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Benchmark Results
Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.
Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.
Performance on the B850 MPower was solid across all of our synthetic benchmarks, even leading the pack in some.
Timed Applications
The MPower also did well in the timed applications. It ran 8.9s, the fastest of our two times, in LAME and was average in Corona. Handbrake was a tale of two tests: it was average in x264 and matched the fastest time in x265. Again, we find nothing to worry about here.
3D Games and 3DMark
Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the EA’s F1 racing game and have upgraded to the most current version, F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular and good-looking game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.
The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error differences. We’ve also added a minimum FPS value, which can affect your gameplay and immersion experience.
In our 3DMark and game tests, the MPower performed well overall, particularly in Cyberpunk 2077, where it had the fastest minimums and the second-fastest average (108 and 141 frames per second, respectively). F1 24 was slightly slower than average by a couple of frames per second, but is still clearly a capable gamer, reaching 121(min) and 166(avg) frames per second.
Overall, it’s clear that the B850 MPower is a strong performer across a wide variety of activities.
Overclocking
Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence while the out-of-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting from the BIOS, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out all our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.
For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Soon, we’ll get an 8000-series APU and see if it was our CPU limiting our success rate. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s RAM prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds in the first place. But if you’re chasing memory overclocking records, 2-DIMM boards are where it’s at. For best results on this board, stick to MPower Alliance-approved RAM, as MSI states it is better for extreme overclocking, deep integration, has better PCB designs, and dedicated BIOS features.
Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures
We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, Cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the peak power consumption value from the processor. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire PC (minus the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. Please note that we have transitioned to using only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.
Stress testing on the MPower using our DDR5-6000 kit showed a relatively efficient board. At idle, it was under 80W, and peak load was only 247W, one of the lowest so far. This averages out to 163W, the second-lowest result.
VRM temperatures peaked at just a hair over 50 degrees Celsius on our hottest sensor and 53 degrees on the internal sensor. This is one of the warmer results, but still well within specification. If you plan to push flagship-class processors for extended periods, you should be fine. Still, I would have liked to see higher-rated MOSFETs on an overclocking board.
Bottom Line
MSI’s B850 MPower stands in a class of its own as one of the only Micro ATX boards designed for overclocking. And while it doesn’t make our best motherboard list or feature overkill VRMs, the 2-DIMM design is intended to push memory to the limit, and it supports over 10,000 MT/s (with 8000 series APUs). For $229.99, it’s a steal if you’re trying to overclock memory, since Mini-ITX boards, which are also good at memory overclocking, are typically more expensive and most don’t include a BCLK generator either. But on top of the memory headroom, this is also a well-rounded, inexpensive motherboard that’s nearly as feature-rich as its larger ATX siblings.
There are other B850 Micro ATX boards to compare with, though. ASRock’s B850M Riptide Wifi ($149.99), Gigabyte B850M Eagle ($149.99), and Asus’ TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wifi ($199.99) are all strong competitors, but none have four M.2 sockets or support as high a memory overclocking. But if you need more than the seven USB Type-A ports, the Asus is your only option of the bunch.
Choosing the best micro ATX B850 board for you will come down to a couple of factors. First, do you need the memory overclocking headroom? Do you need (or want) four M.2 sockets in a small form factor? If you answered yes to any of these, you have your B850 board right here. Otherwise, there are other options available that will save you some money to put toward expensive DDR5.
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