So far at CES 2024, MSI has had the widest range of new products that we have encountered. MSI was showing everything from laptops and desktops to peripherals, cooling, and more. We made the trip to Las Vegas for CES 2024 so you didn’t have to, and here are the items we found to be the most interesting in our visit.
Claw Portable Gaming Handheld
As we have seen many other companies do recently, MSI has launched their very own handheld gaming platform, the Claw. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor at the top end, this handheld gaming device also sports an Arc Xe-LPG integrated graphics processor, as do the lower spec’d versions of the Claw. With a 7″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Claw is poised to provide smooth gameplay on the go. With dual fans and heat pipes present to keep the system cool, you can be sure that you are getting the best performance possible out of the internal hardware without sacrificing your gaming experience. We got a chance to demo the MSI Claw in our meeting with MSI, and the Assassins Creed: Mirage gameplay was as smooth as expected, and looked pretty good to boot. There will be three different versions of the claw, which will result in three different price points going up as the hardware options go up. These three models will come in at $699 for the base version with an Intel Core Ultra 5 and 512GB of storage, $749 for the middle tier model, and $799 for the model with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. All three models are expected to be available in March of 2024.
SPATIUM M580 PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 FROZR+
With regards to fast internal storage devices, MSI was showing off two Gen 5 SSDs, the first being the SPATIUM M580. The M580 utilizes a Phison E26 controller to produce Read speeds up to 14,000 MB/s and 12,000 MB/s Write speeds. In order to keep this drive cool, MSI has employed a variety of components to combat the heat. The first is a 6mm dedicated heat pipe that is surrounded by a stacked fin array to help dissipate heat and allow for air to flow through the cooler. A single Torx 5.0 fan provides airflow for the heat pipe and fins, a combination that can bring temperatures down by up to 30 degrees C. Oh, and there is a bit of RGB lighting on top for good measure. The SPATIUM M580 will be available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, but there is no ETA on their availability.
SPATIUM M580 PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 FROZR LIQUID
Just like the FROZR+, the FROZR LIQUID version of the SPATIUM M580 sports a Phison E26 controller to bring to the table Read speeds up to 14,000 MB/s and Write speeds up to 12,000 MB/s. The big difference with this version of the drive however, is that it is cooled by a very small closed-loop liquid cooler. With a tiny radiator, small fan, and integrated pump, the M580 FROZR LIQUID is a perfect example of extreme cooling engineering designed to get the most out of extreme storage hardware. We don’t have any pricing or availability information for this drive, as it is really more of an example of what is possible as opposed to a fully-fledged product, but that could easily change should the masses show enough interest. If that were to happen, we would expect to again see capacities of 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB.
MPG EZ120 ARGB Fans
As we have seen from other companies lately, MSI has designed a new fan with an easy daisy chaining solution that reduces cable clutter and eases installation pains. The MPG EZ120 ARGB fans are 120mm in size, and have a top speed of 2000RPM, all while keeping noise levels to just 28.7dB. In order to provide both ARGB signal data and PWM power to the fans, a magnetic bracket is placed between fans on each side – one for the lighting data, and the other for fan power. This simple design provides an easy way to integrate these fans into your system without the hassle of multiple cables on every fan, which is such an improvement over previous fan designs. Each fan sports 33 LEDs across the fan blades, frame, and side frame, all of which can be controlled via a fan hub or MSI’s Mystic Light software and a single 7-pin cable with compatible motherboards like the Z790 Max. Available in black or white versions, a three pack of the MPG EZ120 ARGB fans will have a price of $119.
Project Zero Motherboards
Last, but certainly not least, are MSI’s Project Zero motherboards. Project Zero is MSI’s version of utilizing the back side of the motherboard for all of the cables and connectors to provide an ultra clean look to the front of the motherboard and your build. MSI had three Project Zero mother boards on display, the ATX Z790 PROJECT ZERO, the Micro-ATX B650M Project Zero, and the Micro-ATX B760M Project Zero. The Intel-based boards support 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen Intel Core processors with the LGA 1700 socket, while the B650M Project Zero supports AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. I think the “stealth” building trend is only going to become more and more popular, and MSI is going to be there to provide all of the components you might need to achieve this look.
GeForce RTX 4000 Series Super EXPERT GPUs
With NVIDIA’s launch of the 4000 Series SUPER edition cards, MSI has introduced a new line of cards with a very high-end look – the EXPERT series. Available for the 4070 SUPER, 4070 Ti SUPER, and 4080 SUPER, these cards feature an Aluminum Die-Cast construction which not only adds to the structural integrity of the card, but also helps with the flow through of the dual fans that are set up in a push-pull configuration. A vapor chamber cooling design has been utilized for the GPU and memory modules on these cards to help with the rapid temperature increases that modern videocards can experience. Seeing and holding the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G EXPERT was pretty awesome, and we can’t wait to see these cards in full builds.
Our CES 2024 coverage is brought to you by Yeyian!