MSI MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI Motherboard Review

Following our Z590 Motherboard reviews, we are now moving along to the B560 chipset to see what it can offer if you are looking to upgrade to a new Intel 11th Gen CPU. With every new CPU launch, MSI always releases a good variety of motherboards to suit most people’s needs. Whether you are just looking to wet your toes or go full-on enthusiast-grade, MSI generally has a motherboard for you. For those looking to go full-on MSI for their build, you will be happy to know their ecosystem of products is quite large. From motherboards to GPUs and even monitors and cases, MSI has a lot of different products available.

MSI MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI

So, B560! What does it do, and why do you want it? Well, it is a cut down version of Z590 so while it won’t offer all the top-end features, it also won’t come with a higher price tag. B560 still offers WiFi 6e and PCIe 4.0, among other things, to help ensure you are getting the most from your new CPU. ITX boards generally have fewer features as well, so let’s jump in and see what MSI’s MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI brings to the table!

Features

• CPU Support: Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™, 11th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket.
• Memory Support: DDR4 Memory, up to 5200(OC) MHz
• Core Boost Technology: Combining 8-pin power connectors and premium layout design, that is ready for unleashing the maximum performance.
• Audio Boost: Isolated audio with a high-quality audio processor for the most immersive gaming experience.
• 8 layer PCB with 2oz Thickened Copper: 8 layer PCB with 2oz thickened copper provides higher performance and long-lasting system stability without any compromise.
• PCI-E Steel Armor: Protecting VGA cards against bending and EMI for better performance, stability and strength.
• Heatsinks with 7W/mK Thermal Pad: 7W/mK thermal pad provides better heat transfer to the heatsink.
• Extended Heatsink: MSI extended PWM heatsink and enhanced circuit design ensures even high-end processors to run in full speed.
• Pump Fan Support: Control watercooling pump speeds for best flow and noise control.
• M.2 Shield Frozr: Strengthened built-in M.2 thermal solution. Keeps M.2 SSDs safe while preventing throttling, making them run faster.
• 2.5G Network Solution: Featuring premium 2.5G LAN with LAN manager delivers better network experience.
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E: The latest wireless solution supports 6G spectrum, MU-MIMO and BSS color technology, delivering speeds up to 2400Mbps.
• DDR4 Boost: The fully isolated DDR circuit to deliver pure data signals for the best gaming and overclocking performance.
• Lightning Gen 4 Solution: The latest Gen 4 PCI-E and M.2 solution with up to 64GB/s bandwidth for maximum transfer speed.

For in-depth specifications, please visit the official Manufacturer Motherboard product page here.

Inside the box, we have a few manuals, a case badge, some stickers a more than likely out of date driver disk and a few other leaflets from the folks at MSI.

As accessories go, there isn’t a whole lot that comes included. We have a WiFi Antenna, pair of SATA cables, a brush, screwdrivers, a couple of screws and a rainbow RGB extension cable.

A Closer Look

ITX boards are definitely small, but manufacturers like MSI still do a brilliant job at packing in as many features as possible. MSI has added plenty of heatsinks to their B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI board to help dissipate heat as best possible. One thing I really like to see on ITX boards is the inclusion of two M.2 slots. MSI has added M.2 slots on the front and back of this board to make the most of the space available while making sure users have what they need.

The B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI comes with a single 8-pin EPS power connector. This will be more than enough to offer stable power even to a 11900K. While you won’t be able to massively overclock your CPU on this board, you will still be able to have a mild overclock to make sure you are getting the most from your system. Hopefully, most people won’t really be looking to overclock their ITX based systems so it shouldn’t be an issue either way.

Just about as top and centre as you can get on this board, we have a 12v RGB header and next to that are three fan headers. As you will see, they are right on the edge of the board to make sure every millimetre of space is used on the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI.

MSI has gone with a 6+2+1 Power Phase design which will help ensure a stable and reliable power delivery across your system. They have also added 7W/mK thermal pads to their heatsinks to help better transfer the heat generated from the components to the heatsinks.

As I have said multiple times now, it takes a bit of work to fit everything in on an ITX board. So, in short, some things kind of just get stuck where there is room for them and not always where we would like to see them. For instance, in the image below, we have our front panel header in the middle of our front audio header and a USB header. In my opinion, this is not an ideal place for a front panel header as it will be harder to access once a GPU is installed. Though, in saying that, if you install these connectors before your GPU, you may actually be able to help hide them between the motherboard and GPU, allowing for a bit better cable management and an overall cleaner-looking build.

MSI has gone with a bigger M.2 heatsink on their B560I EDGE GAMING WIFI than we have seen on previous ITX models. We also don’t see a fan on this model as we have seen on previous models such as the B550I.

We have four SATA ports on this board and these two are umm, well, they are there, and that is about all I can say. While it is great to have an additional two SATA ports, it will be hard to hide the cables, especially once the GPU is installed. The cables will likely have to be routed over the RAM or GPU once everything is plugged in, leaving them out in the open! This may bug some but is worth remembering a lot of ITX cases aren’t really meant to be shown off, they just get built in a tucked away somewhere out of the way. So, depending on what time of case you are using, this may or may not be a problem for you.

Down the right-hand side of the board are the 24-pin power connecter, two SATA 6GB/s ports, a USB 3.2 Gen2 port and a USB 3.2 Gen1 port.

One of the main things we always see on ITX boards is the lack of USB ports. now, this is completely understandable as they are much smaller so we have to make some cutbacks somewhere. However, MSI has still managed to include five standard-sized USB ports and a single Type-C port. We also have our standard host of inputs as well:

• DisplayPort
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type-A
• 2.5G LAN
• Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
• USB 2.0
• HDMI
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type-C
• USB 2.0
• Audio Connectors

On the backside of the motherboard we have a single M.2 connector, ready to house your PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 SSD.

This slot is Intel Optane ready and will take a M.2 drive in the 2280 form factor.

How We Test

Here at eTeknix, we endeavour to disclose vital information regarding the benchmarking process so that readers can quantify the results and attempt to replicate them using their hardware. When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of motherboard, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Therefore, your experience may vary.

Testing Your Own System

We typically focus on commonly available benchmarks so that you too can run the same benchmarks on your own system. We hope this makes it easy for our readers to gauge the performance improvement available to them when they upgrade their own systems.

Gaming Tests

All games are run at their specified resolutions using the “high” settings or equivalent. We avoid using the Ultra settings as these often offer diminishing returns for performance vs visuals.

Test Benches

Synthetic Benchmarks

Online Benchmarks

Compression & Rendering

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider Performance

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Far Cry New Dawn Performance

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Metro Exodus Performance

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World of Tanks Performance

Memory & Storage

Power Consumption

How Much Does it Cost?

Coming in at £149.99 from SCAN.co.uk or AMAZON UK at the time of the review, the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI is much cheaper than the Z590 ITX options. This price is going to be really intriguing and will help people more easily chose a B560 board over the more expensive Z590 chipset.

Overview

The MSI B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI motherboard is a more affordable ITX option for those looking to upgrade to Intel’s new 11th Gen of CPUs. Coming with most of the main features we have seen from Z590, the B560 chipset is looking to make its mark on the market. MSI has gone with dual M.2 drive slots, four SATA slots, plenty of USB options and more to make sure you are getting the most from your new hardware. The price is only going to make the deal that much sweeter and will ultimately be what persuades people to go with B560 over Z590.

Build Quality & Design

Considering that B560 is a watered-down and more budget-friendly version of Z590, MSI has still made sure the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI is built with quality in mind and designed to make the most of your hardware. This board still sees good quality heatsinks, plenty of power phases for its form factor and a similar PCB to that of the more expensive boards. While it may not have quite as many ports and connections as the more expensive Z590 boards, it has more than enough for the average user.

Performance

This is where I was blown away! The performance of this B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI is on par with most other boards, even Z590 alternatives, when running default BIOS with a 11900K CPU. This is amazing to see as it is almost half the price of the Z590 ITX boards. While it may not have all the bells and whistles as seen on Z590, we still have WiFI 6e, PCIe 4.0 and USB3.2 Gen 2 ports so it is definitely making some advancements over the previous versions.

Added Value

The B560 chipset is designed to be a more budget-friendly alternative to the Z590 chipset, and as such, this adds value to itself overall. We still see most of the main features we would want from Z590. However, in a much more affordable manner. The small form factor of the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI and similar performance to that of the Z590 motherboards make it an absolute no brainer as far as overall price and value are concerned.

Should I Buy One?

Most people looking into an ITX board will be happy with something like this. While it may not be as feature-rich as the Z590 alternative, it still offers amazing performance. Many ITX users are not looking to overclock or really push their hardware too far; rather they get things up and running in a smaller space. If you like smaller builds or are looking for something for your next HTPC, then yes, this is definitely worth buying. If you are just going to plug and play and don’t need the extra features and ports brought to you by the Z590 chipset, the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI is a solid choice!