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MSI · AM5 · B850

MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI

ATX · DDR5 · 4 DIMMs · 14-phase VRM · 7

Quality
78
VRM
54
Value
64
Amazon
$230
MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
View MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI Gallery in high resolution
$230
Available Updated 3 days, 10 hours ago Prime FBA
Overall77.6
VRM54.0
Chipset81.0
Expansion / storage84.0
Connectivity81.0
Audio88.0
Quality / price64.1
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Written analysis

MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI at a glance

The MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI uses the ATX form factor, AM5 socket, and B850 chipset. This is a balanced mainstream platform: enough expansion and connectivity for a performance PC without paying only for flagship extras.

Memory support is DDR5 across 4 DIMM slots, with up to 256 GB and rated overclocked speeds up to 8400 MT/s. XMP / EXPO memory-profile support is recorded for easier tuning.

Best fit: a performance gaming and productivity PC that needs a balanced board without workstation-class excess.

Power delivery

The calculated VRM score is 54.0, placing the power delivery in the mid-range class. The board lists 14 CPU power phases, 80 A power stages in a 14+2+1 layout. CPU power input is listed as 2. It is a sensible match for mainstream processors, with conservative tuning on higher-power chips.

Expansion and storage

The expansion and storage score is 84.0: well equipped . The platform supports PCIe 5.0. Physical expansion includes 3 ×16 slots.

On-board storage consists of 4 M.2 slots supporting 5.0, 4.0 and 4 SATA ports. Supported M.2 lengths are listed as 22110, 2280, 2260. That is enough NVMe capacity for a multi-drive gaming or creator setup without immediately relying on an add-in card.

Connectivity and rear I/O

The connectivity score is 81.0, rated strong . Wireless networking is Wi-Fi 7 ; wired networking is Realtek® 8126VB 5G LAN at up to 5000 Mbps. Bluetooth 5.4 is included. The recorded USB provision is 10 rear connections and 9 front-panel connections. The specification sheet below separates every USB speed and connector type.

Display connectivity includes HDMI 2.1. These motherboard outputs require a processor with integrated graphics.

Audio

The audio score is 88.0. This is a high-end onboard implementation using Realtek® ALC4080 Codec, suitable for good headsets, powered speakers, and everyday content work. Optical S/PDIF is present for digital audio equipment.

Buying verdict

Overall quality is 77.60, a strong performance-class result. This is the practical sweet spot for a powerful gaming or productivity PC without paying for every flagship extra.

At the recorded Amazon price, the quality-to-price score is 64.1—a balanced value for its feature class.

Board data

Full specifications

Platform, expansion, storage, rear I/O, internal headers, networking, audio, and board controls in one sheet.

General

Manufacturer
MSI
Motherboard
MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
Chipset / socket
B850 / AM5
Form factor
ATX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$230
Availability
In stock
Price updated
3 days, 10 hours ago

VRM

CPU phases
14 (80 A)
Power design
14+2+1
EPS connector
2

Memory

Type / slots
DDR5 / 4 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
256 GB / 8400 MT/s
Per DIMM
64 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 5.0
x16 physical
3
x16 Gen 5
1
x16 Gen 4
1
x16 Gen 3
1

Storage

M.2 slots
4
M.2 lengths
22110, 2280, 2260
M.2 modes
5.0, 4.0
SATA ports
4

Display outputs

HDMI
Yes · 2.1 · 8K 60Hz
DisplayPort
No
USB-C DisplayPort
No

USB

Rear USB 2.0
4
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
1
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 10 Gbps
2
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 10 Gbps
3
Front USB 2.0
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C 20 Gbps
1

Networking

Ethernet
Realtek® 8126VB 5G LAN
LAN ports
1
LAN speed
5000 Mbps
Wi-Fi
7
Wi-Fi bandwidth
320MHz
Bands
2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Bluetooth
5.4

Audio

Chipset
Realtek® ALC4080 Codec
Analog jacks
—
Gold-plated jacks
No
Optical S/PDIF
Yes
Spatial audio
No

Buttons

BIOS flashback
Yes
Clear CMOS
Yes
Q-Flash Plus
No
Smart button
No
Onboard start / reset
No

Additional information

Memory notes
Supports AMD EXPO™. Supports Un-buffered memory. Supports CUDIMM in Clock Driver bypass mode only, with a note that compatibility may vary by CPU series and require future BIOS updates. For Ryzen™ 9000 Series Processors, max overclocking frequency depends on the configuration: 1DPC 1R up to 8400+ MT/s, 1DPC 2R up to 6400+ MT/s, 2DPC 1R up to 6400+ MT/s, and 2DPC 2R up to 4800+ MT/s. The DIMM slots have double-sided latches.
Display notes
Available only on processors featuring integrated graphics. Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed.
Expansion notes
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). The PCI_E1 slot supports PCIe 5.0 x16 for Ryzen 9000/7000 Series, PCIe 4.0 x8 for Ryzen 8700/8600/8400 Series, and PCIe 4.0 x4 for Ryzen 8500/8300 Series processors. The PCI_E3 slot will run at x2 speed when installing a device in the M2_3 slot; it can be switched to x4 in the BIOS, but this will disable the M2_3 slot.
M.2_1
5.0 4 · 22110, 2280 · CPU — Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 9000/7000 Series processors. Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 with Ryzen 8000 Series processors.
M.2_2
5.0 4 · 2280, 2260 · CPU — Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 9000/7000 Series processors. Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 with Ryzen 8700/8600/8400 Series processors. Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x2 with Ryzen 8500/8300 Series processors.
M.2_3
4.0 2 · 2280, 2260 · Chipset — When a device is installed in the M2_3 slot, the PCI_E3 slot will run at x2 speed. The PCI_E3 slot can be switched to x4 in the BIOS, which will disable the M2_3 slot.
M.2_4
4.0 4 · 2280, 2260 · Chipset
Storage notes
Please refer to the manual for M.2 SSD heatsink restrictions.
Audio notes
7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio. Supports up to 32-bit/384kHz playback on front panel.
Networking notes
The Wireless module is pre-installed in the M.2 (Key-E) slot. Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX, up to 5.8Gbps. Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be. Bluetooth supports 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.
Fan / RGB headers
1 CPU · — OPT · 1 AIO · 6 chassis · 3 ARGB · 1 RGB
Other headers
Front audio · System panel · TPM
Dimensions
30.5 cm x 24.4 cm

Extracted notes sit here. Official manufacturer copy is at the bottom of the page.

Amazon

Price history

Nearby quality

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VRM fit

VRM-appropriate CPUs

AM5 processors whose TDP sits in this board’s VRM window. Socket match is required; chipset extras still matter on sTR5. This is a power-delivery filter, not a ranked CPU guide.

Open AM5 CPUs in the CPU table

Discussion

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Vendor copy

Official manufacturer data

Raw manufacturer text kept for reference. Structured specs above are extracted from this copy and are the source for scores and tables.

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/s

Supports 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/.

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.

Expansion slots

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

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 6G

M2_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

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)

Internal I/O

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

Rear I/O

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

Wireless

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/ be

Supports 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.

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

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