MSI offering up to $50 of Steam credit for upgrading to Z490 motherboard

midian182

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In a nutshell: Intel’s 10th generation Comet Lake CPUs are finally here, but buying one means you’ll also need a new motherboard with the LGA 1200 socket. The Z490 mobos aren’t cheap, but MSI is making them a bit more appealing by offering up to $50 Steam credit with a purchase—providing you own an eligible older motherboard.

In some cases, the enthusiast Z490 motherboards are going to be up to 60 percent more expensive than their predecessors, adding to the cost of upgrading to a Comet Lake processor. But MSI’s offer can take some of the pain out of the cost.

Between now and June 15, 2020, MSI is offering a Steam wallet code of up to $50 if you buy one of eight motherboards. It’s a trade-in deal, but you don’t actually have to send in your older motherboard. There are quite a few steps to follow, but it basically involves registering the new MSI board and providing a copy/screenshot of the invoice as proof of purchase and a photo of the serial number. Buyers then take a photo of their new and old motherboards next to each other. MSI says it’ll take up to 14 business days to verify the claim.

You can see the full list of MSI mobos that are part of the offer here. The eligible MSI and Asus trade-in boards, which cover the Z390, Z370, Z270, and Z170 chipsets, are also listed.

The amount of Steam credit you received is based on the motherboard model bought. To get the full $50, you’ll need to purchase the high-end MEG Z490 Godlike (above) or MEG Z490 ACE. The money drops to $40, $30, or $15 based on mobo type, bottoming out at $10 for the MPG Z490 Gaming Plus.

While $10 or $15 Steam credit might not seem like much compared to the price of a motherboard, it’s good to see companies offering some incentive to get people to upgrade.

Buying a Z490 motherboard also ensure support for Intel's 11th-gen Rocket Lake family, though if rumors are true, the 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs will use the LGA 1700 socket.

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Really doesn't sound like much of an inducement. They would have been a lot better off to make that offer across the board to anyone trading in or up to their board. The marketing boys should know the more simple you make it, the more likely people are to jump on the offer .....
 
Steam? I haven’t bought a game on steam for years. Did no one tell MSI it’s no longer 2012?
 
What? Steam is as popular as ever...
Is it? No one I know is still using it. Although I know my experiences aren’t necessarily what’s going on in the real world.

It’s just steam is such a heap of garbage, I’m surprised to hear it’s doing well. If it is I doubt it will be for long.
 
Is it? No one I know is still using it. Although I know my experiences aren’t necessarily what’s going on in the real world.

It’s just steam is such a heap of garbage, I’m surprised to hear it’s doing well. If it is I doubt it will be for long.

Steam is only gaining more and more users. It outshines most online platforms, it's not going anywhere...


And that's with actual competitors including epic and origin.
 
Steam is only gaining more and more users. It outshines most online platforms, it's not going anywhere...


And that's with actual competitors including epic and origin.
Cool. I still think worse than it’s competitors. I can’t remember the last time I saw a good deal on there let alone spent any money.

The future is in subscription services, I pay £3.99 a month for Xbox game pass and it’s awesome. Currently paying for Origin and Uplay monthly too. It works out cheaper and when I know I won’t be using it I just stop paying until I do want to play something again. The idea of paying full price for a game is so last decade!
 
It genuinely saddens me to realize how well Intel's new products will sell despite being grossly overpriced and vastly inferior to the competition. Used Intel products all along, but will never buy another Intel product again.
 
It genuinely saddens me to realize how well Intel's new products will sell despite being grossly overpriced and vastly inferior to the competition. Used Intel products all along, but will never buy another Intel product again.
Well these are gaming motherboards and Intel is still superior to the competition at gaming. So it shouldn’t really surprise you.
 
Cool. I still think worse than it’s competitors. I can’t remember the last time I saw a good deal on there let alone spent any money.

The future is in subscription services, I pay £3.99 a month for Xbox game pass and it’s awesome. Currently paying for Origin and Uplay monthly too. It works out cheaper and when I know I won’t be using it I just stop paying until I do want to play something again. The idea of paying full price for a game is so last decade!
You contradict yourself, you imply you don't use Steam, yet you also claim to not see any sales on the platform, if you used it at all you'd notice the constant sales on the platform. So much so I haven't bought a game full price in years, 50% is the minimum sale I usually buy a game at, they go down to 75% at times too, but you'd know this if you ever used the platform which clearly you do not.

Is it? No one I know is still using it. Although I know my experiences aren’t necessarily what’s going on in the real world.
I can say the same thing about your beloved subscription services, I know no one who uses any of those, let alone people who use Origin or Uplay for more than the free games they have received on those platforms or to play the game they've purchased through Steam.
 
You contradict yourself, you imply you don't use Steam, yet you also claim to not see any sales on the platform, if you used it at all you'd notice the constant sales on the platform. So much so I haven't bought a game full price in years, 50% is the minimum sale I usually buy a game at, they go down to 75% at times too, but you'd know this if you ever used the platform which clearly you do not.


I can say the same thing about your beloved subscription services, I know no one who uses any of those, let alone people who use Origin or Uplay for more than the free games they have received on those platforms or to play the game they've purchased through Steam.

You seem upset. The future is definitely subscription services mate. You probably won’t like it but I do and so do most of the general public. Just watch. We already have Xbox, uplay, origin access. Sony have one coming too. They will soon be everywhere. I hope you don’t get too triggered.

And I do have steam. I have had it since the day it came out in November 2004. I think it’s awful, it’s barely changed since it’s existed, full of bugs. And I am aware of the sale prices. They tend to be worse than you can get games on things like the epic games store. I will still buy a game on steam, I’m not a game launcher snob il use any of them. I just don’t. Tbh I did consider buying monster hunter world in the steam sale the other day but turned it down because I don’t have the time.

Of course millions use origin and uplay. It’s a shame you don’t know anyone who does. Many games with millions of players are only available on these launchers. Like the Star Wars games on origin or Far Cry on Uplay.

Steam is fast becoming an old games archive. Times change, in 2012 Steam was everything. Today, it’s being outdone by its competitors but don’t worry, I believe they are planning a sub service too;

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....ubscription-service-with-half-life-2-remaster
 
Really doesn't sound like much of an inducement. They would have been a lot better off to make that offer across the board to anyone trading in or up to their board. The marketing boys should know the more simple you make it, the more likely people are to jump on the offer .....

Walled gardens and economic moats are a strategy that affects people both in and outside the wall. When AMD dropped its pattern of keeping motherboard compatibility for many generations with the Ryzen 3, that's a sign of taking down the kind of wall that gave it a value edge over Intel's ecosystem. Motherboards might not have the same level of customer loyalty as CPUs, but repeat customers and signalling that you take care of your base invites anyone to consider the enticement, even by accounting in the 'intangible goods' category of goodwill.
 
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