Introduction
Earlier this week, I was pleasantly surprised to find some MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk Motherboards in stock at the Denver Micro Center. They were not listed on their website, so when I saw them in the store, I changed my plans and bought one. Before assembling it, I decided to create a video showing the unboxing of an MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk motherboard.
I think unboxing videos are useful because they let you see the product in some detail without having to actually buy it first. In my video, I also do a quick walkthrough of the components of an older MSI B450 motherboard, and then repeat the process for the new MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk motherboard. Seeing them back-to-back helps illustrate the differences between the two models.
MSI B450 Tomahawk
The MSI B450 Tomahawk was a mid-range B450 motherboard that has been very popular since it was first introduced in December of 2018. It had an SRP of $114.99.
This motherboard supports 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation AMD Ryzen processors. It may even support 4th generation Ryzen processors with a beta BIOS update. This is more likely with the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX, since it has a larger ROM BIOS.
MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk
The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk is a mid-range B550 motherboard that is a worthy successor to the popular MSI B450 Tomahawk and MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX. Be warned, the SRP of this board is $179.99, so it is significantly more expensive than the MSI B450 Tomahawk. After comparing the components and features, I think it is worth the extra money.
This motherboard supports 3rd generation AMD Ryzen processors. It will also support the upcoming 4th generation AMD Ryzen Zen 3 processors.
I have a YouTube video of the unboxing and comparison. Please watch that if you want more information.
Final Words
I have written a number of other posts related to this subject that you might find interesting:
- Building an MSI B450 Tomahawk System
- $1500 AMD Gaming PC Build Guide
- Building a B550 Aorus Master System
- Should You Buy an AMD Ryzen 3000XT?
- Avoiding Common DIY PC Building Mistakes
- Replacing My Wife’s Computer
- Checking Your Memory Speed
- How Do You Orient Case Fans?
- Building an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X System
- Gaming PC Component Choices
- How to Tell if You Have XMP Enabled
- Seven Setup Tips for a New AMD Ryzen 3000 System
- Ways to Save Money on a New Desktop System
If you have any questions about this post, please ask me here in the comments or on Twitter. I am pretty active on Twitter as GlennAlanBerry. Thanks for reading!