ASUS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
AM5 · X870E · PCIe 5.0 · 5 Gb LAN
93
/ 100
From $699
VS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero wins by 2
MSI
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
LGA1851 · Z890 · Wi-Fi 7 · USB4
91
/ 100
From $529
Verdex verdict
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Verdex score, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero lands at 93 and MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi at 91. That puts ROG Crosshair X870E Hero ahead by 2 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick ROG Crosshair X870E Hero if…
- ✓Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- ✓Excellent VRM
- ✓5G + 10G networking options
Pick MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi if…
- ✓Dual USB4 ports
- ✓Strong memory training
- ✓Solid BIOS
Score breakdown
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
93 vrm 96
features 96
bios 92
value 80
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
91 vrm 92
features 94
bios 90
value 88
Specs side-by-side
Spec
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
Socket
AM5
LGA1851
Chipset
X870E
Z890
VRM phases
20+2
—
RAM slots
4× DDR5-8000+
4× DDR5-9000+
PCIe
2× PCIe 5.0 x16
1× PCIe 5.0 x16
Networking
5 GbE + Wi-Fi 7
2.5 GbE + Wi-Fi 7
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Pros
- +Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- +Excellent VRM
- +5G + 10G networking options
Cons
- −Expensive
- −Only 2 DIMMs for memory overclocking headroom
- −Fan control UX
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
Pros
- +Dual USB4 ports
- +Strong memory training
- +Solid BIOS
Cons
- −Only 2.5 GbE
- −Heat spreader fit issues
- −Audio codec dated
FAQ: ROG Crosshair X870E Hero vs MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi
Which is better, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi? +
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero scores 93 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 2. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is ROG Crosshair X870E Hero worth the price? +
At $699, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero delivers a Verdex score of 93 — strongest in vrm.
Is MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi worth the price? +
At $529, MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi delivers a Verdex score of 91 — strongest in features.
Does ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.