MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI Review – EZ Does It

The day is finally here: Intel’s new Core Ultra 200S series processors are now available, and so does the accompanying Z890 series motherboards from various OEMs. In this review, we’re looking at MSI’s new MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard and see what upgrades the Taiwanese PC maker has brought to the table.

Unboxing

In the latest iteration of MSI’s MAG series motherboards, the new Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI now has a more minimalist design on the outer package, though the insides remain unchanged – that means you’re greeted with the motherboard packed inside the ESD-safe bag right away, with all the accessories tucked under, except for the Wi-Fi antenna that is kept in its dedicated compartment.

Compared to the Z790 MAX counterpart, you do gain several new items, including the new EZ Conn V2 header and the updated EZ M.2 Clip II modules (plus its accompanying removal tool). Compared to the vanilla Z790 model though, and it becomes a pretty big upgrade in the accessories department.

Walkaround

There is a small change visual-wise when comparing to the Z790 MAX, both of which adopts the black-lime color scheme. The new model has less angular elements (like modern motherboard designs do), though the general layout is pretty similar – three PCIe slots, three SSD heatsinks, to name some examples.

Here are all the heatsinks laid out based on their parts, and here we can see a total of four heat dissipating elements for SSDs (three heatsinks plus one base plate for the primary SSD). The VRM heatsink is a split design, with the I/O shield pre-attached to the left heatsink.

There are several EZ-branded accessories which is designed for quick and easy installation – the latest addition is the EZ Conn V2 connector that combines ARGB, PWM, and USB 2.0 into a single 3-in-1 cable to improve cable management. Meanwhile, both the EZ Front Panel Cable and the EZ Wi-Fi Antenna were first debuted in the Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX, though the names you see are retroactively rebranded since this generation.

In terms of rear I/O, there are notable changes: gone is the DisplayPort for the processor’s onboard graphics, and in comes a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports that can do double duty as display outputs aside from connecting to high-speed peripherals. Additionally, audio outputs have also been simplified to forego rear channel ports as well.

Starting with this generation with the new LGA1851 socket, all coolers are required to use a 78x78mm bracket for cooler installations – meaning, all LGA1700 coolers will work, but LGA1200 or earlier will not (unless it comes with an LGA1700 adapter).

Specifications

MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI

Full specifications available on product page and datasheet.

CPU Support	LGA1851 (Intel Core Ultra 200S series)
Form Factor	ATX (12 x 9.6 in / 305 x 244 mm)
Chipset	Intel Z890
Power & VRM	2x EPS 8-pin 16+1+1+1 stage (Vcore+SA+GT+VNNAON) Vcore (CPU): MPS MP87692* (90A per powerstage) Auxiliary: MPS MP87661* PWM Controller: MPS MP2940C* (*) Denotes undocumented part as of this writing.
Memory	4-slot Max. 256GB DDR5-6400 unbuffered Overclocking support up to DDR5-9200+ CUDIMM support
PCIe Expansion Slots	1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (PCH, x16 slot) 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (PCH, x16 slot)
Storage	4x SATA 6Gb/s 4x M.2 slots: – 1x PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU) – 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU) – 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (PCH) – 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (PCH, SATA M.2 support)
Networking	Intel Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 module* (M.2 2230) Bluetooth 5.4 Intel Killer E5000 5GbE LAN *Wi-Fi 7 support requires Windows 11 24H2 and later
USB Outputs	Rear: 2x Thunderbolt 4 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-C 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-A 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) Type-A Front (headers): 1x Thunderbolt 5 (add-in card) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) with 27W PD 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) (splitting to 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1) 2x USB 2.0 (splitting to 4x USB 2.0)
Onboard Display	1x HDMI 2.1 FRL @ 4K 120Hz 2x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 @ 4K 120Hz / 8K 60Hz)
Audio	Realtek ALC1220P codec Dedicated headphone amplifier De-pop protection 1x S/PDIF (TOSLINK optical out)
Peripheral Headers	Fan and Cooling 1x CPU Fan 1x Combo Fan (PUMP_SYS Fan) 6x System Fan 1x EZ Conn-header (JAF_2) GPU 1x Supplemental PCIe 8-pin header (PCIE_PWR) Miscellaneous 2x Front Panel (JFP) 1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI) 1x Front Audio (JAUD) 3x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2) 1x RGB LED connector (JRGB) 1x TPM 2.0 pin header
Accessories	EU Regulatory Notice Quick installation guide Cable sticker pack ‘Shout out’ Flyer USB drive (motherboard drivers) 2x SATA cables 2x EZ M.2 Clip II packages EZ M.2 Clip II Remover EZ Wi-Fi antenna 3-in-1 EZ Conn V2 cable EZ Front panel cable

Test System

CPU	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
Cooling	Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition Cooler Master MasterGel Maker
Motherboard	MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	Kingston FURY RENEGADE DDR5 RGB (DDR5-6400 CL32, 2x16GB)
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	GameMax Rampage GX-1050 PRO (ATX 3.1) 1050W
Case	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 23H2

Teardown

VRM

The VRM’s major components like MOSFETs and controllers are from Monolithic Power Systems (MPS), but all chips we’ve found has no official public record or documentation available at the time of publication. The CPU runs on 16 powerstages, while the SA (system agent), GT (graphics) and a new rail called VNNAON all uses the same single-stage setup.

Storage & Expansion

The storage and expansion layout for the Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI is very simple, as annotated in the image above. What you see is what you get, you don’t have to worry about certain slots getting disabled; though in exchange the SSD slots mostly runs on PCIe 4.0, which is still plenty fast, to be fair. Meanwhile, the two full-length x16 slots can accept all add-in cards, albeit at a limited x4 bandwidth (still enough to run a Thunderbolt 5 add-in card).

LAN & Wi-Fi

For connectivity, MSI has used Killer parts for both wired and wireless networking. The Killer E5000 is responsible for wired connection capable of up to 5 gigabits per second; while the Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 module can tap into the full 320MHz bandwidth to deliver up to 5.8Gbps of theoretical maximum speed.

I/O

Unlike motherboards we’ve looked at before, the Z890 TOMAHAWK has less discrete USB controllers present on the motherboard. We think this is likely a result of several controllers integrated into the CPU itself (especially as Arrow Lake now has TB4 controllers directly on-chip, which explains the two TB4 ports at rear I/O), but one thing that isn’t integrated just yet is the super-fast Thunderbolt 5 port – it currently lives in the form of a header that must be paired with an add-in card to work.

Audio

In the audio department, there is one Realtek ALC1220P responsible for audio outputs. Not exactly a high-end model (and the setup is more rudimentary than others), but good enough to serve most users.

Other Features

MSI has implemented several ‘EZ’ designs in this motherboard, and it has upgraded the M.2 installation mechanism with the second generation components. In particular, the EZ M.2 Clip II has (presumably) a spring-loaded latch that allows you to push the SSD and lock it in place – though we find that removing the SSD can be more difficult as the drive often gets stuck unless you deliberately pull the SSD away.

For flexibility, the clip can be relocated based on the drive length using the included tool, although any compatible hex socket should work given its shape. As for the EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II, it’s very simple to install and remove, though one flaw I spotted in this case is the primary slot’s thermal pad didn’t end up contacting the SSD’s chips, meaning there’s simply no heat dissipation being done there. This could be due to manufacturing tolerances (as the bottom plate did come in contact just fine), but it’s something worth pointing out.

The EZ PCIe Release is another new addition for the Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI, which features a similar design as some of the ASUS motherboards (though ASUS is moving away to a slimmer design by now). In this case, the PCIe slot lock is coupled to a spring that can be engaged using a button on the far side of the motherboard, though locking has to be done manually (there is a small indicator above the button for easy reference).

Additionally, MSI has introduced the new EZ Conn II connector which sits next to the ATX 24-pin connector, a common spot to route the cable away from plain sight. This connector combines USB 2.0, PWM, and ARGB functions into a single 11-pin header, though you need the included connector to get started. Besides that, there’s also an additional PCIe 8-pin connector that, according to MSI, helps with dealing power excursions better when a large number of components are approaching what the ATX 24-pin can deliver.

Thermals

The 16-stage VRM is on the low side when it comes to supplying the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with enough juice at maximum power, as our passive cooling test has seen the VRM getting beyond 82°C at the 10-minute mark. We decided to introduce some light airflow to better simulate the use case in PC cases, and in this case the thermals are much more manageable even after 15 minutes of full-tilt workload.

BIOS & Software

New in this motherboard (and all models beyond this one) is the newly revamped Click BIOS X interface, which is a significant improvement over the old version that, in my opinion, is a lot less intuitive to competitors at the time. The new UI is very simple to use, and it even comes with user profiles to keep your settings ready to go in case you’ve gone through a CMOS reset.

In case for Windows operating system, the companion app is the MSI Center, which consists of several optionally available modules that you can download depending on your use case. Navigating through the UI isn’t the most straightforward as you’ll have go through several sub-menus, but it does get the job done.

Verdict

The price you’ll be paying to get the MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI will be RM1,909 – certainly on the cheaper side as far as Z890 motherboards are concerned. It’s a pretty good value overall, especially given the amount of creature comforts MSI has given to this motherboard. If you intend to build a reasonably high-end system for a reasonable price, this one should be a fairly solid option.

Special thanks to MSI Malaysia for sending us the MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard for this review.