MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK Specifications Review
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK by MSI is a Standard-ATX form factor motherboard based on the mid-range B550 chipset and AM4 socket, providing a balanced set of features and connectivity. It is designed to support DDR4 memory, with 4 slots, a maximum capacity of 128 GB, and an overclocking speed of up to 5100 MHz.
VRM Quality
The MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK comes with an entry-level VRM setup, delivering 80 A across 10 phases. Works best with CPUs in the ~65–105 W TDP range. Can technically run higher-TDP processors at stock, but will likely experience thermal throttling under sustained heavy loads. Suited for budget gaming, office PCs, and home builds without heavy CPU demands.
See the VRM Appropriate CPU Specification Table at the bottom of this page for recommended CPU options.
Expansion and Storage Overview
The MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK offers a balanced expansion and storage configuration with PCIe 4.0 support, meaning it uses PCI Express 4.0, fast enough for modern GPUs and high-speed NVMe SSDs. It also includes 2 x16 slots , and 2 x1 slots. These PCIe slots are used to connect expansion cards — with the x16 slots typically reserved for graphics cards, while x8, x4, and x1 slots are used for devices like capture cards, sound cards, or network adapters.
For storage, this motherboard provides 2 M.2 slots and 6 SATA ports. M.2 slots are high-speed connectors for modern NVMe SSDs, which are much faster than older storage, while SATA ports are used for traditional hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs. Together, they allow you to mix fast primary storage with larger, more affordable drives for bulk data.
Connectivity Overview
This motherboard has essential connectivity features with wired 1x Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5Gbps LAN controller, 1x Realtek® RTL8111H 1Gbps LAN controller Ethernet . USB connectivity covers basic needs. Please refer to the specification table for details.
For video output, this motherboard includes HDMI version 2.1 , DisplayPort . These video outputs are intended for integrated graphics and will only function if your CPU includes integrated GPU capabilities.
Audio Quality
Equipped with a high-end audio chipset — the Realtek® ALC1200 / ALC1220P Codec — this motherboard delivers performance comparable to dedicated sound cards. The clean power delivery and premium components provide studio-grade sound with excellent signal-to-noise ratio, perfect for audiophile headphones, surround systems, and content creators who demand pristine audio quality. Additional features include optical S/PDIF output for clean digital audio.
Overall Quality and Value
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK is a dependable choice with a respectable overall quality score of 60.60. It provides all the essential features and stable performance expected in a mainstream system, covering typical use cases without unnecessary extras.
This motherboard offers an impressive 74.6% performance-to-price ratio, delivering excellent value by combining strong performance with reasonable cost, making it a smart choice for budget-conscious buyers who don’t want to sacrifice quality.
General Information
| Manufacturer | MSI |
|---|---|
| Motherboard Name | MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK |
| Current Price Amazon | $154 |
| Amazon Price Updated | 18 hours, 6 minutes ago. |
| Motherboard Available | True |
| Chipset / Socket | B550 / AM4 |
| Form Factor | Standard-ATX |
VRM Configuration
| CPU Power Phases (Amps) | 10 (80 A) |
|---|---|
| Power Design | 10+2+1 |
Memory Information
| Type / Slots | DDR4 / 4 slots |
|---|---|
| Max Capacity / Max OC | 128 GB / 5100 MHz |
PCIe Slot Configuration
| Supported Version | PCIe 4.0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot Size | Physical Slots | Gen4 | Gen3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| x16 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| x1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Storage Configuration
| M.2 Slot Count | 2 slots |
|---|---|
| M.2 Supported Lengths | 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 |
| SATA Ports | 6 |
Onboard Audio Features
| Audio Chipset | Realtek® ALC1200 / ALC1220P Codec |
|---|---|
| Optical S/PDIF Output | ✔️ Present |
Motherboard Display Outputs
| HDMI Output | HDMI - Version 2.1 (Max: 4096x2160 @60Hz) |
|---|---|
| DisplayPort Output | DisplayPort (Max: 4096x2160 @60Hz) |
USB and Thunderbolt Connectivity
Rear USB Ports
| USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps) | 2 |
|---|---|
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 Gbps) | 2 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps) | 1 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps) | 1 |
Front USB Ports
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (5 Gbps) | 1 |
|---|
Internal USB Headers
| USB 2.0 Header (480 Mbps) | 4 |
|---|---|
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 Header (5 Gbps) | 2 |
Networking Information
| Ethernet | Chipset: 1x Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5Gbps LAN controller, 1x Realtek® RTL8111H 1Gbps LAN controller LAN Ports: 2 |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi |
Module: Not Included |
| Bluetooth | Supported: No |
Button Features
| Buttons |
BIOS Flashback |
|---|
Quality & Features
Additional Information
| RAM | Supports DDR4 memory. JEDEC speeds supported: 1866/ 2133/ 2400/ 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200 MHz. A-XMP OC MODE speeds supported: 2667 up to 5100+ MHz. Supports un-buffered memory. Max speed depends on DIMM configuration: 1DPC 1R max 5100 MHz, 1DPC 2R max 3866 MHz, 2DPC 1R max 4000 MHz, 2DPC 2R max 3600 MHz. |
|---|---|
| Display | Supports HDCP 1.4 & 2.3. Maximum shared memory of 16 GB. Video output is only available for processors with integrated graphics, and specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed. |
| Expansion | PCI_E3 slot supports x4 speed. The supported specification depends on installed processor. When installing devices in M.2_2, PCI_E2 & PCI_E3 slots at the same time, PCI_E3 slot will be unavailable, and M2_2 slot only supports PCIe x2. |
| Storage |
M.2 Slot Details:
|
| Audio | 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio. Supports S/PDIF output. |
| Buttons | The motherboard includes a Clear CMOS jumper. |
| Dimensions | 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm |
Note: The specifications and descriptions above are extracted by AI to present the official manufacturer data in a clearer and more natural way for easier understanding. However, this AI-processed information may contain inaccuracies. Please verify all details by consulting the official manufacturer's information provided below.
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK Compared to Motherboards with Similar Performance and Features
Motherboard Quality & Features per Price Table
| Motherboard (Desc) | Price (Desc) | Overall_Q (Desc) | VRM_Q (Desc) | Chipset (Desc) | Exp_Str (Desc) | Connect (Desc) | Audio (Desc) | Q&F/Price (Desc) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$169❗
|
0.0%
|
61.0%
|
23.0%
|
86.0%
|
90.0%
|
41.0%
|
65.0%
|
68.6%
|
|
|
$243
|
0.0%
|
61.0%
|
25.0%
|
81.0%
|
58.0%
|
60.0%
|
81.0%
|
47.8%
|
|
|
$154
|
↑
3.2%
|
60.6%
|
39.0%
|
81.0%
|
58.0%
|
44.0%
|
81.0%
|
74.6%
|
|
|
$189
|
↓
-0.5%
|
57.2%
|
34.0%
|
80.0%
|
45.0%
|
49.0%
|
78.0%
|
57.5%
|
|
|
$169❗
|
0.0%
|
53.4%
|
25.0%
|
84.0%
|
60.0%
|
52.0%
|
46.0%
|
60.0%
|
|
|
$170
|
0.0%
|
53.4%
|
31.0%
|
80.0%
|
60.0%
|
50.0%
|
46.0%
|
59.7%
|
Motherboard Comparison and Detail Specifications Table
| Specification | Perf Chart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price |
$169❗
|
0.0%
|
$243
|
0.0%
|
$154
|
↑
3.2%
|
$189
|
↓
-0.5%
|
$169❗
|
0.0%
|
$170
|
0.0%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | CJWDPDSWEZ | MSI | MSI | GIGABYTE | ASUS | GIGABYTE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chip/Socket | X570 / AM4 | B550M / AM4 | B550 / AM4 | B550I / AM4 | B550M / AM4 | B550 / AM4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Form | Standard-ATX | Micro-ATX | Standard-ATX | Mini-ITX | Micro-ATX | Standard-ATX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CPU Phases | 9 (50 A) | 8 (60 A) | 10 (80 A) | 8 (90 A) | 8 (60 A) | 12 (50 A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PWR Design | 9+1 | 8+2+1 | 10+2+1 | 8+1 | 8+2 | 12+2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mem Slots | 4 / DDR4 | 4 / DDR4 | 4 / DDR4 | 2 / DDR4 | 4 / DDR4 | 4 / DDR4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Mem | 128 GB / 4666 MHz | 128 GB / 4400 MHz | 128 GB / 5100 MHz | 64 GB / 5300 MHz | 128 GB / 4866 MHz | 128 GB / 4733 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PCIe | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PCIe Slots | 2x16 Gen4 | 2x1 Gen4 | 1x16 Gen4 | 1x16 Gen3 | 2x1 Gen3 | 1x16 Gen4 | 1x16 Gen3 | 2x1 Gen3 | 1x16 Gen4 | 1x16 Gen4 | 2x16 Gen3 | 1x1 Gen3 | 1x16 Gen4 | 2x16 Gen3 | 1x1 Gen3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| M.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATA | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Audio | Realtek ALC1200 | Realtek® ALC1220P Codec | Realtek® ALC1200 / ALC1220P C… | Realtek® ALC1220-VB codec | Realtek ALC S1200A | Realtek® Audio CODEC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S/PDIF | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HDMI | ✔️ (2.0) | ✔️ (2.1) | ✔️ (2.1) | ✔️ (2.1) | ✔️ (2.1) | ✔️ (2.1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DP | ✔️ (1.2) | ✔️ (None) | ✔️ (None) | ✔️ (1.4) | ✔️ (1.2) | ✔️ (1.4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LAN | Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 … (1 ports) | 1x Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5… (2 ports) | 1x Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5… (2 ports) | Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN chip… (1 ports) | 1 x Realtek 1Gb Ethernet… (2 ports) | Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN chip… (1 ports) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wi-Fi | ❌ | Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6E | ❌ | Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 | ❌ | Wi-Fi 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BT | ❌ | v5.2 | ❌ | v5 | ❌ | v5.3 | Rear USB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| USB Headers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Front USB |
❌ |
|
|
❌ |
❌ |
|
VRM Appropriate CPU Specification Table
| CPU | Price | App_Performance | Game_Performance | TDP/Max | C/SC/T | L2/L3 Cache | Base/Boost | Code Name | GPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$390
|
↑
25.8%
|
64.2%
|
68.5%
|
105 W / 142 W | 16 / 0 / 32 | 512.0 kB / 64.0 MB | 3.40 GHz / 4.90 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$304
|
↓
-1.6%
|
54.5%
|
66.9%
|
105 W / 142 W | 12 / 0 / 24 | 512.0 kB / 64.0 MB | 3.70 GHz / 4.80 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$420
|
↑
10.5%
|
39.4%
|
76.2%
|
105 W / 142 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 96.0 MB | 3.40 GHz / 4.50 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$218
|
↓
-0.4%
|
39.2%
|
63.4%
|
105 W / 142 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 32.0 MB | 3.80 GHz / 4.80 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$218
|
↑
0.0%
|
39.2%
|
63.4%
|
105 W / 142 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 32.0 MB | 3.80 GHz / 4.70 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$330❗
|
0.0%
|
37.4%
|
69.5%
|
105 W / 142 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 96.0 MB | 3.00 GHz / 4.10 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$215
|
↓
-4.0%
|
36.6%
|
61.4%
|
65 W / 88 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 32.0 MB | 3.40 GHz / 4.60 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$205
|
0.0%
|
35.8%
|
52.8%
|
65 W / 61 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 16.0 MB | 3.80 GHz / 4.60 GHz | Cezanne | Radeon Vega 8 | |
|
$205
|
0.0%
|
34.0%
|
52.0%
|
65 W / 61 W | 8 / 0 / 16 | 512.0 kB / 16.0 MB | 3.70 GHz / 4.60 GHz | Cezanne | None | |
|
$194
|
↓
-3.0%
|
31.1%
|
61.4%
|
65 W / 88 W | 6 / 0 / 12 | 512.0 kB / 32.0 MB | 3.70 GHz / 4.60 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$0
|
0.0%
|
30.0%
|
66.0%
|
105 W / 142 W | 6 / 0 / 12 | 512.0 kB / 96.0 MB | 3.30 GHz / 4.40 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$185
|
0.0%
|
29.8%
|
50.9%
|
65 W / 61 W | 6 / 0 / 12 | 512.0 kB / 16.0 MB | 3.90 GHz / 4.40 GHz | Cezanne | Radeon Vega 7 | |
|
$166
|
↓
-0.6%
|
29.3%
|
59.0%
|
65 W / 88 W | 6 / 0 / 12 | 512.0 kB / 32.0 MB | 3.50 GHz / 4.40 GHz | Vermeer | None | |
|
$82
|
0.0%
|
27.8%
|
48.5%
|
65 W / 65 W | 6 / 0 / 12 | 512.0 kB / 16.0 MB | 3.60 GHz / 4.20 GHz | Cezanne | None | |
|
$0
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
105 W / 142 W | 16 / 0 / 32 | 512.0 kB / 64.0 MB | 3.30 GHz / 4.80 GHz | Vermeer | None |
Official Manufacturer Data
Memory:
Supports DDR4 1866/ 2133/ 2400/ 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200 MHz by JEDEC
Supports DDR4 2667/ 2800/ 2933/ 3000/ 3066/ 3200/ 3466/ 3600/ 3733/ 3866/ 4000/ 4133/ 4266/ 4400/ 4533/ 4600/ 4733/ 4800/ 4866/ 5000/ 5100+ MHz by A-XMP OC MODE
1DPC 1R max speed 5100 MHZ
1DPC 2R max speed 3866 MHZ
2DPC 1R max speed 4000 MHZ
2DPC 2R max speed 3600 MHZ
Dual channel memory architecture
Supports non-ECC UDIMM memory
Supports ECC UDIMM memory (non-ECC mode)
Supports un-buffered memory
Graphics:
Support HDCP 1.4 & 2.3
1x DisplayPort, supports a maximum resolution of 4096x2160 @60Hz 1
Maximum shared memory of 16 GB
Available for the processor with integrated graphics.
Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed.
Storage:
2x M.2 slots (Key M)
M2_1 slot (from AMD Processor)
Supports PCIe 4.0/ 3.0 x4 1
Supports SATA 6Gb/s
Supports 2242/ 2260/ 2280/ 22110 storage devices
M2_2 slot (from AMD B550 chipset)
Supports PCIe 3.0x4
Supports 2242/ 2260/ 2280 storage devices
The supported specification depends on installed processor.
Expansion Slots:
1x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (PCI_E3), supports x4 speed 2
2x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
The supported specification depends on installed processor.
When installing devices in M.2_2, PCI_E2 & PCI_E3 slots at the same time, PCI_E3 slot will be unavailable, and M2_2 slot only supports PCIe x2.
USB:
6x USB 2.0 ports (2 Type-A ports on the back panel, 4 ports through the internal USB 2.0 connectors)
AMD Processor
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps ports (1 Type-C port and 1 Type-A port on the back panel)
2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type-A ports on the back panel
Internal I/O:
1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
2x M.2 slots (M-Key)
1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Type-C port
1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps connector (supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps ports)
2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports)
1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
1x 4-pin water-pump fan connector
6x 4-pin system fan connectors
1x Front panel audio connector
2x System panel connectors
1x Chassis Intrusion connector
2x 4-pin RGB LED connectors
2x 3-pin RAINBOW LED connectors
1x TPM module connector
1x Clear CMOS jumper
Back Panel I/O:
DisplayPort
2.5G LAN Port
1G LAN Port
HD Audio Connectors
Flash BIOS Button
USB 2.0 Port
HDMI™ Port
USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps (Type-A)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (Type-A + Type-C)
Optical S/PDIF OUT
Audio:
7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
Supports S/PDIF output
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