will take pride of place on your desk. If this feels egregiously showy, that’s because it is, but that’s part of the fun with this motherboard.
Adding to the collectability of the motherboard is a Lucky the Dragon plush, sporting a black colour scheme for this occasion. Inside this same box, you’ll also find a bunch of keyrings clad in this board’s stylings.
While the appeal of this paraphernalia doesn’t quite match the engraved heatsink, I do enjoy Lucky’s new look and the MEG triangle keyring. I’m certainly more likely to do something with both than I am with the sticker sheet that also arrives part and parcel.
That’s as far as unique items go for the MEG X870E Godlike X. While some may expect more goodies from this limited edition launch, I’m personally okay with the £50 uplift for the engraved heatsink alone.
My favourite feature on the MEG X870E Godlike X, and the vanilla board, has to be the EZ Bridge. This unassuming magnetically attaching block not only provides a shroud to hide away core motherboard power cables, tastefully orientated horizontally, but also houses MSI’s Dynamic Dashboard III.
Power up your system, and the 3.99in LCD atop the EZ Bridge springs to life, displaying debug codes during boot, before finally settling on system information. However, the screen also provides BIOS flashing updates and CPU temperature warnings, plus you can even use the screen for less utilitarian purposes, such as a music player visualiser, clock and more.
On the bottom left of EZ Bridge, you’ll also find three buttons. One serves as a power toggle, another for system reset, while the other controls the primary PCIe slot’s release mechanism. They’re satisfying tactile to press, and their inclusion further cements this motherboard’s premium feel.
Working in tandem with EZ Bridge, the EZ Control Hub serves as a fan and ARGB hub. The two connect via a single cable, keeping the chamber in which the MEG X870E Godlike X resides as free from cable clutter as possible.
MSI has thrown a magnet inside the EZ Control Hub as well, making it easy to place inside your case’s rear chamber. You’ll probably need to commit to some daisy chaining, as there are only three RGB connectors to the six fan headers, but this shortfall hardly diminishes this accessory’s convenience.
Returning from the vanilla design is MSI’s M.2 Xpander-Z Slider Gen5, albeit with Godlike X Edition liveries. This add-in card is practically begging to take residence in the board’s secondary PCIe slot, providing an additional two slots for PCIe Gen 5 storage, bringing the total up to four drives at that speed and seven overall.
You can connect a 6-pin PCIe power connector to the side of the card to power its fan, enabling it to better keep temperatures at bay beyond the included thermal pads. Personally, though, as modern, more efficient Gen 5 drives like the WD_Black SN8100 and Samsung 9100 Pro don’t require extravagant cooling, I’d personally settle for a quieter, cleaner approach where possible.
Finally, flipping over the MEG X870E Godlike X, you’ll find a beautiful, big metal backplate covering almost the entire PCB. MSI naturally leaves gaps for motherboard standoffs, while also exposing the stock CPU socket backplate.
This backplate will not only protect the motherboard from scratches and the like, but will also improve thermal performance by a few degrees. Practical and stylish; a winning combo.
Firmware
MSI’s Click BIOS X has a small but tasteful facelift on this motherboard, sticking closely to the established MEG colour scheme with dashes of ‘Godlike X Edition’ branding. Underneath the skin, though, this is the same intuitive firmware you’ll find on other modern MSI motherboards.
MSI has treated the MEG X870E Godlike X to a larger 64MB BIOS, doubling capacity from the original design and mirroring its new Max motherboard offerings. This upgrade doesn’t carry much weight right now, but the brand claims it will ensure “full compatibility and stable performance” with future hardware. That’s a not-so-subtle hint at support for upcoming Ryzen processors, methinks, while also implying it will maintain compatibility with older chips.
The ‘EZ Mode’ tab offers up plenty of useful at-a-glance system information. From here, you can quickly identify if the system is detecting your hardware and whether it’s running at the correct speed. You’ll also find convenient toggles for mainstay options such as A-XMP/EXPO memory profiles and Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO).
Avid tinkerers will feel right at home in the ‘Advanced’ tab. You can play with in-depth tweaks aplenty in these menus, which MSI categorises and lays out in a convenient manner. Don’t forget, you can also fall back on the search function for those rare occasions you need it as well.
Performance
In putting the MEG X870E Godlike X to the test, I’m using the same components I used for my original MEG X870E Godlike review. While I’m not expecting major performance differences between the boards, doing so will allow me to highlight any notable changes as they arise.
So, without further ado, test hardware includes a Ryzen 9 9900X, Radeon RX 7800 XT, Crucial T700 2TB, Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, be quiet! Dark Power 13 1,000W and 32GB (2x16GB) of Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5-6,400 RAM.
| MEG X870E Godlike X | MEG X870E Godlike | |
|---|---|---|
| AIDA Read | 78,209MB/s | 77,578MB/s |
| AID Write | 83,464MB/s | 83,586MB/s |
| AIDA Copy | 71,864MB/s | 72,406MB/s |
| AIDA Latency | 79.9ns | 82.5ns |
| Cinebench 2024 1T | 138pts | 137pts |
| Cinebench 2024 MT | 1,805pts | 1,811pts |
| PCMark 10 | 10,584pts | 10,903pts |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 18,891pts | 19,345pts |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 4,089pts | 4,188pts |
| CrystalDiskMark seq. read | 12,372MB/s | 12,397MB/s |
| CrystalDiskMark seq. write | 11,799MB/s | 11,809MB/s |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Min. / Avg.) | 66 / 79fps | 66 / 77fps |
| FFXIV: Dawntrail (Min. / Avg.) | 85 / 186fps | 84 / 188fps |
| VRM temperature | 42°C | 41°C |
| Power consumption (Idle / Load) | 150 / 324W | 98 / 265W |
Unsurprisingly, there’s not much separating the two boards across the test suite, as both deliver solid stock performance. The majority of victories lie with the older MEG X870E Godlike’s historical data. However, I’d sooner place blame for any of the MEG X870E Godlike X’s minor shortfalls on subsequent updates to Windows 11 and elsewhere.
Most curious of all, to my eye, is the significantly higher power draw on the newer board, both while idle and under load. There’s no obvious explanation for this, as I captured all results using identical hardware and test methodology. Regardless, one should expect an above-average power draw given the specifications, LEDs, and even screens in play.
Like other MSI motherboards, the MEG X870E Godlike X supports Game Boost. This is a one-click overclock that enables PBO, pushing up the CPU’s all-core performance.
While Game Boost won’t always produce notable increases in frame rate, as most games rely more on single-threaded grunt than multi-core prowess, there are gains ready for the taking via this option. Just don’t expect anything monumentally different from stock performance in games.
| Stock | Game Boost | Change (from Stock to GB) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIDA Read | 78,209MB/s | 77,976MB/s | -0% |
| AID Write | 83,464MB/s | 83,182MB/s | -0% |
| AIDA Copy | 71,864MB/s | 72,873MB/s | +1% |
| AIDA Latency | 79.9ns | 80.2ns | +0% |
| Cinebench 2024 1T | 138pts | 138pts | +0% |
| Cinebench 2024 MT | 1,805pts | 1,860pts | +3% |
| PCMark 10 | 10,584pts | 11,228pts | +6% |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 18,891pts | 18,935pts | +0% |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 4,089pts | 4,090pts | +0% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Min. / Avg.) | 66 / 79fps | 67 / 79fps | +2% / +0% |
| FFXIV: Dawntrail (Min. / Avg.) | 85 / 186fps | 84 / 186fps | -1% / +0% |
| VRM temperature | 42°C | 46°C | +10% |
| Power consumption (Idle / Load) | 150 / 324W | 153 / 394W | +2% / +22% |
Game Boost doesn’t bring any significant changes to 3DMark results, but this isn’t surprising considering those scores are more reliant on GPU horsepower than CPU. However, 1080p frame rates in Cyberpunk 2077 and FFXIV: Dawntrail remain similarly static relative to stock.
Rather than games, it’s Cinebench 2024 MT and PCMark 10 that see the greatest benefits from MSI’s one-click overclock, with respective 3% and 6% gains. These improvements come at a significant cost to power consumption, though, which rises by a whopping 22%.
MSI’s MEG X870E Godlike X undoubtedly has the stones to push AMD CPU performance as far as hardware and firmware is concerned, but enthusiasts would do well to put in the time to construct manual overclocks for their chips. After all, MSI was able to achieve a world-record frequency of 7,304.38MHz on an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X using this board.
Conclusion
While it’s true to say there isn’t a world of difference between the MEG X870E Godlike X, I’d definitely prefer to own this version. As someone who will happily splurge extra money on limited edition 4K Blu-ray discs and video games, extending the same penchant to hardware components is second nature.
Of course, at £1249.99, this is not a value-orientated purchase in the slightest. You won’t find anything quite like the MEG X870E Godlike X on the market, particularly as far as features like EZ Dashboard III go. However, there are alternatives that aren’t far off this specification out there for far less cash. MSI’s own MPG X870E Carbon WiFi comes to mind at £460, which isn’t far off a third of the price.
Cost really is the only thing holding back MSI’s flagship from nothing short of perfection as far as AM5 boards go. It’s only aimed at a small niche of people, but if you have the cash and you can stomach paying over a grand for this magnificent motherboard, waste no time and get one in your system before they’re all gone.
Should you have missed the boast as far as MEG X870E Godlike X is concerned, don’t forget that the non-X model is still a worthy alternative. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and polish the Club386 heatsink and gaze longingly at it a while.
