MSI B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi: Cheaper chipset, but better features

MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi in detail

We’re concluding the tests of B850 motherboards with the MSI Tomahawk Max WiFi. In terms of price, it sits between the already tested B850 Aorus Elite WiFi7 and Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi, with its features leaning closer to the latter. In some aspects, it even surpasses it. The word “Max” in its name is well justified – three PCIe 5.0 slots, 5-gigabit Ethernet, more USB ports…

A lower price is what’s expected from motherboards based on the AMD B850 chipset, compared to X870 models or even the “dual-chip” X870E. Since B850 motherboards only have one Promontory 21 chip, their connector options are naturally more limited, and each manufacturer handles the available options a bit differently. In the case of the B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi, its manufacturer (MSI) strives for the best possible outcome even beyond the parameters “guaranteed” by motherboards with this chipset (B850).

MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi

One of the two ATX models MSI has in its lineup. The lower-tier one. With a suggested retail price of around 276 EUR, the B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi motherboard sits below the ROG Strix Z890-F Gaming WiFi. Both not only support PCIe 5.0 for the first PCIe ×16 slot but also connect the M.2 SSD slots via the fastest available PCIe lanes.

The PCB dimensions of the motherboard are 305 × 244 mm (ATX form factor). The layout and component placement are fairly standard – it features three PCI Express ×16 slots (physically, with the second and third having fewer lanes, of course), three M.2 slots, and four DIMM slots for memory.

A useful feature near the first PCIe ×16 slot is the remote button. This serves to conveniently release the slot latch, which comes in handy especially when removing longer expansion cards from under tower-style CPU coolers.

There are four SATA slots for 3.5-inch storage drives. For some, this might seem too few, but it’s actually a “full” configuration that’s commonly used. What’s unusual, especially in this class of motherboards, is the inclusion of two 19-pin USB connectors for four front-panel case ports. Often, we see only one internal connector (for two USB ports) in this position, which doesn’t fully utilize the potential of better-equipped PC cases. However, that’s not the case here, and you can connect all USB ports, including Type-C and slower USB 2.0 ones. That is, unless you choose to use one of the traditionally used connectors for communication with the CPU cooler’s information panel instead. That’s also an option worth considering. It ultimately depends on the CPU cooler you own.

The SSD coolers included with the motherboard are also worth mentioning. They are simpler in construction, resulting in “only” average cooling performance. However, they are still good enough to address critical situations, such as an overheating SSD that throttles performance due to excessive heat. The (de)mounting mechanism is also clever, requiring no tools – at least for the cooler on the first M.2 slot. The other two SSD coolers use a screw-based system, so you’ll need a screwdriver for those. But the first slot features a button that releases the cooler’s latch on the side of the M.2 slot.

The power delivery system is 17-phase, with 14 phases dedicated to Vcore. External power from the PSU (ATX) is provided via two 8-pin connectors. Even with the most powerful processor you can install in this motherboard (Ryzen 9 9950X), one connector is sufficient, but using both increases the cross-sectional area for electrical current flow. This naturally results in lower hotspots, and utilizing all 16 pins for CPU power makes particular sense when overclocking and pushing a high-performance processor to its limits. In such cases, power consumption increases, and with it, the heating of the connector, or connectors.

The integrated MOSFETs are MPS (Monolithic Power Systems) 2433. The maximum current load per phase is specified at 80 A. However, in practice, this value is significantly over-engineered, and only a fraction of it is utilized. This is both for optimal energy efficiency and to ensure that the integrated circuit can be cooled by the supplied (VRM) heatsink to a sufficiently low operating temperature.

Also noteworthy is the 8-pin connector below the third PCIe ×16 slot. This serves as an auxiliary power connector.

The rear I/O panel features up to ten USB ports, three of which (3.2 gen. 2) are Type-C, and four are slower, USB 2.0 standard. These are primarily intended for peripherals like keyboards, mice, or multifunctional devices. Such devices often don’t require faster connections (than provided by USB 2.0). Additionally, there’s an Ethernet connector connected to the Realtek 8126VB chip. A speed of 5 Gb/s is definitely above standard for motherboards in this price range.

The audio connectors are limited to three (2× 3.5 mm jack + S/PDIF), but they are routed through the relatively modern Realtek ALC4080 chip.

Please note: The article continues in the following chapters.

• Contents
• MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi in detail
• What it looks like in the BIOS
• Methodology: Performance tests
• Methodology: How we measure power draw
• Methodology: Temperature and clock speed measurements
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Borderlands 3
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Visual effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Photos: Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• M.2 (SSD) slots speed
• USB ports speed
• Ethernet speed
• Power draw without power limits
• Power draw with power limits
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• VRM temperature – thermal imaging of Vcore and SOC
• SSD temperature
• Chipset temperature (south bridge)
• Conclusion