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Review on ๐Ÿ”ฅ MSI X470 GAMING PLUS Max Motherboard for AMD Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen Processors with DDR4, DVI, HDMI, Onboard Graphics, and Crossfire Support - Ideal for Gaming Performance by David Blackstock

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Buyer Warning! - 3rd gen Ryzen *might* not be out of the box compatible

NOTES: 1) This review is a bit of a tirade/long review, I just can't stand bad customer service. (Only one of the people I dealt with was nice, understanding and respectful) 2) MSI website is misleading (Result = Firmware/BIOS? -- in my 15 years of experience this is brand new and hasn't been tested by anyone used, just google "mainboard + result" if you don't believe me). Visit the Gigabyte website for a contrast. There is a clear statement that a BIOS update is required to support new chips, if any. no table with a breakdown of the "Result" column 3 clicks on a product page after the product's landing page indicated that it was supported. A small star would be nice. I've bought MSI motherboards and graphics cards for my gaming systems as well as machines I've built for others (back in the early 2000's). I'm currently an IT management clerk, so I don't have the opportunity to play much - I don't even have a game system (not a working one yet, although I have all the parts). I recently decided to build a new gaming machine and went with this MSI board, MSI graphics card, processor and memory that were on their list. only to find out that the board is incompatible with Ryzen 3rd Gen due to an outdated BIOS (especially microcode) which cannot be updated unless you have an older CPU (we all have, right?). The option I was originally given by MSI was to pay for the return so they could update it for me. This would require 1) me taking it apart 2) packaging, insurance and shipping costs 3) waiting who knows how long it will be before I get it back (fingers crossed I don't get a refurbished one). The same day that I started the conversation with MSI, I also reached out to AMD. At 2:00 am the next day, AMD informed me that they had sent me a previous generation chip with free two-day shipping so that I could update the firmware. After contacting MSI (only 2 chat agents, spoke to 3 people and emailed 2 people) they offered to pay for the board to be shipped back to update it. I chose the resolution suggested by AMD as it respects my time and is a much simpler solution. When it's time to build another machine, go to another supplier.

Pros
  • 1 year trial
Cons
  • New competitors have arrived