![]() (It's important to note that the B550 chipset does not support first-gen and second-gen Ryzen AM4 chips. The rear I/O panel also has a button that can be used to flash the BIOS to a new version, which is a useful function to have, especially if you need a BIOS update to make the board support a newer processor. Video connections on the board include one HDMI port and one DisplayPort connection, if you opt for a late-model Ryzen G series chip with integrated Radeon graphics. It can't compare with the RTL8125B chip, but it's a sensible option for a low-cost secondary NIC.Īlongside the USB ports are two RJ-45 jacks for the wired NICs mentioned earlier, and five 3.5mm jacks plus an S/PDIF port for audio. The second networking controller is one of those aging 1Gbps solutions I just mentioned-a Realtek RTL8111H. This chip is becoming a regular collaborator on modern midrange and high-end boards, and it offers a significant step up in terms of performance over aging 1Gbps solutions. (Serious gamers, for one, are going to opt for Ethernet anyway.) The main networking controller is a Realtek RTL8125B chip that supports internet speeds up to 2.5Gbps. The MAG B550 Tomahawk doesn't sport a built-in Wi-Fi chip (likely due to cost reduction), but it does have two LAN controllers. ( See our favorite M.2 SSDs we've tested.)Ī Look at the Networking, Audio, and Rear I/O I wouldn't consider this a drawback, however, as few M.2 solid-state drives nowadays use the longer 110mm form factor, and PCIe 4.0 support isn't so ubiquitous that every slot needs it. This slot is also in a more cramped location and can only accept drives measuring 80mm or shorter. The lower M.2 port connects to the board's chipset and is therefore locked into using PCIe 3.0 lanes it supports PCI Express M.2 SSDs only. MSI also put some RGB LEDs around the chipset heatsink that add some much-needed color to the board when it's powered up. Black is the more prominent color, but there's a good amount of gray that adds contrast and keeps the board from looking too dull. MSI opted to color the MAG B550 Tomahawk in a mixture of black and gray. ![]() This makes the Tomahawk a hard option to pass up in the midrange market, and our latest Editors' Choice winner among mainstream Ryzen desktop boards. And the similarities go deeper than just appearances-with PCI Express 4.0 support, a 2.5Gbps NIC, and two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the back panel, this board has a modern feature set that's comparable to what we have seen on many AMD X570 and Intel Z490 motherboards. Case in point: MSI's MAG B550 Tomahawk ($179.99), which might be mistaken at a glance for a premium ATX pick. That arguably goes without saying, but in this generation we're seeing more pronounced improvements. With the dawn of the latest in-the-middle chipsets-AMD's B550 and Intel's H470 and B460-midrange desktop motherboards just keep getting better. ![]()
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