Introduction

MSI has been busy adding a refreshed group of motherboards to its Socket AM5 line of products, with the most common new feature being a 64 MB BIOS that paves the way for future features and CPU support. At $260, the MSI MAG B850 Gaming Plus Max Wi-Fi is one of the cheaper options, yet has an impressive set of features.

It comes in an all-white design, right down to the CPU socket clips and memory slots, has 5 Gbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 and of course supports PCIe Gen 5 GPUs and SSDs. It also has an impressive number of PCIe slots, three M.2 ports and even DIY-improving features such as enhanced GPU release, quick-fit Wi-Fi antennas and tool-free M.2 SSD and heatsink installation.



However, there are some curious additions at what is a reasonably high price for a somewhat low-end B850 motherboard in places. It's VRMs are quite basic as is its M.2 SSD cooling, with only one small single-sided heatsink to speak of as well as an average number of ports on its rear I/O panel. A lot rests on how it performs and if overall it provides enough to temp users away from cheaper, more established options.

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

You'll likely want to be aware there's only one SATA cable in the box rather than the usual two. Other than this, noteworthy items are a 1 to 2 EZ Conn-Cable, which is for MSI's proprietary connector on the PCB that can split out into ARGB and fan headers, saving space and easing cable tidying. Here, the included cable splits into two, providing an extra 4-pin fan header and 3-pin ARGB header. We also have a magnetic Wi-Fi aerial, cable sticker set and an additional EZ M.2 Clip II, which is a tool-free clip for M.2 SSDs plus it's removal tool to allow for use of SSDs not in the usual 2280 form factor.



The full list of accessories includes:

• 1× Wi-Fi antenna
• 1× SATA cables
• 1× 1 to 2 EZ Conn-Cable
• EZ M.2 Clip II
• EZ M.2 Clip II Remover
• 1x Cable sticker sheet
• 1× Quick start guide