MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard ATX - Supports Intel Core 12/13th Gen Processors, LGA 1700, DDR5 Boost (7200+MHz/OC), 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 5 x M.2 Gen4, 2.5Gbps LAN, Wi-Fi 6E

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Looks are always in the eye of the beholder, but I love the understated look of the Tomahawk Max. Its splashes of green and the absence of retina scalding RGB branding and logos is pleasing to me. You be the judge if that's important to you. You can still add RGB to your rig, but this way you can do it in a style of your own without having MSI or Aorus or ROG advertisements in your face. Minimalism is not a common trait among motherboard makers. Though MSI, particularly with its Unify range, leads the way. M.2_3 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA mode, supports 2280/2260/2242 devices Lightning USB 20G - Built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, offers 20Gbps transmission speed, 4X faster than USB 3.2 Gen 1

The rear I/O is particularly impressive, with a total of ten USB ports, topped by USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and Gen 2 Type-C ports. Add to that another four USB Gen 2 ports and four Gen 1 ports. There's 2.5G LAN and Wi-Fi 6E, a full set of audio ports powered by a Realtek ALC4080 codec, CMOS and BIOS flash buttons, and finally HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4 ports.You already have a Z690 or Z790 board.If you've already got a previous generation LGA 1700 board, you're probably better off updating its BIOS and going 14th Gen with that. I've paired it with an I7 13700, 4070ti RTX, got some new DDR5 RAM and finally the H100i cooler. I've had no issues whatsoever. The MSI Center makes it super easy to view the components and their temperatures too. Memory Boost - Advanced technology to deliver pure data signals for the best performance, stability and compatibility Core Boost - With premium layout and fully digital power design to support more cores and provide better performance

When it comes to gaming, the differences apply to specific games. Now that DDR5 prices have fallen, it makes sense to opt for the DDR5 Tomahawk over the DDR4 one. Of course, a better graphics card or CPU will deliver more tangible performance benefits. Memory Support 7200+(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(JEDEC)/ 5400(JEDEC)/ 5200(JEDEC)/ 5000(JEDEC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz The MSI Z790 Tomahawk Max WiFi is an excellent offering with a high quality set of features that make it a very competitive offering in its price range. MSI deserves credit for not pushing the price of the Max version above its non-Max predecessor. That's a pretty rare thing for any product in today's inflation hit economy, so well done MSI. A typical gamer needs to ask themselves what they value most in a motherboard. As the performance differences between third generation motherboards mostly falls within a margin of error, your choice will come down to features, aesthetics and if you're so inclined, brand loyalty. If features are at the top of your list, then the inclusion of WiFi 7, 4x M.2 plus 8x SATA, a high quality VRM capable of powering anything from the 12th, 13th and 14th Generations, and rear mounted USB 20Gbps port should all rate highly. Available only on processors featuring integrated graphics. Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed.M.2 Shield FROZR - Strengthened built-in M.2 thermal solution, Keeps M.2 SSDs safe while preventing throttling, making them run faster The PCIe slot complement is around par, as M.2 slots take up PCB space that used to be reserved for expansion card slots. The primary PCIe slot supports Gen 5 speeds. It's joined by a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x4 electrical) and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. Both are positioned away from the primary slot allowing you to use them unhindered by a triple slot graphics card.