CES 2025 is also an opportunity for motherboard manufacturers to present their entry-level Intel and AMD models. We start with MSI, which is presenting its models equipped with B850 and B840 chipsets for AMD Ryzen processors. If you’re looking to build more affordable configurations, these are the models to turn to!
B850 and B840: MSI announces its motherboards!
Broadly speaking, the cards equipped with B850 chipsets will still allow CPU and RAM overclocking. With the B840 models, you’ll only have to make do with RAM OC, and these boards are advertised as being more affordable. You don’t get something for nothing.
MPG B850 Edge TI WiFi :
This model is an all-white ATX format card. This model has an attractive construction with large heatsinks on the VRMs (cooling 14 power supply phases at 80A) and on the chipset. All the M.2 slots have a dedicated heatsink.
This model offers a whole host of features to make life easier during installation: simplified M.2 installation, removal button for easy extraction of the graphics card and easy installation of the Wi-Fi antennas.
MAG B850 Tomahawk and Mortar :
With the Tomahawk and Mortar series, we find cards with a completely different style, with a military look. However, the cards don’t lose out on specification. No, as with the Edge Ti, these models also benefit from 14 power supply phases at 80A. RAM support still features 8400 MT/s DDR5, while we find a similar level of functionality for M.2, PCIe and antennas. As it is, we’d be tempted to say that it’s only the skin that’s changed.
The Gaming Plus :
With its Gaming Plus series, the brand offers rather basic cards, ideal for affordable configurations. Here, the number of power supply phases drops to 12+2+1, while RAM support is rated at 8200 MT/s. As for its micro-ATX counterpart, we know that the power supply phases drop to 8+2+1, but nothing has yet been said about RAM support… In their B850 versions.
In any case, we’d like to point out that there are enough connectors to assemble a configuration, but that the cards only offer the bare essentials. Gone is the easy-release button for GPUs; instead, the grip of the locking lever has been improved. What’s more, not all M.2 slots will have dedicated heatsinks.
On the B840 Gaming Plus WiFi, the card is really reduced to the bare essentials: 7+2+1 power phases, 8000 MT/s RAM, no PCIe 5.0 or M.2 slots .
The Pro Series :
Finally, we come to the Pro series, the brand’s most affordable consumer range. But don’t get me wrong, some of the series are truly convincing, like the Pro -P, which boasts a convincing design. Of course, depending on the model, the features will be revised downwards. This applies to the level of functionality, the number of power supply stages and RAM support. But let’s just say that the -P models are the best equipped, while the -A models are more limited in order to keep prices down.
