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
LGA1851 · Z890
91
/ 100
From $529
Specdex verdict
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero lands at 93 and MSI MPG Z890 Carbon 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 if…
- ✓PCIe 5.0 support
- ✓Current-gen networking
- ✓Modern I/O
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero 93
vs 91 MSI MPG Z890 Carbon
Score breakdown
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
93 vrm 96
features 96
bios 92
value 80
MSI MPG Z890 Carbon
91 vrm 91
features 89
bios 87
value 84
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | ROG Crosshair X870E Hero | MSI MPG Z890 Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM5 | LGA1851 |
| Chipset | X870E | Z890 |
| VRM phases | 20+2 | — |
| RAM slots | 4× DDR5-8000+ | — |
| PCIe | 2× PCIe 5.0 x16 | — |
| Networking | 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
Pros
- +PCIe 5.0 support
- +Current-gen networking
- +Modern I/O
Cons
- −Firmware updates on launch
- −DDR5 required
- −Pricing varies week to week
FAQ: ROG Crosshair X870E Hero vs MSI MPG Z890 Carbon
Which is better, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MPG Z890 Carbon? +
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 Specdex score of 93 — strongest in vrm.
Is MSI MPG Z890 Carbon worth the price? +
At $529, MSI MPG Z890 Carbon delivers a Specdex score of 91 — strongest in vrm.
Does ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MPG Z890 Carbon 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.