MSI Edge Ti WiFi ITX Motherboards

Introduction

Introduction

Something that we talk a lot about here at OC3D Towers is the past. Largely because computing – AI obsession apart – only ever gets better. We’re old enough to remember parallel ports, RS232s, all that nasty jazz. This means that USB, even basic USB 2.0, is something we appreciate. Obviously the introduction of Type-C saves us only being able to insert cables the third way up, but the point remains. What has this to do with today’s two MSI ITX motherboards?

It’s all to do with chipsets. Until incredibly recently your motherboard choice was either the full model, or you were hugely compromising your build potential. Yes the B chipsets were much cheaper, but there was generally a reason for that. Fortunately for all of us the gap between B chipsets and the premium Z/X range for both AMD and Intel is tiny. The difference tends to be in the two areas most people want extra stuff. USB and storage. That’s fair enough though. It’s a business after all. When the chipset performance is relatively equivalent you need to tempt people to spend more somehow.

A great way to stop yourself looking longingly at things like the MSI Godlike is to accept a cut down board in the first place. The ITX form factor is perfect for this. Why have a giant case dominating your room when you can have a smaller one with the same performance? To this end MSI have launched two new motherboards, both under the Edge Ti nomenclature. The AMD B850 ITX Edge Ti and Intel B860I Edge Ti.

Two white motherboards that give you all the connectivity you need and, despite being for very different manufacturers, are surprisingly similar in specification. Let’s cast our eye across them both.

AMD B850 Specifications

On the AMD platform you get the B850 chipset. We’ve reviewed a bunch of B850 motherboards and been very pleasantly surprised by how close they are in performance to their X870 cousins. It’s a big tick in the box for AMD. Given how wildly popular their X3D Ryzen Processors are that’s not a bad thing. As you’ll see in a minute the basics are identical to the Intel offering. Credit to MSI for ensuring you get the same product regardless of CPU allegiance.

Intel B860 Specifications

Just like the AMD B850 we’ve seen our fair share of Intel B860 equipped motherboards too. Again the Intel B860 version hits all of the same notes as the AMD B850. However, if you’re going for the Santa Clara company you’ll get a slightly faster 40G Type-C port, thanks to Thunderbolt 4.

Power

Lastly the power stage might not be as massive as some full ATX motherboards, but with 8 90A Smart Power Stages it’s more than enough for any processor you fancy slotting in.