MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi review – fantastic build quality and loaded with features
Table of Contents
It’s been a short while since we saw the X870s hit the scene alongside the impressive 9000 series processors, but now it looks like AMD is giving us access to AM5 chipsets, but at a more affordable price point. The new B850 motherboards are rolling in, offering a slightly scaled back offering that the top tier X870s, for AMD processors, and I got a chance to take the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi for a spin and see if it delivers the goods.
- Socket: AM5
- Chipset: B850
- Form Factor: ATX – 243.84×304.8mm
- PCIe Version: Gen 5 PCIe and Gen 5 NVMe
- Memory Speed: 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s
- Memory Capacity: 256GB DDR5
The Tomahawk B850 is a great mid-tier motherboard option which grants you access to the incredible speeds of te AM5 platform, without the price tag of the X870. With top-level Gen 5 performance, the latest connectivity, and EZ solutions for installations, this is a motherboard that ticks practically every box I can think of.
- Excellent ease of use and installation process
- Incredible connectivity speeds in PCIe and networking
- Great VRMs and cooling on them
- Strong price point
- Lacks USB 4 Thunderbolt
- No segment display or onboard power buttons
Design and usability
The B850 Tomahawk motherboard design stays in line with the other chipsets and is an update from the previous generations. Once again, things are kept lightweight with a black and stealthy colorway and minimal additions on the motherboard. It adds hints of green highlights in the logos on the NVMe, chipset, VRM, and IO heatsinks across the board. I find it a rather pleasant and appealing-looking board, and even with the bare PCB showing up, it doesn’t need to be covered to look decent.
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It offers plenty of EZ DIY solutions across the board, making it all the easier to build and get ready. I appreciate this greatly when benchmarking, as motherboards are the most time-consuming to install. An example of this can be found with its EZ Shield Frozr II NVMe SSD heatsink, which not only keeps your drive cooler and away from throttling, but is also designed to be easily accessible too.
It doesn’t stop at just the heatsink, though, as even the slot itself provides an easier installation, as there’s no screw or latch to bother with. Instead, there’s just a clip that flexes and holds it in place, making uninstalling easy by just pulling it back and sliding out the drive.
An included clip remover allows you to move the clip to accommodate different lengths of M.2s, making that all the more straightforward. That also extends to the PCIe slot and graphics card, as it removes the tab clip and brings it to a button on the side. Sitting at the bottom side of the RAM slots, there is just a toggle that you can press to unlock the PCIe slot. It was a bit of a saving grace as cards are starting to get even bigger, and the latch more challenging to push; I’ve always found using a flat, long tool easier than doing it by hand, especially with a thick CPU cooler.
Once you have everything installed, there are plenty of other features to help with your build if you need them. For example, it has debug LEDs showing you what component might be causing those no-boot troubles. Although a segment display would be better and more in-depth, those are seemingly reserved for higher-end boards, and at least the LEDs will be a good option to have either way.
Once you’re in, the BIOS is simple and easy to use. I found most of what I needed on the home screen with simple one-click solutions for overclocking your CPU and RAM and with a lot more to utilize still. Although I found the MFlash for updating the BIOS slow to enter and exit, I guess it’s good that I don’t have to do it often, and maybe the flash option would be quicker and simpler to use.
Specifications
Socket | AM5 (LGA 1718) |
Chipset | B850 |
Form Factor | ATX – 244x305mm |
RAM | 4x DDR5 UDIMM, Maximum Memory Capacity 256GB Memory Support DDR5 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s / 5600 – 4800 (JEDEC) MT/s |
VRM | 14+2+1 80A SPS |
PCIe | PCI_E1 Gen PCIe 5.0 up to x16 (From CPU) PCI_E2 Gen PCIe 3.0 up to x1 (From Chipset) PCI_E3 Gen PCIe 4.0 up to x4 (From Chipset) |
Storage | M.2_1 Source (From CPU) up to PCIe 5.0 x4, supports 22110/2280 devices M.2_2 Source (From CPU) up to PCIe 5.0 x4, supports 2280/2260 devices M.2_3 Source (From Chipset) up to PCIe 4.0 x2, supports 2280/2260 devices M.2_4 Source (From Chipset) up to PCIe 4.0 x4, supports 2280/2260 devices 4x SATA 6G |
Fan Headers | 1x CPU Fan 1x Combo Fan (Pump_Sys Fan) 6x System Fan |
Back panel connectivity | Clear CMOS Button 2x USB 10Gbps Type-A 1x USB 5Gbps Type-A 4x USB 2.0 1x 5G LAN Wi-Fi 7/ Bluetooth 5.4 Audio Connectors Flash BIOS Button 1x HDMI 3x USB 10Gbps Type-C |
Here, I’ll cover some of the extended specs of the Tomahawk B850 to see its support and features. Starting with the memory you can have onboard, it features four slots capable of carrying 256GB of capacity for the DDR5 RAM. These can be clocked up to 8400MT/s of overclock, which doesn’t quite match what the recently reviewed MAG B860 Tomahawk can achieve as that tops 9200MT/s.
It extends the speed potential further in its spec, with the PCIe generations staying on top with the latest implementation. It utilizes an entire Gen 5 x16 slot for modern graphics cards and two M.2s for your storage needs. It doesn’t apply to all the slots, but enough for most builds to get some of the fastest components out there.
This also applies to the rest of the connectivity on the motherboard. With WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 integrated, it cuts back the need to get a dongle or add-in board to get the features on your PC. It also provides a 5Gbps ethernet port if you want a wired connection.
Lastly, the range of IO ports installed is quite varied. You’ll find fewer USB A options on the board, and instead three USB-C 10G, two USB 10G, and one 5G with four USB 2.0s. This gives quite a mix of connectivity options for your peripherals, varying in speed and type, to work with anything.
However, it also has flash CMOS and BIOS flash buttons. It makes it all the easier to troubleshoot and get things running in no time. I did find it’s not ideal when handling on a test bench, as I accidentally restarted the system by pressing them.
Performance
Component | Name |
---|---|
CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D |
GPU | RTX 4070 Ti |
Memory | Corsair Dominator Titanium 64GB DDR5 @ 6800MT/s |
CPU cooler | ROG RYUJIN III 360 |
Power supply | Phanteks 1000W |
Case | Cooler Master Masterframe |
After installation and inspection, I installed the motherboard at the PC Guide testing lab to see what it could do. I paired it up with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and RTX 4070 Ti GPU, using a 360mm AIO as the CPU cooler. Plus, having 64GB of 6800MT/s RAM for plenty of speed and a 1000W PSU to get the whole system up and running at its best. I then tested it to see how well it performed regarding temperature and power.
I quickly found the B860 Tomahawk to be very suitable for the job. Maybe it performed very well, thanks to the more limited power draw of the 7800X3D, but it can still hold up to more. It averaged a max of about 75W during our testing, which is nothing like what some of the more powerful CPUs can achieve.
During these, the motherboard temperature was initially low, but as time progressed, it got pretty warm, peaked at 32°C in Counter Strike 2. Although the MOS temps didn’t go above 31°C, the heatsinks are doing a great job keeping the performance at its best.
It does come with a 14+2+1 80A SPS setup that gives it some excellent power delivery to the processor. That provides the CPU with all it needs, and with an overclockable solution, it can push it even further to get an even better performance.
CPU pairings
If you want the motherboard, you’ll need an adequate CPU to go with it. That’s where we give you a few recommendations of the sorts of processors that best suit what the B850 can achieve. With it being an AM5 motherboard, plenty of options are already out there, with an expectation of many more.
-
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Cores: 8
- Threads: 16
- Boost clock speed: 5.2GHz
- Base clock speed: 4.7GHz
- L3 cache: 96MB
- TDP: 120W
-
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
- Cores: 12
- Threads: 24
- Boost clock speed: 5.6 GHz
- Base clock speed: 4.4 GHz
- L3 Cache: 64 MB
- TDP: 120 W
-
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
- Cores: 6
- Threads: 12
- Boost clock speed: 5.4 GHz
- Base clock speed: 3.9 GHz
- L3 Cache: 32 MB
- TDP: 65 W
The top pick and one of the best gaming CPUs out there, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D might be an excellent pick for it. It means getting a great processor without splashing for an X870 chipset instead. It offers a solid eight-core and 16 threads and comes with an X3D cache that boosts its capabilities in primary gaming. The new generation is rearranging the setup and improving its clocks and productivity performance.
Another option is the Ryzen 9 9900X, which drops the X3D cache for more cores and threads – coming in more as a productivity processor than a gaming-focused one. It will still be great, but not as much, so it combines both options to create something capable of both. Along with the efficiency of the 9000 series, it’s an excellent choice for those renders and calculations.
On the other hand, if you want something more on the budget side, you can get in on the entry-level processor AMD has to offer. Benefitting from the lower price of the B850 chipset, going for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a good option too. Still getting a powerful and capable machine with plenty of options for upgrades down the line.
Verdict
- Socket: AM5
- Chipset: B850
- Form Factor: ATX – 243.84×304.8mm
- PCIe Version: Gen 5 PCIe and Gen 5 NVMe
- Memory Speed: 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s
- Memory Capacity: 256GB DDR5
The MAG B850 Tomahawk WiFi Max provides a great look into the chipset and its capabilities. Coming in with a price of $230, it offers the AM5 platform some excellent expandability and speeds. It including Gen 5 across the board and DDR5 overclocking, but lacks some USB 4 implementation and some of the nice-to-have features a higher-tier motherboard brings. However, being a user-friendly option with quick and easy installation makes it a very appealing choice.