MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI Motherboard Review

Overview

MSI’s mainstream MAG series epitomizes stability and durability and is built to withstand the most intense gaming sessions. The entire lineup features robust construction with metallic-like hardness and excellent heat dissipation, ensuring stability for all critical gaming components.

MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI is designed for gamers with a stable, durable and DIY friendly foundation for their PC builds. Coming up with true Wi-Fi 7 solution, 5G LAN, USB 20Gbps, PCIe 5.0 solutions, Supplemental PCIe Power, and exclusive EZ DIY features, it’s ready for the battlefield of AMD Ryzen™ 9000 series processors.

14+2+1 DUET RAIL POWER SYSTEM

Unleash and sustain maximum performance with a flagship VRM design built with a total of 14+2+1 digital power phases. Combining dual power connectors and 80A Smart Power Stage, MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI is ready for the challenge of high-end processors.

OPTIMIZED PCB SOLUTION

The PCB design has been optimized for higher bandwidth and faster transfer speeds, which is also beneficial for reliable circuit transmission.

• • • 8 PCB layers
    • NPG-170D Server-grade PCB material
    • 2oz Thickened Copper

DDR5 MEMORY SUPPORT WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE

A huge step of DDR performance enhancement with the latest DDR5 memory. Combines with dedicated SMT welding process and MSI Memory Boost technology, MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI is ready to deliver the world-class memory performance.

• • • EXPO / A-XMP Support
    • Memory Boost
    • SMT Process

The High-Efficiency Mode is designed to optimize memory performance byincreasing memory bandwidth and reducing latency. With the four sets of RAM timing settings, it allows users to find out the optimal configuration based on the quality of their memory modules.

Extended Heatsink

Extended Heatsink enlarges the surface of heat dissipation and maintain the performance at heavy loads.

M.2 Shield Frozr

Strengthened M.2 thermal solution helps keep M.2 SSD safe and ensures incredible performance.

7W/mK Thermal Pad

High-quality 7W/mK MOSFET thermal pads and additional choke thermal pads ensure stable performance when all cores are runnging at high speed.

Heavy Plated VRM Heatsink

The VRM heatsink covers the upper MOS and helps dissipate the heat.

Enlarged Chipset Heatsink

The enlarged heatsink is designed to reduce dust and noise and capable of maintaining high efficiency of heat dissipation.

DIY 2.0 – INTEGRATING WITH THE SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

Connect and synchronize with MSI coolers and cases with strategically positioned pin-header locations including a dedicated pump-fan header.

HIGH-BANDWIDTH AND LOW-LATENCY NETWORK

MSI’s premium network solution provides incredible data transfer speed for demanding users.

THE NEXT GEN WI-FI SOLUTION – WI-FI 7

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest wireless solution that takes a huge leap forward with multiple improvements to meet the traffic demand brought and the growing number of wireless devices.

AI LAN Manager

MSI AI LAN Manager automatically classifies and prioritizes the latency-sensitive applications for online games, giving you the best online gaming experience with low latency.

FAST AND FUTURE-READY STORAGE

MSI MAG series motherboards support all the latest storage standards, which allows users to connect any ultra-fast storage device. Start games faster, load levels faster and have a real advantage over your enemies.

LIGHTNING GEN 5 PCI-E

Doubling over the previous generation, the bandwidth of a x16 interface can reach 128GB/s.

SMT PCIE 5.0 SLOT

The advanced SMT(Surface Mount Technology) PCIE slot diminish interference and electrical noise, fully support the PCI-E 5.0 signal.

Steel Armor II

Compared to the previous generation, Steel Armor II’s weight endurance has increased by 21%, ensuring excellent signal transmission quality.

PCIe supplimental power

The exclusive Supplemental PCIe Power connector provides dedicated power for the high-power demands of GPUs used in AI computing and gaming, ensuring stable, efficient, and sustained performance. Learn more about chassis compatbility.

Audio Boost 5

Audio Boost 5 offers a HD audio processor, dedicated amplifier and high quality audio capacitors all physically isolated from the rest of the motherboard circuitry to ensure the purest audio signal to locate enemies with pin-point accuracy.

GLOW YOUR PC

Splash on some color and vibrant RGB lighting effects using Mystic Light utility of MSI Center, which has million colors and fancy LED effects. Enjoy the full control and creativity of your PC’s lighting with one software.

Click BIOS X

MSI’s newly designed CLICK BIOS X offers an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly experience. The new design ensures that users of all experience levels can quickly access and adjust system configurations with ease.

Features

• Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000 / 8000 / 7000 Series Desktop Processors
• Supports DDR5 Memory, Dual Channel DDR5 8400+ MT/s (OC)
• Ultra Performance: 14+2+1 Duet Rail Power System, dual 8-pin CPU power connectors, Core Boost, Memory Boost, 8-layer PCB made by 2oz thickened copper and server-grade level material
• Frozr Guard: Extended Heatsink, MOSFET thermal pads rated for 7W/mK, additional choke thermal pads and EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II are built for high performance system and non-stop experience
• EZ DIY: EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II, EZ M.2 Clip II, EZ PCIe Release and EZ Antenna
• Lightning Fast Game experience: PCIe 5.0 slot, Lightning Gen 5 x4 M.2, Front USB Type-C
• 5G LAN with Wi-Fi 7 Solution: the latest solution for professional and multimedia use, delivering secure, stable, and high-speed networking and data transmission
• Audio Boost 5: Reward your ears with studio-grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience

Specifications

Chipset	AMD B850
CPU	Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000/ 8000/ 7000 Series Desktop Processors Socket AM5
Memory	4x DDR5 UDIMM, Maximum Memory Capacity 256GB Memory Support DDR5 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s / 5600 – 4800 (JEDEC) MT/s Ryzen™ 9000 Series Processors max. overclocking frequency: • 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 8400+ MT/s • 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6400+ MT/s • 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MT/s • 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4800+ MT/sSupports AMD POR Speed and JEDEC Speed Supports Memory Overclocking and AMD EXPO™ Supports Dual-Channel mode Supports Non-ECC, Un-buffered memory Supports CUDIMM, Clock Driver bypass mode only** CUDIMM support and POR boot frequency may vary by CPU series, with manual overclocking available after boot. Certain CPUs may fail to boot, but future BIOS updates will improve compatibility. • The DIMM slots on this motherboard have double-sided latches. • Memory compatibility and supported speeds can vary depending on the CPU and memory configuration. For detailed information, please refer to the Memory Compatibility List available on the product’s Support page or visit https://www.msi.com/support/.
Onboard Graphics	1x HDMI™ Support HDMI™ 2.1 FRL, maximum resolution of 8K 60Hz* *Available only on processors featuring integrated graphics. Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed.
Slot	3x PCI-E x16 slot PCI_E1 Gen PCIe 5.0 supports up to x16 (From CPU) PCI_E2 Gen PCIe 3.0 supports up to x1 (From Chipset) PCI_E3 Gen PCIe 4.0 supports up to x4 (From Chipset)PCI_E1 slot • Supports PCIe 5.0 x16 (For Ryzen™ 9000/ 7000 Series processors) • Supports PCIe 4.0 x8 (For Ryzen™ 8700/ 8600/ 8400 Series processors) • Supports PCIe 4.0 x4 (For Ryzen™ 8500/ 8300 Series processor)*PCI_E3 slot will run at x2 speed when installing device in the M2_3 slot. You can switch PCI_E3 slot to x4 in the BIOS, but this will disable the M2_3 slot
Audio	Realtek® ALC4080 Codec 7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio Supports up to 32-bit/384kHz playback on front panel Supports S/PDIF output
Storage	4x M.2 M.2_1 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 , supports 22110/2280 devices M.2_2 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 , supports 2280/2260 devices M.2_3 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x2 , supports 2280/2260 devices M.2_4 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 , supports 2280/2260 devices 4x SATA 6GM2_1 slot • Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 (For Ryzen™ 9000/ 7000 Series processors) • Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (For Ryzen™ 8000 Series processors)M2_2 slot • Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 (For Ryzen™ 9000/ 7000 Series processors) • Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (For Ryzen™ 8700/ 8600/ 8400 Series processors) • Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x2 (For Ryzen™ 8500/ 8300 Series processors)*PCI_E3 slot will run at x2 speed when installing device in the M2_3 slot. You can switch PCI_E3 slot to x4 in the BIOS, but this will disable the M2_3 slot. ** Please refer to the manual for M.2 SSD heatsink restrictions
RAID	Supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10 for M.2 NVMe storage devices
USB	4x USB 2.0 (Rear) 4x USB 2.0 (Front) 1x USB 5Gbps Type A (Rear) 4x USB 5Gbps Type A (Front) 2x USB 10Gbps Type A (Rear) 3x USB 10Gbps Type C (Rear) 1x USB 20Gbps Type C (Front)
LAN	Realtek® 8126VB 5G LAN
Internal IO	1x Power Connector(ATX_PWR) 2x Power Connector(CPU_PWR) 1x Power Connector(PCIE_PWR 8pin) 1x CPU Fan 1x Combo Fan (Pump_Sys Fan) 6x System Fan 1x EZ Conn-header (JAF_2) 2x Front Panel (JFP) 1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI) 1x Front Audio (JAUD) 3x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2) 1x RGB LED connector(JRGB) 1x TPM pin header(Support TPM 2.0) 4x USB 2.0 ports 4x USB 5Gbps Type A ports 1x USB 20Gbps Type C ports
WIRELESS LAN & BLUETOOTH	Wi-Fi 7 Solution The Wireless module is pre-installed in the M.2 (Key-E) slot Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX, 2.4GHz/ 5GHz/ 6GHz* (320MHz) up to 5.8Gbps Supports 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac/ ax/ beSupports Bluetooth® 5.4**, MLO, 4KQAM* 6GHz band support may depend on every country’s regulations and Wi-Fi 7 will be ready in Windows 11 version 24H2. ** The Bluetooth version may be updated, please refer to the Wi-Fi chipset vendor’s website for details. Bluetooth 5.4 will be ready in Windows 11 version 24H2.
LED FEATURE	4x EZ Debug LED 1x EZ Memory Detection LED
BACK PANEL PORTS	Clear CMOS Button USB 10Gbps Type-A USB 5Gbps Type-A USB 2.0 5G LAN Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Audio Connectors Flash BIOS Button HDMI™ USB 10Gbps Type-C USB 10Gbps Type-C USB 10Gbps Type-A
OPERATING SYSTEM	Support for Windows® 11 64-bit
BOX CONTENT
PCB Info	ATX 243.84mmx304.8mm

More information on MSI’s website.