MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI Is It Worth Buying?

If you’re planning to build a powerful gaming PC, choosing the right motherboard becomes quite important. For those who want to spend their budget wisely, AMD’s B850 chipset motherboards stand out. In this article, we’ll take a look at whether the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI is worth buying.

To build a modern gaming PC, you’ll need a motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0, DDR5 RAM, and PCIe Gen 5 M.2 SSDs. The MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI delivers all these up-to-date standards with a strong price-to-performance ratio.

CPU Support

The MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI is compatible with all AM5-socket Ryzen processors, including the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 series. Since AMD will continue releasing CPUs on this socket, it’s a smart choice for anyone who wants a future-proof build. Thanks to its 14+2+1 VRM design, you can even run the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D at full performance. With dual 8-pin CPU power connectors and heatsinks covering all the MOSFETs, you’ll get stable performance even during long gaming sessions.

RAM Support

This motherboard comes with four DDR5 slots supporting up to 8400 MHz. Having extra slots will be useful when upgrading in the future. With AMD EXPO technology, you’ll get stable performance with compatible RAM, or you can tweak memory overclocking settings through the BIOS.

GPU Support

Since today’s graphics cards support PCIe 5.0, it makes sense to pick a motherboard that’s ready for it. The MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WIFI offers a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for your GPU. While PCIe 4.0 is still enough for now, PCIe 5.0 will become more important in the future. The slot is reinforced with steel to handle heavy GPUs. Another nice touch is the EZ-Latch button placed at the edge of the motherboard, making it easier to remove large GPUs. There’s also an 8-pin power connector under the motherboard to directly supply additional power for GPU stability.

Storage Support

With four M.2 slots, storage won’t be a problem. Two of these slots support PCIe 5.0 x4, letting you install the fastest SSDs available. You also get one PCIe 4.0 x4 and one PCIe 4.0 x2 slot for high-speed storage. On top of that, there are four SATA 6 Gb/s ports for extra drives. All M.2 slots come with heatsinks, solving thermal issues of PCIe 5.0 SSDs without extra cost.

Network Performance

Equipped with a WiFi 7 card with Bluetooth 5.4 and a Realtek 8126VB 5G LAN chip, you’ll enjoy top-tier networking whether wired or wireless. Competitive gamers will definitely appreciate the low-latency, high-speed connectivity.

Audio

Unlike many entry-level B850 motherboards, this one uses the Realtek ALC4080 audio solution, offering 7.1 channel support. Whether you connect your headset or speakers to the front panel or the rear I/O, you’ll get excellent sound quality. Since audio is crucial in gaming, this board won’t let you down in that department.

Extra Features

The board includes four diagnostic LEDs to quickly identify boot issues. BIOS updates can be done even without CPU, GPU, or RAM installed, thanks to the dedicated button at the back. There’s also a clear CMOS button for troubleshooting. You’ll find plenty of fan headers, ARGB headers, and large heatsinks on the B850 chipset to improve stability. The WiFi antenna comes with an extension cable, so you can place it on your desk. The case front panel Type-C port is supported, and on the rear I/O you get three Type-C ports, which is a big plus.