MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi: The cheapest of the decent ones

Ľubomír Samák

1 year ago

MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi in detail

The higher price of motherboards is one of the main topics around desktop PCs. Especially in the context of the AMD platform. However, if you decide to build your rig on DDR5 memory with the vision of a longer life expectancy, the B650 Tomahawk WiFi, in comparison to similarly equipped motherboards with Intel chipsets, is rather higher on the “price” scales and with a more attractive price/value ratio.

B650 chipset is still the cheapest for the latest generation of AMD motherboards. A cheaper variant (with slightly weaker features) is on the way, and later (at Computex) boards with the low-end A620 chipset will be introduced as well. By then, six different chipsets will already coexist on the market, but for now there are still four, and the tested MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi board uses the lowest-end of them, but with a level of features that’s still enough for most users.

Compared to boards with B650E chipsets, it does not support PCIe 5.0 interface for graphics card and even for SSD, but this also applies to the competing Intel B660 platform in this price range, which, in addition, compared to the B650 does not allow manual change of the CPU multiplier.


Parameters		MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi

Socket		AMD AM5
Chipset		AMD B650
Format		ATX (305 × 244 mm)
CPU power delivery		17-phase
Supported memory (and max. frequency)		DDR5 (6600 MHz)
Slots PCIe ×16 (+ PCIe ×1)		2× (+ 1×)
Centre of socket to first PCIe ×16 slot		96 mm
Centre of socket to first DIMM slot		56 mm
Storage connectors		6× SATA III, 3× M.2 PCIe 4.0 (60–80 mm)
PWM connectors for fans or AIO pump		8×
Internal USB ports		1× 3.2 gen. 2 typ C, 4× 3.2 gen. 1 typ A, 4× 2.0 typ A
Other internal connectors		1× TPM, 2× ARGB LED (5 V), 2× RGB LED (12 V)
POST display		no (but has debug LED)
Buttons		Flash BIOS
External USB ports		2× 3.2 gen. 2×2 type A, 3× 3.2 gen. 2 type A, 4× 3.2 gen. 2 type A, 2× 2.0 type A
Video outputs		1× HDMI 2.1, 1× DisplayPort 1.4
Network		1× RJ-45 (2,5 GbE) – Realtek RTL8125B, WiFi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.2
Audio		Realtek ALC4080 (7.1)
Other external connectors		–
Suggested retail price		252 EUR

/* Here you can add custom CSS for the current table */ /* Lean more about CSS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets */ /* To prevent the use of styles to other tables use "#supsystic-table-2080" as a base selector for example: #supsystic-table-2080 { ... } #supsystic-table-2080 tbody { ... } #supsystic-table-2080 tbody tr { ... } */

MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi

The Tomahawk range of motherboards in MSI’s range represents a kind of golden middle ground. And it could probably be said that in combination with cheaper chipsets (as opposed to, for example, the more expensive variants with Intel Z690 and Z790), they also contribute to achieving the best possible price/performance ratio in terms of the entire configuration.

There aren’t many cheaper options with features on par with the B650 Tomahawk WiFi. And with the ones that are, someone may be bothered by the use of an older Realtek ALC897 sound chip or a smaller format (mATX) with weaker connectivity. Still, the Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX motherboard can be considered a noteworthy alternative. The latter will, as it happens, lose in some ways, but in others it will have the upper hand. Only a detailed analysis will show that.

The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi is an ATX format motherboard (i.e. with the PCB measuring 305 × 244 mm) with three M.2 slots for 4.0 ×4 SSDs (60–80 mm) and three PCI Express slots. Two of these are long, full-fat (16 lanes are supported but only by the first one, only two lanes are brought out to the second one from the B650 chipset) and one short, single-lane one for connecting expansion cards, typically network, audio or USB controller cards. This is similar to other B650 boards that use the PCIe lanes from the chipset mainly for M.2 slots.

As part of the internal connectors, two 19-pins are also provided for connecting USB ports for front panels of cases. We’ve criticized some boards for manufacturers using only one (and thus making half of the USB connectors on the case unpluggable in some cases), but here they’re paired (that is, for four USB 3.2 gen. 1 ports) just like the USB 2.0 connectors. The fastest internal USB connector (10 Gb, 3.2 gen. 2 standard) is traditionally next to the 24-pin ATX connector.

With regard to compatibility with older coolers or RGB fans, there are also 4-pin RGB connectors for 12 V in the number of two. This hasn’t been the case for a while, but this older standard has made a comeback on motherboard PCBs. Naturally, 3-pin 5-volt connectors are also brought out to connect new components with RGB LEDs. There are also two of these.

The CPU power delivery is 17-phase (14+2+1), divided into three branches (Vcore, SOC, MISC). Its coolers are over 350 grams in total, and you can see from the profile the larger fins and thus the effort in these aluminum monoliths to achieve a larger surface area for more efficient cooling.

Under the heatsinks are Microchip MPS2210 voltage regulators designed for current capacity of up to 80 A. The total theoretical load capacity is thus 1280 A. However, it would be impossible to cool such a load and in practice it is counted on about a quarter of the load, at which a still decent efficiency is achieved. The PWM controller is MPS2223.

And then there is one more, smaller voltage regulator, which is unconventionally placed from the back side, close to the backplate of the socket. We don’t know exactly what it powers within the processor, but it’s separate because of the different voltage the manufacturer wanted to achieve. This voltage regulator no longer has its own heatsink and was the epicenter of the highest temperatures under high CPU load. This can also be seen in the thermal image, where we observed a higher surface temperature on the PCB than on the housing of the hottest voltage regulator from the Vcore part. The temperature of the MOSFET itself will be significantly higher than the measured 79 °C and it may or may not be the weakest point in the power delivery (the current load on this controller, despite the higher temperatures it can probably “withstand”, will not be all that high).

There are up to ten USB ports on the rear panel, one of which is lightning-fast – standard 3.2 gen. 2×2 Type-C and there are only two slow ones (2.0), just enough to connect a keyboard and mouse. The rest are a combination of 5- and 10-gigabit in a 4:3 ratio.

Because of the two video outputs HDMI (2.1) and DisplayPort (1.4), there’s good readiness for an APU as well. Those opposed to audio connector reduction (for example, on Gigabyte boards) will again appreciate the full-fledged assembly of five 3.5 mm jacks, which also includes an optical S/PDIF output. The networking options consist of a combination of an RJ-45 connector (Realtek RTL8125B) for wired connections and WiFi 6 with two SMA connectors for WiFi antennas.

This concludes the introduction of the partial features of the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard, followed by a chapter with the UEFI analysis and then tests of all the key things.

What it looks like in the BIOS

The UEFI user interface copies older boards and practically nothing has changed between generations in terms of the start screen and the layout of its elements. It is practical and clear.

In the middle, the information for each tab (CPU, Memory, Storage, Fan Info) is displayed, which you can switch between as needed. This is a basic overview and you have to go to advanced mode to change individual settings. This is not the case, for example, for activating the memory profile (EXPO), which has a button already brought up in “EZ Mode”. From it, you can also force a “Game boost”, which in lower CPU loads (corresponding to games, for example) pushes to more aggressive core clock speeds.

To enter advanced mode, press the F7 key. The reason for this is, for example, to configure ReSize BAR. This technology is enabled by default, but in case you would like to disable it (for example because it reduces performance in your application), you have to access it via the settings tab in the PCIe subsystem section.

Traditionally, there is also a separate section for “overclocking”, where we are always most interested in the power supply management options. These are handled extremely well by MSI on its boards, as it has preset profiles for TDP configuration. All boards don’t have this and rely on Ryzen Master or the fact that you manually adjust the PPT in the PBO settings. However, MSI’s solution is more elegant and the TDP can be quickly adjusted in six steps: 170W (PPT 230W), 125W (PPT 170W), 105W (PPT 142W), 95W (PPT 128W), 65W (88W) and 45W (61W). We use a TDP of 142 W (with PPT 142 W) for testing purposes in “Eco” mode.

However, as with all boards, the power limits can also be set manually by entering specific PPT and current limit values via PBO management. This will probably be of interest to those interested in more detailed tuning with greater resolution.

AMD Expo: As we pointed out last time in the Aorus X670 Elite AX board test, activating a profile may access one of the memory controller’s clock speeds, Uncore, differently. Some bypass the divider to achieve higher performance, which is not the case here. Here UCLK sticks to 1500 MHz.

Fan management options are top-notch. That’s also contributed to by the fact that you have up to eight connectors under your thumb, which is uncommon in this class. Each of them can be customized and in PWM mode in a really wide range. The “DC” regulation is traditionally weaker and starts from higher voltages as is typical with other boards. The optimizations are in short towards what is used more – PWM.

There are four temperature sources from which the control curve can be derived. In addition to the CPU temperature sensors, there are the MOS sensors (some point within the Vcore section), the chipset or the system sensor, which represents some “colder” location on the board. In fact, under heavy load neither the CPU nor the GPU gets too hot.

Gaming tests…

The vast majority of tests is based on the methodology for processors and graphics cards. The choice of games is narrower with motherboards, but for this purpose there is no need for more of them. The processor we use is always the powerful AMD Ryzen 9 79500X or on Intel platforms It’s the Core i9-13900K. These processors highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of any motherboard well. In the past we have tested with two processors, including a cheaper, more low-power model, but we don’t do that anymore. The hypothesis that more expensive motherboards might give an “advantage” to cheaper processors in performance has not been confirmed, so it’s rather pointless.

We’ve selected five titles from games we’re testing in two resolutions. There are significantly fewer games than in the CPU or graphics card tests, but these are just enough for the motherboard tests. Few people consider performance in a particular game when choosing a motherboard. But an indicative overview of which motherboard shapes gaming performance in what way (compared to another motherboard) is necessary. To avoid significant discrepancies over time, we’ve reached for relatively older titles that no longer receive significant updates.

These are Borderlands 3, F1 2020, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Total War Saga: Troy. With newer games, there might be some performance changes over time (updates) and especially in high resolutions with high details. This is one of the test setups (2160p and Ultra, or the highest visual detail but without ray-tracing graphics) that focuses on comparing performance, for which the bottleneck is the graphics card. In other words, it will be clear from these tests which motherboard can affect the performance of which graphics card to what extent for any reasons. In contrast, a setup with Full HD resolution and with graphical details reduced to “High” will also reflect the CPU’s contribution to the final gaming performance.

We use OCAT to record fps, or the times of individual frames, which are then used to calculate fps, and FLAT to analyze the CSV. The developer and author of articles (and videos) for the GPUreport.cz website is behind both.
For the highest accuracy, all runs are repeated three times and average values of average and minimum fps are displayed in the graphs. These multiple repetitions also apply to non-game tests.

… Computing tests, SSD tests, USB ports and network tests

We test application performance in a very similar way to the processor tests. Almost all tests are included, from the easier ones (such as those in a web environment) to those that push the CPU or graphics card to the limit. These are typically tests such as 3D rendering, video encoding (x264, x265, SVT-AV1) or other performance-intensive computing tasks. As with processors or graphics cards, we have a wide range of applications – users editing video (Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio), graphic effects creators (Adobe Premiere Pro), graphic designers or photographers (Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, Affinity Photo, AI applications Topaz Labs, …) will find their own in the results, and there are also tests of (de)encryption, (de)compression, numerical calculations, simulations and, of course, tests of memory.

SSD performance tests are also important for motherboards. Therefore we test the maximum sequential read and write speeds on an empty Samsung 980 Pro SSD (1 TB) in the well distributed CrystalDiskMark, in all slots. We approach the USB port tests in the same way. We use a WD Black P50 external SSD to test them. It supports fast USB 3.2 gen. 2×2, so it won’t be a bottleneck for even the fastest USB controllers. We report only one result for each USB standard. This is calculated from the average of all available ports.

We won’t deprive you of network bandwidth tests either. We move large files in both directions within a local network between the motherboard network adapters and the Sonnet Solo10G 10-gigabit PCIe card. This from the aforementioned Samsung 980 Pro SSD to the Patriot Hellfire (480 GB), which is still fast enough to not slow down even the 10 Gb adapter.

The results of all performance tests are averaged over three repeated measurements for high accuracy.

CPU settings…

We primarily test processors without power limits, the way most motherboards have it in factory settings. For tests that have an overlap with power, temperature and CPU clock speed measurements, we also observe the behavior of boards with a power limit according to Intel’s recommendations, where we set PL1 to the TDP level (125 W) while respecting the Tau timeout (56 s). The upper limit of the power supply (PL2/PTT) is set in the BIOS according to the official values. For Core i9-13900K it is 253 W, for Core i9-12900K it is 241 W. On AMD platforms with the Ryzen 7950X test processor, the reduced power supply mode represents a TDP setting of 105W with a PPT of 142W. Such a load also corresponds to unconstrained power supply of the Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X processors. Aggressive overclocking technologies such as PBO2 (AMD) or MCE (Asus) and similar are not covered in standard motherboard tests.

… and application updates

Tests should also take into account that over time, individual updates may skew performance comparisons. Some applications we use in portable versions that do not update or can be kept on a stable version, but for some this is not the case. Typically games get updated over time, which is natural, and keeping them on old versions out of reality would also be questionable.

In short, just count on the fact that the accuracy of the results you are comparing with each other decreases a bit as time goes on. To make this analysis easier, we’ve listed when each board was tested. You can find this out in the dialog box, where you can find information about the date of testing. This dialog is displayed in the interactive graphs, next to any result bar. Just hover over it.

Methodology: How we measure power draw

In contrast to the Z690/B660 tests, we’ll simplify it a bit and measure only the CPU power draw on the EPS cables. This means that (also for the sake of best possible clarity) we omit the 24-pin measurements. We have already analysed it thoroughly and the power draw on it doesn’t change much across boards. Of the ten boards tested with an Alder Lake processor (Core i9-12900K), the power draw at 12 volts of the 24-pin connector ranges from 37.3–40.4 W (gaming load, graphics card power supply via PCI Express ×16 slot), at 5V (memory, ARGB LEDs and some external controllers) then between 13.9–22.3 W and finally at the weakest, 3.3-volt branch, the power draw of our test setup tends to be 2.2–3.6 W.

On top of the CPU power draw, which also takes into account the efficiency of the power delivery, this adds up to some 53–66 W under gaming/graphics load and only 15–25 W outside of it, with the graphics card idle. We already know all this from older tests, and it will be no different on the new boards, and as the number of measurements increases, reducing measurements that worsen orientation is beneficial. But from the text above, you know how much to add for the total power draw of the motherboard components to the CPU’s majority power draw.

The situation will be a bit different on AMD platforms, for those we will deal with what is the power draw on which branch of the 24-pin, but already in a separate article that will better highlight this topic. In a large comprehensive motherboard test, these measurements disappear, they do not attract enough attention.

We measure the power draw of the CPU (and its VRM) on the power supply cables, with calibrated Prova 15 current clamps and a calibrated Keysight U1231A multimeter. The clamps measure the electric current, the multimeter measures the electric voltage. In the union of these two electrical quantities, we finally obtain the exact power draw. We measure this in different loads on the CPU. The maximum multithreaded load is represented by Cinebench R23.

Lower, gaming load by Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p@high), single-threaded load by audio encoding (reference encoder 1.3.2, FLAC with bitrate 200 kbps) and idle power draw is measured on the Windows 10 desktop when only basic operating system processes and launchers of some test applications are running in the background.

Methodology: Temperature and frequency measurements

By far the most critical part in terms of temperatures on the motherboard is the power delivery (VRM) for the CPU. This is where we return to the Fluke Ti125 thermal imager, which produces temperature maps that can be used to locate the average temperature, as well as the hottest point. We record both these values (average and maximum temperature on the Vcore) in graphs, and we will later evaluate the efficiency of the VRM heatsinks based on the maximum one. However, we lack a suitable thermometer for that yet. Of course, the thermovision is implemented without a heatsink, and a thermocouple needs to be installed on the hottest MOSFET to detect the reduction of temperature with a heatsink. This will be added soon.

Thermal imaging always relates to operating with the more powerful of the pair of test processors. With it, the differences and possible limitations or impending risks (for example, even from thermal throttling) become more apparent. In order to have a good view of the VRM, we use an Alphacool Eisbaer 360 liquid cooler with the fans fixed at full power (12 V) instead of a tower cooler (from the CPU tests). The temperature tests also include CPU temperatures for completeness, and we also test the efficiency of the supplied SSD heatsinks as part of the motherboard tests. These are already included with virtually all better motherboards, and so the question naturally arises whether to use them or replace them with other, more finned ones. We will test these heatsinks on a Samsung 980 Pro SSD during ten minutes of intense load in CrystalDiskMark. Finally, the temperature of the chipset’s southbridge and the cooling efficiency in this direction is noteworthy as well.

All tests are conducted in a wind tunnel, so full system cooling is provided. This consists of three Noctua NF-S12A PWMs@5V (~550 rpm) . Two of which are intake, one is exhaust. But the three fast AIO fans also function as exhaust fans, so there is underpressure in the case.

The temperature at the entrance to the tunnel is properly controlled and ranges between 21-21.3 °C. Maintaining a constant temperature at all times during testing is important not only for the accuracy of the temperature measurements, but also because a higher or lower ambient temperature also affects the eventual behaviour of the processors’ boost. And we also properly monitor and compare the clock speeds, whether under all-core load or even single-threaded tasks. We use the HWiNFO application to record the clock speeds and temperatures of the cores (sampling is set to two seconds).

Maintaining a constant temperature at the intake is necessary not only for a proper comparison of processor temperatures, but especially for objective performance comparisons. The clock speed development, and specially the single core boost, is precisely based on the temperature. Typically in summer, at higher temperatures than is normal in living quarters in winter, processors can be slower.

Temperatures are always read as maximum (both from the VRM thermovision and average, but still from the local maximum values at the end of Cinebench R23). For Intel processors, for each test we read the maximum temperature of the cores, usually all of them. These maxima are then averaged and the result represents the final value in the graph. From the single-threaded workload outputs, we extract only the recorded values from the active cores (there are usually two of these, and they alternate between each other during the test). For AMD processors it is a bit different. They don’t have temperature sensors for each core. In order to make the procedure methodically as similar as possible to the one we apply on Intel processors, we define the average temperature of all cores by the highest value reported by the CPU Tdie (average) sensor. However, for single-core workloads we already use the CPU sensor (Tctl/Tdie), which usually reports a slightly higher value that better corresponds to hotspots of one or two cores. However, these values as well as the values from all internal sensors should be taken with a grain of salt, the accuracy of sensors across CPUs varies.

Clock speed evaluation is more accurate, each core has its own sensor even on AMD processors. However, unlike the temperatures, we write the average values of the clock speeds during the tests in the graphs. We monitor the temperatures and clock speed of the CPU cores in the same tests in which we also measure power draw. Thus, sequentially from the lowest desktop idle load in Windows 10, through audio encoding (single-threaded load), gaming load in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to Cinebench R23.

Test setup

Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 360 liquid cooler w/ a metal backplate

G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo memory (2×16 GB, 6000 MHz/CL30). Motherboards with DDR4 memory support are tested with Patriot Blackout (4×8 GB, 3600 MHz/CL18) and Z690/B660 motherboards with DDR5 memory support were tested with Kingston Fury Beast (2×16 GB, 5200 MHz/CL40)

MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio graphics card

Patriot Viper VP4100 (1 TB) and Patriot Viper VPN100 (2 TB) SSDs

Note: Graphics drivers used at the time of testing: Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and OS Windows 10 build 19045.

3DMark

We use 3DMark Professional for our tests and from the tests, Night Raid (DirectX 12), Fire Strike (DirectX 11) and Time Spy (DirectX 12). In the graphs you will find the CPU sub-scores, the combined scores, as well as the graphics scores. From this you can see to what extent a given CPU is limiting the graphics card.

Borderlands 3

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: None; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

F1 2020

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

Metro Exodus

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Extreme; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Highest; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Total War Saga: Troy

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

PCMark

Geekbench

Speedometer (2.0) and Octane (2.0)

Test environment: To ensure that results are not affected by web browser updates over time, we use a portable version of Google Chrome (91.0.472.101), a 64-bit build. Hardware GPU acceleration is enabled as well, as it is by default for every user.

Note: The values in the graphs represent the average of the scores obtained in the subtasks, which are grouped according to their nature into seven categories (Core language features, Memory and GC, Strings and arrays, Virtual machine and GC, Loading and Parsing, Bit and Math operations, and Compiler and GC latency).

Cinebench R20

Cinebench R23

Blender@Cycles

Test environment: We use well distributed projects BMW (510 tiles) and Classroom (2040 tiles) and the renderer Cycles. Render settings are set to None, with which all the work falls on the CPU.

LuxRender (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Adobe Premiere Pro (PugetBench)

Test environment: PugetBench tests set. We keep the version of the application (Adobe Premiere Pro) at 15.2.

DaVinci Resolve Studio (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests, test type: standard. App version of DaVinci Resolve Studio is 17.2.1 (build 12).

Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe After Effects is 18.2.1.

Test environment: For video conversion we’re using a 4K video LG Demo Snowboard with a 43,9 Mb/s bitrate. AVC (x264) and HEVC (x265) profiles are set for high quality and encoder profiles are “slow”. HandBrake version is 1.3.3 (2020061300).

x264 and x265 benchmarks

Naposledy sme sa zaoberali základnou doskou, ktorá, ktorá je aj vďaka nižšej cene vhodná najmä na použitie s lacnejšími procesormi. Teraz tu máme o zhruba 50 eur drahšiu Gigabyte B660 Aorus Master DDR4. Príplatok tu má jasné opodstatnenie a odzkadľuje sa na lepších vlastnostiach. Napájacia kaskáda je výrazne efektívnejšia, chladiče sú účinnejšie a výbava je celkovo bohatšia, vrátane svetielok.

Audio encoding

Test environment: Audio encoding is done using command line encoders, we measure the time it takes for the conversion to finish. The same 42-minute long 16-bit WAV file (stereo) with 44.1 kHz is always used (Love Over Gold by Dire Straits album rip in a single audio file).

Encoder settings are selected to achieve maximum or near maximum compression. The bitrate is relatively high, with the exception of lossless FLAC of about 200 kb/s.

Note: These tests measure single-thread performance.

FLAC: reference encoder 1.3.2, 64-bit build. Launch options: flac.exe -s -8 -m -e -p -f

MP3: encoder lame3.100.1, 64-bit build (Intel 19 Compiler) from RareWares. Launch options: lame.exe -S -V 0 -q 0

AAC: uses Apple QuickTime libraries, invoked through the application from the command line, QAAC 2.72, 64-bit build, Intel 19 Compiler (does not require installation of the whole Apple package). Launch options: qaac64.exe -V 100 -s -q 2

Opus: reference encoder 1.3.1, Launch options: opusenc.exe –comp 10 –quiet –vbr –bitrate 192

Adobe Photoshop (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe Photoshop is 22.4.2.

Affinity Photo (benchmark)

Test environment: built-in benchmark.

Topaz Labs AI apps

Topaz DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI. These single-purpose applications are used for restoration of low-quality photos. Whether it is high noise (caused by higher ISO), raster level (typically after cropping) or when something needs extra focus. The AI performance is always used.

Test settings for Topaz Labs applications. DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI, left to right. Each application has one of the three windows

Test environment: As part of batch editing, 42 photos with a lower resolution of 1920 × 1280 px are processed, with the settings from the images above. DeNoise AI is in version 3.1.2, Gigapixel in 5.5.2 and Sharpen AI in 3.1.2.

The processor is used for acceleration (and high RAM allocation), but you can also switch to the GPU

WinRAR 6.01

7-Zip 19.00

TrueCrypt 7.1a

Aida64 (AES, SHA3)

Aida64, FPU tests

FSI (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Kirchhoff migration (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Python36 (SPECworkstation 3.1)

SRMP (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Octave (SPECworkstation 3.1)

FFTW (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Convolution (SPECworkstation 3.1)

CalculiX (SPECworkstation 3.1)

RodiniaLifeSci (SPECworkstation 3.1)

WPCcfd (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Poisson (SPECworkstation 3.1)

LAMMPS (SPECworkstation 3.1)

NAMD (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Memory tests…

… and cache (L1, L2, L3)

M.2 (SSD) slots speed

USB ports speed

Ethernet speed

In the second test setup we use a Sonnet Solo10G network card to measure the LAN adapter transfer speeds

Analysis of power draw without power limits

Analysis of power draw with power limits

Achieved CPU clock speed w/o power limits…

… and with power limits

Disclaimer: The temperatures of the Core i9-12900K with the Core i9-13900K are incomparable. With the Intel Raptor Lake processor (Core i9-13900K) we use a metal backplate, while with Alder Lake (Core i9-12900K) the Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 360 cooler has a plastic backplate. The latter has lower pressure and the heat transfer intensity is worse, as our tests show.

… and with power limits

VRM temperature w/o power limits…

… and with power limits

SSD temperature

Chipset temperature (south bridge)

Conclusion

The lower price of the B650 Tomahawk WiFi board will have virtually no impact on the speed of your build. CPU clock speeds are between the Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX and the MSI MEG X670E Ace. However, the differences are minimal and therefore the performance results do not differ. The biggest difference to the plus side is in TrueCrypt AES encryption, where the B650 Tomahawk WiFi has a 4–5% edge over the two aforementioned boards. It then falls furthest behind the X670 Aorus Elite AX in (de)compression, tests that scale well with the higher bandwidth of Uncore on the Gigabyte board. After manually adjusting the factory settings, however, you can get similar results with the B650 Tomahawk as well. There are also minimal differences in the games, somewhere 2-3% below (Borderlands 3, F1 2020) the aforementioned boards, somewhere above them (Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War Saga: Troy), and even then only in the relatively low 1080p resolution.

The most significant difference from more expensive boards is the higher VRM temperature. But temperatures up to 80°C are still outside the critical range even with the Ryzen 9 7950X, which is the most powerful processor that can currently be installed in this board. Remarkably, from the perspective of all boards, so including models built on the Intel platform, the VRM temperature is still usually lower. Among AMD AM5 boards, the B650 Tomahawk will probably rank among the boards with the highest VRM temperature, but compared to boards with Intel chipsets in a similar price range, the B650 Tomahawk will rank among the boards with the lowest one.

And then there is, at comparable overall power draw, the slightly lower CPU temperature on the B650 Tomahawk WiFi board than on both the Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX and the MSI MEG X670E Ace. This is partly due to more efficient power regulation (and given the lower power draw while at the same time significantly lower VRM efficiency, this will probably be a major factor), and possibly it may also be due to the greater robustness of the socket better resisting heatsink pressure, but this is probably not the case for the lower price range.

The idle power draw is also significantly lower than on AMD AM5 boards tested so far, by 26–30% (7.5–9.5 W). This is also one of the plus points of the B650 Tomahawk WiFi.

The speeds of all M.2 slots reach the expected levels just like the USB ports. From testing the X670 Aorus Elite AX, where the USB 3.2 gen. 2×2 read speed performance deviated significantly from the average (was slower), you know that this doesn’t have to be a given. On the B650 Tomahawk, as far as the external USB 3.2. gen. 2×2 connector is concerned, we measured the highest speeds ever in both directions (2139/2058 MB/s). A stable approx. 288 MB/s is also available for downloading and uploading of the Ethernet connection.

The SSD cooler can be rated as average (the first one, closer to the CPU socket) and below average (the second one). The weaker of the pair is on the tail end of the results. MSI has weaker SSD coolers overall, but it should be added that even their performance is sufficient for the needs of current SSDs in common practice (i.e., they do not run continuously at full power in adverse conditions). It’s again about putting resources into other things that MSI felt were more important. These include, for example, a more expensive audio adapter (with a Realtek ALC4080 chip) and a wider selection of its connectors than is common on, for example, price-comparable Gigabyte boards, where the engineers in turn see more importance in larger and more powerful SSD coolers.

Whichever way you look at it, in the class of around 250 EUR, the B650 Tomahawk can be described as a balanced, feature-rich board with no obvious technical shortcomings, which means that it earns us the “Smart buy!” editorial award – the price-to-value ratio is impressive.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš


MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi
+ Robust 17-phase power delivery (VRM)...
+ ... handles even the Ryzen 9 7950X without power limits
+ Attractive price considering the equipment and all features
+ Efficient power supply management
+ Extra low idle CPU power draw
+ As much as ten USB connectors on the rear I/O panel and eight of them are fast
+ Exceptionally detailed fan management options
+ Fast Ethernet connection in both directions
- Weaker SSD coolers
Suggested retail price: 252 EUR

/* Here you can add custom CSS for the current table */ /* Lean more about CSS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets */ /* To prevent the use of styles to other tables use "#supsystic-table-2081" as a base selector for example: #supsystic-table-2081 { ... } #supsystic-table-2081 tbody { ... } #supsystic-table-2081 tbody tr { ... } */

Some of the tested boards are also available in the Datacomp e-shop

Special thanks to Blackmagic Design (for licenses for DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI) and Topaz Labs (for licenses for DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI)

Continue: What it looks like in the BIOS