MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ Review: Project Zero cleans up the cables

We’ve taken a close look at MSI’s back-connect motherboards before from a build-specific angle, but the X870E Tomahawk MAX Wi-Fi PZ (the “PZ” in the name stands for Project Zero) is the first board from the lineup to land on our review testbed. MSI’s PZ line relocates most connectors to the back of the board for cleaner cable management and a more aesthetically pleasing front view of the PC. Along with MSI PZ chassis (required, in four options) and PZ video cards, they offer a unified design that aims to minimize the unsightly cables in non-back-connect PCs.

The X870E Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ ($319.99) is a well-rounded solution in the mid-range PC space. In addition to its back-mount features, you get ample storage options, fast networking, 40 Gbps USB 4, robust power delivery, EZ DIY functionality, and the new(ish) Click BIOS X. As far as looks go, the PZ/back connect element really cleans up the appearance and does a great job of hiding a vast majority of wires, especially when using PZ graphics cards. The white/silver theme looks great, especially in the available MSI PZ chassis.

For under $320, MSI’s board comes with four M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0), 5 GbE and Wi-Fi 7 networking, plenty of USB ports (including two 40 Gbps USB4 ports) on the rear IO, and three full-length PCIe slots for a graphics card and expansion. MSI’s EZ DIY features, such as the M.2 Shield Frozr II and EZ M.2 Clip II, make installing your M.2 drive effortless, eliminating the need for fiddling with tiny screws. It also includes the EZ PCIE Release, a simple physical button release mechanism that helps remove any PCIe card with a single tap. The Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ has all the specifications you’d expect around the $300 mark, and is an improvement, if only by looks, over the non-MAX X870E Tomahawk Wi-Fi we covered in mid-2025.

Performance on this board was average, with some instances being faster and others slower. As we usually see, the results aren’t significantly different in most tests, so if something is slower or faster than average, chances are you won’t be able to notice unless you’re actually looking at benchmarking results. Whether you’re gaming or working, this board won’t hold you back.Below, we’ll examine the board's details and determine whether it deserves a spot on our Best Motherboards list. But, before we get to the test results, discuss the details, and showcase the board in a PZ ecosystem, we have included the specifications from MSI below.

Specifications of the MSI X870E Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ

MSI’s Project Zero - Pano 100R PZ and RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3x PZ

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen this idea of rear-connecting ecosystems gain momentum, and MSI wasn’t going to miss that boat. So far, the company has released several PZ motherboards for both AMD (4x) and Intel-based (3x) systems, as well as what appears to be five PZ chassis of varying sizes to accommodate rear-facing connectivity. Price points, at least for the motherboards, can be slightly higher than comparable non-PZ offerings, but if you want to hide all your wires, the meager difference is worth it.

MSI sent the E-ATX MAG Pano 100R PZ chassis ($159.99) to showcase the clean look of the back-connect motherboard. We reviewed the wrap-around case earlier this year and found it spacious, with ample room for expansion, and it exhibited excellent thermal performance with the included RGB fans. Additionally, it supports a 4-slot vertical GPU (although it does not include a riser cable). When your dream build doesn’t include white, you can also find this case in black for the same price.

Rounding out the PZ Ecosystem is the RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3x PZ ($859.99) video card. This black-and-silver GPU appears identical to its non-PZ counterpart, except it features a more back-connect-friendly location for the 12VHPWR connector. Instead of at the top, it’s offset and pointing towards the PCIe slot. It’s notably more PZ-friendly and looks way better than the top or rear locations we’re more familiar with, back-connect or not. The Ventus 3x PZ also includes a magnetic plate to conceal the cable path, which is visible when the graphics card is mounted horizontally on the motherboard.

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Inside the Box of the MSI X870E Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ

Inside the box are a few accessories to help you get started. The only thing that stands out is that you get a USB drive for drivers, which is something you don’t typically see in mid-range class boards. Below is a list of everything that’s included.

• Quick installation guide/EU Reg. Notice
• Cable stickers
• USB drive (drivers)
• (2) SATA cables
• EZ M.2 Clip II remover
• (3) EZ M.2 Clip II mounts
• M.2 plate screws
• EZ Wi-Fi antenna
• 1 to 3 EZ Conn-cable (V2)
• EZ Front panel cable

Design of the Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ

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The X870E Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ sits on a silver-and-white 8-layer server-grade PCB, with large aluminum heatsinks covering the VRM and plate-style heatsinks cooling the M.2 sockets and chipset. On the heatsinks, there is branding with the MAG symbol, and the Tomahawk/Arsenal Gaming branding appears on the rest of the heatsinks. RGB lovers will need to add their own via the headers, as none are built-in.

Obviously, the most significant aesthetic change on the PZ is the lack of front connectors on the front. Shrouds and heatsinks now cover the right edge where the connectors should be, with only the essential sockets and slots visible on the front.

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We won't cover the front of the board in too much detail, as the essential connectivity is located on the back. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything important on the visible side. Outside of the extended Frozr Guard heatsinks on the power delivery, the next notable feature is the four reinforced DRAM slots. MSI lists speeds up to DDR5-8400+ MT/s, with a capacity up to 256GB. AMD’s sweetspot is still somewhere in the DDR5-6000 to 6400 MT/s range, and this, like every board, covers it easily.

In the upper-right corner are the EZ Debug LEDs, which light up during the POST process. If there’s a problem, one of the LEDs remains lit, providing some insight into the source of the boot issues. Just below that is the 2-character Debug LED, which gives more detailed insight into POST issues (and displays CPU temperatures by default when in Windows).

Flipping the board around to the rear, in the upper right corner (as we’re looking at it), are the two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) that power the processor. To the left are the first three (of eight) 4-pin fan headers. In this case, CPU_Fan1, PUMP_Fan1, and SYS_Fan1. Each header supports PWM and DC-controlled devices. Output varies depending on the header, with the system fan headers rated at 1A/12W, the CPU fan at 2A/24W, and the pump, which is capable of outputting 3A/36W. Fan Control is handled through the MSI Center software and the User Scenario applet.

Down the left edge (we’re still on the back of the board) is our first (of four) 3-pin ARGB headers. If you want RGB lighting through the motherboard, you’ll have to buy and attach your own. Next is a system fan header, the 24-pin ATX power for the board, the EZ Conn header (connects ARGB strips, fans, USB 2.0 devices, and even the company’s MPG EZ120 ARGB fans on a single cable), and two SATA ports.

Power delivery on the Tomahawk MAX Wifi PZ is the same as that of the front-facing Tomahawk Wifi, consisting of 17 phases, 14 of which are dedicated to Vcore. Power is supplied by the 8-pin EPS connector(s) to a Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) MPS2412 controller. From there, it moves to the 80A MPS MPS2433 SPS MOSFETs. The 1,120A is more than enough for the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X/X3D. While the specs here aren’t the most robust we’ve seen, they do not hold you back, even if you decide to overclock.

Making our way back to the front of the board on the bottom half, and starting on the left, under the shroud is the audio solution comprised of the Realtek ALC4080 codec, a few dedicated audio capacitors, and like that isolates the audio signal to reduce EMI from the board. This is the latest gen codec from Realtek and is fitting for the price.

In the middle of the board are three full-length PCIe slots and five M.2 sockets. Starting with PCIe, the top slot (PCI_E1) connects directly to the CPU, runs at up to PCIe 5.0 x16, and serves as your primary graphics slot. It’s also reinforced and uses MSI’s EZ PCIE Release, an easy-to-access button that locks and unlocks the PCIe card with a single tap. The other full-length slots connect through the chipset, running at PCIe 3.0 x1 (PCI_E2) and PCIe 4.0 x4 (PCI_E3), which should provide sufficient bandwidth for most expansion cards.

Mixed in among the PCIe slots are four M.2 sockets. The Tomahawk MAX PZ offers two PCIe 5.0 (128 Gbps) sockets (M.2_1/2), and the bottom two (M.2_3/4) connect through the chipset and run up to PCie 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps). M.2_1 supports up to 110mm modules, while the rest support up to 80mm length. The board supports RAID 0/1/5/10 modes if you need extra speed or redundancy. Do note the second PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket (M2_2) shares bandwidth with USB 4. By default, when M2_2 is in use, it runs at PCIe 5.0 x2 (64 Gbps). You can get the full x4 width by adjusting it in the BIOS, but that disables the USB 4 ports on the rear IO.

Flipping the board around to the back one more time, we’ll start with the left edge and work our way down. The first item we run into is the front panel 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) header, followed by the other two vertically mounted SATA ports. Finally, below that is the 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header.

Along the bottom edge (we’re still on the back!), there is a slew of headers and connectors. From left to right, you have the following:

• Front Panel
• (2) 4-pin system fan headers
• 3-pin ARGB header
• 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen1 connector
• 2-pin CMOS reset/battery jumper
• 4-pin system fan header
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• (2) 2-pin BCLK frequency jumpers
• 8-pin supplemental PCIe power
• 4-pin system fan header
• 4-pin RGB, 3-pin ARGB
• Front panel audio

The rear IO on the Tomahawk Wifi PZ is the same on the non-PZ board. Starting on the left side of the rear IO are two tiny buttons: one for clearing the CMOS and the other for BIOS Flashback. Next to that is the HDMI port to use with integrated graphics. There are three USB Type-C ports, two of which support 40 Gbps (the third is 10 Gbps). You also get two 10 Gbps (red), four 5 Gbps (blue), and four USB 2.0 (black) Type-A ports, for a total of nine. Above one of the red USB ports is the Realtek 5 Gbps Ethernet. Next are the two Wi-Fi 7 connections and the audio stack, with two 3.5mm (mic in/line out) and SPDIF.

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