MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Motherboard Review

Peter Donnell November 4, 2021Last Updated: November 4, 2021

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The Z690 launch is here at last, and MSI certainly has a fair few motherboards hitting the market today. Actually, so do most brands, with around 90 new models being launched today! The Tomahawk is a late addition for us, as I didn’t actually have it to hand for last weeks preview, so let me bring you up to speed! It features the new LGA1700 socket, meaning it’s ready for the new Intel 12th Gen processors. The new motherboards can take either DDR4 or DDR5, and MSI has kept to the DDR4 standard for this board, which is fine with me, as it’ll be a huge saving not needing new RAM. However, you still get PCIe 5.0 and M.2 Gen 4, so it’s not like you’re missing out on all of the fun.

MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4

While this is one of the more affordable Z690 gaming motherboards we’ve got in the office, it’s still pretty well equipped. It’s more on the high-end of the mid-range motherboards. Thankfully, that should be reflected with a reasonable price tag too. It’ll make good use of DDR4, support speeds of up to 5200 MHz. There’s a decent 16+1+1 Duet Rail Power Stage design, with PWM IC and a 70A Smart Power Stage. However, it’s the connectivity that looks even better, with PCIe Gen 5 and Gen 4 support, the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, Audio Boost 5, 2.5 Gbps LAN and the ultra-fast Intel Wi-Fi 6.

Features

Supports 12th Gen Intel^® Core™, Pentium^® Gold and Celeron^® processors for LGA 1700 socket
Supports DDR4 Memory, up to 5200(OC) MHz
Premium Thermal Solution: Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system and non-stop works
2.5G LAN and Intel Wi-Fi Solution: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable and fast network connection
Lightning M.2: Running at PCIe Gen 5 maximizes performance for NVMe based SSDs
Lightning USB 20G: Built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, offers 20Gbps transmission speed, 4X faster than USB 3.2 Gen 1
AUDIO BOOST 5: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience
Multi-GPU: With Steel armor PCIe slots. Supports AMD Crossfire™

For in-depth specifications, please visit the official MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 product page here.