I'm putting together a new PC featuring an RTX 5080 and a 9800X3D, and I've settled on getting the B850 Tomahawk from MSI. I initially found the Max WiFi version to be $60 more expensive. However, I stumbled upon a discount and now the price difference is only $30—$200 for the non-Max and $230 for the Max. My understanding is that the Max has one extra PCIe 5 M.2 slot, but it shares the fourth M.2 slot with a PCIe slot. Also, the Max has a 32MB BIOS, while the non-Max has a 64MB BIOS. I'm aware there's a Max WiFi 2 likely coming out, which will probably revert to the full MSRP, making the price difference significant again. Just trying to figure out if spending the extra $30 on the Max is worth it.
4 Answers
The Tomahawk Max is built with a slightly better quality, having 8 layers compared to the 6 in the non-Max model. While that might not matter for basic tasks, it can improve RAM configuration with four DIMMs. Also, just to clarify, the Max doesn't share the M.2 with the GPU slot; it's one of the PCIe slots that shares bandwidth, particularly the X4 slot that's connected to the chipset. In practical terms, both boards perform similarly, so you really can't go wrong with either one.
I had thought the Max version had the 64MB BIOS, which seems to be the other way around. They look pretty comparable regarding M.2 slots; the Max is basically a refresh. Generally, either option will work without issues, so you should be good whichever way you go.
Honestly, $30 isn't a huge difference, so just pick the one that feels right for you! You'll be fine with either choice.
It's true that one NVMe slot on the Max shares lanes with the third PCIe slot that most folks don't end up using. So, fortunately, you can utilize all four slots on the Max without problems.
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