MAG B660M Mortar Wifi:
Before starting the presentation of this MSI MAG B660M Mortar Wifi, you should know that MSI has planned to release an identical model but with the reference MSI MAG B660M Mortar Wifi DDR4. As you may have guessed, this model will support DDR4 memory instead of DDR5. This is quite logical when you see the current price of DDR5 but especially the very low availability of kits. Several members of our Discord already have a CPU and motherboard combo but are still waiting for a DDR5 memory kit. Choosing DDR4 will allow you to benefit from the Alder Lake generation at the most attractive price.
This B660M Mortar Wifi is part of the “MAG” series and follows the “MPG” and “MEG” series. The “MAG” series is more attractively priced and is the entry-level range of the brand.
The bundle
Let’s take a quick look at the bundle of this MSI MAG B660M Mortar Wifi to see if it benefits from “special accessories”. As you might expect, this is an entry-level model, so we’ll find the usual accessories. A small item more than the ordinary, there are which allow you to customise the heatsinks of your motherboards. The disappointment is that it comes with a DVD with the drivers, and not a USB key.
New B660 chipset:
This MSI MAG B660M Mortar Wifi is very similar to the MSI MAG B560M Mortar Wifi version, which is still available for 159.90 euros. Now the new B660M chipset comes with its share of new features, including DDR5 support.
Built around the B660M chipset, our sample of the day has an LGA-1700 socket as the CPU size is larger. The LGA-1700 socket has 1700 pins, compared to 1200 for the previous generation. You may therefore need to invest in a new cooling system. Some brands offer an adapter for your current cooler. Make sure you ask about this, as it is often free.
The different heat sinks :
The dimensions of the board are 244mm x 244mm, which corresponds to the micro-ATX format. The dominant colour on the PCB is black with the various grey heatsinks. The design is partly based on that of the previous generation. Let’s start the tour with the heatsinks, of which there are three. First of all, the two heatsinks on top of the motherboard that surround the socket. They are independent and responsible for keeping the power supply stages of our B660M Mortar Wifi cool.
They are aluminium and grey in colour. One is stamped with the name of the “MAG” series and the other, the most imposing, covers the various external connectors. Finally, the third heatsink is responsible for keeping the chipset cool. The height is low in order to allow for easy installation of the graphics cards. We are dealing here with a completely passive system.
Two M.2 SSD slots :
This B660M Mortar has two M.2 SSD slots on the PCB. They are compatible with MSI’s « Shield Frozr » technology, which protects M.2 SSDs from throttling and overheating, in particular by means of a thermal pad and an aluminium heatsink.
The socket and PCIe :
The space around the socket is quite « crowded » and the large size of the heatsinks (37mm) will need to be taken into account when choosing your cooling system. As mentioned before, the socket is an LGA-1700 and only has the mounting holes specifically for it this.
It can accommodate a maximum of four DDR5 memory sticks, but don’t forget that a DDR4 version will also be available. This model supports dual channel memory kits up to 6200 MHz+ (OC) and a maximum of a total 128Gb. Finally, there are two PCIe ports, one PCIe4.0 and the other PCIe3.0. To power all this, the card has a 24-pin connector and two 8-pin connectors next to the power stages.
