### MSI’s New ITX Motherboards Have Backside Connectors

Login to Continue Learning

MSI will expand its white AM5 lineup with two new motherboard options, the MPG X870I Edge TI EVO and MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX PZ.

#### MSI’s Upcoming AM5 Motherboards Offer Improved Designs and New Features

Back at Computex 2025, MSI unveiled a range of new motherboards based around the AM5 socket. The offerings included boards with X870E, X870, and B850 chipsets. One of these was the B850MPOWER, which we tested recently and found to be an excellent overclocker for its price.

Now, MSI is preparing to launch more options for AM5 builders due to the increasing popularity of AMD Ryzen CPUs. These new motherboards offer enhanced designs, wider I/O capabilities, and several features within the BIOS for tuning Ryzen CPUs. Additionally, two of their upcoming models feature unconventional design schemes in a white color scheme, which is very popular.

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

### MPG X870I EDGE TI EVO: Adopting Multi-PCB Solutions

One of MSI’s upcoming AM5 motherboards is the MPG X870I EDGE TI EVO WIFI. This Mini-ITX motherboard features an AM5 socket powered by a single 8-pin connector, with VRMs cooled by an active cooler on top of an aluminum heatsink. There are two DDR5 slots supporting up to 128 GB capacities and one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for AICs.

In terms of I/O, the motherboard includes five USB 10 Gbps Type-A ports, two USB 40 Gbps Type-C ports, one USB 10 Gbps Type-C port, dual Wi-Fi antennas powered by Wi-Fi 7, one HDMI output, a 5GbE LAN port alongside Flash BIOS/ Clear CMOS buttons, and audio jacks. Additionally, it has a PCIe Gen5 x4 SSD slot on a multi-PCB solution over the PCH, which comes with its own cooling and provides a USB header and an ARGB header.

### MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX PZ: Backside Connectors

The second motherboard is the MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX WIFI PZ. This board features four DDR5 DIMM slots, supporting fast speeds and up to 256 GB capacities. There are three PCIe x16 slots, with a top Gen5 solution, and four M.2 slots covered by large white heatsinks. The topmost Gen5x4 slot has an EZ release latch, while the others are screwed in.

The Tomahawk MAX PZ includes a DEBUG LED visible through the accent plate cut-out. Its I/O features include four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 10 Gbps Type-A ports, two USB 40 Gbps Type-C ports, one USB 10 Gbps Type-C port, dual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas for Wi-Fi 7+BT5.4 functionality, HDMI-out, Clear CMOS/Flash BIOS buttons, a 5GbE LAN port, and three audio jacks.

All the connectors on these motherboards are located on the back, part of the Backside connector design in MSI’s “PZ” series boards. The motherboard features dual 8-pin CPU connectors, a 24-pin ATX power connector, fan/RGB headers, SATA ports, supplementary 8-pin power for PCIe slots, and additional USB headers.

#### Upcoming AM5 Motherboards

MSI is expected to launch both these AM5 motherboards and even more options in the coming months. These new boards are ideal for users building or upgrading their AMD Ryzen systems.