MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk WIFI (Intel 1851)

While Intel's Core Ultra CPUs haven't exactly flown off shelves like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, one partially redeeming feature is that they do seem to overclock reasonably well. Combined with the fact they run a heck of a lot cooler than their predecessors and draw much less power too, there's an argument for considering them if you're up for some tweaking. For that you'll need a Z890 motherboard, such as the MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi that we're looking at here.

The MAG Z890 Tomahawk WiFi is one of MSI’s mid-end boards and even though it’s packed with interesting and useful features I do expect the higher-end models to pack even more and produce slightly better overall performance. That being said I really have no serious complaints from this specific motherboard, performance was solid during my tests, there were no stability issues and as for its peripherals the integrated WiFi 7 card works well (not having to tighten the Antennas is convenient), the tool-less M.2 slots are easy to use and as for the push to release button for the primary PCIe x16 slot it’s something I was expecting to happen eventually. Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing from the MAG Z890 Tomahawk WiFi which I would have really liked to see and that’s no other than power and reset buttons on the motherboard (next to the RAM slots). Yes, I do expect these to be available in higher end models (MPG/MEG lines), but it would be great if MSI had also used them here as well.

I’ve used a lot of Tomahawk motherboards over the years, as they often strike a sweet spot for features and value, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how the new MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk WIFI motherboard holds up that reputation! It comes equipped with Intel’s latest Z890 chipset and support for the flagship 15th Gen Intel Core Ultra processors, which are technically the 1st generation of the new Core Ultra series, so have a new naming and numbering scheme as a result of this. This ATX motherboard represents a competitive blend of performance and value, delivering an impressive feature set tailored for gamers who demand a performance edge without breaking the bank. Built around the Z890 chipset, this motherboard unlocks access to the latest advancements in connectivity, including PCIe 5.0 support for lightning-fast data transfer speeds with next-generation graphics cards and SSDs, and support for flagship DDR5 memory kits, which are needed to get the best performance out of the latest Core Ultra series CPUs.