MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI review

The MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI is an ATX board for socket AM5 on the AMD X870 chipset. It supports Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series desktop CPUs. It is X870, not X870E. The specification puts its weight on connectivity, storage and power delivery. That suits a build around a fast Ryzen chip with several drives and quick external storage.

The main graphics slot, PCI_E1, runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 straight from the CPU. There are four M.2 slots. M.2_1 and M.2_2 come from the CPU at PCIe 5.0 x4. M.2_3 runs at PCIe 4.0 x2 and M.2_4 at PCIe 4.0 x4, both from the chipset. That gives two PCIe 5.0 drive slots and two PCIe 4.0 slots.

There is one catch. M.2_2 shares bandwidth with the rear USB4 ports. Anyone planning two PCIe 5.0 drives and heavy USB4 use should plan how those will share the lanes.

The board has three physical x16 slots, but only the first is full speed. PCI_E2 is PCIe 3.0 x1 from the chipset. PCI_E3 is PCIe 4.0 x4 from the chipset and drops to x2 when M.2_3 is populated. With one CPU-fed slot and two chipset slots that are narrower or shared, it suits a single graphics card plus drives better than a build with several add-in cards.

Memory is four DDR5 UDIMM slots, up to 256GB, non-ECC unbuffered only. JEDEC speeds run from 5600 to 4800 MT/s, and overclocked profiles cover 8400 to 5600 MT/s. Onboard video comes from an HDMI 2.1 port and two Type-C DisplayPort outputs. These only work with CPUs that have integrated graphics.

The board has 12 rear ports: four USB 2.0, three USB 5Gbps Type-A, two USB 10Gbps Type-A, one USB 10Gbps Type-C and two USB 40Gbps Type-C (USB4). On the front, there is a 20Gbps Type-C header and four 5Gbps Type-A connections.

Networking is a Realtek 8126-CG 5G LAN port. Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4 comes pre-installed in the M.2 Key-E slot, so no separate card is needed. For fast external drives, docks and a modern case with a front Type-C port, the spec sheet covers the common needs.

The CPU feed is a 14+2+1 digital phase design with 80A Smart Power Stages and dual CPU power connectors. Tech4Gamers reports VRM peaks of 54°C and says the board can handle any Ryzen 9000 CPU. Given the phase count, the 80A stages and the reported temperature, it looks suited to the top chips in the Ryzen 9000 range rather than only mid-range parts.

This is where owner feedback turns negative. Some owners report boards that fail to reach the BIOS or Windows after a firmware update, looping until a card is removed or the CMOS is cleared. Even so, anyone buying should be ready to update carefully and know how to clear the CMOS.

MSI itself notes that some CPUs may fail to boot with certain CUDIMM setups. It says future BIOS updates will improve compatibility. If you plan to use CUDIMM memory, that note matters more than the headline memory speeds.

It suits someone building a high-end Ryzen 9000 system who values USB4, a 20Gbps front header, Wi-Fi 7 and 5G LAN, and who needs only one fast expansion card. The shared M.2_2 and USB4 bandwidth, the shrinking PCI_E3 and the BIOS reports are the points to weigh before buying.