MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard Review

How Much Does It Cost?

The MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard is available now from Amazon, priced at £299.99 at the time of writing. That’s obviously not a cheap motherboard, but it’s about what I expected given that Z890 is a high-end chipset, and it’s certainly a lot cheaper than some of the more extreme boards from ASUS, Gigabyte, and others, and even MSI themselves. Many high-end boards will have prices north of £500 while the most extreme flagship boards are going to be £1000+, so in the grand scheme of things, ££299.99 is a bit of a bargain, assuming the TOMAHAWK meets all your requirements for I/O and connectivity.

Conclusion

The MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard offers a compelling blend of performance, features, and value for those looking to build a powerful system with Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors. It supports the LGA 1851 socket and allows for high-speed DDR5 memory, capable of reaching 9200+ MT/s when overclocked. So keep in mind this is a board only for the new Intel processors, and not any previous generations, and it’s unlikely you have ultra-fast DDR5 which is recommended for these CPUs and motherboards, so it could be time for a full system upgrade if you’re making the leap.

VRM

The “Ultra Performance” design includes a robust 16+1+1+1 Duet Rail Power System with 90A Smart Power Stages (SPS). This VRM setup ensures stable and reliable power delivery to the CPU, even under demanding loads. Dual 8-pin CPU power connectors further solidify its ability to handle power-hungry processors, which is easier since the new generation of CPUs is more efficient than previous models.

Cooling

MSI incorporates its “Frozr Guard” thermal design to keep temperatures in check. This includes an extended heatsink to effectively dissipate heat from the VRM, 7W/mK MOSFET thermal pads for efficient heat transfer, and additional choke thermal pads to prevent overheating. The EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II further enhances cooling for your M.2 SSDs, ensuring consistent storage performance. It may not be the most extreme motherboard, but I love the attention to reliability and quality where it matters.

Connectivity

True to its name, the TOMAHAWK WIFI provides excellent connectivity options. You get a Thunderbolt 4 port for high-speed peripherals and data transfer, plus the latest Intel Killer 5G LAN and Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 solution for blazing-fast, stable, and secure networking. This means those of you with extreme internet speeds can really take full advantage of it, as well as deal with faster network storage devices at home or in the office.

Gaming

For gamers, the inclusion of a PCIe 5.0 slot and Lightning Gen 5 x4 M.2 slot ensures you can enjoy the advantages of the latest graphics cards for a great gaming experience, and storage devices for ultra-fast loading times. It’s unlikely many of you will need more than one GPU and one Gen5 M.2, so the TOMAHAWK fits the bill perfectly. Plus with Audio Boost 4, you can expect high-quality, immersive sound for your gaming and media consumption too.

Should I Buy One?

I’m a long-time fan of the TOMAHAWK series, having bought many of them over the years, they fit a sweet spot of price, performance and connectivity that appeals to a large number of consumers. Sure, we may all want the more extreme models, but few of us truly need them, and you’re mostly paying big money for more connectivity, rather than more performance from the CPU. MSI has also made the TOMAHAWK WIFI easy to build with, thanks to “EZ DIY” features like the EZ PCIe Release, EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II, and EZ M.2 Clip II. These features simplify installation and upgrades, making it a great choice for both novice and experienced builders. Overall, a great package at a price that’s simply too hard to ignore. Highly recommended.