Building out or upgrading a gaming desktop PC on a budget may mean forgoing certain features, but you shouldn't have to settle for scraps.
MSI's B350 Tomahawk ($99.99) motherboard makes for a nice balance between functionality, style, and value.
It provides a solid foundation for an AMD Ryzen-based budget build, and it even squeezes in a decent LED illumination scheme, in the event you're building out your budget dream rig in a windowed PC chassis.
The board design and chipset effectively limits you to a single video card (unless you're willing to install two AMD Radeon-based boards in CrossFire, with the second slot being bottlenecked), but that compromise will be fine for most buyers.
You also won't find USB 3.1 Gen 2 support on this board, nor can you expect onboard RGB LEDs.
But MSI designed the B350 Tomahawk to be a lean gamer, and it lets you spend more on the stuff that matters most: your CPU or GPU.
A Red-Lit Racer
The B350 Tomahawk is a standard-ATX motherboard with an uncluttered, comfortable layout.
Every key component has some space around it, which translates to an easier installation experience than you'll get with some cram-packed MicroATX boards or feature-stuffed full-ATX flagships.
(For a primer on motherboard lingo, see Buying a Motherboard: 20 Terms You Need to Know.)
The AM4 CPU socket has plenty of space around it for exotic cooling gear, should you want something more powerful than the very capable (and often downright attractive) stock Wraith CPU-cooling fans that ship with Ryzen CPUs.
The board's dual-channel memory slots have thumb tabs at both the top and lower ends and sit well away from the CPU.
The dual-channel slots support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory.
MSI doesn't reinforce the B350 Tomahawk's memory slots with a metal casing, but it does gird the PCI Express x16 slot, which is the most important (and most stressed) slot to protect.
After all, video cards can be heavy and their slots vulnerable to cracking whenever you jostle your PC.
MSI's so-called "Steel Armor" includes the steel slot wrapping, which gives the slot a particularly tough look while providing EMI protection, as well as some reinforced solder points to lock the slot onto the PCB.
The second PCI Express x16 slot doesn't get the Steel Armor treatment and is an PCI Express 2.0 slot running at x4, rather than a second PCI Express 3.0 x16.
All of the 16 lanes on this board are meant for the main PCI Express slot, and while CrossFire is technically supported, it'll bounce down the performance of your card duo due to the bandwidth.
Twin-card Nvidia SLI isn't on the menu at all.
MSI keeps the high-end pieces to a minimum and puts them only where they're needed most.
Your other expansion slots include two legacy PCI (yes, straight old-school PCI) slots and two PCI Express x1 slots.
If you just can't quit that ancient sound card, welcome it home.
MSI tucks an M.2 slot just below the first PCI Express x16 slot, which means you'll almost certainly have to install your storage device before plugging in any video card.
It's not an ideal location from a builder's perspective, but it's the only spot on the board that has room to support extra-long Type-22110 devices.
Once you install your M.2 storage, you can plug your video card into the PCI Express x16 slot, and the card's cooling gear will overhang the M.2 device.
(See our guide to the best M.2 SSDs.)
Part of the B350 board chipset sports a large heatsink with the MSI logo at the center.
It's a classy look, resembling a silver shield, but it's certainly not a head-turner.
That goes for the power-phase heatsinks, too, each bank of which has a single, demure red stripe to jazz it up a little.
Those touches may be understated, but that's not to say that the B350 Tomahawk doesn't have a bit of bling.
Red LEDs ring the back of the motherboard, creating a noticeable glow against your PC case's motherboard tray.
Also, like on many other modern boards, an irregular LED stripe embedded in the PCB travels from the lower end of the board up to the I/O ports, isolating the audio-capacitor zone.
These days, RGB lighting on the board proper, as opposed to single-color illumination, is fairly common on gaming motherboards, so I think some buyers will be put off by the lack of choices.
Still, the red LED ground-effects glow looks sharp.
I can see the B350 Tomahawk anchoring a build that features all-red lighting.
Ports and Headers: A Good Mix
The B350 Tomahawk's I/O panel doesn't feature any USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports.
That's not to say that a Type-C port isn't available; MSI puts a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port right in the center of the I/O panel, along with three of the standard, rectangular USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports.
A single Gigabit LAN port (backed up by a Realtek 8111H controller, as opposed to an Intel solution) sits near the audio ports, while the other side of the I/O panel is home to two USB 2.0 ports, a legacy PS/2 port, and both DVI and VGA connectors.
The panel also sports an HDMI port, but these video-out connectors won't matter if you install your own video card.
Of course, given the vagaries of the video-card market, relying on the Ryzen CPU and sticking to games that aren't overly graphics-intensive may be the route for some casual gamers.
The onboard video-outs will work with one of the 2000-series Ryzen "G" chips, as well as the AM4-socket APUs from the 7th-Generation "Bristol Ridge" line.
MSI does right by its customers when it comes to fan headers, even on budget-friendly boards.
The B350 Tomahawk sports six fan connectors, one of which is designated for a water pump.
That connector stands in the upper-right corner of the board, along with the CPU fan header and an extra system fan header.
Another header stands behind the I/O panel's audio ports.
Two more are near the bottom of the motherboard.
The result: You shouldn't have much trouble finding an open header while assembling your PC.
The right side of the motherboard looks somewhat spare.
Aside from three fan headers, the power connector, and a front-panel USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector, the only other ports on the right edge are four SATA ports.
Interestingly, two of the ports face off the edge of the board (which is typical), while the other two stand upright.
That's a nice touch, from a cable-management perspective.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think the front-panel headers should be in the bottom-right corner of the board, where it's easy (or at least easy-ish) to reach and the least likely spot to test the length of your PC case's built-in cords.
Lately, I've seen boards that move that particular header to the center of the board's lower edge.
I'm glad to see that MSI keeps things old-school with the front-panel header on the B350 Tomahawk.
The lower edge of the B350 Tomahawk also sports a USB 3.1 Gen 1 header and two USB 2.0 headers, along with a parallel-port pin connector.
More important (at least, for us bling-minded DIY types), the board's bottom edge also has an RGB LED-strip connector for 50/50-style LEDs.
Buy a 50/50 LED strip, plug it in, and you can either pump more red into your system, or mix things up with different colors.
A Little Light on Accessories
The B350 Tomahawk's accessories package is a bit lean.
Just two SATA cables ship with the board.
I like that one of the cables has an L-shaped end, though.
An RGB LED-strip extension cord would have been nice here, as would an adapter for the front-panel header.
But these are some of the first things to go in a budget-board accessories package.
Of course, the box includes a driver DVD and the I/O panel bracket.
And the paperwork is worth a flip-through: a quick installation guide, a full manual, and a glossy note that gives tips for installing the memory and a CPU cooler, complete with graphics.
Still, the accessories package seems slim.
Trying Out a Test Build
I built a test PC around the MSI B350 Tomahawk to see whether the board's design is likely to cause any difficulties during installation.
The SilverStone Primera PM01 makes an ideal case for this sort of build because it has a reasonable amount of elbow room in its main compartment but isn't massive.
(See our guide to the best PC cases.)
A thing to note, though: AMD's Ryzen 2000-series CPUs launched well after the B350 Tomahawk did, with the result that early versions of the board require a BIOS update to support a 2000-series CPU.
That means installing an older processor first, and updating the BIOS.
MSI offers an updating kit for customers who have this issue via its tech support at (626) 271-1004.
Recently built versions of the board will recognize the new CPUs without a BIOS update, so whether you encounter the issue might depend on when your store or e-tailer received the board recently or is moving older stock.
Take it from me: It's worth looking for a version with the newer BIOS out of the box, because I encountered this issue, and it was a pain.
The system failed to start and a red-alert light appeared when I installed an AMD Ryzen 3 2200G.
Replacing the CPU with an older Ryzen 7 1800X ($629.00 at Amazon) got me into the BIOS, at which point I updated to the latest BIOS version and reinstalled the Ryzen 3 2200G.
That did the trick, and the board had no issues afterward that.
CPU-swapping aside, the PC-build process was typical.
I installed 32GB of DDR4-3200 G.Skill TridentZ memory and an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X ($369.99 at Newegg) video card without any trouble.
MSI provides good instructions for new DIY-ers.
The BIOS: A Brief Look
Press the Delete key during boot, and you'll enter the MSI's custom BIOS, which has both EZ and Advanced modes.
The EZ mode doesn't let you adjust many of the BIOS settings, but it provides a nice overview of your PC's status.
MSI puts your board's model number, BIOS version, and BIOS build date right at the top of the screen, which is handy, especially given the B350 Tomahawk's extenuating BIOS circumstances.
Critical info about your CPU, memory, and other devices is front and center, with tabs on the left for navigation...
You can also reach the Hardware Monitor from EZ mode (or Advanced mode, for that matter).
This BIOS panel covers temperature and fan speeds throughout your PC...
Board Explorer is another worthwhile tool, providing an interactive map of the board, complete with component statuses...
Advanced mode, of course, lets you drill down to all of the board's settings.
You access the bulk of these via the large subcategory squares on the left edge, with most of what you'll mess with under Settings, unless you're overclocking or updating the BIOS...
MSI does a nice job with the layout, putting individual settings in the center of the page.
As with EZ mode, much of your system's most important statuses are visible, even when you're working with granular settings.
An On-Ramp to Value for Builders
With a price tag under $100, the B350 Tomahawk is going to appeal to many gamers planning budget PC builds.
AMD has solid budget processors that will pair well with the board (with the right BIOS update, in some cases), leaving more room in your budget for a better grade of video card.
One issue worth extra consideration is the board's CPU support.
If you're building a quick-and-dirty budget PC, it might not seem worth exposing yourself to the chance of a complicated, multi-CPU BIOS update procedure.
On the other hand, as DIY-ers, we like to roll up our sleeves and dig into stuff like this.
For some buyers, the possibility of swapping CPUs is an interesting challenge.
The Tomahawk B350 is proof that you don't need to trash your build budget to pick up a decent (if somewhat spartan) gaming board.
Whether you're a gamer aspiring to get into VR, or a fan of standard PC-platform video games, you'll find this board to be ready for action.
The decision you'll need to make is whether you're willing to invest more of your budget into a board that has more features.
But for a single-card build, the B350 Tomahawk provides a nice mix of connectivity, legacy support, and access to some of the most value-minded components—that is, AMD's Ryzen chips—on the market today.
Cons
Onboard lighting is single-color.
Slim pickings in the accessories department.
Some early B350 Tomahawks may require an older CPU to update.
The Bottom Line
MSI sticks to the basics with the B350 Tomahawk.
This spiffy-looking motherboard makes a solid foundation for a budget-friendly AMD Ryzen-based gaming PC, with or without dedicated graphics.
Building out or upgrading a gaming desktop PC on a budget may mean forgoing certain features, but you shouldn't have to settle for scraps.
MSI's B350 Tomahawk ($99.99) motherboard makes for a nice balance between functionality, style, and value.
It provides a solid foundation for an AMD Ryzen-based budget build, and it even squeezes in a decent LED illumination scheme, in the event you're building out your budget dream rig in a windowed PC chassis.
The board design and chipset effectively limits you to a single video card (unless you're willing to install two AMD Radeon-based boards in CrossFire, with the second slot being bottlenecked), but that compromise will be fine for most buyers.
You also won't find USB 3.1 Gen 2 support on this board, nor can you expect onboard RGB LEDs.
But MSI designed the B350 Tomahawk to be a lean gamer, and it lets you spend more on the stuff that matters most: your CPU or GPU.
A Red-Lit Racer
The B350 Tomahawk is a standard-ATX motherboard with an uncluttered, comfortable layout.
Every key component has some space around it, which translates to an easier installation experience than you'll get with some cram-packed MicroATX boards or feature-stuffed full-ATX flagships.
(For a primer on motherboard lingo, see Buying a Motherboard: 20 Terms You Need to Know.)
The AM4 CPU socket has plenty of space around it for exotic cooling gear, should you want something more powerful than the very capable (and often downright attractive) stock Wraith CPU-cooling fans that ship with Ryzen CPUs.
The board's dual-channel memory slots have thumb tabs at both the top and lower ends and sit well away from the CPU.
The dual-channel slots support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory.
MSI doesn't reinforce the B350 Tomahawk's memory slots with a metal casing, but it does gird the PCI Express x16 slot, which is the most important (and most stressed) slot to protect.
After all, video cards can be heavy and their slots vulnerable to cracking whenever you jostle your PC.
MSI's so-called "Steel Armor" includes the steel slot wrapping, which gives the slot a particularly tough look while providing EMI protection, as well as some reinforced solder points to lock the slot onto the PCB.
The second PCI Express x16 slot doesn't get the Steel Armor treatment and is an PCI Express 2.0 slot running at x4, rather than a second PCI Express 3.0 x16.
All of the 16 lanes on this board are meant for the main PCI Express slot, and while CrossFire is technically supported, it'll bounce down the performance of your card duo due to the bandwidth.
Twin-card Nvidia SLI isn't on the menu at all.
MSI keeps the high-end pieces to a minimum and puts them only where they're needed most.
Your other expansion slots include two legacy PCI (yes, straight old-school PCI) slots and two PCI Express x1 slots.
If you just can't quit that ancient sound card, welcome it home.
MSI tucks an M.2 slot just below the first PCI Express x16 slot, which means you'll almost certainly have to install your storage device before plugging in any video card.
It's not an ideal location from a builder's perspective, but it's the only spot on the board that has room to support extra-long Type-22110 devices.
Once you install your M.2 storage, you can plug your video card into the PCI Express x16 slot, and the card's cooling gear will overhang the M.2 device.
(See our guide to the best M.2 SSDs.)
Part of the B350 board chipset sports a large heatsink with the MSI logo at the center.
It's a classy look, resembling a silver shield, but it's certainly not a head-turner.
That goes for the power-phase heatsinks, too, each bank of which has a single, demure red stripe to jazz it up a little.
Those touches may be understated, but that's not to say that the B350 Tomahawk doesn't have a bit of bling.
Red LEDs ring the back of the motherboard, creating a noticeable glow against your PC case's motherboard tray.
Also, like on many other modern boards, an irregular LED stripe embedded in the PCB travels from the lower end of the board up to the I/O ports, isolating the audio-capacitor zone.
These days, RGB lighting on the board proper, as opposed to single-color illumination, is fairly common on gaming motherboards, so I think some buyers will be put off by the lack of choices.
Still, the red LED ground-effects glow looks sharp.
I can see the B350 Tomahawk anchoring a build that features all-red lighting.
Ports and Headers: A Good Mix
The B350 Tomahawk's I/O panel doesn't feature any USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports.
That's not to say that a Type-C port isn't available; MSI puts a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port right in the center of the I/O panel, along with three of the standard, rectangular USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports.
A single Gigabit LAN port (backed up by a Realtek 8111H controller, as opposed to an Intel solution) sits near the audio ports, while the other side of the I/O panel is home to two USB 2.0 ports, a legacy PS/2 port, and both DVI and VGA connectors.
The panel also sports an HDMI port, but these video-out connectors won't matter if you install your own video card.
Of course, given the vagaries of the video-card market, relying on the Ryzen CPU and sticking to games that aren't overly graphics-intensive may be the route for some casual gamers.
The onboard video-outs will work with one of the 2000-series Ryzen "G" chips, as well as the AM4-socket APUs from the 7th-Generation "Bristol Ridge" line.
MSI does right by its customers when it comes to fan headers, even on budget-friendly boards.
The B350 Tomahawk sports six fan connectors, one of which is designated for a water pump.
That connector stands in the upper-right corner of the board, along with the CPU fan header and an extra system fan header.
Another header stands behind the I/O panel's audio ports.
Two more are near the bottom of the motherboard.
The result: You shouldn't have much trouble finding an open header while assembling your PC.
The right side of the motherboard looks somewhat spare.
Aside from three fan headers, the power connector, and a front-panel USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector, the only other ports on the right edge are four SATA ports.
Interestingly, two of the ports face off the edge of the board (which is typical), while the other two stand upright.
That's a nice touch, from a cable-management perspective.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think the front-panel headers should be in the bottom-right corner of the board, where it's easy (or at least easy-ish) to reach and the least likely spot to test the length of your PC case's built-in cords.
Lately, I've seen boards that move that particular header to the center of the board's lower edge.
I'm glad to see that MSI keeps things old-school with the front-panel header on the B350 Tomahawk.
The lower edge of the B350 Tomahawk also sports a USB 3.1 Gen 1 header and two USB 2.0 headers, along with a parallel-port pin connector.
More important (at least, for us bling-minded DIY types), the board's bottom edge also has an RGB LED-strip connector for 50/50-style LEDs.
Buy a 50/50 LED strip, plug it in, and you can either pump more red into your system, or mix things up with different colors.
A Little Light on Accessories
The B350 Tomahawk's accessories package is a bit lean.
Just two SATA cables ship with the board.
I like that one of the cables has an L-shaped end, though.
An RGB LED-strip extension cord would have been nice here, as would an adapter for the front-panel header.
But these are some of the first things to go in a budget-board accessories package.
Of course, the box includes a driver DVD and the I/O panel bracket.
And the paperwork is worth a flip-through: a quick installation guide, a full manual, and a glossy note that gives tips for installing the memory and a CPU cooler, complete with graphics.
Still, the accessories package seems slim.
Trying Out a Test Build
I built a test PC around the MSI B350 Tomahawk to see whether the board's design is likely to cause any difficulties during installation.
The SilverStone Primera PM01 makes an ideal case for this sort of build because it has a reasonable amount of elbow room in its main compartment but isn't massive.
(See our guide to the best PC cases.)
A thing to note, though: AMD's Ryzen 2000-series CPUs launched well after the B350 Tomahawk did, with the result that early versions of the board require a BIOS update to support a 2000-series CPU.
That means installing an older processor first, and updating the BIOS.
MSI offers an updating kit for customers who have this issue via its tech support at (626) 271-1004.
Recently built versions of the board will recognize the new CPUs without a BIOS update, so whether you encounter the issue might depend on when your store or e-tailer received the board recently or is moving older stock.
Take it from me: It's worth looking for a version with the newer BIOS out of the box, because I encountered this issue, and it was a pain.
The system failed to start and a red-alert light appeared when I installed an AMD Ryzen 3 2200G.
Replacing the CPU with an older Ryzen 7 1800X ($629.00 at Amazon) got me into the BIOS, at which point I updated to the latest BIOS version and reinstalled the Ryzen 3 2200G.
That did the trick, and the board had no issues afterward that.
CPU-swapping aside, the PC-build process was typical.
I installed 32GB of DDR4-3200 G.Skill TridentZ memory and an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X ($369.99 at Newegg) video card without any trouble.
MSI provides good instructions for new DIY-ers.
The BIOS: A Brief Look
Press the Delete key during boot, and you'll enter the MSI's custom BIOS, which has both EZ and Advanced modes.
The EZ mode doesn't let you adjust many of the BIOS settings, but it provides a nice overview of your PC's status.
MSI puts your board's model number, BIOS version, and BIOS build date right at the top of the screen, which is handy, especially given the B350 Tomahawk's extenuating BIOS circumstances.
Critical info about your CPU, memory, and other devices is front and center, with tabs on the left for navigation...
You can also reach the Hardware Monitor from EZ mode (or Advanced mode, for that matter).
This BIOS panel covers temperature and fan speeds throughout your PC...
Board Explorer is another worthwhile tool, providing an interactive map of the board, complete with component statuses...
Advanced mode, of course, lets you drill down to all of the board's settings.
You access the bulk of these via the large subcategory squares on the left edge, with most of what you'll mess with under Settings, unless you're overclocking or updating the BIOS...
MSI does a nice job with the layout, putting individual settings in the center of the page.
As with EZ mode, much of your system's most important statuses are visible, even when you're working with granular settings.
An On-Ramp to Value for Builders
With a price tag under $100, the B350 Tomahawk is going to appeal to many gamers planning budget PC builds.
AMD has solid budget processors that will pair well with the board (with the right BIOS update, in some cases), leaving more room in your budget for a better grade of video card.
One issue worth extra consideration is the board's CPU support.
If you're building a quick-and-dirty budget PC, it might not seem worth exposing yourself to the chance of a complicated, multi-CPU BIOS update procedure.
On the other hand, as DIY-ers, we like to roll up our sleeves and dig into stuff like this.
For some buyers, the possibility of swapping CPUs is an interesting challenge.
The Tomahawk B350 is proof that you don't need to trash your build budget to pick up a decent (if somewhat spartan) gaming board.
Whether you're a gamer aspiring to get into VR, or a fan of standard PC-platform video games, you'll find this board to be ready for action.
The decision you'll need to make is whether you're willing to invest more of your budget into a board that has more features.
But for a single-card build, the B350 Tomahawk provides a nice mix of connectivity, legacy support, and access to some of the most value-minded components—that is, AMD's Ryzen chips—on the market today.
Cons
Onboard lighting is single-color.
Slim pickings in the accessories department.
Some early B350 Tomahawks may require an older CPU to update.
The Bottom Line
MSI sticks to the basics with the B350 Tomahawk.
This spiffy-looking motherboard makes a solid foundation for a budget-friendly AMD Ryzen-based gaming PC, with or without dedicated graphics.
