MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ vs MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI scores 7.5/10 overall, ahead of the MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ at 6.6/10.

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

The MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity, power delivery and value.

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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MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI

7.5/10verdict: buy

This board is for AM5 builders who want a full-size ATX B850 platform with 80A power stages and 5Gbps networking. It suits people planning a high-end Ryzen chip, including the 9950X3D, which one reviewer says the VRM can handle at stock limits. Buyers who need USB4 or more than one Gen5 NVMe slot should read the limits below first.

Typically about £189.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ	MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI
Platform and features	25%	6/10	7/10
Connectivity	25%	7/10	8/10
Power delivery	20%	7/10	8/10
BIOS and support	15%	7/10	6/10
Value	15%	6/10	8/10
Overall		6.6/10	7.5/10

Specifications

Spec	MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI PZ	MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI
Socket	AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series desktop processors	AMD Socket AM5
Chipset	AMD B850	AMD B850
Form factor	ATX, 243.84 x 304.8 mm	ATX
Memory	DDR5, 4 DIMM slots, up to 256 GB maximum	DDR5, 4 DIMM slots, dual channel, up to 256GB, DDR5-8200+ MT/s (OC)
M.2 slots	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.	3 slots: 1x M.2 Gen5 x4 (CPU-sourced), 2x M.2 Gen4 x4
PCIe slots	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	1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x PCIe 3.0 x1
Networking	Wi-Fi 7 and 5G LAN (Realtek 8126VB 5 Gbps wired, per MSI's spec page for the non-PZ sibling)	Realtek 5G LAN (5Gbps), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Rear USB	Rear: one USB-C 10 Gb/s port per a PZ review (MSI's sibling spec lists two); front USB 5Gbps Type-C header	1x USB 20Gbps Type-C, 4x USB 10Gbps (2 Type-A, 2 Type-C), 4x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 8x USB 2.0; no USB4

Strengths and weaknesses

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 ›

MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI

+ 5Gbps LAN and Wi-Fi 7 included
+ 14+2+1 phase VRM with 80A power stages
+ Rear Flash BIOS button
− No USB4
− Only one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot
− Just one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot

Skip it if:

Buyers who need USB4 for docks or external GPU enclosures
Builders planning several PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives
Anyone wanting a smaller micro-ATX or mini-ITX board

Read the full MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK WIFI review ›

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