Desktop computers · 2025 · MSI

MSI Codex Z2 A8NVL-484US

The Codex Z2 A8NVL-484US is MSI’s entry-to-mid-range prebuilt gaming desktop. It carries an 8-core AM5 Ryzen 7 8700F, a desktop RTX 5060 with 8 GB of GDDR7, a B650 chipset, 16 GB of DDR5, a 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD, a 650 W 80 PLUS Gold power supply and an air cooler, plus Wi-Fi 6E and a 20 Gbit/s USB-C port on the front. The CPU has no integrated graphics, so the monitor connects to the graphics card. Two M.2 and four SATA connections leave room for more storage later. The few readable owner reviews are happy with 1080p gaming performance and upgradability.

A8NVL-484US (US): Ryzen 7 8700F, desktop RTX 5060 8 GB, 16 GB DDR5, 2 TB NVMe, Windows 11 Home, black; MSI keyboard and mouse in the box. Codex Z2 versions with RTX 5060 Ti or 1 TB, and the Intel-based Codex R2, are separate models.

Specifications

SpecificationValue
ProcessorAMD Ryzen 7 8700F; 8 cores / 16 threads, 4.1–5.0 GHz, 65 W

A Zen 4, 4 nm, AM5-socket processor with 8 MB L2 + 16 MB L3 cache. It has no integrated graphics, so video comes from the graphics card. AMD lists an AI engine of up to 16 TOPS.

GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (desktop), 8 GB GDDR7, 128-bit; 3840 CUDA cores; 145 W total graphics power

Figures are for NVIDIA’s reference design; the board partner card may differ in clock speed. It supports DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. The laptop RTX 5060 is a different power class.

Video outputs1 × HDMI 2.1; 3 × DisplayPort (on the graphics card)

Because the CPU has no integrated graphics, the monitor must be connected to the graphics card ports, not the motherboard.

ChipsetAMD B650

AM5 platform; AMD supports this processor on several chipsets including B650 and X670/X870.

Memory16 GB DDR5

AMD lists DDR5-5200 with one or two modules per channel and up to 256 GB for the Ryzen 7 8700F. The sheet does not state how many modules are installed.

Storage and expansion2 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD; 2 × M.2 and 4 × SATA 6 Gbit/s connections in total

The second M.2 slot and SATA connections allow an extra SSD or drive to be added.

Power supply and cooling650 W 80 PLUS Gold; air CPU cooler

NVIDIA recommends at least 550 W system power for the desktop RTX 5060; 650 W leaves headroom above that.

Front panel1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C; 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; microphone and headphone jacks

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 allows up to 20 Gbit/s with compatible external SSDs.

Rear panel3 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 Gbit/s); 4 × USB 2.0
NetworkingRealtek 8111H 1 GbE; Wi-Fi 6E
Weight21.3 lb (about 9.7 kg)
Software, box and warrantyWindows 11 Home; MSI gaming keyboard and mouse; 1-year warranty

From the manufacturer

MSI offers the Codex Z2 as a prebuilt gaming desktop with an AMD Ryzen processor and GeForce RTX graphics, with a gaming keyboard and mouse in the box. MSI

Owner experiences and issues

  • Both readable owner reviews on Best Buy give 5 stars. One says they were sceptical before buying and that Battlefield 6 averaged 80–100 fps at 1080p and Baldur’s Gate 3 ran above 100 fps. JP03 (verified purchase, incentivised) calls it better than expected for their needs and an upgradable prebuilt. The visible texts report no noise, heat or faults; no conclusion about overall reliability can be drawn from two reviews.

    Best Buy US, Codex Z2 RTX 5060 / 2 TB listing; the product page shows 1,423 ratings but only 2 texts were readable on the review page.

    Best Buy: MSI Codex Z2 (Ryzen 7 8700F, RTX 5060, 2 TB) customer reviews

Tags

2025MSIRTX-5060AMDAM5DDR5WI-FI-6E

Compare

Sources

  1. MSI: Codex Z2 A8NVL-484US SKU spec sheet
  2. AMD: Ryzen 7 8700F specifications
  3. NVIDIA: GeForce RTX 5060 family
  4. Best Buy: MSI Codex Z2 (Ryzen 7 8700F, RTX 5060, 2 TB) customer reviews