MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard (ATX, 12th Gen Intel Core, LGA 1700 Socket, DDR4, PCIe 4, CFX, M.2 Slots, Wi-Fi 6)

One of the best end mid motherboards out there

The packaging was not good. It is a miracle the product was not damaged during delivery. The products works fine and its performance is great.

Este Board cumple con todo lo que dice.Tiene un excelente diseño, sobrio, para personas que no les gusta tanto aparataje, sino más bien que las cosas funcionen al 100. Soy amante de la marca MSI, me encantan sus diseños, no soy fan boy, pues también uso otras marcas, pero MSI tiene una facilidad para usar la BIOS, y todas sus herramientas son tan intuitivas que es casi imposible equivocarse.Los materiales de construcción son magníficos.Así que si deseas un buen producto, con un diseño discreto, pero muy hermoso ve por esta placa madre, no te arrepentirás.No tiene nada que envidiar a otras topes que gama, ni de su misma marca ni de otras ya que la misma tiene suficiente capacidad hasta para hacer OC, cosa que yo no hago. No es por miedo, sino que entiendo que si rinde para lo que uso PC, para que forzar ?

This motherboard is a powerhouse, perfectly designed for 12th Gen Intel Core processors and offering excellent performance for gaming and multitasking.The build quality of the MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi is top-notch. The ATX form factor provides ample space for all my components, and the LGA 1700 socket ensures compatibility with the latest Intel CPUs. Installing the motherboard was a breeze, thanks to its well-labeled connectors and clear instructions.One of the standout features of this motherboard is the DDR4 support, which allows for lightning-fast memory speeds. Combined with PCIe 4 support, I experienced blazing-fast data transfer rates and reduced loading times in my games. The dual M.2 slots are a fantastic addition, enabling me to take advantage of high-speed NVMe SSDs for quick boot times and seamless gaming experiences.The inclusion of Wi-Fi 6 is a game-changer, offering a reliable and stable wireless connection. I noticed significantly improved online gaming performance, with reduced latency and smoother gameplay. Additionally, the motherboard also features CFX support, allowing for multi-GPU configurations for those seeking maximum graphical power.The overall performance of the MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi has been exceptional. The motherboard handles resource-intensive games and applications with ease, providing a seamless gaming experience. The onboard audio is also excellent, delivering immersive sound quality.In conclusion, the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard is a beast when it comes to gaming performance. With its impressive features, rock-solid build quality, and outstanding cooling capabilities, it's a perfect choice for gamers looking to upgrade their systems. I highly recommend this motherboard to anyone seeking a top-tier gaming experience.

Update: I've finally found a defect-free board with a different date code. I'll use that to provide a fairer assessment of the product.The first impression of the board is good. It weighs more than expected for a mid-ranged Z690 board and is fully covered with an array of heatsinks. The features of the board is also very impressive. Stand outs include:- 70A power stages- hefty VRM cooling and M.2 cooling (for all M.2 slots)- 4x M.2 slots- high end Realtek 4080 audio- Intel 2.5G LAN/Wifi 6E/BT- a good number of USB 3 5Gbps/10Gbps/20Gbps ports- the most extensive memory support from any board maker- 6x SATA ports for those using it as a media server- Good amount of fan headers and front I/O headersThe only omission is perhaps the RGB which made an appearance before on other Tomahawk boards.Putting the entire system together was very easy with the easy to understand manual. Rock solid so far. Unlike some previous boards, I like the fact that you can use all M.2 and SATA ports at the same time without any being disabled. My only gripe with the SATA ports is the placement for 4 of the sata connections. Makes cable routing a bit messy and not pretty to look at. I also had concerns going in about issues with the Intel i225-V network controller. Alas, they used B3 stepping chips here and I've had zero issues with my LAN connection.I was also really impressed by the Realtek ALC4080 audio which had zero (0!) electrical noise from the GPU when a game started. I've almost been accustomed to the electrical noises during game play (especially during loading screens with no sound) with every motherboard I've used to date and even a dedicated Soundblaster card did not solve it. Really impressed by the electrical isolation here. Whatever GameBoost HD-A to USB sorcery they are using, it's working and it's working very well.Value-wise, the MSI Z690 Tomahawk is positioned perfectly amongst the competition. Are you looking for the best overclocking motherboard? Well, this has 16x 70A power stages and the beefiest cooling solution for them. It shows because this board weighs a ton. In contrast, the Asrock Z690 Extreme and the Aorus Elite only has 60A power stages. M.2 slots? This has got 4 unlike the Asrock Extreme. Memory compatibility? None of Asrock's, Gigabyte's, nor Asus has the same extensive QVL. The Aorus Elite is especially poor in this regard. Sata Ports? This has got 6 while the Asus TUF boards cost more and only come with 4. Rear IO? Not quite as good as the more expensive Strix Z690 boards but much much better than pretty much everything else including # of USB ports, audio inputs and outputs, WIFI 6E. Audio? High end ALC4080 solution versus an old ALC897 on the TUF series. Network? Intel, not Realtek from the Asrock and Gigabyte boards. It's really the best board of the similarly priced options out there.Now onto the initial issues, there is definitely a defective batch of boards with M.2 heatsink standoffs falling off of the board. There are multiple reports on MSI forums, reddit and Amazon reviews showing the same problem where the M.2 slot 1 heatsink standoff (near the I/O shield) will detach itself from the board. This is a soldering issue. It's either not done properly, or weakly done, or the factory applied too much torque to the screw when they attached the heatsink to the board.This is a real issue affecting not only Z690 Tomahawk users but also Z690 Edge, Z690 Carbon and even Z690 Godlike users.. all MSI motherboards. The defective batch of boards appear to be manufactured in Jan 2022 and you can tell the date code by looking at the 4 digits after letter B on the serial number. In my case, it's 010B2201. Why is this a problem? The broken standoff serves as a ground point for 110mm length (22110) NVME SSDs. While you may not need it now, you may in the future with longer SSDs. Note also that unlike other Z690 boards such as the Aorus Elite or Strix Z690-A, you only get 1x 22110 slot here. So superglue-ing it back on is not a solution, and problems like this should not be expected from a $300 board. If you received a board with such a problem, I would advise to exchange or obtain from another source for a different batch.Another Z690 Tomahawk board I received also had a suspicious looking CPU socket. Surely enough while there weren't any bent pins, there was a soldering issue with a CPU pin. Unsurprisingly, this was also a board made in Jan 2022. For reference, the board that was problem free had a date code of 202111 or November 2021.Overall provided that you can find a problem-free board, this is literally the most feature filled Z690 board in the $300 price bracket. It took everything you want from all the other boards and crammed it all into one board. It looks and works great. In a way, it is almost the only board to consider at this price range. For an otherwise flawless board, there is a batch of boards that have poorly soldered standoffs and even CPU pins, and that is something that should not be expected from a $300 board.. and in the case of the Godlike user.. a $1500 board. Docking a point off for that. 4/5

Reviewing the DDR4 version. Overall, very pleased with this motherboard (MB hereafter). Mostly well-thought-out design, good features, and does what it's supposed to. A few details:Pros:Four (4!) NVMe SSD connections on the MB. I only needed one to start (Samsung 980 EVO Pro 2 TB), but it’s good to have room for expansion.NVMe slots are well-designed. built-in heavy-duty heat sinks, and excellent screw-less hold-downs. In fact, good heat sinks all over the MG. None of them got in the way.Nice wireless antennas for the back. You must angle them a bit to get at all the USB connections, but not a big deal. Works well.Nice debug LEDs on the MB to tell you which components aren't working correctly. Fortunately, didn't need them this build, but who knows what future upgrades will bring.Drivers come on a cute little flash drive (good) but the only thing on there is an ISO image. You have to mount it to be able to use it (not difficult, but WHY? Weird).Back plate for connectors comes mounted to the MB. No fiddly attempts to get it snapped into the case first and then trying to align the MB with the connector holes. Much easier this way.Everything was nicely labeled right on the MB itself, such as jumper connections, fan connectors, etc. Didn't really need to refer to the manual much.Things to be aware of:Flashing the BIOS is a little bit of a pain since you must do it from the BIOS screen. No In-Windows utility to do it from there.Installing Windows 11 is a small pain because it requires a network connection during the install process, and the wireless connection using this MB is not available at that time (Windows installer can't find it). You'll need a wired connection to the internet, or as I did, a USB wireless network adapter to plug in during the installation. Once the install gets past connecting you to the internet and finds drivers for the wireless on the MB, everything should be fine.I did note that the basic drivers installed for the wireless during the initial Windows 11 install did not get me a very good wireless connection - about 80 Mbps down. Once I completed all the Windows updates and correct driver installs, that connection shot up to about 370 Mbps, so all was well eventually.BIOS settings documentation could be a lot better. Worked out fine, but I would have liked to see it be a little clearer (or exist at all).Overall, a solid recommended. Most of the problems are minor annoyances you only deal with during setup or on rare occasions. I'm happy with it after using it for 3 days.Update 2022-06-12: After using this for a couple weeks, the WiFi integration on this mobo has proved to be pretty bad in my case. Speeds fell again to 10 Mbps or less and refuse all attempts to be restored to normal. Granted, this could be something to do with Windows config (though I worked with that a lot to try and fix this issue). However, I purchased and installed the TP-Link WiFi 6E AX5400 PCIe WiFi card, dropped it into a PCIe slot, and speeds are stable and consistent at 380-420 Mbps. Extra expense, but not too much, and the wifi is happy again (me too). Everything else on the mobo is working well.

This was my first PC build and honestly I was unsure whether this would be a succesful endeavour. But now after using it, I can confidently say I'm glad I went with MSI's Z690 Tomahawk. Beyond the ludicrous name that made my inner 6-year old chuckle, the instructions and installation for this PC went very smoothly. Whatsmore the BIOS is very user friendly, especially for someone just getting into the world of PC building. Admittedly I'm new to this, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I could definitely see myself becoming an MSI fanboy in the years to come (especially with their rgb-lit line of motherboards).