Intel’s B-series motherboards used to be pretty basic. A few generations ago, you couldn’t even overclock the memory. But they’ve come a long way, and now they’re generally a perfectly viable option, even with high-end K-series processors. Well, at least many of them… cheap is cheap.
The B760I Edge WiFi isn’t a particularly expensive option, but there is plenty of competition in this price range.
The MSI B760I Edge WiFi is positioned as a motherboard with plenty of mainstream features at an affordable price point, and as it is a Mini-ITX motherboard, it should be a good option for those who are willing to spend a bit more on a more powerful graphics card and CPU for a compact yet powerful small form factor system.
At $205 / £199 / AU$349, the B760I Edge WiFi isn’t a terribly expensive option, but there’s some stiff competition in this price range, with Mini-ITX options from ASRock, Gigabyte and Asus all similarly priced. As it’s a Mini-ITX board, you do have to make a sacrifice or two compared to the ATX options, but that’s to be expected.
I think the B760I Edge is an attractive board. It looks similar to the AMD-powered MPG B650I Edge, but thankfully it lacks that board’s chipset fan. The silver and black theme looks great when paired with the right components, though it may or may not be visible in a smaller case. There’s also no onboard RGB, although there are RGB and ARGB headers. It would look great in a white case.
MSI MPG B760I Edge WiFi Specifications
socket: Intel LGA 1700
CPU Compatibility: Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th generation processors
Form Factor: Mini-ITX
Memory Support: DDR5-7200+(OC), up to 128GB
storage: 2x M.2, 4x SATA
USB: Up to 3x USB 10Gbps, 6x USB 5Gbps, 4x USB 2.0
screen: 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DP 1.4
networking: Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Intel WiFi 6E
audio: Realtek ALC897
price: $205 / £199 / AU$349
At this price point, MSI, as you’d expect, hasn’t gone all out when it comes to mega VRMs and ultra-fast memory support. It has no issues running DDR5-7200 memory, with support for up to 128GB, which is more than enough for any gaming system.
It has an 8+2+1 phase VRM with 90a stages, which is not extreme but is enough to run an i9 processor at full speed. As long as there is adequate airflow inside the case, the heatsink will do a good job of cooling it. It’s worth remembering that some ITX cases are not as good in this regard due to their compactness.
The primary PCIe slot supports Gen 5 and in terms of storage there are two M.2 slots, both of which support Gen 4 SSDs. The front slot connects to the CPU and the slot at the back of the board connects to the chipset. These are connected by four SATA ports, which is the best we have for a B760 Mini-ITX board.
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The I/O on the back has some nice things going for it, but it does have one notable drawback: the lack of BIOS flashback functionality is disappointing. So while 12th and 13th Gen processors are supported out of the box, you may need to flash older CPUs to get support for 14th Gen models. This will depend on how long you’re willing to wait to get a particular sample home.
USB consists of eight ports: USB Type A and C 10Gbps ports, four 5Gbps ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. 20Gbps ports would be nice, but eight USB ports is a sufficient number for a Mini-ITX board. The USB ports are joined by a DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1 port, and three 3.5mm analog jacks are connected to the older ALC897 codec. The Realtek RTL8125BG provides 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and there are two Wi-Fi antenna connections for the onboard WiFi 6E.
System Performance
Gaming Performance
Test Equipment
CPU: Intel Core i9 14900K
graphic: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Ram: 2x 16GB G.Skill Trident Z5 DDR5-6000 C36
storage: 2TB Kingston KC3000
cooling: Cooler Master PL360 Flux 360mm AIO
Power supply unit: Corsair HX1000i
For this review we used the trusty Intel Core i9 13900K. Leaving aside the even more demanding i9 14900K, the fact that the B760I Edge WiFi can handle this chip without making the VRMs too hot is a good indication that this board can handle any realistic workload. Ideally though, you’ll need a good, high airflow case if you go down that path.
The little MSI didn’t produce any surprising results in our benchmark tests, and since the underlying microcode and bugs were worked out long ago, it’s not likely that the 2024 MSI or any other LGA 1700 motherboard will either.
…then buy it
✅Want a white themed build: The Edge has a classy look and blends in well with the white case paired with the right components.
Do not purchase if…
❌ If you need 20Gbps USB support: 20Gbps isn’t common at this price point, but it does exist, and at least MSI has eight rear USB ports, while some competitors only offer six.
❌ At the same time, buy a 14th generation CPU. The Edge will support 14th generation processors, but will likely require a BIOS flash – you’ll need an older generation CPU to do this, as there’s no BIOS flashback functionality.
The MSI MPG B760I Edge proved to be a capable little board. I’ve always liked the layout of MSI’s UEFI designs, and it has a reasonable VRM for a B-series Mini-ITX board. The heatsink is more than adequate, and the network and storage complement is better than anything else in this price range. If you want more storage capacity, you’ll need to go ATX.
But the biggest problem the Edge faces may be its stronger competitor: the newly released ASRock B760I Lightning supports 14th Gen chips out of the box, has better VRM and memory support, and is at least $20 cheaper.
But the MSI B760I Edge is by no means a bad motherboard; it could easily serve as the heart of a compact gaming system. It’s mature and looks good. It’s just missing that extra something that really sets it apart from the competition. If MSI ever drops the price a bit or puts it on sale, I’d definitely buy it. But with the end of the road for LGA 1700, there are more attractive Mini-ITX options to choose from.
