MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4

So there is a lot worth writing about it when it comes to this monitor, so let me get started.

1. Build Quality.

Fantastic quality, I cannot fault it, truly I can’t. I was coming from a Z490 (Gaming Plus MSI) board and whilst that was more of an entry level -> mid level board, this feels 100% more premium, has more features and just feels like a massive improvement. Granted, you are paying a premium price tag for this motherboard but at the same, you get what you pay for and you don’t feel like you’ve shot yourself in the foot while doing so. I think the only that is missing from my point of view would be a.) a RESET CMOS switch b.) 2 additional USB ports on the back, kind of like how the DDR5 version of this board has and c.) a DEBUG LED on the motherboard itself. Apart from that? Excellent.

2. BIOS.

There’s not much to say about the BIOS to be honest, it hasn’t really changed since Z490/Z590, you still have all the options (easily navigatable) right in front of you. It just works, great overclocking functionality, I was able to achieve 4000Mhz on my Crucial Ballistix 3600/CL16 RAM without a hitch, you will not be disappointed.

3. Accessories included?

There’s lots that comes included within this that makes the price tag worth while. A 16GB USB Pen drive that has all the lateste drivers, software and utilities that you could need. You have 2 x NVME easy latch screws, screwdrivers, DVD’s, stickers for your CMOS sticker (if that’s your thing), 2x SATA cables. The list goes on really, a lot of this didn’t have to be included but it was and I’m grateful for it.

4. Overall feelings and conclusion

Overall I think that this is a fantastic entry by MSI but to be honest, I do feel a little let down by the price, I think for this price, this should be a top end motherboard especially because it’s DDR4, but it feels like it’s missing a few small features to reach that tier, that bracket if you will. For this price you could have got a Z590 Ace which is an extremely top end board deserving of that premium price point.

There is still an awful lot to be desired in regards to this board though, the fantastic features such as the amazing amount of devices that can be connected to this board, the PCI-e 5.0 functionality, the onboard WiFi, the steel reinforcement, the aesthetics. It’s all there. I genuinely feel that this is the best DDR4 on the market for the Z690 chipset, hands down. I can definitely recommend this board through and through, you will not be disappointed.

It’s been a long time since I’ve used an MSI board, and they’ve come on a long way. I originally had a Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro DDR4, but it had horrendous coil whine so had to go back. Next, I had an MSI Z690 Edge DDR4, but one of the m.2 mounts wasn’t fastened to the board so it also had to go back. Third time was the charm with this one!

The board is somewhat no-frills and has no RGB making for a clean look. MSI build quality isn’t as good as Gigabyte or Asus. There’s also sticky residue on the back of both MSI Z690 boards I used, and a little on the front. The UEFI is a bit cluttered and ugly, but functionally it’s exceptional. It is mostly clear and very well featured. A little more effort in usability would make it the equal of an Asus ROG board. That said the control is there, and it seems to work as described which you don’t always get.

Despite using the launch UEFI version, stability is perfect and compatibility with DDR4 is outstanding. I have 128GB DDR4 3600 C18, SK Hynix RAM. This is a very heavy load for any system, and this is the first board I’ve ever had where I can set the XMP setting, and it just works with stability. 72 hours of different stress tests could not shake the stability, outstanding! The Gigabyte Aorus Pro on the other hand managed 5 minutes as a comparison.

I would recommend also considering the Edge which is a little more money. On the surface the difference is only an extra 5A per phase, and some RGB. However, much to my chagrin there’s more to it. 2 of the USB 3 ports go from 5gbit, to 10gbit with the Edge. On the Tomahawk one of the m.2 slots is PCIe 3.0 x4, this is upgraded to 4.0 x4 on the Edge. Additionally, the lower PCIe 4.0 16x slot is only 1x on the Tomahawk, but 4x on the Edge. This is a shame since I have a 10gbit NIC that can only go in the lower slot, so I can’t max out the NIC anymore. On the other hand, all SATA ports are connected to the Z690 chipset on the Tomahawk, whereas 2 are using an extra SATA controller on the Edge. If you’re using RST this will impact the maximum number of drives you can have in RST RAID.

Inside of a case I haven’t heard any coil whine so far. Outside the case in open bench there’s a very small amount. I don’t overclock, so I can’t comment for power delivery in practice but based on the ICs in use, the VRM is basically overkill for anything short of liquid nitrogen.

Fan control is excellent, you can control the fan curves from within the UEFI so no need for any intrusive utilities. You can set individual points, and they can be arbitrarily moved. You can also set fan ramp up and down times. This is in stark contrast to Gigabyte where the final point on the curve must be 100%, even if that is added noise for no extra performance.

I can only recommend this board if you’re after something mid-range on the Z690. It’s staggering that this kind of cost is mid-range now, but you do get a lot for your money.

Spedizione da bocciare mi hanno letteralmente lanciato il pacco dentro casa. Ha fatto 5 metri di volo.Anziche chiamare ha voluto fare di testa sua. Tnt non fa il suo dovere. La scheda fortunatamente sembra a posto. Appena monterò il pc saprò se rimandarla indietro oppure no.

Picked up one of these boards for several reasons:

1. Wanted a X90 motherboard for a Intel i9 12900k CPU
2. Needed 4 NVME Slots
3. Needed as many SATA slots as I could get
4. Wanted to use existing RAM as DDR5 not so easy to obtain
5. Have used MSI boards before and have found them more stable on certain platforms (looking at you Asus Rampage X99 specifically).

The first thing that I noticed was the weight of the board – it has a serious heft to it, mostly from the heat sinks. It really feels solid overall. I liked the NVME retaining clip on the first slot – beats a screw and again, nice heat sink to spread the heat from the boot drive.

Also my first board to have an integrated I/O shield – it’s not a deal breaker as I’ve built 100’s of PC’s but it’s nice to just push in and it’s done, instead of having to worry about lining it up and finding one of the bits of the shield has bent down over a port. Just make sure you pull the plastic off before fitting it in 🙂

The new flash BIOS is nice – I think my older X299 board needed the CPU installed, but with this, you can download the latest BIOS and update it regardless (I mean, I have the CPU, it’s just nice to not rely on it).

Installation is straight forward – usual screws for the board in whatever chassis you have. Plenty of headers for fans and LED’s, should you like your case lit up like a Christmas Tree – and yes, if you don’t, you can turn it all off too.

Other things to check off – yes there’s a CPU fan and Pump header, which does seem to be the norm for most modern boards but in a better placement than my B550 Strix board. Both aren’t perfect placements, but can’t have it all.

I use a lot of USB ports so there’s a decent amount on the rear – all the way up to a 3.2 2×2 port for 20Gbps transfer, plus a couple of USB 2 for mouse/keyboards so you have USB 3 for all those things that actively need them.

I can’t comment on the onboard sound – I prefer an external Sound Blaster myself and therefore it’s ignored but I’m sure it’s perfectly fine.

Network wise there’s a 2.5Gbps Intel network port and there’s also an Intel WIFI 6 card for wireless usage – I prefer mine hard wired personally but it’s there should I need it or if I move around stuff.

Performance wise – I can’t comment vs a DDR5 board but I have no qualms about the performance – of course your milage may differ depending on your CPU but if you have the 12900 or 12700, I’m sure you’ll find this board solid.

One last note that I picked up on elsewhere – if you want air cooling, this board is fine, unlike the Asus Strix boards, which apparently have issues due to their heat sinks on the VRM’s. I know not everyone used air cooolers but if you do, this board is fine apparently.

In short – I like MSI boards since my bad experience with another manufacturers products and this is certainly a solid board (physically and in usage!).