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ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI vs MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI scores 7.5/10 overall, ahead of the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI at 7.2/10.

The ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI leads on platform and features and BIOS and support.

The MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI leads on connectivity and value.

They score the same on power delivery.

The biggest difference is BIOS and support, where the ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI scores 7/10 to the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI's 4/10.

ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI

ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI

7.5/10verdict: buy

This board is for builders putting a Ryzen 7000, 8000 or 9000 chip into an AM5 system. It suits people who want several PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives, USB4 and Wi-Fi 7 on one ATX board. It also fits those who value strong power delivery and a BIOS that owners describe as stable.

Typically about £415.99 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI

MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI

7.2/10verdict: good, not the best

The MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI is for people building a high-end AM5 system around a Ryzen 9000 chip. It suits buyers who want USB4, Wi-Fi 7, 5G LAN and fast NVMe storage on one ATX board. It is a better fit for a single graphics card plus drives than for a build full of expansion cards.

Typically about £255 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFIMSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI
Platform and features25%8/107/10
Connectivity25%8/109/10
Power delivery20%8/108/10
BIOS and support15%7/104/10
Value15%6/107/10
Overall7.5/107.2/10

Specifications

SpecASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFIMSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5 (LGA 1718), supports Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 desktop CPUsAM5, supports Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series desktop CPUs
ChipsetAMD X870EAMD X870
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)ATXATX, 304.8 × 243.84 mm
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speedDDR5, 4 DIMM slots, maximum 192GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC), AMD EXPO supportDDR5, 4 × UDIMM slots, maximum 256GB, non-ECC unbuffered only; overclocked 8400–5600 MT/s, JEDEC 5600–4800 MT/s
M.2 NVMe slots and their PCIe generationFive M.2 slots: three PCIe 5.0 NVMe and two PCIe 4.0, all with heatsinks4 slots: M.2_1 and M.2_2 from CPU at PCIe 5.0 x4 (M.2_2 shares bandwidth with rear USB4 ports); M.2_3 PCIe 4.0 x2 and M.2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4 from chipset
PCIe slotsOne PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (sources conflict; ASUS UK page says two PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlots)3 × x16 physical slots: PCI_E1 PCIe 5.0 x16 from CPU; PCI_E2 PCIe 3.0 x1 from chipset; PCI_E3 PCIe 4.0 x4 from chipset, drops to x2 when M2_3 is populated
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with ASUS Q-Antenna, Realtek 5Gb EthernetRealtek 8126-CG 5G LAN; Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4 pre-installed in M.2 Key-E slot
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4Two rear USB4 Type-C ports, plus two front USB 20Gbps Type-C connectors (one with Quick Charge 4+ up to 60W)12 rear ports: 4 × USB 2.0, 3 × USB 5Gbps Type-A, 2 × USB 10Gbps Type-A, 1 × USB 10Gbps Type-C, 2 × USB 40Gbps Type-C (USB4); front: 1 × USB 20Gbps Type-C header, 4 × USB 5Gbps Type-A

Strengths and weaknesses

ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI

  • + Five M.2 slots, three of them PCIe 5.0
  • + Two rear USB4 Type-C ports and Wi-Fi 7
  • + 18+2+2 VRM with dual 8-pin power
  • − Ethernet is 5Gb, not 10Gb
  • − Top memory speeds of 8000+ MT/s need overclocking

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need 10GbE built into the board.
  • Builders who only need a few drives and basic USB and don't need a premium feature set.
  • Anyone building in a small case that cannot take a full ATX board.
Read the full ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI review ›

MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI

  • + Two USB4 ports and a 20Gbps front Type-C header
  • + 14+2+1 phase VRM with 80A power stages
  • + Wi-Fi 7 and 5G LAN, with four M.2 slots
  • − Owners report boot loops after BIOS updates
  • − M.2_2 shares bandwidth with the rear USB4 ports
  • − X870 chipset, not X870E

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want X870E rather than X870
  • Builders who need several fast expansion slots alongside multiple NVMe drives
  • Anyone who wants to avoid any risk of BIOS update trouble or CUDIMM boot problems
Read the full MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI review ›

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