MSI MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi Hands-On Test

When it comes to building a next-gen Ryzen gaming rig, one of the standout AM5 motherboards right now is the MSI MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi. Positioned just below the X870E tier, this B850 board offers a surprisingly complete package without breaking the bank. Let’s take a look at what makes this board a solid choice for gamers and PC enthusiasts.

Unboxing

Out of the box, the MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi immediately gives off vibes similar to the Carbon WiFi series, positioning itself a notch above the B850 Tomahawk and Mortar WiFi in terms of premium features. A quick glance at the back of the packaging reveals some standout highlights like Wi-Fi 7 support, EZ PCIe Release, and EZ M.2 Shield — features typically reserved for higher-tier boards.

Included in the box are a SATA cable, EZ M.2 clip II remover, EZ M.2 clip II, EZ Wi-Fi antenna, 1-to-3 EZ Conn-Cable V2, EZ Front panel cable, ARGB extension cable, the standard paper documents, and a sheet of cable stickers.

Unlike the usual black-and-red or all black gamer aesthetic, the MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi goes for a clean white and silver finish that looks great in white-themed builds. It’s not just about looks either—MSI has also made sure the board is built tough with reinforced PCIe slots and beefy heatsinks for VRMs and M.2 drives.

The white shroud and heatsink combo gives the board a modern touch, and for those who like a little bling, there’s subtle RGB lighting on the edge that plays nice with the rest of your setup via MSI Mystic Light.

The MSI MPG B850 EDGE TI WIFI motherboard employs a robust 14+2+1 phase power design for its VRM. This configuration dedicates 14 phases to the CPU vCore, ensuring stable power delivery to the processor. An additional 2 phases power the SOC, while a single MISC phase handles other components. 

Driving this power design is an MPS MP2857 PWM controller, which operates in a 14 (7×2) + 2 parallel configuration for the CPU vCore and SOC phases, respectively. The power stages for these critical components utilize a total of 16 MPS MP87670 80A SPS DrMOS chips. Each of these high-quality chips can handle up to 80A of continuous current. Consequently, the CPU vCore section boasts a substantial total output capability of 1,120A, providing ample headroom for even high-end AMD Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 series processors.

Finally, the MISC power section, responsible for components beyond the CPU and SOC, is managed by a Richtek RT3672EE PWM controller. This controller drives a single Alpha & Omega AOZ5516QI (BR00) 55A DrMOS chip.

Pair that with support for DDR5 RAM up to 8400MT/s (OC), and you’ve got a board that’s more than ready for gaming, streaming, and content creation. MSI also includes their signature SMT welding process and Memory Boost tech to ensure your DDR5 modules run fast and stable.

On the expansion side, the B850 EDGE Ti WiFi comes with a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot with Steel Armor reinforcement for your GPU, plus two additional PCIe x16 slots for other add-ins. Storage-wise, there are four M.2 slots (with support for up to 22110 form factor) and six SATA ports, giving you plenty of room for fast NVMe SSDs and bulk storage drives.

Building with this board will be a breeze, thanks to the quality-of-life features like EZ M.2 Clip, and EZ PCIe Release, where each M.2 slot is covered by the updated Shield Frozr II heatsinks, which help keep thermals in check during long gaming sessions or file transfers.

Even though it utilizes the B850 chipset, the B850 EDGE Ti WiFi surprisingly offers advanced troubleshooting features such as an EZ Debug LED and a Q-code display. These are particularly useful for enthusiasts, and their inclusion, combined with the motherboard’s design, strongly hints that the B850 EDGE Ti WiFi is targeting users looking to overclock on a budget.

The pre-installed I/O shield is always a welcome touch, and MSI’s BIOS is as user-friendly as ever, with an intuitive layout and all the tuning options you’d need. On the rear I/O, you’ll find a generous selection of USB ports, including a 20Gbps USB-C port, multiple USB-A, HDMI, and DisplayPort outputs (handy for troubleshooting or using APU), and the usual 3.5mm audio jacks powered by Realtek’s ALC4080 codec.

Networking gets a big boost here too. You’ve got Wi-Fi 7 support out of the box with EZ Antenna for hassle-free Wi-Fi setup, and a blazing-fast 5GbE LAN port for those who still prefer wired.

Test system list

CPU load test and thermals

Putting the MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi to the test, we paired it with an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X. The CPU registered a power draw of approximately 150-160W, which the motherboard’s robust VRM design effectively managed, highlighting its suitability for high-end processors.

For the cooling solution, we relied on a Deepcool LS720 AIO liquid cooler, which proved to be more than capable of keeping the Ryzen 9 9900X operating within its thermal constraints at stock settings, barely going above 85°C throughout our test. Furthermore, the B850 chipset retains AMD’s user-friendly fine-tuning options, allowing for performance optimization as needed.

With the CPU running at stock settings, we performed our load test, recording temperature data from the motherboard and chipset sensors. While VRM temperature readings weren’t obtainable through HWiNFO64, the chipset peaked at a comfortable 51°C under load.

Moving on to our thermal imaging camera provided further insight, revealing the VRM heatsink maintained impressively low temperatures, barely exceeding 50°C throughout the stress test. This indicates efficient VRM cooling. Overall, the motherboard exhibited stable thermal performance even during extended periods of heavy use, and no major problems were observed in other benchmarks.

Memory Overclocking

Regarding memory overclocking, AMD still recommends DDR5-6000 with a 1:1 UCLK to MCLK ratio as the optimal balance, even for their latest Ryzen 9000 series CPUs. However, thanks to the enhanced memory controller on these new processors, achieving a stable DDR5-6400 at the same 1:1 ratio has become more attainable.

For enthusiasts targeting DDR5-8000+ speeds, it’s crucial to note that these higher frequencies operate on a 1:2 UCLK to MCLK ratio. To see significant gains in gaming performance, speeds of DDR5-8266 or higher are generally needed, which can be difficult to achieve without a memory kit specifically designed for EXPO DDR5-8000+ profiles. While we attempted to reach DDR5-8000 on the B850 EDGE Ti WiFi, the process proved considerably more challenging compared to our experience with X870E chipset boards, even using the same CPU and memory kit.

Despite this, we did manage to get our KLEVV CRAS V RGB DDR5 kit to run at DDR5-7600 by utilizing BIOS memory presets and making only minor voltage adjustments and slightly relaxing the tRFC timings. This stable configuration passed rigorous stress tests, including Karhu RAM Test and BenchMate benchmarks, showcasing the solid memory overclocking potential of this mid-range B850 EDGE Ti WiFi motherboard.

Final Thoughts

The MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi has demonstrated its strength as a well-performing mid-high range AM5 motherboard, often exceeding expectations for its category. It’s a strong choice for users aiming for a stylish white gaming rig or a reliable, forward-looking platform for AMD’s future CPUs, providing a solid base with all the necessary components.

Although its $259.99 price tag places it on the higher end of the B850 spectrum, it still presents a significant cost saving compared to the $349.99 typically seen with X870E motherboards. By focusing on features relevant to gamers and creators, the MPG B850 EDGE Ti WiFi offers a compelling value proposition, making it a noteworthy option to consider within the B850 chipset.