Pros: - Better Random 4K speeds compared to my 2TB 980 PRO in CrystalDiskMark (read/write 46/161 MB/s compared to 30/112 MB/s running at PCIe 4x4) - Acceptable Sequential read/write speeds

Cons: - DRAM-less, so it takes about 400-500 MB of system RAM for HMB and can be slower/more susceptible to errors - Sustained performance is questionable

Overall Review: Good performance overall for a DRAM-less SSD, but with the 990 EVO PLUS being close in price, I would opt for that if you were looking for a budget NVMe SSD. I typically prefer DRAM-equipped SSDs for their better overall performance and not losing memory to HMB.

Pros: - Great I/O (Lots of USB 3.2 Gen 2, TB4) - Dual 5 and 2.5 GbE LAN - Modern and easy to use UEFI (Click BIOS X) - Decent OC options - 27W USB-C PD charging - Toolless M.2 SSD install

Cons: - Odd bugs on UEFI versions 7E17v1A3 and 7E17v1A21 like the UI occasionally glitching out when saving profiles to USB, the system being unstable after applying known stable settings until a cold shutdown and boot is done, and GPU not being output to rarely when exiting the UEFI - M.2 heatsink below 1st PCIe slot ends up right against my EVGA 3090 FTW3 GPU, so clearance may be an issue for some - Not as detailed sensor outputs as on some competitors' boards (i.e. VR Power Out reading) as of writing this review in early December

Overall Review: I always like MSI's Carbon lineup of boards for their good looks, decent price, and balance of features. This board is quite a bit more expensive than previous Carbon boards, which is unfortunate, but it does compensate with much more I/O and connectivity options. I'd recommend this board at most if looking to get a good Z890 board for Arrow Lake chips (I run mine with a 265K and 2x24 GB 8200 MT/s CUDIMMs. The Z890 Edge from MSI is also a good option if you don't need the extra USB-A's and other I/O of this board for basically the same performance. I docked an egg since it does seem like there are some minor bugs with the latest UEFI/BIOS versions, but it shouldn't be much of an issue if you aren't tinkering with it much. This review is for the MSI Review Rebate Program.