MSI MAG X870E Gaming Max WiFi Review

Up Close

Up Close

When this first arrived we confess we thought we might have been sent another Tomahawk by mistake. Heavy lime green in use. But no, this is just very similar to the Tomahawk packaging. Pay close attention if buying from a bricks and mortar store.

In one of those strange turns of fortune, the white model we have here is the Max. If you want it in the more popular black, it’s not the Max. However, the thing you primarily notice is how attractive it is. MSI don’t much about with their white motherboards. Apart from a single fan header at the top, and the extra power header at the bottom, it’s all white. Lush.

You only need to accidentally leave a stand-off in the wrong place once and you’ll never do it again. With such huge ‘keep clear’ areas, and well marked ones, MSI do all they can to ensure you don’t make that mistake.

Beneath the heavily stacked heatsink we find a 14+2+1 60A Smart Power Stage. Plenty to handle any of the current AMD Ryzen processors. As we’ll see near the end, those fins get the job done.

The MSI Gaming Max has three M.2 slots. One Gen 5 for the ultimate speed, and two Gen 4 for, well still plenty of speed.