Expert Rating
Pros
- Nice set of features for the $260 price
- Three M.2 slots, 20Gb/s USB, PCIe Gen 4
- Good networking and audio options
- The stealth design looks great, plus Integrated I/O shield and screwless M.2
Cons
- It’s nice to see M.2 slot covers everywhere
- The price means that some limitations (no PCIe Gen 5) do not take full advantage of AM5
Our Judgment
It’s nice to see an option with more features, that boot style, in a more affordable price range. Not all gamers and content creators need the bells and whistles—and premium prices!—of high-end motherboards. The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi has chops (pun intended).
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AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPUs bring with them next-generation performance and features. Higher platform prices are an unfortunate side effect—but is there a way to have your next-generation motherboard cake and eat it too?
For your consideration: the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk, which aims to deliver on that performance promise without breaking the bank. With an MSRP of $259.99, is this enough to help offset some of the costs associated with the AM5?
Let’s talk about the specs, and talk about the board, performance chops, and design attributes. For those who want to take advantage of the new features of AMD’s AM5 platform, while saving a few bucks, the Tomahawk B650 may fit the bill.
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi: The Specs
Thiago Trevisan / Foundry
The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk combines the popular Tomahawk series with the B650. While the price has increased to $259.99 MSRP from the B550, it is still one of the cheaper AM5 motherboards.
This ATX motherboard works exclusively with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPUs, and it also brings to the table a lot of goodies like DDR5. The B650 chipset differs from the B650E and X670E—the “extreme” variants—primarily by having less theoretical USB and SATA ports, and no PCIe Gen 5. You’ve got more PCIe Gen 4 here, like three onboard M.2 slots. (Indeed, you’ll find some parity on more basic X670 motherboards without the “E,” such as the Asus X670-P Prime.)
In the real world, these theoretical differences between the X670E and B650 often don’t show themselves unless you push your system.
The unboxing experience is basic, as you’d expect for $259. You get Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi antenna, some stickers, EZ M.2 clip, and the usual SATA cables.
- ATX form factor
- Supports AMD AM5 Ryzen 7000 CPUs
- 14 + 2 + 1 Phase Design with six layer PCB
- DDR5 RAM, dual channel up to 4 DIMMs (up to 128Gb)
- 3x onboard M.2 slots (PCIe Gen 4)
- 2x PCIe 16x slots (PCIe Gen 4, 16x/4x)
- HDMI and DisplayPort out
- 10 USB ports on the back (including 20Gb/s)
- Realtek 2.5GbE LAN
- AMD Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2
- RGB header for Mystic Light
- 6 SATA 6Gb/s ports
- 8 PWM fan headers
- BIOS Flashback button
- Preinstalled I/O shield
- Realtek 7.1 ALC 4080 Audio
- MSRP $259.99
Thiago Trevisan / Foundry
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi: Features
With a $259 MSRP, Tomahawk’s feature set has most of the good stuff. For networking, you have Wi-Fi 6E, along with 2.5GbE LAN—just like more expensive motherboards.
In terms of I/O, you lose out on PCIe Gen 5, but since there isn’t much hardware to even saturate the ports, PCIe Gen 4 is more than enough. With three onboard M.2 slots, you have enough speed and space for gaming. It’s also a gift for content creators who don’t need much more than that and can therefore save some serious bucks! (There are six SATA ports here as well for hard drives.)
DDR5 is here, and while that may increase platform costs, prices continue to decrease as more kits become available on the market.
Ryzen 7000 CPUs give you an integrated iGPU—great for diagnosing issues that don’t require a smart GPU. You get HDMI and DisplayPort on the back. Along with BIOS Flashback, and the EZ debug LEDs, you have handy tools that are also offered on more expensive motherboards (albeit in a more basic way—no fancy debug display here).
MSI gives us M.2 slots that are “screwless,” plus an integrated I/O shield—which makes the build experience even better! We’re glad to see that these features will work on more affordable motherboards.
The audio is also well represented, with Realteck 4080 codec, and a good offer of inputs / outputs on the back including optical S / PDIF.
I/O is also well represented on the back—with a whopping 10 USB ports. USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2 type C with 20Gb/s is also here, for those who need one of the fastest ports available. You won’t find USB4 with 40Gb/s, but that’s not expected in this price range.
MSI also gave us “screwless” M.2 slots, plus an integrated I/O shield—making the build experience even better! We’re happy to see these features work on more affordable motherboards.
With surprisingly few compromises, the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk delivers most of the features of more expensive options—leaving little on the table. Only those more hardcore gamers or content creators who need more PCIe Gen 5 lanes, M.2 slots, faster 10GbE, or greater cooling may need more—but you’ll also have to pay more.
Thiago Trevisan / Foundry
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi: Design
The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk sports a decidedly streamlined design—nothing frivolous here! The mostly black-out, simple aesthetic is quite impactful, and fits almost any build.
Starting at the top: The I/O shield area and VRMs are stealth and give the motherboard a high-end look. The right side, for its part, is bare — at this price point there isn’t much “armor” on the faucet.
Heading into the lower regions of the Tomahawk, we were greeted with a nice M.2 “Frozr” Shield in the top slot as well as towards the bottom. This will help keep your drives cool—and it’s a shame the feature isn’t available in the last exposed M.2 slot as well. The screwless M.2 slots themselves are a nice design choice in this price class. Aside from the simple “Tomahawk” lettering above the slots, the overall look is minimal, but tasteful.
Thiago Trevisan / Foundry
All in all, there’s enough here to make it very attractive, and the areas that don’t have a lot to go to will still be blocked by large GPU coolers. There are no native RGB effects, but you get RGB headers for adding whatever you want.
The integrated I/O shield sports USB ports that are color-coded by speed. Well done!
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi: Performance, Software, and BIOS
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk has 14 + 2 + 1 power stage and six layer PCB. While it looks less impressive on paper compared to higher end motherboards, it is more than adequate. You don’t need to pair a Ryzen 9 7950X with this board — but you can, and it handles well without going crazy. For its $259 MSRP, this motherboard makes more sense with the Ryzen 5 7600X or Ryzen 7 7700X—a perfect match.
The I/O shield area and VRM heatsinks are big enough for almost anything, and the M.2 slots’ “Frozr” cooling amor adds confidence (although we wish they were available on all MS slots).
You lose out on PCIe Gen 5 performance, but PCIe Gen 4 is more than enough to meet your needs. You can take advantage of next-generation performance with DDR5 memory support.
Even the USB ports are fast, with 20Gb/s speeds—beaten only by the 40Gb/s found on some select premium motherboards.
The MSI BIOS is easy to use, with many tweak options, such as CPU and RAM settings. We recommend setting the “Expo” RAM profiles to get the most out of your DDR5 kit’s performance. The Ryzen 7000 can also benefit from some “Eco mode”-style tinkering if you want it, reducing heat and power draw while maintaining maximum performance. (See our Ryzen 7000 Eco Mode tips here.)
Automatic overclocking like AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) can be found here along with MSI’s own settings—but keep an eye on your CPU temperature as they heat up quickly! (Ryzen 7000 is more likely to be limited by your CPU cooler, rather than the motherboard itself!)
For AM5 B650 motherboards, regular BIOS updates are probably a good thing because this is a new platform and there should be fixes and refinements over time.
MSI Center is a software option for those who want to stay in the BIOS. Here you can adjust your fan curves, create RGB effects, and monitor critical system information. You can also check for driver and software updates! Motherboard companies are working to simplify these software solutions. While they aren’t perfect, some functions are worth looking at. Otherwise, the BIOS or separate bespoke software can take care of your settings.
Should you buy the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi?
With a price tag of $259.99, it’s no longer a budget offering—but it’s still affordable. Many AM5 motherboards are over $300, and here’s the kicker: The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk gives you most of the same features as its more expensive competitors!
It has competent networking, USB and M.2 options, plus DDR5. It can even run on the Ryzen 9 7950X if you want that.
Sure, you won’t get 10GbE networking, or USB4, or even RGB “armor” plates. Those are premium options with a premium price.
For gamers and content creators who know their needs and can do without some bleeding-edge facilities, you’ll be rewarded with a healthy collection of specs and a decent price. Plus, we think her stealthy and minimalist design looks really cool!