msiMAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi Gaming Motherboard (AMD Ryzen 9000/8000/7000 Series Processors, AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, M.2 Gen5, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 40Gbps, HDMI/DP, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, 5Gbps LAN, ATX)

I chose the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI specifically for my VR content creation, streaming, and home network PC, and it has exceeded my expectations. This is my fourth AMD build since 2021 & this board feels like a high-end motherboard, yet it’s available for under $300, which is incredible given the features it packs.Why I Picked This Board:🔹 Lower PCIe 16x4 Lane for My Capture Card – The single-chipset controller allows for a lower latency for my Elgato 4K Pro, whereas the X870E version routes through two lane controllers, making this board the better choice for my streaming needs.🔹 LED Debug Code – Typically found on $500+ X670E motherboards, this sub-$300 board includes an LED debug display, making troubleshooting and system monitoring far easier. The last thing I want to do is spend hours troubleshooting.🔹 Clear CMOS & BIOS Flashback – Essential for Tweaking – Having both Clear CMOS and BIOS Flashback buttons on the rear I/O was a must-have for me. These features make updating or troubleshooting easy-peasy.Performance & Features:✅ Handles High-End Hardware – Running a Ryzen 9 7950X, 2x16GB DDR5 6000 CL30, Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420mm, RM750X PSU, and an Inland Performance Plus 2TB NVMe SSD, this motherboard delivers rock-solid performance for streaming, video editing, content creation & everyday workloads.✅ EZ M.2 Heatsink – Installing my NVMe SSD was incredibly easy thanks to the tool free EZ M.2 heatsink, which securely locks the drive in place. A small quality-of-life feature that is greatly appreciated.✅ Networking – 5G LAN and a single-chipset design ensure fast and reliable connectivity, perfect for my home network & high quality live streaming.✅ USB 4 – Having USB 4 support is a plus, especially since I plan to use this for many years to come. With new VR headsets and accessories launching constantly, it's just a matter of time before it becomes a necessity. This ensures maximum compatibility for next-gen devices.✅ No RGB – The lack of onboard RGB was actually a positive for me, as I built a No-RGB system with the Fractal North XL for a clean, minimalist look.Final Thoughts:I can’t believe how feature-rich this motherboard is for the price. It delivers high-end performance, premium features, and all for under $300. Whether you're a content creator, top 1% streamer, or power user, the X870 TOMAHAWK is hands down one of the best bang-for-your-buck AM5 motherboards available. Highly recommended!

Fully sized ATX board that came with a very current bios, only 3 months old, currently 15 April 2025. This is the heaviest mobo I’ve ever held! The heats sinks are unbelievable and detailed. All four M.2 slots have heat sinks, easy access button to unlock the GPU slot. Top level build quality! Be aware this does need a newer power supply just to cover all the power the board needs. It takes two 8 pins for CPU power, the normal 24 pin for main power and a 8 pin for supplemental power to the PCI slot. So far it’s great!

UPDATE: I ended up sending a ticket to MSI to see if they could fix the WiFi issue, after some back and forth, their solution was to buy a WiFi extended. The "fix" comes after them knowing my computer is less than 20 feet from the router. I returned it after that message and bought a Gigabyte x870 Elite WiFi 7. Haven't had a single issue with it since. Used to use MSI but after that motherboard I'll be returning to other brands that don't sell garbage.Where to start, I have built multiple computers and for the most part, don't have many issues. However, with this motherboard it has been nothing BUT issues. I was drawn towards this one because of its high reviews and MSI generally has a good name.However, I cannot recommend this motherboard any less. To begin off, this motherboard takes on average 1 minute to boot past the MSI logo. This is with OC RAM, some people have had better luck with out of the box RAM. This product should truthfully be labeled as "beta testing" and should not have a price tag of 300 dollars.Currently experienced bugs/issues:-EZ Debug constantly showing code 08 - "System Agent initialization after microcode loading" from MSI forums, this is a known issue that can only be solved by downloading a beta version BIOS update. Which one user stated that they lost all USB 2.0 connections after installing this-Motherboard does not detect some RGB components after waking up from a sleep mode. For instance the fans will still function normally but the LED's will not come back on. OpenRGB will not detect the components after the computer has been woken up from sleep. To fix this issue, you must restart the computer and make sure it doesn't go to sleep.-WiFi, it claims "WiFi 7 has ultimate low latency" I just upgraded this motherboard and now I am getting consistent packet drops, nearly every 2 - 3 minutes the ping will spike to 2000+ then immediately drop down to 20-40. Not sure if this is a hardware issue or a driver issue, doesn't matter either way. Having a disconnection like this is very disruptive for gaming. I have not been able to try ethernet cable, so I can't say if that does or does not work.-When this board comes in, it does not come with the wifi drivers, therefore you must already have a device that can download the driver then transfer it to a usb driver to install-Over 1 minute boot up times from the press of the power button-MSI bloatware known as MSI center, also it will try and install Norton Antivirus - another baffling decision from MSI-The wifi connection is not the industry standard RP-SMA, female to male connection. It is a plug-in type with the option to install adapters. If you want to use a wifi antenna that isn't the one that comes in a box, you will need to buy adapters. Most aftermarket on amazon use the RP-SMA female to male.In the box with the motherboard there is an incentive to review this motherboard, that is probably why there are so many 5 star reviews. This is in no way a good gaming motherboard, maybe I just got a bad board, but with all the issues above, I will be promptly returning this and buying something that doesn't make me feel like I work at a QA department. I did not buy a motherboard so I could tinker with the BIOS settings and installing/repairing drivers.

Product reviewPROS- AM5 ready and 4 slots of SSD Card space- Smooth design and built in thermos control on SSD and back panels.- Plenty of USB 5G and 10G port- 3 USB C port availableCONS- 5G Ethernet connections only shows 2.5G connect at BIOS- You have to disconnect power cord and reset it up for Ethernet driver to properly install.Overview- Price is definitely high than other MB- Ethernet driver and connect can be problem for first time window installer.- Generally product quality and installation is decent and performs fine.