MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WiFi Motherboard Review

How Much Does It Cost?

The MSI Intel MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX Motherboard is available now for just £309.98. However, if you wanted to spend a little more, you can get the MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR5 ATX Motherboard instead. However, keep in mind you’ll need some new memory if you’re upgrading from an older platform. It’s not a cheap motherboard, but it does have a lot of heatsinks and connectivity that are going to be worthy investments for more enthusiast-focused users.

Overview

I really like this motherboard, as it’s gone a really aggressive yet somehow understated aesthetic that should look great in virtually any high-end PC build. However, as aesthetically pleasing as it is, all those heatsinks are practical too, ensuring that the plethora of M.2 mounts can deliver better performance. For most gamers, this won’t matter that much, but if you’re running a bunch of M.2 in RAID and dealing with some rendering projects, it could certainly pay off.

It is interesting that this motherboard comes in both DDR4 and DDR5 variants, and that there’s virtually no other difference between them. Most impressively, it was surprisingly competitive with DDR5 motherboards in most of our testing, especially when it comes to CPU-heavy rendering tasks and gaming. However, there are a few more calculation-based processes where faster memory can be an advantage, but if you’re just cruising reddit, playing CS:GO and watching Netflix… yeah, DDR4 will do just fine.

The overall connectivity does push the price up on this motherboard, so unless you really need 4 x M.2 slots, USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type-C, and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps Type-C, a lower-end model could save you a significant amount of money without compromising on the CPU performance; those Type-C 20Gbps ports alone add a lot of cost. That being said, PCIe Gen 5, Gen 4 M.2, and the latest and greatest USB formats, 2.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6E are killer features for those who move around a lot of large files.

Should I Buy One?

With the DDR4 motherboard coming in a little cheaper, it’s a great option for those wanting to upgrade as you can likely use your old memory kit on the newer motherboard, and the performance is clearly still very good. However, memory prices are extremely favourable right now, so if you do upgrade, perhaps look at the DDR5 kit anyway, it’s a good time to do it! Whichever you choose though, this is one of the best-looking motherboards out there, with really fantastic connectivity and competitive performance all-round.