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GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE vs MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI scores 7.5/10 overall, ahead of the GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE at 5.4/10.

The MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity, power delivery and value.

They score the same on BIOS and support.

The biggest difference is connectivity, where the MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI scores 9/10 to the GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE's 4/10.

GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE

GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE

5.4/10verdict: good, not the best

This is a micro-ATX AM4 board for compact Ryzen 5000 builds that need fast storage and simple setup. It suits buyers who want PCIe 4.0, two M.2 slots and four SATA ports without paying for extras. It is less suited to anyone who wants 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi or USB-C built in.

Typically about £87 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

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

MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI

MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI

7.5/10verdict: buy

This is for builders putting a Core Ultra (Series 2) CPU on a Z890 board who want strong connectivity without paying flagship money. It suits people who want 5Gbps LAN, Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4 on one ATX board. It is less suited to anyone who wants RGB lighting or onboard power and reset buttons.

Typically about £283.89 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at 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

CriterionWeightGIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITEMSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI
Platform and features25%6/107/10
Connectivity25%4/109/10
Power delivery20%5/106/10
BIOS and support15%7/107/10
Value15%6/108/10
Overall5.4/107.5/10

Specifications

SpecGIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITEMSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI
SocketAMD Socket AM4; supports Ryzen 5000, 5000 G-Series, 4000 G-Series, Ryzen 3000 and 3000 G-SeriesLGA 1851, supports Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
ChipsetAMD B550Intel Z890
Form factorMicro ATX (24.4 × 24.4 cm)ATX, PCB 243.84 x 304.8 mm
MemoryDDR4 only; 4 DIMM slots, dual channel, up to 128 GB (32 GB per DIMM); DDR4 4733 overclock, 3200 and below standard; ECC and non-ECC unbuffered; XMP; ECC mode depends on CPU4 x DDR5 UDIMM slots, maximum 256GB, 9200+ MT/s (OC) with 1DPC 1R, 6400 (OC) / 4800 (JEDEC) MT/s headline spec, also supports CUDIMM and non-ECC unbuffered memory
M.2 slotsTwo M.2 slots: M2A_CPU (PCIe 4.0 x4 with Ryzen 5000/3000, PCIe 3.0 x4 with G-Series; 2242/2260/2280/22110; SATA or NVMe) and M2B_SB (chipset, PCIe 3.0 x2; 2242/2260/2280)4 x M.2 slots: M.2_1 PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU), M.2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU), M.2_3 PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset), M.2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4 or SATA (chipset); separate Key-E slot for the Wi-Fi module
PCIe slotsOne PCIEX16 slot from CPU (PCIe 4.0 x16 with Ryzen 5000/3000, 3.0 with G-Series); one x16-length slot wired PCIe 3.0 x4 from chipset; one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot; no PCIe 5.0PCI_E1 PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU); PCI_E2 and PCI_E3 PCIe 4.0 x4 each (chipset)
NetworkingRealtek GbE LAN, 1 Gbps; no 2.5GbE; no Wi-Fi on this non-AX revisionIntel Killer E5000B 5Gbps LAN; Intel Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4
Rear USBRear: 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 from CPU, 4 × USB 2.0/1.1; no rear USB-C, no USB4. Internal: 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, 1 × USB 2.0 header; no front USB-C headerRear: 3 x USB 10Gbps Type-A, 4 x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 1 x USB 10Gbps Type-C, 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (up to 40Gbps); front: 1 x 20Gbps Type-C with USB PD 27W, 2 x 5Gbps Type-A, 4 x USB 2.0 headers

Strengths and weaknesses

GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE

  • + PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot wired to the CPU
  • + Q-Flash Plus updates BIOS without a CPU installed
  • + Owners report easy BIOS access and good memory compatibility
  • − Only 1GbE and no Wi-Fi on this non-AX revision
  • − No rear USB-C and no front USB-C header
  • − Owners report too few fan headers

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want 2.5GbE or Wi-Fi without adding a card or choosing the AX model
  • Builders who need a front USB-C header or rear USB-C for their case and peripherals
  • Anyone planning a high-wattage Ryzen build beyond the 65W to 95W range the Vividrepairs review describes
Read the full GIGABYTE B550M AORUS ELITE review ›

MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI

  • + 5Gbps LAN, Wi-Fi 7 and two Thunderbolt 4 ports
  • + Front 20Gbps USB-C header with 27W USB PD
  • + Four M.2 slots, one of them PCIe 5.0
  • − Owners report hot VRMs with no active cooling
  • − No onboard power or reset buttons
  • − No RGB lighting

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want several PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots for multiple Gen 5 drives.
  • Builders who want RGB lighting on the motherboard.
  • Open-bench or test-rig users who want onboard power and reset buttons.
Read the full MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI review ›

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