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ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: Comparison
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: the chipset difference
The first real difference is chipset: ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi B650 against MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Z790. MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi also leads on m.2 slots, 3 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend 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 Steel Legend WiFi versus Core 12th Gen on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi.
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: which one fits your build
The ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi is the one to take for builders who want extra SATA ports for legacy drives and budget AM5 builds that don't need Wi-Fi 7, though it is not the pick for anyone who wants the latest B850 or X870 chipset features and builds that want a fourth M.2 slot. The MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi suits mainstream LGA1700 builders who want MSI's Frozr thermal design and builds that don't need flagship-tier VRM headroom, though it is the wrong buy for enthusiasts who want Thunderbolt 4 or dual LAN. It is the wrong buy for new builds better served by the newer Core Ultra Series 2 platform.
Where the two are identical
The common ground is wider than the gap: memory slots, max memory, max memory capacity, form factor and pcie 5.0 support are identical here. They match on 9 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend 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 Steel Legend 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 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Intel
Model Number
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
Socket
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core
Form Factor
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Z790
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Core 14th Gen
Memory Type
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend 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 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Core 12th Gen
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
Max Memory
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 256 GB
Board Width
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 305 mm
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 243.84 mm
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3-25%
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 256 GB
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 7600 MT/sBest
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 7200 MT/s
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 0
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 7
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 5
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
Rear USB 2.0 Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 0
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 20GbpsBest
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 10Gbps
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 16
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 16
Power Stage Current Rating
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 60 A
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 90 A
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Two 8-pin
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 1
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 5.3
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC897, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Realtek ALC4080
Expansion
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode); 1x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4; 2x 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 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10Gbps), 4x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 2x 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 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G 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 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4x PCIe 4.0 M.2, 7x SATA
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650E Steel Legend 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
| Retailer | ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi | MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | |
| Newegg | View 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.