The latest in our Z790 Refresh motherboard review series is the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk Max WiFi Using MSI's MAG nomenclature, the Tomahawk sits in the middle of MSI's product stack, above the entry-level gaming-oriented MPG range and below the high-end MEG range. With a strong core feature set aimed at gamers who don't want to spend a fortune on a motherboard, it's in the bang-for-your-buck sweet spot, so to speak. The Australian dollar price is also a bargain.

Here's a surprise: the Tomahawk Max WiFi is priced lower than the previous model when it was launched. Barring our Aussie friends with their exchange rate handicap, this is cheaper than the non-Max MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi at $319/£337/AUD$569. MSI immediately did gamers a service. Compared to its predecessor, the Tomahawk Max WiFi has faster memory than its native 14th generation, PCIe 5.0 M.2, additional SATA ports, and WiFi 7 support. For this reason, the Max is a no-brainer purchase.

Still, $300 is not cheap for a motherboard, and the Tomahawk Max WiFi compares favorably to boards like the Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi at a similar price. However, MSI has added WiFi 7, PCIe 5.0 SSD support, more powerful VRM, more SATA ports, and more USB ports. However, Asus provides 30W of power to the 20Gbps USB header. However, the Tomahawk Max faces strong competition from below; the ASRock Z790 Riptide WiFi is an excellent $50 cheaper alternative.

These Z790 refresh boards are the best the LGA 1700 generation has to offer, as opposed to the teething problems common with Intel 600 series motherboards that introduced DDR5 memory and the complexities of the 12th generation hybrid architecture. refresh boards tend to be very mature products. It is more than just a new coat of paint on last year's Z790 board; while it is possible to update the BIOS on 600 and 700 series motherboards, first-time buyers of the LGA 1700 platform should consider the Z790 refresh board to ensure the best overall experience should consider the Z790 refresh board for the best overall experience.

But back to the motherboard itself. In my opinion, the Tomahawk Max WiFi is one of the best looking motherboards on the market. It has an all-black design with subtle green highlights. Kudos to MSI, as I never liked designs where the RGB light logo looked like a billboard ad. [But there are three ARGB headers and one RGB header. There are also eight fan headers, so the Tomahawk Max WiFi can accommodate both RGB and water-cooled systems.

The Tomahawk Max WiFi has a balanced feature set: four memory slots support 7800 MHz+ speeds. Dual-rank modules are supported at 6600 MHz+, and four 192 GB dual-rank modules operate at 5600 MHz+. This is a significant upgrade over the support offered by the first generation LGA 1700 boards and is a good way to advertise the capabilities of the 14th generation processors.

The storage specifications of the Tomahawk Max WiFi are very good. It supports up to four M.2 drives, with the primary slot supporting PCIe 5.0 drives. The remaining slots support PCIe 4.0. All are cooled by dedicated heat sinks. The primary slot is the only one of the four that is cooled by an easily removable heatsink. The other slots are screw-in. However, the primary heatsink has very little surface area compared to some boards. Sufficient airflow is needed to prevent hot Gen 5 SSDs from throttling under sustained load. [The four M.2 slots are connected by eight SATA ports. This is a rarity at any price. The less expensive ASRock Z790 Riptide WiFi also has eight and another M.2 slot, but Tomahawk's storage potential remains very good. [The M.2 slots occupy PCB space previously reserved for expansion card slots, so the complement of PCIe slots is nearly equal. The primary PCIe slot supports Gen 5 speeds. There is a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x4 electrical) and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. Both are located away from the primary slots, so they can be used unencumbered by triple-slot graphics cards.

Next is the VRM, which is excellent; MSI has traditionally over-specced the VRM on Tomahawk models, and that continues here: a 16+1+1 phase solution with 90A stages would have been on a flagship board just a couple of years ago! It would not have been out of place. This board can even power a CPU cooled with liquid nitrogen, so we the average user will not face any problems even with an overclocked Core i9 14900K.

A powerful VRM is of little use if the heatsink is weak. While it doesn't have the huge surface area of the high-end or finned designs, it worked flawlessly in my tests.

The rear I/O on the Tomahawk Max WiFi is a real highlight: one 20Gbps Type-C port, five 10Gbps ports (one of which is Type-C), and four 5Gbps ports for a total of 10 USB ports. MSI has included a CMOS clear button and BIOS flashback button. The latter may require a BIOS update to add support for future non-K CPUs or 14900KS.

There are DP 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 ports. While not relevant for gaming applications, the inclusion of these ports provides an option for repurposing the system without a discrete graphics card.

Most boards in this price range include WiFi 7, but not all. One of the highlights of this generation of motherboards, WiFi 7 goes along with Intel 2.5GbE.

MSI also did not rely on cheap audio codecs. It has Realtek ALC4080 audio with a set of analog ports and S/PDIF. Implementation is more important than the basic codec, which is why MSI included high-quality capacitors and depop protection circuitry in the Tomahawk Max WiFi. It is hard to expect much at this price point.

System Performance

Gaming Performance

The Tomahawk Max WiFi is the fourth Z790 refresh board I tested; I was quite surprised that the boards performed similarly to each other when left on automatic settings as far as Intel's power limit and turbo ratio. I was quite surprised at how well they performed. But having said that, these are 3rd generation boards. The underlying microcode and hybrid architecture is a well-known quantity at this point, and it is not surprising that the motherboards make little difference compared to CPU or GPU upgrades or downgrades.

System testing brought no surprises from MSI, although the 3DMark storage test yielded the best results.

A stable baseline is a good thing, and solid, reliable Z790 mid-range boards like the Z790 Tomahawk Max Wifi showed that they will happily pair with high-end combinations like the i9 14900K and RTX 4090.

Now it's time for our usual memory tests. As we have tested, we were able to hit DDR5-8000, but it took an impossible level of IMC voltage to exceed it. I will be getting a DDR5-8200 kit from Teamgroup shortly, but it will need a high performance BIOS to work properly. If so.

MSI's BIOS has changed little since the introduction of the first UEFI. Basic settings are easy to find and advanced modes have labeled and easy to navigate submenus. Perhaps it is too early for new skins or layout changes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

MSI's Z790 Tomahawk Max WiFi is an excellent product with very competitive, high-quality features at this price point; MSI deserves credit for not pushing the price of the Max version higher than its non-Max predecessor. This is quite unusual for any product in today's inflation-hit economy, and MSI did well.

The average gamer needs to ask themselves what they value most in a motherboard. Since the performance differences between 3rd generation motherboards are mostly within the margin of error, functionality, aesthetics, and, if you are so inclined, brand loyalty will be the deciding factors in your choice. If features are important to you, you'll appreciate WiFi 7, 4×M.2 + 8×SATA, high-quality VRMs that can power anything 12th, 13th, or 14th generation, and rear-mounted USB 20Gbps ports.

Looks are always a turn-on, and I like the Tomahawk Max's understated appearance. I also like the fact that there is a splash of green and no RGB branding or logos to burn your retinas. You decide if that matters to you. You can add RGB to your rig, but this way you can do it in your own style without seeing ads for MSI, Aorus, or ROG. Minimalism is not a common trait among motherboard manufacturers. However, MSI, especially its Unify series, leads the way.

The main problem with the Tomahawk Max is not from above, but from below: the ASRock Z790 Riptide WiFi has a similar feature set but costs $50 less. If MSI had included a 20Gbps header on the front and perhaps supported high-power delivery, it might have won top honors. Still, the excellent rear I/O and VRM make this a very attractive product.

Considering its spec list, minimalist appearance, and high-quality VRM, the board should definitely be a contender in the $300 range. It is a solid, mature board that can happily sit in the center of a mid-range to ultra-premium component rig and look good while doing so.