MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK: Affordability and Quality in One Package - New Generation Budget Choice
In our review, we will take a look at the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAW motherboard. We will explore the main features and capabilities of this motherboard, as well as perform performance testing in several recent games.
| APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS |
This subsection of our review reveals the main aspects of the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK, such as appearance and hardware configuration.
| APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS |
The box of the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK motherboard is made in black colors, decorated with graphic elements and TOMAHAWK symbols, which makes its appearance attractive and recognizable.
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK is a budget motherboard specially designed to support 13th generation processors. And while it's more affordable than some of the other models, it still offers plenty of features for the average user.
The motherboard package includes the board itself, a SATA cable and two Wi-Fi antennas, which ensures easy installation and connection.
The board offers a PCIe 5.0 x16 expansion slot providing high bandwidth - up to 64 GB/s - for compatible devices. This slot is reinforced with SafeSlot metal mounts, providing extra stability and protection for heavy graphics cards.
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK is equipped with two eight-pin connectors for CPU power. This is an unusual feature that can only be found in the most powerful and high-performance motherboards, and to see it on a budget model was a pleasant surprise...
The board has 4 SATA ports that support both traditional hard drives and newer and faster SATA SSDs.
On the back of the board, you'll find a variety of ports including USB, Ethernet (LAN), USB Type-C ports, audio outputs, an HDMI port, and DisplayPort.
The MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK is also equipped with two M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots equipped with heatsinks to cool high-performance drives. This helps to effectively manage heat, especially when the system is running intensively.
All in all, the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK is a solid and affordable motherboard with enough functionality for most users.
| UEFI |
The MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK offers a host of features and functionality for mid-range users and gamers. One of the key aspects of this motherboard is its UEFI BIOS, which provides the flexibility to tune and optimize system performance.
UEFI BIOS is a modern BIOS standard that provides a graphical user interface, improved user experience, and more customization options. User Interface: The UEFI BIOS on the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK has an intuitive GUI with mouse support, making it easy to navigate and change settings.
Overclocking: The UEFI BIOS provides advanced options for overclocking the processor, RAM, and graphics accelerator. This includes adjusting bus multipliers, voltages, and frequencies, as well as additional options for fine-tuning the memory.
System Monitoring: The UEFI BIOS allows you to monitor the system status in real time, including temperature, fan speed and voltage. Functions for setting fan control curves and setting temperature thresholds are also available.
Boot Configuration: The UEFI BIOS provides flexible control over boot options, including boot device selection and boot prioritization. It also allows you to save and load profiles with BIOS settings to quickly adapt to different usage conditions.
Firmware Upgrade: UEFI BIOS supports firmware upgrade both via USB flash drive and online. This helps keep the system up to date, fix bugs, and improve stability and compatibility with new components.
| ACCELERATION |
The modern art of overclocking processors poses challenges for the user that require deep knowledge and experience. Even though modern processors come with the highest possible frequencies, enthusiasts continue to increase the frequency of the processor in an effort to squeeze out the maximum performance. However, be aware of the risks: improper overclocking can damage components and reduce system stability.
In the context of overclocking, MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK shows impressive results. Despite its affordability, this motherboard provides a stable foundation for high-frequency performance.
For example, when using Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 7200 memory, MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK motherboard ensured stable system operation at 6800 MHz. The initial XMP profile at 7200 MHz was not successfully applied, but switching to the 6800 MHz profile ensured stable system operation without any problems.
As part of testing system performance at different frequencies of RAM, the AIDA64 utility was used. Testing was carried out at DDR5 5200, DDR5 5600, DDR5 6000 and DDR5 6800 MHz.
5200 MHz
5600 MHz
6000 MHz
6800 MHz
The best results were obtained using DDR5 6800 RAM, where data transfer rates reached almost 1020 gigabits per second, which is impressive for a mid-range motherboard.
This data confirms that the use of high-frequency RAM, combined with a powerful motherboard capable of supporting such high frequencies, can significantly improve system performance. But it is important to remember that for mid-range motherboards, like the MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK, purchasing too expensive RAM may not be practical.
| TEST PART |
| Test configuration | |
| test stands |
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK Kingston XS2000 Portable SSD 1 TB - the optimal solution for testing different configurations |
| multimedia equipment |
Power Supply Seasonic PRIME TX-1000 Cooling system: DeepCool LS720WH Case: DeepCool CH510 WH |
| Software configuration |
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| operating system | Windows 10 21H2/ Windows 11(Alder Lake) |
| Graphics driver |
Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 536.23 WHQL |
| Monitoring programs |
MSI Afterburner |
For the maximum disclosure of the Intel Core i9-13400 processor, we took the RTX 4090 graphics card. This is one of the most powerful graphics cards in the world, capable of providing high performance in any modern games and applications.
| Aliens Dark Descent |
Testing was carried out at maximum quality settings.
| Amnesia The Bunker |
Testing was carried out at maximum quality settings.
There is a direct relationship between memory frequency and performance in the game. As the memory frequency increases, the FPS in the game also increases.
| Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered |
Testing took place at maximum quality settings and with ray tracing.
There is also an increase in performance with increasing memory frequency.
| Cyberpunk 2077 |
Testing took place at maximum quality settings and with ray tracing.
In this game, the performance difference between different memory frequencies is minimal, but still DDR5 6000 MHz shows slightly better results.
| Hogwarts Legacy |
Testing was carried out at maximum quality settings with RT without frame generation.
As with Amnesia The Bunker, performance increases with increasing memory frequency.
| Trepang2 |
Testing was carried out at maximum quality settings.
This game achieves maximum performance when using DDR5 6000 MHz. As the memory frequency increases further, performance decreases.
| The Last of Us Part I |
Testing was carried out at maximum quality settings.
In this game, DDR5 5600MHz and DDR5 6000MHz show the highest performance. When the memory frequency is increased to 6800 MHz, performance decreases, which may also be due to incompatibility or suboptimal system settings.
| CONCLUSION |
After detailed analysis and testing, MSI's MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard is an excellent choice for a mid-range gaming PC.
This device offers a wide range of features and options for gamers and enthusiasts, including modern interfaces for connecting components, WiFi support, and, last but not least, excellent options for customizing and overclocking the system.
MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI does an excellent job of supporting high frequency RAM. When using DDR5 memory of various frequencies, a significant increase in performance was noted in most of the test games. This confirms that a high memory frequency can significantly improve the overall performance of a gaming system.
However, it is important to note that in some cases, increasing the memory frequency does not lead to a proportional increase in performance, and may even reduce it. This is because not all games and applications can use high memory frequency efficiently, and in some cases there may be compatibility or stability issues.
Also worth noting is the build quality and design of the motherboard. MSI continues the tradition of the MAG line by releasing devices with solid construction, stylish appearance and high quality components.
All in all, MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI is a great choice for those who are looking for a reliable and high performance gaming PC motherboard. This board offers a great combination of features, performance and price making it an attractive option for most gamers.
