I've been overspending on motherboards for years. What I learned from MSI's latest MAG X870E board

The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell, and the motherboard is the heart of a PC. It is the central bridge through which each crucial component works together in the grand orchestra of running your PC day to day. Selecting the right canvas upon which to paint your masterpiece is an integral part of the finished product, and with the sheer number of motherboards and chipsets available today, selecting one can seem totally overwhelming. Over the last month, I’ve been running MSI’s latest X870E motherboard in their MAG lineup, which tends to be their most value-focused suite of products.

The MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi proved to be just about all I could ask for in a current motherboard and probably fits the bill in some 90% of builds using AM5 CPUs. Testing this board taught me that I have overpaid for every past motherboard, including some from MSI, because I feared the value-oriented “MAG” line would be insufficient for my needs. I was sorely mistaken.

About this review: MSI sent me the MAG X870E Tomawahk Wi-Fi for the purposes of this review. The company had no input into its contents.

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi pricing and availability

The MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi is available now at major online retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, as well as specialty stores like Micro Center. The board retails for just $300 — an excellent value considering that many X870E chipset boards with essentially identical performance and features retail for $500 and above, including MSI’s own MPG line version of the board.

Easy installation of core components

Fast-release buttons, M.2 clips, and BIOS buttons make for a simple setup

Identical chipsets provide fairly similar performance across different brands and board models. Sometimes, the physical design of the board itself helps a particular model stand out. In this case, the thoughtful approach to installing core components on the MAG X870E Tomahawk is a welcome touch in a crowded market. Carefully seating and installing important parts like the GPU can be nerve-wracking as you’re pushing and pressing on some of the most expensive and irreplaceable pieces of your PC.

This makes installing or removing the primary SSD an absolute breeze, without so much as a screwdriver required.

The main PCIe slot on this board features an “EZ Release” system that uses a spring-loaded button to engage or disengage a latch that locks onto your GPU’s PCIe connector. The primary M.2 slot features a similarly convenient design. Underneath the heatsink, you’ll find a movable clip that holds your M.2 SSD in place, as opposed to a screw hole. This makes installing or removing the primary SSD an absolute breeze, without so much as a screwdriver required. If, for whatever reason, you want the “EZ M.2 Clip” moved to another M.2 slot on your board, MSI includes a key tool that allows you to do just that with ease.

The memory slots and CPU socket on this board are fairly standard. They have clips to secure your RAM in place and a lever to lock the CPU into place without damaging any pins.

Performance at fair value

M.2 slots, power phase design, and PCIe 5.0 are best in class

With four M.2 slots in total — two directly connected to the CPU that support PCIe 5.0 speeds and two from the chipset that top out at PCIe 4.0 — the MAG X870E Tomahawk is expandable to as much storage as most people could ever need, with blazing-fast speeds to match. A 14+2+1 power phase design means the board is ready for some generous overclocking. While it doesn’t pump quite as much power to the CPU as ultra-high-end motherboards, the power phases and 80A smart power stage are ready to take on most of today’s high-powered gaming CPUs.

If you’re willing to run single-rank memory along with a 9000 series Ryzen CPU, you can reach speeds of up to 8400 MT/s.

I’ve been testing this motherboard with some Crucial Pro DDR5-6400 memory, a 9800X3D processor from AMD, and my trusty old RTX 3080 graphics card that hasn’t failed me yet (knock on wood). With a Ryzen 9000 processor installed, the MAG X870E Tomahawk supports memory speeds up to 6400 MT/s when using dual-rank memory at one DIMM per channel. Enabling EXPO in the BIOS took only a few keystrokes, and my memory ran steadily at 6400 MT/s. If you’re willing to run single-rank memory along with a 9000 series Ryzen CPU, you can reach speeds of up to 8400 MT/s.

The MAG X870E has three PCIe slots, each for 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0, respectively. This is more than adequate for a high-powered GPU and some third-party adapters for years to come, but it isn’t suited for a dual-GPU setup since it lacks a second PCIe 5.0 slot typically found on higher-end motherboards. However, users shouldn’t be missing much since the board supports 5G LAN and Wi-Fi 7 out of the box and boasts an impressive ACL4080 audio processor and dedicated headphone amplifier that are audiophile-ready.

Benchmark all-star

The MAG X870E Tomahawk’s power delivery had no issues running a stable EXPO profile and maintaining my Crucial Pro memory’s 3200.1 MHz clock speed, achieving its full effective 6400 MT/s potential. When benchmarking the Crucial Pro on this board, I recorded 88.4 GB/s read, 64.3 GB/s write, and 89 GB/s mixed bandwidth.

These are solidly toward the bottom end of normal, and it’s clear the board’s stock settings play it extra safe with the CPU.

My Ryzen 9800X3D achieved stable performance on this board, holding steady at its expected 4,700 MHz clock speed with turbo spikes to 5,000 MHz when pushed. What’s more impressive, considering the toasty temps at which the 9800X3D runs, is that the VRM temps on the board remained cool throughout benchmarking, staying between 42-48 degrees Celsius. The CPU itself held at the expected 95 degrees Celsius with zero thermal throttling events during testing. The CPU was cooled by MSI’s MAG Coreliquid A15 360, whose 360mm radiator and triple-fan design were more than up to the task. It kept my temps well in check when under load and did so quietly, thanks to a pump that maxes out at 20dBA.

I used Geekbench to get single-core and multi-core benchmarks, and the results showed a thoughtful approach to the MAG’s handling of CPUs. After ensuring both the BIOS and AMD chipset drivers were up-to-date, I benchmarked the CPU with PBO turned off and memory OC turned off. Geekbench hit a single-core score of 3076 and a multi-core score of 15387.

These are solidly toward the bottom end of normal, and it’s clear the board’s stock settings play it extra safe with the CPU. Once PBO was turned on and memory EXPO enabled, the scores rose considerably to 3269 for single-core and 18141 for multi-core. So for those seeking extra performance out of their CPUs while maintaining stability under load, MSI’s Precision Boost Overdrive does the job.

I should note that changing OC settings was a breeze in MSI’s easy-to-use BIOS menus. For those unwilling to tinker deeper, MSI provides EXPO profiles and Game Boost auto CPU overclocking out of the box. These provide stable options without too much risk.

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Creature comforts at a great price

Impressive specs and future proofing for just a $300 MSRP

As you might have noticed, one of my favorite things about the MAG X870E Tomahawk is its value. Gaming and working on this board over the past month has really highlighted for me just how much people overpay for motherboards, and I’m including other MSI boards in that statement. My last board personally was an MPG B550, but had I realized how much value MSI extracts out of the MAG lineup, I wouldn’t have splurged for the MPG.

The EZ Debug LEDs and EZ Digi-Debug LED display also make troubleshooting a breeze.

Just in terms of future-proofing, this MAG board comes loaded with memory support for speeds of up to 8400 MT/s, 5G LAN hookup, two Gen 5 M.2 slots, two 40GB USB-C ports, and Wi-Fi 7 support. Those features alone will buy you years of upgrades because, to be honest, most of us are not there yet, and many of us won’t have Wi-Fi 7 routers, Gen 5 SSDs, and 5G internet for years.

PC building for me is about achieving efficiency for my future self, meaning when I put a new build together, I want each component to last as long as possible, and then the build itself to be as upgrade-friendly as possible for as long as possible. Seeing as AM5 will be supported through at least 2027, and since, truthfully, most of us don’t buy a next-gen socket CPU the second they first release, you can easily get five years or more out of this board.

Lastly, I just want to shout out the two little buttons on the rear I/O panel — one for flashing the BIOS and one for clearing the CMOS. These have already come in handy and make life a lot easier. The EZ Debug LEDs and EZ Digi-Debug LED display also make troubleshooting a breeze by throwing up error codes that can then be matched to the manual or Googled. More advanced boards have actual displays for these, but frankly, the codes are good enough. Another example of value vs. overpaying.

Should you buy the MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi?

You should buy the MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-F if:

• You enjoy excellent value in a motherboard
• You want a motherboard that can grow with your build for years

You should NOT buy the MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-F if:

• You prefer super-charged builds with dual GPUs
• You are a PCIe slot addict

Save your hard-earned cash for your CPU and GPU, and don’t blow $500 or $1,000 on a motherboard. The MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi offers excellent value with a rich feature set and impressive performance for its price. It’s perhaps a representation of how far boards have come and how efficient modern chipsets can be.

MSI, ASUS, and Gigabyte will all sell you a super high-end motherboard worthy of a $10,000 build, but that’s totally unnecessary for 99% of builders and budgets. The board’s support of the newest storage, network, and memory formats ensures a long lifespan for a modest investment.

Best value AMD motherboard

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi

The MAG X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi is MSI’s latest mid-range gaming motherboard for AM5 CPUs, and offers rich functionality at an excellent value. This board will meet or exceed the needs of most PC builders assembling all but the most powerful gaming and workstations. 

Pros & Cons

• Two Gen 5 M.2 slots
• Wi-Fi 7 support
• 14+2+1 Power Phases
• Easy install systems and debug LED

• Limited PCIe slots
• Higher-end boards offer more USB ports