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ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI vs MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK

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 MAG B550 TOMAHAWK at 5.8/10.

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

The biggest difference is connectivity, where the ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI scores 8/10 to the MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK's 5/10.

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

7.3/10verdict: good, not the best

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 itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

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MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK

MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK

5.8/10verdict: good, not the best

The MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK is an ATX AM4 board for people building or upgrading a Ryzen 3000 or 5000 system. It suits builders who want two wired LAN ports, six SATA ports and a cooled VRM without paying for Wi-Fi. It asks for some patience with BIOS updates and memory choice, so it fits buyers who are comfortable fiddling with settings.

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Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFIMSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
Platform and features25%7/106/10
Connectivity25%8/105/10
Power delivery20%8/107/10
BIOS and support15%6/105/10
Value15%7/106/10
Overall7.3/105.8/10

Specifications

SpecASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFIMSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 seriesAMD Socket AM4
ChipsetAMD B850AMD B550
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)ATX, 30.5 x 24.4 cmATX
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speedDDR5, 4 DIMM slots, maximum 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s overclocked, ECC and non-ECC unbuffered supportDDR4, 4 DIMM slots, dual channel, up to 128 GB
M.2 NVMe slots and their PCIe generationThree 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 slotTwo M.2 slots
PCIe slotsOne PCIe 5.0 x16; one PCIe 4.0 x16 (x8/x4 on 8000 series CPUs, x4 on chipset); two PCIe 4.0 x1One PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for graphics, one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2x2) with Bluetooth 5.4Realtek RTL8125B 2.5GbE plus Realtek RTL8111H Gigabit LAN; no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the base model
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4Rear (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 header2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps rear ports (one Type-C, one Type-A); other sources list different rear counts

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 MAG B550 TOMAHAWK

  • + Two wired LAN ports, including 2.5GbE
  • + Two separate metal VRM heatsinks
  • + Six SATA ports and two M.2 slots
  • − No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the base model
  • − Owners report memory speed and compatibility problems
  • − Only the graphics slot is PCIe 4.0

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Anyone wanting many fast rear USB ports
  • Builders who want guaranteed rated memory speeds without tuning
Read the full MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK review ›

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