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ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: Comparison
What is the difference between ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi?
Chipset is the dividing line, ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi B850 against MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Z790. There is a split on oldest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Core 12th Gen on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi. They differ on board width too, 244 mm on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus 243.84 mm on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi.
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi: which one fits your build
The ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi is the one to take for builders who want four M.2 slots at a B-series price and mainstream AM5 builds with Steel Legend styling preference, though it is not the pick for enthusiasts who need X870-level chipset lanes and builds needing dual LAN. 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.
What ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi have in common
The common ground is wider than the gap: memory slots, max memory, m.2 slots, m.2 slots onboard and form factor are identical here. They match on 10 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core on the MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi.
Is the PCIe 5.0 Support the same on the ASRock B850 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Intel
Model Number
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
Socket
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core
Form Factor
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Z790
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Core 14th Gen
Memory Type
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC)
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4x DDR5, up to 256GB, up to 7200+ MT/s (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Core 12th Gen
Memory Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
Max Memory
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 256 GB
Board Width
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 244 mm
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 243.84 mm
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Yes
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 8000 MT/sBest
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 7200 MT/s
ECC Memory Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Unbuffered ECC
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- None
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 0
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
M.2 CPU Attached Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 1
SATA Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 7
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB4 or TB Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 0
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 0
Rear USB 20Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 0
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 1
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 5
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4
Rear USB 2.0 Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 0
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 20GbpsBest
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 10Gbps
Fan and Pump Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 6
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 8
ARGB Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 3
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 14
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 16
Power Stage Current Rating
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 80 A
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 90 A
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Two 8-pin
BIOS Flashback
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Yes
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 1
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 7
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.4
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 5.3
Audio Codec
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC4082, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Realtek ALC4080
Expansion
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
- 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- USB 3.2, Nahimic audio software
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Rear USB 20Gbps Type-C, M.2 Shield Frozr
Networking
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN, Intel Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Special Features
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 3x Gen4)
- MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
- 4x PCIe 4.0 M.2, 7x SATA
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4), the higher max memory (256 GB vs 256 GB) and the higher M.2 slots (4 vs 4).
Choose MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B850 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.