Consumercarts

Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more

ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: Comparison

ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: the chipset difference

The first real difference is chipset: ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi B650E against MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Z790. MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi also leads on m.2 slots, 3 on the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi versus 4 on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi. Oldest cpu family supported is not the same on both, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi versus Core 12th Gen on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi.

Which should you buy, ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi or MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi?

it is the wrong buy for enthusiasts who want dual LAN or X870E-class connectivity and builds that need Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6E. It also earns its place with mid-range AM5 builders who want a stronger VRM than entry-level B-series boards. Buy the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi for mainstream LGA1700 builders who want MSI's Frozr thermal design and builds that don't need flagship-tier VRM headroom, though it is not built for enthusiasts who want Thunderbolt 4 or dual LAN. It is not the one for new builds better served by the newer Core Ultra Series 2 platform.

Where the two are identical

Everything else lines up. Memory slots, max memory, max memory capacity, form factor and pcie 5.0 support read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 7 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi differ on socket?

Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi versus Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi.

Is the Wi-Fi Onboard the same on the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi?

It is. Both are listed at Yes, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Platform

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    AMD
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Intel
  • Model Number

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
  • Socket

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core
  • Form Factor

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    ATX
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    ATX
  • Chipset

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    B650E
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Z790
  • Newest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Ryzen 9000
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Core 14th Gen
  • Memory Type

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ (OC), XMP/EXPO
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4x DDR5, up to 256GB, up to 7200+ MT/s (OC)
  • Oldest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Ryzen 7000
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Core 12th Gen
  • Memory Slots

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    4
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4
  • Max Memory

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    256 GB
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    256 GB
  • Board Width

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    305 mm
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    243.84 mm
  • M.2 Slots

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    3-25%
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4Best
  • PCIe 5.0 Support

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Yes
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Yes
  • Wi-Fi Onboard

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Yes
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Yes
  • Max Memory Capacity

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    256 GB
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    256 GB
  • Max Rated Memory Speed

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    7600 MT/sBest
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    7200 MT/s
  • ECC Memory Support

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Unbuffered ECC
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    None
  • M.2 Slots Onboard

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    3
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4
  • M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    0
  • M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4
  • SATA Ports

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    4
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    7
  • PCIe x16 Slots

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    2
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    2
  • Primary Graphics Slot Gen

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    PCIe 5.0
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    PCIe 5.0
  • Rear USB 20Gbps Ports

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    1
  • Rear USB 10Gbps Ports

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    2
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    5
  • Rear USB 5Gbps Ports

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    2
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4
  • Rear USB 2.0 Ports

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    6
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    0
  • Front USB-C Header Speed

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    20GbpsBest
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    10Gbps
  • Vcore Power Stages

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    14
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    16
  • Power Stage Current Rating

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    60 A
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    90 A
  • EPS 12V Configuration

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    8-pin plus 4-pin
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Two 8-pin
  • Max Ethernet Speed

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    2.5 Gbps
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    2.5 Gbps
  • Ethernet Port Count

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    1
  • Wi-Fi Standard

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Wi-Fi 6E
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Wi-Fi 6E
  • Bluetooth Version

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    5.2
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    5.3
  • Audio Codec

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Realtek ALC897, 7.1-channel HD Audio with Nahimic
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Realtek ALC4080
  • Expansion

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode), 1x PCIe 4.0 x1; 1x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, 1x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x2/SATA, 1x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4; 4x SATA III; 1x M.2 Key-E (Wi-Fi)
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (x16 physical), 1x PCIe 3.0 x1
  • Connectivity

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20Gbps), 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10Gbps), 2x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 6x Rear USB 2.0; 1x Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header (20Gbps)
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Rear USB 20Gbps Type-C, M.2 Shield Frozr
  • Networking

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    Killer E3100G 2.5GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    Intel 2.5Gb LAN, Intel Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
  • Special Features

    ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi
    3x M.2 (PCIe 5.0 primary slot)
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    4x PCIe 4.0 M.2, 7x SATA

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4) and the higher max memory (256 GB vs 256 GB).

    Choose MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi if you want the higher M.2 slots (4 vs 3).

    Price comparison

    RetailerASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFiMSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
    AmazonView on Amazon
    NeweggView on Newegg

    Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.

    More comparisons in Motherboards