MSI Throws Shade At Rivals Over 'True' X870 Motherboard Wi-Fi 7 Support

The Wi-Fi 7 standard brings the tantalizing possibility of improved transfer rates even over the already-speedy Wi-Fi 6E, but much like with HDMI and earlier versions of USB, many of the new features in Wi-Fi 7 are optional. As a result, vendors can still call their Wi-Fi adapters "Wi-Fi 7" even if they don't necessarily support all of the new features introduced in the latest wireless standard.

The primary method by which Wi-Fi 7 achieves higher transfer rates is through use of wider frequency bands. This simple trick allows for much more data to be transmitted simultaneously, but obviously, the Wi-Fi adapter has to support this function. Realtek and Intel, two of the largest providers of Wi-Fi adapters, both sell entry-level Wi-Fi 7 controllers that do not support the wider 320-MHz channels offered by the new standard.

MSI is apparently making sure to use Wi-Fi 7 adapters that DO support the wider 320-MHz channels in its AMD X870 motherboards. As pointed out by Taiwanese hardware site Uniko's Hardware, the company offers examples from its competitors of upcoming motherboards that feature "Wi-Fi 7" but do not have support for ultra-wide channels. This makes their claim to "Wi-Fi 7" a little tenuous, much like "HDMI 2.1 ports" that don't support FRL signals.

Of course, the same site also points out that ASUS might be the only vendor offering boards featuring a Wi-Fi 7 transfer rate of 6.5-Gbps, achieved by supporting "STR", or "Simultaneous Transmit and Receive" functionality. STR is new in Wi-Fi 7, and it allows multi-channel adapters to, obviously, transmit and receive on separate channels simultaneously.

Really, the lesson here is that Wi-Fi standardization is actually anything-but, and if you're concerned about the performance of your wireless networking, you should absolutely pay attention to the specific features supported by your Wi-Fi devices. Of course, even Wi-Fi 6 is probably faster than your home's broadband Internet connection, so ultimately it almost assuredly doesn't matter must for most users, that aren't transferring large files across thier network.