MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI Review – Getting Stuff Right, And The Right Stuff

Unboxing

Starting our review of the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard with the unboxing, which features a standard packaging with the motherboard packed within an ESD bag, while the Wi-Fi antenna is stored in a separate compartment.

Documentations aside, the accessories in the box include mostly the “EZ” components: the EZ front panel combo connector, EZ Wi-Fi Antenna, EZ-Conn V2 3-in-1 connector for coolers, and the EZ M.2 Clip II with the dedicated locking tool, all of which designed to simplify the installation process.

Walkaround

Per MSI’s naming convention, Tomahawks are reserved for ATX motherboards (whereas micro-ATX models are branded ‘Mortar’), and it maintains MAG’s black-and-lime aesthetic as usual. All the heat-generating spots have heatsinks available, and that includes all three SSD slots, the B850 chipset, and most importantly, the VRM.

Here are all the heatsinks laid out, featuring a total of five pieces: the VRM uses split design to cover all of the 14+2+1 stage MOSFETs, though this usually cause the top side to accumulate more heat as it can’t use the bigger chunk on the side to help with heat dissipation. The chipset gets its own heatsink, while the SSD are split into two segments: the first is the tool-less M.2 Shield Frozr design which allows the user to remove by pressing the latch, and install by simply pressing on the latch, while the second, longer piece is shared across two SSD slots secured via captive screws.

In terms of I/O, the MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI features one HDMI 2.1 FRL port, two USB-C ports (one 20Gbps and one 10Gbps), 8 USB-A ports (2x 10Gbps, 2x 5Gbps, and 4x USB 2.0), along with a 5GbE LAN port. For audio, much like other contemporary motherboards today, this has been simplified to include only the S/PDIF output, mic-in, and line-out. There’s also the Wi-Fi 7 coaxial connectors which do not require locking screws; the provided EZ Wi-Fi antenna can simply be plugged in like any other connector to save the hassle of rotating the nut screws.

For the demonstration, we use the provided MSI MPG A850GF power supply to power the system, which has the capability to power top-range CPUs with its dual EPS 8-pin output. Do note that this is one of the older models yet to adopt the ATX 3.0/3.1 standard, so you won’t find the 12V-2×6 connector here that most NVIDIA RTX GPUs require; it’ll support GPUs up to 450W with its triple PCIe 8-pin output. Besides the power supply, we’ll also pair the system with the Kingston FURY Beast RGB DDR5 memory kit for the same purpose.

Specifications

MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI

Full specifications available on product page.

CPU Support	Socket AM5 (AMD Ryzen 7000, 8000, 9000 series)
Form Factor	ATX (12 x 9.6 in / 305 x 244 mm)
Chipset	AMD B850 (Promontory 21)
Power & VRM	2x EPS 8-pin 14+2+1 stage (Vcore+SoC+MISC) Vcore+SoC: MPS MP87670* (80A per powerstage) MISC: Alpha & Omega AOZ5516QI (55A per powerstage) PWM Controller: MPS MP2857* (*) Denotes undocumented part as of this writing.
Memory	4-slot, double-sided latch Max. 256GB unbuffered Max overclocking frequencies: – DDR5-8200+ (1 DIMM/ch, single-rank) – DDR5-6400+ (1 DIMM/ch, dual-rank, 2 DIMM/ch, single-rank) – DDR5-6000+ (2 DIMM/ch, dual-rank)
PCIe Expansion Slots	1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) 1x PCIe 3.0 x1 (Chipset)
Storage	4x SATA 6Gb/s 3x M.2 slots: – 1x PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU), M.2 2280/2260 – 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU), M.2 22110/2280/2260 – 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset), M.2 2280/2260
Networking	MediaTek MT7925B22M (AMD RZ717) Wi-Fi 7 module* (M.2 Key-E) Bluetooth 5.4 Realtek RTL8126-VB 5GbE LAN *Wi-Fi 7 support requires Windows 11 24H2 and later
USB Outputs	Rear: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) Type-C 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-C 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-A 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) Type-A 4x USB 2.0 Front (headers): 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 2x USB 2.0 (splitting to 4x USB 2.0)
Onboard Display	1x HDMI 2.1 FRL @ 8K 60Hz
Audio	Realtek ALC4080 codec 32-bit/384kHz audio support via front panel header Rear I/O: 1x Mic-in 1x Line-out 1x S/PDIF (TOSLINK optical out)
Peripheral Headers	Fan and Cooling 1x CPU Fan 1x Combo Fan (PUMP_SYS Fan) 6x System Fan 1x EZ Conn-header (JAF_2, 11-pin) GPU/PCIe 1x Supplemental PCIe 8-pin header (PCIE_PWR) Miscellaneous 2x Front Panel (JFP) 1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI) 1x Front Audio (JAUD) 1x Tuning Controller connector(JDASH) 3x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2) 1x RGB LED connector (JRGB) 1x TPM 2.0 pin header 2x Direct OC Jumper (JBCLK)
Accessories	EU Regulatory Notice Quick installation guide ‘Shout out’ Flyer Cable sticker pack SATA cable 1x EZ M.2 Clip II package EZ M.2 Clip II Remover EZ Wi-Fi antenna 3-in-1 EZ Conn V2 cable EZ Front panel cable

Test System

CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Cooling	Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Motherboard	> MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI
GPU	Not installed
Memory	Kingston FURY BEAST DDR5 RGB (DDR5-6800 CL34, 2x16GB) *Operated on XMP3/EXPO DDR5-6000 CL30 mode
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	MSI MPG A850GF 850W (80 PLUS Gold, ATX 2.52)
Case	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 24H2

Teardown

VRM

The MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK’s VRM setup involves a 14+2+1 powerstage design with the first 16 stages all powered by MPS MP87670 MOSFETs, each capable of delivering 80 amps of sustained power when demanded, while the sole MISC powerstage is fulfilled by the Alpha & Omega AMZ5516QI that supplies 55 amps of power. All of these are orchestrated by the MPS MP2857 PWM controller, the model of which we have first encountered in MSI’s MAG motherboards so far given that we’ve reviewed some of them before.

Storage & Expansion

Onto the storage and expansion diagram – there are a total of three PCIe slots with different generation and speeds altogether, as annotated on the image above. There’s also three M.2 SSD slots, but we should point out that MSI claimed the M.2_2 slot can also support the 22110 format SSDs, though the motherboard doesn’t seem to suggest that is the case. Either way, this form factor is non-existent in the consumer market, so this is not much of an issue. Keep in mind that two of the three M.2 slots are wired to the CPU, with the M.2_3 being the only one wired to the B850 chipset.

LAN & Wi-Fi

As with AMD-based motherboards, it’s no surprise to see the appearance of MediaTek MT7925B22M, also branded as AMD RZ717 for Wi-Fi 7 capability, but it should be noted that this module do not support 320MHz channel used by both Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 standards. For wired connectivity, MSI gives this motherboard a 5-gigabit LAN controller from Realtek which offers more bandwidth than most models in this segment, usually featuring 2.5GbE LAN ports instead.

I/O

The motherboard doesn’t feature a whole lot of discrete controllers for I/O, most of which (i.e. USB 3.x) is already integrated into the Ryzen processors and chipsets by now. Besides the B850 chipset, we also found the ASMedia ASM1064 controller for legacy SATA devices, along with two separate Genesys Logic GL850G USB 2.0 controllers for rear I/O ports and front panel headers.

Audio

In the audio department, the Realtek ALC4080 codec is responsible for the motherboard’s front panel and rear I/O audio. It’s good for 32-bit / 384kHz in terms of bit depth and audio sampling rate, although this particular codec chip hasn’t got the best reputation as far as user reports on the internet are concerned.

Other Features

Some of the most prominent features of the MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI are the ‘EZ’ feature set, like the EZ M.2 Clip II that uses a newer design for securing SSDs, the 11-pin EZ-Conn V2 that connect ARGB, PWM, and USB 2.0 from AIO coolers into a single unified header for cleaner cabling, the EZ PCIe Release that unlocks the latch via a button on the far side, and finally, the EZ Debug LED that is otherwise a pretty standard feature on all DIY motherboards (although we really should start moving on to 7-segment LEDs to make troubleshooting a lot easier).

Thermals

Looking into the VRM thermals, the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI can handle the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D at its stock power limits, that is ~183W PPT. With no airflow involved in open space, the MOSFETs eventually reach 69°C by the end of the 15-minute stress test, though we should note that this is the worst-case scenario as cases will always provide airflow to help carry the heat away. Given adequate cooling, we think it’s not unreasonable to enable PBO on even the top Ryzen chip to maximize performance, if needed.

BIOS & Software

As we’ve mentioned on the new Intel 800-series-based MAG motherboards, the new CLICK BIOS X interface excelled in terms of user-friendliness, providing an easy-to-use UI that lays out all the necessary information in one singular page. It also comes with many features like custom profiles (convenient if you do CMOS resets), favorites settings list for frequently accessed options, and you can manage fan control directly through here if you don’t want to use the MSI Center app for the same function. Speaking of which…

The MSI Center is a fully optional software that allows you to pick the necessary modules to install, so you don’t have to worry about the software getting too resource heavy and eats into your PC’s performance. This is suitable for those who aren’t as familiar with the BIOS interface, where the app’s initial setup can guide you on which components to install depending on your use case (i.e. gaming, or productivity). One of them is Cooling Wizard, which opens up the fan controls – helpful for saving a trip to the BIOS menu.

Verdict

All in all, the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI offers a feature set that you don’t always find in its class, which creates more value for the end user looking for something that does the job while adding bits of extras on top without the worry of a high price tag. Do note that we currently have no pricing information for this particular model (since it is largely superseded by the TOMAHAWK MAX variant), but if you can find one of these on the market, it should be a solid buy.

Special thanks to MSI Malaysia for providing the MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard for this review.