Fixed up my new build a week ago with the B550 Tomahawk, paired with a Ryzen Pro 4650G. It's worked flawlessly the past week, and I'm happy with my purchases. There isn't a one-stop thread regarding the board, so I thought I'd write a short summary of the Pros, Cons, and things potential buyers should keep watch on regarding the MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk.
Pros:
1. Well-Designed Board Layout. The way the board headers are placed makes building a relatively easy and fuss-free experience.
2. Flash Bios Button (So you don't need to borrow a CPU to flash your bios to make it work, if your CPU isn't supported by the stock bios)
3. Dragon Centre for RGB control (Mystic Light) & System Monitoring. Just one application for several functions!
Things that could be better:
1. UEFI layout: Coming from an Asus board, I felt the MSI UEFI UI was quite messy compared to the one Asus had.
Things to be mindful of:
1. SATA Ports count (6) . If you're someone uses several HDDs, runs RAID arrays or wants to run RAID arrays, the number of SATA ports available may be a constraint for you.
2. Lack of onboard WiFi. If you like the convenience of onboard WiFi, this isn't the board for you. Go for the MPG Gaming Edge instead. Otherwise if you want WiFi, you can go get a PCIE Add in Wifi Card (Which is also very easily upgradable in the long term as a bonus)
3. Lack of Bluetooth. If you have gone cable-free with your Audio equipment and require Bluetooth, this board isn't for you. Usually, Bluetooth comes with Wifi cards.
4. APU Support: Only Renoir (Ryzen 4000) & beyond APUs are supported. Raven Ridge (Ryzen 2000) & Piccasso (Ryzen 3000) APUs are NOT supported.
All in all, I think it's a pretty good board for the price point, and I strongly recommend it to those looking for a B550 board.
Pros:
1. Well-Designed Board Layout. The way the board headers are placed makes building a relatively easy and fuss-free experience.
2. Flash Bios Button (So you don't need to borrow a CPU to flash your bios to make it work, if your CPU isn't supported by the stock bios)
3. Dragon Centre for RGB control (Mystic Light) & System Monitoring. Just one application for several functions!
Things that could be better:
1. UEFI layout: Coming from an Asus board, I felt the MSI UEFI UI was quite messy compared to the one Asus had.
Things to be mindful of:
1. SATA Ports count (6) . If you're someone uses several HDDs, runs RAID arrays or wants to run RAID arrays, the number of SATA ports available may be a constraint for you.
2. Lack of onboard WiFi. If you like the convenience of onboard WiFi, this isn't the board for you. Go for the MPG Gaming Edge instead. Otherwise if you want WiFi, you can go get a PCIE Add in Wifi Card (Which is also very easily upgradable in the long term as a bonus)
3. Lack of Bluetooth. If you have gone cable-free with your Audio equipment and require Bluetooth, this board isn't for you. Usually, Bluetooth comes with Wifi cards.
4. APU Support: Only Renoir (Ryzen 4000) & beyond APUs are supported. Raven Ridge (Ryzen 2000) & Piccasso (Ryzen 3000) APUs are NOT supported.
All in all, I think it's a pretty good board for the price point, and I strongly recommend it to those looking for a B550 board.
