MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wifi Motherboard Review: Dual PCIe 5.0 and USB4

Recently, we reviewed MSI’s B850 Tomahawk MAX Wifi and came away impressed, giving praise for its budget-friendly price (under $230) and well-rounded specifications. The X870E version on the test bench adds some tangible features, but it otherwise appears identical and shares the same specifications, albeit at a dramatically different price.

For hardware, MSI includes integrated Wi-Fi 7 and 5 GbE networking, as well as three Type-C ports on the rear I/O, two of which run at 40 Gbps (USB4). Storage includes four M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0 x4) and four SATA ports. Realtek’s ALC4080 codec handles audio duties and is common at this price point. The rugged military-style appearance is pleasing, but it isn’t my favorite in this range. MSI’s EZ Features are comparable to those of other boards. I especially like the ‘nub’ M.2 holders and the ease with which you can attach and detach the heatsinks.

During testing, we updated the BIOS to AGESA 1.2.0.3c, the latest from AMD. Besides enabling the memory’s EXPO profile, we used the default settings. Results showed that the board was competent across all tests. It performed well in our game testing, achieving an average rating overall, excelling in some tests, and slightly underperforming in others. As is typical, all the results are close, and in most cases, you wouldn’t notice a difference without a frame counter or timer on your screen.

Below, we’ll examine the board's details and determine whether it deserves a spot on our Best Motherboards list. However, before we share the test results and discuss the details, the specifications from MSI are provided below.

Specifications of the MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wifi

Inside the Box of the MSI X870E Tomahawk Wifi

MSI includes a few accessories to get your started. You get two SATA cables, an M.2 Plate screw, EZ M.2 Clip removal tool, EZ Front Panel, 1 to 3 EZ Conn-Cable, and the EZ Wi-Fi antenna. Last, there is the Quick Installation Guide, cable stickers, and a USB drive with drivers. Nothing extraordinary.

Design of the Tomahawk Wifi

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The X870E Tomahawk Wifi, like B850 Tomahawk MAX Wifi, sits on a black 8-layer server-grade PCB with large heatsinks covering the VRM and plate-style heatsinks tasked to cool the M.2 sockets and chipset. Breaking up the all-black look are bright yellow-green highlights with the MAG symbol and the Tomahawk/Arsenal Gaming branding on the rest of the heatsinks. Those hoping for integrated RGB lighting need to look elsewhere, as none are built-in (there are headers you can use). We liked the look as a budget motherboard, but wish it had some upgrades for the higher-priced X870E version.

In the upper-left corner are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) for the processor. Surrounding them are the Frozr Design VRM heatsinks, with a matte-black finish and MSI branding. The large heatsinks have plenty of surface area and mass to keep the power delivery within spec, even with a flagship-class (higher-wattage) processor and PBO.

Right of the socket, we find the four DRAM slots with locking mechanisms on both sides. MSI supports up to 256GB of RAM with speeds listed to DDR5-8400+, which is plenty fast for the platform. Unlike the B850, we couldn’t boot to DDR5-8000, but DDR5-7200 ran our 30-minute stress test without issue as we expected.

Above the RAM slots are the first three (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. CPU_Fan1, PUMP_Sys1, and SYS_Fan1 specifically, from left to right. 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 the most powerful, able to output 3A/36W. Fan control is handled through the MSI Center software and the User Scenario applet.

Looking at the right edge and moving down, we encounter another 4-pin fan header and the first 3-pin ARGB header (the other ARGB/RGB headers are located on the bottom edge). Control over any RGBs you add is handled through the Mystic Light portion of MSI Center (detailed below in the software section).

Below are the four EZ Debug LEDs that light up during the POST process. If there’s a problem in one of the areas (Boot, DRAM, VGA, CPU), the colored LED for the trouble spot remains lit, giving some insight into where the problem is. Next is the 24-pin ATX power connector for the board, and finally, the convenient EZ-Conn-Header V2 that allows you to connect ARGB strips, fans, USB 2.0 devices, and even their MPG EZ120 ARGB fans from a single cable.

Power delivery on the Tomahawk Wifi consists of 17 phases, 14 of which are dedicated to Vcore. Power starts at the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and routed 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 even flagship-class processors, such as the Ryzen 9 7950X or the most recent 9950X. While they aren’t the most robust we’ve seen, especially for X870E, they won’t hold you back, even with PBO or manual overclocking.

On the bottom side of the board, on the left, is a fully exposed audio solution featuring the Realtek ALC4080 chip along with several dedicated audio capacitors and signal isolation from the rest of the board. It’s a suitable audio solution that should meet the needs of most users.

In the middle are three full-length PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets. The top slot, PCI_E1, uses MSI’s PCIe Armor and EZ PCIe Release, offering additional support and easy access for removal. It connects through the CPU and is your primary graphics slot at PCIe 5.0 x16. The bottom two full-length slots (PCI_E2/3) connect through the chipset. The middle slot is the slowest, running at PCIe 3.0 x1, while the bottom is PCIe 4.0 x4. 3.0 x1 feels slow these days, where it’s common to see 4.0 x4 or greater; however, few will likely need it, or should use the other slot for high-bandwidth needs.

For M.2 storage, the first M. 2 socket, M2_1, is just above the top PCIe slot. It runs at PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps). The heatsink isn’t the biggest we’ve seen, so if you plan to run extended transfers with a hot-running 5.0-based drive, keep an eye on temperatures. Surprisingly, M.2_2 also runs at PCIe 5.0 x4, so you have two ultra-fast M.2 drives. M.2_4 supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4, while the M.2_3, which borrows lanes from the bottom PCIe slot, runs up to PCIe 4.0 x2. Also worth noting: M2_2 shares bandwidth with the 40 Gbps USB ports. Both run at PCIe 5.0 x2 (equal to 4.0 x4) when M2_2 is populated. You can force the socket to x4, but that disables the 40 Gbps Type-C ports.

Shifting focus to the right edge, there are a few connectors. Starting at the top are the front panel USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) connector, four SATA ports, and two 19-pin front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connectors.

Across the bottom are several useful headers. From left to right:

• Front Panel audio
• 4-pin RGB, 3-pin ARGB
• 2-pin Chassis Intrusion
• 4-pin System Fan header
• 8-pin Supplemental PCIe power
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• (3) 4-pin System Fan headers
• 3-pin ARGB header
• 2-pin Clear CMOS jumper
• Front Panel

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 and one supports 10 Gbps. You also get two 10 Gbps (red), four 5 Gbps (blue), and four USB 2.0 (black) Type-A ports. 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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