Motherboards for the AMD platform continue to delight fans of the AM5 platform. MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI is one of the representatives of the new generation based on the X870E chipset. This model belongs to the MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) series, which traditionally balances functionality, design, and price. In this editorial review, we’ll take a look at what this board offers, how it behaves in real-world conditions, and whether it’s worthy of attention against the competition.
Content
| Format | ATX |
| Socket | AMD AM5 |
| Chipset | AMD X870E |
| Power supply phases | 17 (14+2+1) |
| RAM | 4 x DDR5 |
| Max. amount of RAM | 256 GB |
| Max. frequency of RAM | 8400 MHz |
| Video outputs | 1 x HDMI 2.1 |
| LAN controller | 1 x Realtek RTL8126-CG |
| Wireless interfaces | Wi-Fi 7 802.11be (2.4, 5, 6 GHz) |
| Bluetooth 5.4 | |
| PCI-E x16 connectors | 1 x PCI Express 5.0 x16 |
| 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x1) | |
| 1 x PCI Express 4.0 x16 (x4) | |
| M2 connectors | 1 x M.2 Socket 3 (M.2 2280-22110; PCIe 5.0 x4) |
| 1 x M.2 Socket 3 (M.2 2260-2280; PCIe 5.0 x4 | |
| 1 x M.2 Socket 3 (M.2 2260-2280; PCIe 4.0 x2) | |
| 1 x M.2 Socket 3 (M.2 2260-2280; PCIe 4.0 x4) | |
| SATA connectors | 4 x SATA 6 Gbps |
| USB (External ports, rear) | 2 x USB 4 (Type-C) |
| 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) | |
| 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) | |
| 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) | |
| 4 x USB 2.0 Type-A | |
| USB (Internal ports, onboard) | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (supports USB Type-C) |
| 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (supports 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1) | |
| 2 x USB 2.0 (supports 4 x USB 2.0) | |
| Sound | 7.1 Realtek ALC4080 |
| Illumination | 3 x ARGB LED |
| 1 x RGB LED | |
| Processor power supply | 8 + 8 pin |
| Power supply for coolers | 7 x 4 pin |
| Dimensions | 305 × 244 mm |
| Additionally | Diagnostic LED indicator |
| USB flash drive with drivers | |
| EZ M.2 II mount | |
| Dismantling wrench EZ M.2 II | |
| Flash BIOS, Clear CMOS keys | |
| Front panel extension | |
| MSI EZ Conn cable |
System configuration:
The package includes everything you need for basic use:
The number of SATA cables could have been higher, but this is in line with current trends where M.2 drives are becoming the mainstream choice.
The black matte PCB with eight layers of metallization and 2 ounces of copper per layer ensures rigidity and durability. The design of the heatsinks and the accents in the form of yellow and green lettering fit into the aesthetics of the Tomahawk series.
There is no backlight, which may upset RGB fans, but for those who appreciate minimalism, this is more of a plus. The aluminum radiators for the VRM, chipset, and M.2 drives look massive and are covered with matte black paint. The back of the board is almost empty, except for markers for the case bushings and ceramic capacitors.
MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI boasts a good set of interfaces, making it one of the most versatile boards in its class. On the rear panel, there is a whole arsenal of ports that will satisfy the needs of both enthusiasts and ordinary users.
There are two USB 4 ports with DisplayPort support and speeds of up to 40Gbps, allowing you to connect modern peripherals and even external monitors. They are complemented by four USB 2.0 ports for basic accessories, two USB 3.2 Gen2 and one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C ports for high-speed data transfer, and three USB 3.2 Gen1 ports for universal use.
This diversity provides flexibility in connectivity, although port locations may require some cable management planning to avoid confusion.
MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI features an RJ-45 port with support for speeds up to 5 Gbps based on the Realtek RTL8126 controller, which is well suited for users with high-speed Internet connections. The MediaTek MT7925 wireless module supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, providing the most advanced wireless standards. For audio, there are two minijack jacks and an optical output, which, together with the Realtek ALC4080 codec, provide high-quality audio for the embedded solution
HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs allow you to use the built-in graphics of Ryzen processors if you don’t have a discrete graphics card. Two buttons — for updating the BIOS (Flash BIOS) and resetting the settings (ClrCMOS), as well as two connectors for Wi-Fi antennas complete the set.
The MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI has four M.2 slots, each of which is equipped with a heatsink for cooling the drives. Two of the slots support PCIe 5.0 (depending on the installed processor), and the rest work in PCIe 4.0 mode. It’s important to note that to fully utilize the second PCIe 5.0 slot, you must disable the USB 4 ports via the shared PCIe lines — a trade-off that many X870E chipset boards face.
The four SATA 6Gbps ports are located on the right side and are angled to facilitate connection in tight enclosures. There are eight 4-pin fan ports distributed around the perimeter of the board, allowing for efficient cooling even in complex configurations.
The MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI’s expansion slots include a main PCIe x16 Gen5 slot reinforced with a metal bezel for added durability, with a convenient EZ Release mechanism for easy video card removal. The two additional PCIe x16 slots are limited to Gen4 x4 and Gen4 x1, which is suitable for connecting additional expansion cards such as sound or network adapters. The only thing that is not clear is why a full-size version of such a slow interface was needed here.
There are four connectors for backlighting (three addressable and one 12V), although the board itself does not have built-in RGB, which can be both an advantage for minimalists and a disadvantage for those who like visual effects.
MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI’s power subsystem is one of the strongest aspects of this board. The 14+2+1 circuit with Monolithic Power Systems MP87670 transistor assemblies is capable of withstanding loads of up to 80A per channel. This gives you confidence in stability even when overclocking modern Ryzen processors.
The two massive VRM heatsinks effectively dissipate heat, although the lack of heat pipes between them can limit efficiency under extreme loads. An additional 8-pin power connector for the PCIe slot on the bottom of the board provides stability when using power-hungry graphics cards.
The software for MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI includes both the UEFI BIOS and operating system utilities, which together provide a certain flexibility in system configuration and management. The UEFI BIOS, known as CLICK BIOS X, has an updated visual style, although the basic functionality remains familiar to users of previous generations of MSI boards
The interface is divided into two main modes: EZ Mode for quick access to basic settings and Advanced Mode for detailed configuration. In EZ Mode, you can easily customize the boot order, activate AMD EXPO memory profiles for automatic DDR5 overclocking, enable Precision Boost Overdrive to boost CPU performance, or even customize NPU (neural processor) overclocking on select Ryzen models. All of this is done with just a few clicks, which is ideal for beginners or those who don’t want to delve into the details.
Advanced Mode provides access to detailed settings for voltage, frequency, memory timings, and cooling curves. Here you can find tools to monitor temperature, voltage, and fan speed, and customize fan behavior based on load.
The change tracking feature shows a list of all the changes you’ve made before saving and exiting the BIOS. This helps to avoid mistakes, especially when the setup takes a long time or numerous changes are made. It’s also worth noting the stability of the BIOS: even during overclocking experiments, the board rarely needed to reset the settings via the ClrCMOS button.
There are several ways to update the BIOS in MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK Wi-Fi. The M-Flash utility allows you to do it from a flash drive directly in the BIOS interface, which is a simple and convenient solution. The process takes a few minutes: just download the latest firmware version from the official MSI website, unpack it on a flash drive, connect it to the board and select the appropriate item in the BIOS
An alternative method is to use the Flash BIOS button on the rear panel. This method does not require the installation of a processor or memory, which is especially convenient when you first start up or in case of compatibility issues. All you need to do is connect the power supply and a flash drive with the firmware, and the board will perform the update on its own. MSI provides detailed instructions for this process, making it accessible even for less experienced users.
For Windows, the MSI Center utility is available, which combines several functions: driver updates, system monitoring, backlight control (if RGB devices are connected), and performance tuning
The program interface is visually pleasing, but sometimes it seems to be overloaded with additional functions that are not always necessary. For example, a module for game optimization or integration with cloud services can be useful only for a narrow range of users
However, the temperature, voltage, and fan speed monitoring functions work correctly, allowing you to monitor the system in real time. MSI Center also offers automatic driver installation, which simplifies the initial setup after installing the operating system
The software in the MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI worked correctly during the tests, although for advanced users who prefer manual configuration through the BIOS, MSI Center may seem superfluous.
In the tests, MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI showed stable results. In synthetic benchmarks such as Cinebench R23, AIDA64 and 3DMark, the performance of the system with Ryzen 7 9700X was on par with similar configurations on X670E or X870 boards
The speed of the M.2 drives in the PCIe 5.0 slots will definitely appeal to those who like fast boot times, although it took about 31 seconds to fully boot Windows 11, and POS — 16 seconds.
Unfortunately, in order to use the second Gen5 slot, you have to disable the USB 4 ports via the shared PCIe lines.
M.2 connectors delivered the following results with the Kingston FURY Renegade 3D NAND TLC 4TB:
The power consumption of the processor in normal mode is about 90 W, although the board can independently increase this figure to ensure stability. During stress tests with the UEFI setting enabled (TDP up to 105 W), the consumption reached 138-141 W, but the cooling system coped without any problems
The temperature of the VRM in MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI reached 52°C, and the hottest spot was the chipset heatsink, where it reached 60°C under prolonged load
Assembling the system with MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI was easy. There is enough space around the AM5 socket to install large coolers, and the dual latches on the memory slots make installation easy. The EZ Release mechanisms for the main PCIe slot and some M.2 slots make it easy to work with components, although the location of the two M.2 slots under the video card can be inconvenient when using thick drives with their own heat sinks.
The first startup, BIOS setup, and updates went smoothly, and Windows 11 installed without a hitch. The system stability during tests and everyday use, including gaming and working with resource-intensive programs, did not cause any complaints. The only caveat is the need to carefully read the documentation on the distribution of PCIe lines between M.2 slots and USB 4 ports to avoid performance surprises. The sound subsystem based on Realtek ALC4080 provided quite clear sound even at maximum volume, which is nice for a built-in solution.
Price MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI is 15,699 UAH, but it is 800 UAH more expensive than the model MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI which differs only in the speed of one M.2 slot (Gen4x2 instead of Gen4x4).
Compared to the previous generation (X670E), the move to the X870E doesn’t seem revolutionary. Support for newer processors and memory is available on older boards after a BIOS update, and functionality gains such as USB 4 often depend on external controllers.
So, for X670E owners, the upgrade may not be justified, but for those who are building a new system, MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI looks like an attractive option due to the balance of price and features.