MSI's New Pro Max Series Pushes Productivity To the Limit

There's a huge emphasis on PC gaming at CES, and that's understandable; gaming is the primary market keeping the PC alive as a platform. Still, people need PCs for both work and play, so MSI is launching a new family of PC products that are designed specifically for multi-tasking, image processing, remote collaboration, and "data-driven workloads." This new lineup encompasses both all-in-one and desktop PCs, a fancy new monitor, and a line of components. Let's check 'em out.


First up are the Pro Max 24 and Pro Max 27 all-in-one computers. Enthusiasts might sneer at these things because they're not as repairable as a full-sized desktop and performance is slightly compromised compared to a standard PC. However, an efficient work-from-home setup starts with establishing a space for work separate from your space for play, and an AIO is far and away the most space-efficient way to do that.

MSI says that the two machines, which are based on 120Hz IPS touch-capable LCDs in 24-inch and 27-inch respectively, use AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 processors with powerful integrated Radeon graphics for smooth performance in both personal and professional roles. They have toolless entry for easy upgrades and repairs, and 5-megapixel pop-up webcams for easy teleconferencing. Overall, these look like excellent little workstations for the remote worker.


If you'd rather bring your own display (like the very fancy one below), MSI's also unveiling the Pro Max 80 AI+ and Pro Max 150 AI+, a pair of pretty desktops that have what MSI fairly calls "a minimalist, elegant design." These machines are based on "the latest AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors"—no word on whether those are BGA or socketed—and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics.

They top out at three displays, which is odd given the use of discrete graphics cards that typically support four monitors at a minimum (never mind the integrated GPUs), but you do get extensive connectivity otherwise, with a grand total of 10 USB Type-A ports as well as a Type-C port. They have extra security features too, including USB disable and Kensington locks, as well as padlock loops and chassis intrusion detection—perfect for deployment in public spaces.


The MSI Pro Max 271UPXW12G is possibly the fanciest non-gaming display we've seen lately. It's a 26.5-inch monitor in 3840×2160 resolution that uses a QD-OLED panel for deep blacks and rich, accurate colors. It comes with both anti-glare and 3H hardness coatings to protect against both rogue reflections and screen scratches, and it supports M-Color mode for seamless synchronization with Apple's Mac machines.

MSI didn't share the full specifications yet, but this monitor supports Type-C input and is clearly made with Mac users in mind. You can control the display brightness and speaker volume using the Mac's own shortcut keys, and it has a built-in KVM function so you can use the same keyboard and mouse (connected to the monitor) on up to three different machines.


Finally, the components. We'll talk about the motherboard first, because it's one of the most gorgeous designs we've seen in a while: all gray, with black and white accents, it looks dignified and futuristic in a way motherboards rarely achieve. The board itself is based on AMD's X870E chipset, and it's quite fancy: both 5-Gigabit and 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 with 6GHz and 320MHz support, and of course, USB4 40Gbps capability.

MSI emphasizes that the Pro Max X870E-A WiFi includes a 64MB BIOS ROM, which means that the board should be fully compatible with next-generation AMD Zen 6 processors, although it will be interesting to see if that includes the CUDIMM memory that Zen 6 is rumored to be designed around.


The other three components are the Pro Max 1000PL power supply, the Pro Max 030 chassis, and the Pro Max M15 360mm liquid cooler. Starting with the power supply, it's rated for 1kW output and has 80 Plus Platinum certification, as you could expect from the name. The chassis is an ATX mini-tower design, with support for 360mm AIOs in the front, and 20-Gbps USB-C in the front. Finally, the liquid cooler is equipped with beveled edges for an easier fit and a cool digital readout for real-time temperature monitoring on the waterblock.

MSI hasn't provided pricing or availability information for the Pro Max series yet, but we'll update this post if we hear back.