MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI Motherboard Review – Solid mATX Design For AM5 Builders For $200

Gaming Performance Tests

It's been two years since the launch of the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies, which is why AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series.

The first wave of AMD 800-series motherboards (X870E & X870) hit shelves last year with the Ryzen 9000 series, & these were followed by the B850/B840 series earlier this year. These motherboards provide brand-new designs and brand-new features that are sure to entice new AMD builders and older AM4 users into investing in a new motherboard for their gaming and content creation needs.

We received a load of motherboards from various manufacturers, and today, we will be taking a look at MSI's B850M Mortar WIFI motherboard, which is priced around $150 US but can be found for under that amount at various retailers.

The AMD AM5 Platform

The AMD AM4 platform has been the longest-running modern-day platform to date, which was first introduced in 2017 &  is very much alive and kicking in 2024. The company just recently launched new chips for the platform, and it looks like it will stick around for a good while.

AMD is now launching its 2nd Generation AM5 platform under the new 800-series family. The lineup initially targeted high-end enthusiasts with the X870E and X870 chipsets, but now, we're going to look at the budget segment with the B850E and B850 options.

The AMD B850 chipset will offer both Gen5 and Gen4 capabilities, with Gen5 primarily being used for NVMe storage devices and Gen4 for graphics. The motherboard makers will have the option to dedicate the Gen5 lanes to a discrete graphics card if they want. The AM5 motherboards based on the AM5 chipset will also feature USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) support, so no USB4 like the high-end options. Graphics will be handled in x16 (Gen4) or x8 (Gen5 or Gen4) configurations. The good thing is that B850 motherboards will support both memory and CPU overclocking and will be targeted at Intel's B760 family, which mostly covers the $100-$200 US range.

AMD Chipset Features and Specifications:

Wccftech	X870E	X870	X670E/X670	B650E/B650	A620
CrossfireX/SLI	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	N/A
CPU Lanes (Usable)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above) 24 Gen 4 for B650	24 Gen 4 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)
PCH Lanes (Usable)	8 Gen4 12 Gen3	4 Gen4 8 Gen3	12 Gen4 8 Gen3	8 Gen4 4 Gen3	8 Gen 3
USB4	Standard	Standard	Optional	Optional	Optional
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen2	2	1	2	1	0
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen1	12	6	12	6	2
USB 2.0	8	8	8	6	6
SATA 6Gb/s	8	8	8	4	4
DDR5 DIMMs	4	4	4	4	4
DDR4 DIMMs	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Overclocking Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
XFR2 Enhanced	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Precision Boost Overdrive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
NVMe	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	N/A
Form Factor	ATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	mATX/ITX

The motherboards will feature support for DDR5-5600 MT/s memory speeds natively and over 8000 MT/s transfer rates on some of the high-end motherboards that we will be getting by the July timeframe.

The AMD B850 motherboards will feature the same Promontory 21 die minus the native USB4 support. They will carry Gen5 GPU support, but Gen5 M.2 support will be optional. The B840 will be the entry-level option within the series with the older Promontory 19 die, which means you will get just Gen4 GPU/SSD support, no CPU overclocking, and only memory overclock support. The B840 motherboards are going to be very affordable in terms of pricing, so that will be competitive against sub-$200 US options from Intel.

AMD will also have the A620/A620A series continuing its role to serve the entry-level segment. There are plans to offer even more price adjustments, making them a viable option for ODMs and system builders to attract more customers.

AMD AM5 Chipset Comparisons:

Chipset Name	PCIe Lanes Gen (PCH)	USB Support (Max)	Overclocking Support	Graphics Configs
X870E	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB4	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X670E	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X870	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB4	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X670	Gen5 (NVMe) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B850	Gen5 (NVMe / GPU Opt) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B650E	Gen5 (NVMe / GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B650	Gen5 (NVMe) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B840	Gen3 (NVMe / GPU)	USB 3.2 (10 Gbps)	Memory Only	1x16
A620	Gen4 (NVMe / GPU)	USB3.2 (10 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	Memory Only	1x16

Meet The LGA 1718 Socket - How Long Will This One Last?

As mentioned earlier, AM4's reign is finally over, and the AM5 socket is here now. The new socket moves from a PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) design to an LGA (Land-Grid-Array) layout. The new LGA 1718 socket offers more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and enabling support for enhanced features that the new platform has to offer.

As for longevity, AMD has committed to a 2027+ plan for its latest AM5 socket. The AM4 platform is a testament to AMD's support for its consumers, and while the newer 500-series lineup was locked out initially, the company and its partners worked towards extending support for older processors on the newer chipsets and newer CPUs on older motherboards. The AM4 platform continues to be the best seller in the Ryzen lineup, but that would change with the introduction of more budget and feature-rich designs for the AM5 socket, like the 800-series.

Cooler Compatibility With AM5 Socket

The AMD Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 Desktop CPUs will feature a perfect square shape (45x45mm) but will house a very chonky integrated heat spreader or IHS. The CPUs will be the same length, width, and height as the existing Ryzen Desktop CPUs and are sealed across the sides, so applying thermal paste won't fill the interior of the IHS with TIM. That's also why current coolers will be fully compatible with the latest Ryzen CPUs.

The MSI MAG B850M Mortar motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front is grey with several orange accents that align with the Ryzen series. The packaging also lists features such as PCIe 5.0 Ready design, DDR5 support, overclocking support, and readiness with Ryzen 9000 CPUs.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 12-phase DUET VRM, EZ M.2/PCIe design, Lightning Gen5 slots, WIFI7, and 5G LAN, EZ PCIe Release slots, EZ M.2 Shield Frozr II slots, and Triple M.2 connectors.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. These include:

• Quick Installation Guide
• European Union Regulatory Notice
• Cable Sticker
• 1 x SATA Cable
• 2 x EZ M.2 Clips II
• 1 x M.2 Screw
• EZ M.2 Clip II Remover
• EZ Wi-Fi Antenna
• 1 to 2 EZ Conn-Cable (V1)
• EZ Front Panel Cable

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package. The MSI MAG B850M Mortar motherboard is an M-ATX offering that measures 243.84 x 243.84 mm. The motherboard carries an all-black color scheme with a few lime green accents. The Tomahawk is part of the MSI MAG "MSI Arsenal Gaming" lineup, which is aimed at mainstream audiences.

The motherboard carries a black color scheme with a few green accents on the heatsinks. This is a very gaming-centric motherboard design.

The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen "AM5" processors. The socket works with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000G, and Ryzen 9000 CPUs and will also support future generations of AM5 Ryzen chips that are supported by the platform.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 256 GB of dual-channel memory.

These slots are rated to support EXPO profiles up to 8200 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position, so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. The full QVL list can be found here.

The MSI MAG B850M Mortar motherboard features a 12+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase DUET VRM power delivery. The power stages are rated at 60A. The board uses an 8-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz thickened copper in a low-loss design, retaining signal integrity for stable CPU and memory operations.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the Frozr heatsinks, which come with an extended design.

You can see the two sets of heatsinks and the IO cover over them below:

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8-pin EPS power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum target power going above 220W for the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU.

Coming to the cooling solution, the Extended Frozr heatsink features two aluminum blocks. Underneath the VRM heatsink are 7W/mK Thermal pads that transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink.

Expansion slots include two PCI Express (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 / 1 x Gen 4.0 x4), and three M.2 slots.

• 1x PCI-E x16 slot
• 1x PCI-E x4 slot
• PCI_E1 Gen PCIe 5.0 supports up to x16 (From CPU)
• PCI_E2 Gen PCIe 4.0 supports up to x4 (From Chipset)

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot, which makes use EZ PCIe release mechanism to make installing and removing graphics cards easy.

The motherboard also has three M.2 slots, of which two are featured under dedicated M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks.

The third M.2 slot is located on the back of the motherboard.

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI motherboard:

• 3x M.2
• M.2_1 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4, supports 2280/2260 devices
• M.2_2 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 5.0 x4, supports 2280/2260 devices
• M.2_3 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x2, supports 2280 devices
• 4x SATA 6G

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support up to four different storage devices at once.

For USB, you get a total of 16 ports, which include 4 USB 2.0 (Front), 6 USB 5 Gbps (4 Rear / 2 Front), 3 USB 10 Gbps Type-A (Rear), 2 USB 10 Gbps Type-C (1 Rear / 1 Front), and 1 USB 20 Gbps Type-C (Rear) port.

MSI uses a 7.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC4080 CODEC for rear panel audio. There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard. MSI also features a dedicated 8-pin PEG connector for the PCIe slots, which can provide additional juice and reduce the strain on the ATX connector.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is as follows.

• 1x Power Connector(ATX_PWR)
• 2x Power Connector(CPU_PWR)
• 1x Power Connector(PCIE_PWR 8pin)
• 1x CPU Fan
• 1x Combo Fan (Pump_Sys Fan)
• 4x System Fan
• 1x EZ Conn-header (JAF_1)
• 2x Front Panel (JFP)
• 1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI)
• 1x Front Audio (JAUD)
• 1x Tuning Controller connector(JDASH)
• 3x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2)
• 1x RGB LED connector(JRGB)
• 1x TPM pin header(Support TPM 2.0)
• 4x USB 2.0 ports
• 2x USB 5 Gbps Type A ports
• 1x USB 10 Gbps Type-C port

MSI is using the latest Killer "BE1750x" WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity with a 320MHz channel bandwidth and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single Killer 5 GbE LAN port powered by the Realtek 8126-VB 5G LAN chip.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• Clear CMOS Button
• 5G LAN
• USB 10Gbps Type-A
• USB 5Gbps Type-A
• Audio Connectors
• Flash BIOS Button
• HDMI
• USB 10Gbps Type-A
• USB 10Gbps Type-C
• USB 20Gbps Type-C
• Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
• Optical S/PDIF Out

For testing, I used the Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, which was sent to us by AMD, on a range of B850 motherboards.

AMD B850-series "AM5" Motherboard Test Platform:

Processors	AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard	MSI B850 Tomahawk MAX WIFI II (7E62v5A12) MSI B850MPOWER (1A11) ASRock B850 Challenger WIFI (3.40) Biostar B850MT-E PRO (B85AQ407.BSS) MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI (7E61v1A3) ASRock B850 Steel Legend WIFI (3.20) ASRock B850 PG RIPTIDE WIFI (3.20) ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI (3.20) ASRock B850I PG Lightning (3.20) ASRock X870E Taichi (3.08 AGESA 1.2.0.2)
Power Supply	FSP Hydro G 1200W PSU
Solid State Drive	Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD
Memory	T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-7200 (CL34 2 x 16 GB)
Video Cards	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Cooling Solutions	Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420mm AIO
OS	Windows 11 64-bit

Our test rig includes the Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD that boots up our main OS. In addition to these, we are running an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card and an FSP MEGA Ti 1650W PSU. For this specific review, we used the T-Force  Delta RGB DDR5-7200 memory kit running at CL34 timings.

All B850 Motherboards Memory Support (Official Rating)

The AMD B850 motherboards are listed with some of the highest-listed DDR5 memory support out of the box. Following is how each of the motherboards we tested stacks up in terms of maximum frequency support:

3DMark CPU Profile Benchmark

Instead of producing a single number, the 3DMark CPU Profile shows you how your CPU's performance changes and scales with the number of cores and threads used. The 3DMark CPU Profile has six tests that help you benchmark and compare CPU performance for gaming and other activities.

Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench 2024

Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities. Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broad range of hardware configurations - while it seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS.

Cinebench R23

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

CPU-Z

CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures your system's performance with the press of a button.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray, so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRAR

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file formats.

V-Ray Render Benchmark

V-Ray  Benchmark is a free, standalone application to test how fast your system renders. Three custom-built test scenes are also included to put each V-Ray 6 render engine through its paces.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefield titles to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.

DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal brings hell to Earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7.  We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay as consistent as possible.

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is the latest addition to Valve's CS series with a complete visual overhaul, bringing the FPS to a new generation of gamers.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra settings with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. The story takes place in Night City, an open world set in the Cyberpunk universe. Players assume the first-person perspective of a customizable mercenary known as V, who can acquire skills in hacking and machinery with options for melee and ranged combat. The game uses CD Projekt Red's in-house Red Engine, which is one of the most visually breathtaking and also one of the most graphics-intensive engines designed to date.

The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs come in the same two or three chiplet configurations as the Ryzen 7000 series, with one or two of which are the aforementioned AMD Zen 4 CCDs fabricated on the 4nm process node. Then we have the larger die around the center, the IOD, based on a 6nm process node. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CCD measures a die size of 70.6 mm2 and features a total of 8.6 billion transistors per CCD. The IOD has a die size of 122 m2 and features 3.4 billion transistors.

Scattered around the package are several SMDs (capacitors/resistors) that usually sit under the package substrate if we consider Intel's CPUs. AMD is instead featuring them on the top layer, and as such, they had to design a new kind of IHS, which is internally referred to as the Octopus.

AMD's Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPUs utilize a brand new Zen 5 core architecture that is built on the 4nm process node; as such, these chips are designed to be extremely efficient. The chips feature gold-plated IHS for efficient thermal transfer.

Since the arrival of B850 motherboards, AM5 builders have been getting good options for their new Ryzen 9000/7000 CPUs. While B650 motherboards have been decent, B850 options do an upgrade & that's compelling enough to reconsider your choice if you're coming from an older AM4 board. MSI has several B850 options that can be considered by AM5 builders, and today we tried out its MAG Mortar offering.

Starting with the performance, the MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI features a 12-phase CPU power delivery rated at 60A, with a maximum memory support of up to 8200 MT/s. This is higher than most of the 8000 MT/s options that B850 gets. The motherboard performed superbly in apps & gaming tests while running cooler than the options that we tried, and also consuming lower power.

Expansion slots are also decent with a single PCIe 5.0 x16 and a PCIe 4.0 x4 for further AICs.  The motherboard gets triple M.2 slots, of which two are fully cooled under a Frozr heatsink and one is located on the back without any heatsink. Audio is also better with ALC4080 codecs, & connectivity options are great, with WIFI7, BT 5.4, and 5 GbE LAN ports. Following is the full list of USB ports on the motherboard:

• 4x USB 2.0 (Front)
• 4x USB 5 Gbps Type A (Rear)
• 2x USB 5 Gbps Type A (Front)
• 3x USB 10 Gbps Type A (Rear)
• 1x USB 10 Gbps Type C (Rear)
• 1x USB 10 Gbps Type C (Front)
• 1x USB 20 Gbps Type C (Rear)

MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI Pros & Cons

• + Great pricing for mATX AM5 Builders
• + M.2 slots with thermal solutions
• + EZ DIY design for M.2 and PCIe slots
• + Great cooling for VRMs
• + 5 GbE LAN
• + ALC4080 Audio & WIFI7 Networking
• - The color scheme might put some off

Other features include Toolless M.2 Gen5 slots. There are four M.2 slots, and the PCIe 5.0 slot also comes with an EZ release mechanism.

The MSI MAG B850M Mortar WIFI motherboard is priced under $200 US, making it one of the best motherboards in the B850 segment. In terms of availability, the motherboard is hard to come by, but for those investing in powerful mATX options that don't break your wallet and run great with Ryzen 9000 CPUs, the MAG Mortar is one you should be eyeing.

 

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