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This MSI Codex Z2 looks strongest as a factory reconditioned gaming tower with an RTX 5070, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD at a time when memory and storage prices are high. The Ryzen 7 8700F is seen as efficient enough that liquid cooling would not add much, and adding a second SSD later is easy if more space is needed. The main concerns are the 180 day MSI warranty, the lack of liquid cooling, and Windows 11 Home instead of Pro. RAM speed may also depend on enabling XMP in BIOS, so the out of box settings deserve a look.
PC gamers who want a strong RTX 5070 setup with 32GB RAM and can live with a smaller 1TB drive because the commenters said it's a good deal for the 32GB RAM, 5070, and 1TB SSD given current memory/SSD pricing.
People who only need enough internal storage for a limited library because commenters said 1TB can work if you don't keep too many games or media files installed at the same time.
Home users who are okay with Windows 11 Home and just want a tested refurb tower because commenters said refurbs are typically thoroughly tested and can be better than new quality.
People who care about Windows edition features (like GPedit/BitLocker) because commenters said Windows 11 Home "killed the deal" for them and that they need finer control for their workflow.
Users who plan to run VMs and are sensitive to privacy/security controls because commenters said virtualization raises privacy/security concerns and they need finer control (GPedit) for that kind of workflow.
Buyers expecting the advertised RAM speed out of the box because one commenter reported BIOS showing 5600MHz instead of the advertised 6000MHz and questioned whether they received what they bought.
People who don't want to tweak BIOS settings to reach full performance because commenters said you usually have to enable XMP in BIOS to get the full RAM speed.
Buyers who want the best value at this price point because commenters argued it isn't worth $1200 and characterized the CPU as essentially a 7840H/Zen 4 with 16MB L3.
It ships with Windows 11 Home, not Pro. That matters for buyers who want features like Group Policy, BitLocker, or more control for VMs and remote management; a Pro upgrade is about $99.
The RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD make it a strong value at current memory and SSD prices. The main tradeoffs are the factory-refurbished status, 180-day MSI warranty, and the lack of liquid cooling.
The 1TB SSD is workable if you do not keep many large games or media files installed at once. If you need more space, adding a second SSD is easy, or you can use cheaper external USB storage.
No liquid cooling is listed, and the 8700F's 65W TDP means an AIO would not provide much benefit anyway. The system is being judged as fine with standard cooling for this CPU.
One buyer saw the BIOS report 5600MHz instead of 6000MHz, so the kit may not be running at its rated speed by default. Enabling XMP in BIOS is usually needed to get full RAM speed.
Considering how SSD prices are skyrocketing, people should just take what they can get, and expand their overall storage with cheaper external USB drives.
1TB can work if you don't keep too many games installed at the same time, or download too many media files.
Its also really easy to add a 2nd SSD for data/games.
Anyone even slightly technical knows how to reinstall Windows and keys are cheap.
You're 100% right, and I've done it on the two occasions I got a decently spec'd Home machine. My point is that the mfr didn't do it- and it's even easier and cheaper for them. That's what they think of this machine.
What's the big deal though? You do a lot of virtualization or something?
Remote desktop for me is a big plus, but I may want to virtualize again and just don't want to start off with a handicap unnecessarily. Some people want bitlocker natively supported as well. I would never recommend the nerfed version of an OS for anyone.
I picked this up and the bios showed this, did I get what I was supposed to get: https://imgur.com/a/ih0yU3iOne shows 5600mhz. The other 6000. I don't know enough about how ram works to know if I am getting what I bought
Usually u have to turn on xmp in bios to get the full speed
Not a bad deal, but I will pass due 1TB SSD, no liquid cooling and "Warranty: 180 Day MSI Warranty".
Liquid cooling is disgusting. Every single liquid cooling rig I have had had their pump die and I had to replace it with a fan that never had any problems. Honestly, if you don't know things, why say things?
The price of DDR5 on average now is $400 for 32 gigs. Everything has gone up in price.
If a person is in need of a gaming rig, it is not going to be long before deals like this go away.
My only concern is that it is an MSI and MSI always have a comment section full of people saying they rig runs hot. Luckily good fans have not gone up in price.
Not a bad deal, but I will pass due 1TB SSD, no liquid cooling and "Warranty: 180 Day MSI Warranty".
Liquid cooling is disgusting. Every single liquid cooling rig I have had had their pump die and I had to replace it with a fan that never had any problems.
The price of DDR5 on average now is $400 for 32 gigs. Everything has gone up in price.
If a person is in need of a gaming rig, it is not going to be long before deals like this go away.
My only concern is that it is an MSI and MSI always have a comment section full of people saying they rig runs hot. Luckily good fans have not gone up in price.
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Its also really easy to add a 2nd SSD for data/games.
This depends on the mobo, a lot of them cut the GPU bandwidth in half if you fill the 2nd NVME slot. This is why I went with a sata SSD for expansion drive. You're then giving up speed on the storage side, but IME it's only like 1-2 sec longer load times.
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Community Reviews
This MSI Codex Z2 looks strongest as a factory reconditioned gaming tower with an RTX 5070, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD at a time when memory and storage prices are high. The Ryzen 7 8700F is seen as efficient enough that liquid cooling would not add much, and adding a second SSD later is easy if more space is needed. The main concerns are the 180 day MSI warranty, the lack of liquid cooling, and Windows 11 Home instead of Pro. RAM speed may also depend on enabling XMP in BIOS, so the out of box settings deserve a look.
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1TB can work if you don't keep too many games installed at the same time, or download too many media files.
One shows 5600mhz. The other 6000. I don't know enough about how ram works to know if I am getting what I bought
The price of DDR5 on average now is $400 for 32 gigs. Everything has gone up in price.
If a person is in need of a gaming rig, it is not going to be long before deals like this go away.
My only concern is that it is an MSI and MSI always have a comment section full of people saying they rig runs hot. Luckily good fans have not gone up in price.
The price of DDR5 on average now is $400 for 32 gigs. Everything has gone up in price.
If a person is in need of a gaming rig, it is not going to be long before deals like this go away.
My only concern is that it is an MSI and MSI always have a comment section full of people saying they rig runs hot. Luckily good fans have not gone up in price.
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Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
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