MSI MAG X870E Gaming Max WiFi Review
Conclusion
Conclusion
The MSI Gaming Max is one of those products that’s always enjoyable to review. It’s got an honest that has to be respected. We’ve got a pair of MSI motherboards in the office right now, and whilst we can’t say what the other is, it’s also aimed at a totally different market to this one. It’s almost disconcerting how two products can do basically the same thing, but for wildly different prices.
All of the MSI MAG motherboards get the job done, and the Gaming Max is no exception. By virtue of using AMDs flagship X870E chipset you’re getting a lot of high bandwidth features. PCI Express 5.0 M.2 slots bring 14 GB/s storage within your grasp, whilst the 40G USB Type-C port around the back gives you 4GB/s transfer potential. You also get all the current thinking such as support for DDR5-8200+. Should RAM prices ever stabilise enough that we can buy it again, it’s nice to know you could push the boat out and the MSI can cope.
As you saw from our photo tour the designers at MicroStar International have had their Weetabix. Only a couple of the headers – PCIe 6 pin extra power and CPU Pump – are black. Every other bit of plastic is either light grey or white. That really makes a difference. Too often we see motherboard with just a token gesture towards the white hardware lovers. Okay we still begrudge the fact most heatsinks are silver, but we have got used to it. If you want the whitest setup, the MSI Gaming Max ticks that box.
Lastly we have to talk about performance. Whilst it might not have quite topped any of our graphs, in actual number terms it did very well. We’ve seen some motherboards that have chinks in their performance armoury. No such issues here. The fact that two of the best scoring results come in the tortuous Cinebench R24 and the smooth gaming stylings of Total Warhammer III show how well-rounded this is.
Too often hardware has a ton of stuff you’ll never use and charges you for the privilege. If you want a motherboard that has all you need and nothing you don’t, and drapes it in a gorgeous white finery and affordable price tag, the MSI MAG X870E Gaming Max WiFi is the choice for you, and it wins our OC3D Aesthetics Award.
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