ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI vs MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI scores 7.3/10 overall, ahead of the MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ at 6.6/10.

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity, power delivery and value.

The MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ leads on BIOS and support.

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

7.3/10verdict: buy

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI is an ATX AM5 board for building a mainstream Ryzen 9000, 8000 or 7000 desktop. It suits buyers who want PCIe 5.0 graphics, Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE and a 20Gbps USB-C port on one board. It is less suited to extreme overclockers or anyone who needs several PCIe 5.0 drives.

Typically about £184.90 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ

6.6/10verdict: good, not the best

The MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ is an ATX AM5 board for people building a mid-range Ryzen 7000, 8000 or 9000 system. It suits buyers who want Wi-Fi 7, 5Gbps wired networking and a 12-phase VRM without moving up the range. It fits best alongside a discrete graphics card that connects over DisplayPort.

Typically about £219.94 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI	MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ
Platform and features	25%	7/10	6/10
Connectivity	25%	8/10	7/10
Power delivery	20%	8/10	7/10
BIOS and support	15%	6/10	7/10
Value	15%	7/10	6/10
Overall		7.3/10	6.6/10

Specifications

Spec	ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI	MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ
Socket	AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series	AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series desktop processors
Chipset	AMD B850	AMD B850
Form factor	ATX, 30.5 x 24.4 cm	ATX, 243.84 x 304.8 mm
Memory	DDR5, 4 DIMM slots, maximum 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s overclocked, ECC and non-ECC unbuffered support	DDR5, 4 DIMM slots, up to 256 GB maximum
M.2 slots	Three Key M slots: M.2_1 is 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 9000 and 7000 CPUs; M.2_2 is PCIe 4.0 x4; M.2_3 is 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 sharing bandwidth with the second x16 slot	Three M.2 Key M slots: M.2_1 from CPU up to PCIe 5.0 x4 (2260/2280); M.2_2 from CPU up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (22110/2280); M.2_3 from chipset up to PCIe 4.0 x2 (2260/2280). Taken from the non-PZ sibling's MSI spec page and user guide; the PZ page confirms one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot.
PCIe slots	One PCIe 5.0 x16; one PCIe 4.0 x16 (x8/x4 on 8000 series CPUs, x4 on chipset); two PCIe 4.0 x1	One PCIe x16 slot, described as PCIe 5.0 on MSI's PZ page; MSI's regional spec page shows PCIe 5.0 x16 with Ryzen 9000/7000 and a UK review describes the non-PZ sibling as PCIe 4.0 x16, so the generation is disputed
Networking	Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2x2) with Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7 and 5G LAN (Realtek 8126VB 5 Gbps wired, per MSI's spec page for the non-PZ sibling)
Rear USB	Rear (10 ports): one USB 20Gbps Type-C, three USB 10Gbps Type-A, four USB 5Gbps Type-A, two USB 2.0. Front: one USB 10Gbps Type-C, one USB 5Gbps header, two USB 2.0 headers. USB4 only via internal Thunderbolt header	Rear: one USB-C 10 Gb/s port per a PZ review (MSI's sibling spec lists two); front USB 5Gbps Type-C header

Strengths and weaknesses

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

+ Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE and a rear 20Gbps USB-C port
+ 14+2+1 80A DrMOS power stages with 8+8 pin power
+ BIOS FlashBack button plus EZ Flash 3 and CrashFree BIOS 3
− Only one M.2 slot runs at PCIe 5.0
− USB4 only through an internal Thunderbolt header
− Some owners report memory and boot problems

Skip it if:

Buyers who want more than one PCIe 5.0 M.2 drive
Buyers who need USB4 ports on the rear panel
Extreme overclockers pushing heavy voltage and power limits

Read the full ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI review ›

MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ

+ Wi-Fi 7 and 5Gbps wired LAN
+ 12+2+1 power design with two 8-pin connectors
+ Flash BIOS button works without CPU or memory
− No HDMI output reported; DisplayPort 1.2 only
− Only one M.2 slot runs at PCIe 5.0
− Third M.2 slot is limited to PCIe 4.0 x2

Skip it if:

Buyers who need HDMI output from the board itself
Builders who want two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots
Builders who need more than four SATA ports for bulk storage

Read the full MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ review ›

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