MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4

[ir_cow]

Intel's B660 budget-oriented chipset has arrived and brings with it more choices for that new Alder Lake build. The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi comes with DDR4 support, WiFi 6, PCIe 4.0, and M.2 Gen4 sockets to round out the features. At $190, it's considerably more affordable than available Z690 options.

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[Honda_tpu]

VRM1 heatsink extended to the inductors. Why did msi remove the inductor sinks on vrm2?

 

[The King]

At $190, it's considerably more affordable than available Z690 options.

This depends in which country you are in.

The B660 "higher end" boards are ridiculously over price here.

₹21,100.00 (281USD)

MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4 Motherboard

MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Supports 12th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors for LGA 1700 socketSupports DDR4 Memory, up to 4800+(OC) MHzPremium Thermal Solution: Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system

www.vedantcomputers.com

₹21,700.00 (289USD) Z690 D4 Board

MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4 Motherboard

MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 Supports 12th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors for LGA 1700 socketSupports DDR4 Memory, up to 5200(OC) MHzPremium Thermal Solution: Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system

www.vedantcomputers.com

B660 prices

 

[ir_cow]

VRM1 heatsink extended to the inductors. Why did msi remove the inductor sinks on vrm2?

Umm actually now that your bring this up, I think the thermal pad is suppose to be there but is missing. The other reasoning could be it will add more heat to that already small heatsink and not is a good thing.

This depends in which country you are in.

Right - didn't think of this - :/

 

[thelawnet]

> 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-E Header

typo on page 7: should read type-c. On page 1 should probably mention 'type c' under '20gbps'

> I find it extremely difficult to review budget-originated products because they lack things to talk about. The MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4 is no different. In many ways, the motherboard fails to meet my expectations. To even get Prime95 software to run with a i9-12900K, I had to tweak some settings in the BIOS. That being said, if the goal is to build a low-cost rendering or encoding computer, this is not on my recommendation list without a serious consideration of the application being used and case air-flow.

It does not seem to be reasonable to test an absurdly priced CPU with a moderately priced motherboard. However it is worth noting that this is just a snazzed-up version of the cheaper Pro A board, with an upgraded audio chip etc. Probably most people could save their cash and buy the cheaper board. This board is overpriced IMO at $180.

> Given it still supports PCIe 5.0 and has two M.2 Gen4 sockets

Um, while PCIE 5.0 is useless anyway at this point, the MSI website says in the manual and all specifications that this is a PCIE 4.0 board, not 5.0

> Second x16 PCIe slot is only wired for Gen3 4x

that's a function of B660. With only 6 PCIE 4.0 lanes on top of the first M.2 from the CPU, nobody will offer a second 4x4 x16 slot, because it rules out a second M.2 at 4x4. Hence the PCIE 3 lanes can be used either for a third M.2 (3x4), or a 3x4 x16 slot, etc. If you actually need a second such card, then you'll need an H670 or Z690 board.


It would probably be useful to give some more detail on the wifi card that's fitted to this thing - specific chip, Bluetooth level, etc.

 

[Wirko]

This depends in which country you are in.

The B660 "higher end" boards are ridiculously over price here.

₹21,100.00 (281USD)
₹21,700.00 (289USD) Z690 D4 Board

To make any comparison meaningful - is the tax included in the prices? What is the tax rate?

 

[The King]

To make any comparison meaningful - is the tax included in the prices? What is the tax rate?

Both prices include GST @ !8% and both prices are from the same online store/website.

So it is a meaninful comparison between the retail price of the B660 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4 and Z690 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4 boards in my country.

 

[mechtech]

Whats with the 357 MB/s sata transfer!!! :|

Also

What software do you use to monitor the VRMs, or do you use a probe or infrared gauge?

 

[ir_cow]

typo on page 7: should read type-c. On page 1 should probably mention 'type c' under '20gbps'

The MB header is called Type-E which connects to a Type-C

It does not seem to be reasonable to test an absurdly priced CPU with a moderately priced motherboard. However it is worth noting that this is just a snazzed-up version of the cheaper Pro A board, with an upgraded audio chip etc. Probably most people could save their cash and buy the cheaper board. This board is overpriced IMO at $180.
> 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-E Header

Why not test with the highest supported CPU? I understand that many will not go that route, but say you did and found the same issues I did, but no review even mentions it. That's a bad review.

Um, while PCIE 5.0 is useless anyway at this point, the MSI website says in the manual and all specifications that this is a PCIE 4.0 board, not 5.0

Well I have no way of testing this and the manual only says 16X with a line below saying 16x Gen4 (which they say usually). However, Intel own press release detailing the different chipsets says that B660 is PCIE is Gen5. You may be right since the slot is not SMT like all the other PCIE5 slots I've seen.

Edit: you are right! MSI opted to not use PCIE5 even though it is supported. I'll make some quick edits.

It would probably be useful to give some more detail on the wifi card that's fitted to this thing - specific chip, Bluetooth level, etc.

Right - Next time. You can also look at the spec sheet, website or manual.

 

[Shou Miko]

It's a shame that B660 and Z690 ain't that far off in price.

Plus MSI nailed it with their Pro Z690-A DDR4 board, PCI-E x16 5.0, 4xM.2., 6xSATA and so on and I know it lags NVME heatsinks but those can be had really cheap so that's not an issue and some high-end NVME SSD's have their own heatsink so I would get this board even for a non-k CPU just because of the price.

Link: https://uk.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z690-A-DDR4/Specification

I also want to add great review @ir_cow

 

[ir_cow]

Whats with the 357 MB/s sata transfer!!! :|

Also

What software do you use to monitor the VRMs, or do you use a probe or infrared gauge?

I don't know why so low. I re-tested it with the same drive as always. Maybe its a Win11 / chipset driver thing that need to be sorted out.

I'm using Reed SD-947 4 channel Data Logging Thermometer paired with four Omega Engineering SA1 Self Adhesive Thermocouple probes. Once its logged it goes into a exel sheet that has some fancy graph stuff Wiz made.

Here is a picture

Isaiah Rossiter on Instagram: "ASUS ROG Extreme ready for some thermal testing! #techpowerup #asusrog #asusgaming #overclocking"

4 likes, 0 comments - ir_artist on October 9, 2021: "ASUS ROG Extreme ready for some thermal testing! #techpowerup #asusrog #asusgaming #overclocking".

www.instagram.com

 

[thelawnet]

Why not test with the highest supported CPU? I understand that many will not go that route, but say you did and found the same issues I did, but no review even mentions it. That's a bad review.

Well I suppose it depends on a few things as a potential purchaser, like whether this could occur on, say, an i5-12400F, and whether the cheaper boards are even worse.

Right - Next time. You can also look at the spec sheet, website or manual.

It's not actually totally clear; they say Intel Wifi6, which appears like it should be 2x2 and AX200 or AX201, but they mention 1x1 on the Intel website as well, but I'm not sure if they actually have any other cards besides AX200/AX201

Either way it is an improvement on, say, the Gigabyte Z690 UD AC (802.11ac, BT 5.1 2x2), or the Gigabyte B660M Gaming AC (802.11ac BT 4.2, 1x1)

BTW, there is a typo here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-wifi-ddr4/15.html it says LCC instead of LLC

 

[ir_cow]

@thelawnet the box says Realtek 8125BG for the Lan and Intel Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2. That is all the information I have.

 

[watzupken]

At full tilt, I feel the Intel 12900K is too much for mid to low range board like this. Under a heavy stress test on all cores, the 12900K should easily be pulling in more than 200W of power. I've used a B550M Mortar WIFI in the past, and I feel it is a very well built with good features motherboard for its price. Perhaps MSI underestimated the strain on the VRMs.

In addition, I feel that AIO cooler is starting to get more common/ popular nowadays. The issue with most AIO cooler is the lack of airflow around the VRM area. Heatsink big or small does not magically dissipate heat into thin air. They need airflow to carry the heat away.

Anyway, the MSI Mortar range of boards are not cheap where I live. So much so that the price gap between say an Asus TUF Gaming Z690 WIFI and this MSI MAG B660M Mortar is around 70 USD. And if I step down to a TUF Gaming H670 WIFI, the gap is around 30 USD. So the B660 is not as budget as budget should be. There are cheaper boards around, but I think it will depend heavily on what CPU one is choosing because the VRM may not keep up with the power requirements.

 

[thelawnet]

Anyway, the MSI Mortar range of boards are not cheap where I live. So much so that the price gap between say an Asus TUF Gaming Z690 WIFI and this MSI MAG B660M Mortar is around 70 USD. And if I step down to a TUF Gaming H670 WIFI, the gap is around 30 USD. So the B660 is not as budget as budget should be. There are cheaper boards around, but I think it will depend heavily on what CPU one is choosing because the VRM may not keep up with the power requirements.

here the mortar max b450m is around $110, and this board is unfortunately over $200 without the ($25ish) wifi card.

this makes it a bad purchase with the msi z690-a pro only around $15 more

 

[Readlight]

Loots off CPU power connectors?

 

[BSim500]

"On that note, the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4 checks off all the boxes for a casual gamer, at an acceptable price tag."

"Acceptable" compared to what? In the UK this board is £180-£200. In comparison the B460M Mortar Wi-Fi (same onboard Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, same layout + VRM heatsinks, etc) is £90-£100 whilst B550M Mortar Wi-Fi (same features but PCIe 4.0) is £145 so the PCIe 4.0 premium is more like +£45 than +£100. In fact many Z690 boards (including Phantom Gaming & Aorus Elite DDR4) are cheaper than this B660 one, whilst this B660M board costs £70 more than an ASRock H670M and +£100 more than most H610M, and Bxx0 boards are supposed to typically sit between those two tiers, none of which make any pricing sense at all. I feel that some enthusiasts (inc tech site reviewers) are so wrapped up in number chasing they've lost all context that what determines "budget" is actual price, and there's really nothing here that justifies a doubling in price at all for the same low-end target market that cares about NVMe SSD CrystalDiskMark p*ssing contests the least.

The "Mortar's" are great boards in general, but compared to exactly the same Mortar Wi-Fi B460M / B550M WiFi 6 boards, someone's really price gouging these, and all it's convinced me is that if I were on a budget then go buy either a (B550M + Ryzen) or (B460M + 10th Gen), but if you want 12th Gen premium-ness then simply ignore the price-inflated B660 boards and just get a Z690 one for barely any extra money...

 

[thelawnet]

"Acceptable" compared to what? In the UK this board is £180-£200. In comparison the B460M Mortar Wi-Fi (same onboard Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, same layout + VRM heatsinks, etc) is £90-£100 whilst B550M Mortar Wi-Fi (same features but PCIe 4.0) is £145 so the PCIe 4.0 premium is more like +£45 than +£100. In fact many Z690 boards (including Phantom Gaming & Aorus Elite DDR4) are cheaper than this B660 one, whilst this B660M board costs £70 more than an ASRock H670M and +£100 more than most H610M, and Bxx0 boards are supposed to typically sit between those two tiers, none of which make any pricing sense at all. I feel that some enthusiasts (inc tech site reviewers) are so wrapped up in number chasing they've lost all context that what determines "budget" is actual price, and there's really nothing here that justifies a doubling in price at all for the same low-end target market that cares about NVMe SSD CrystalDiskMark p*ssing contests the least.

The "Mortar's" are great boards in general, but compared to exactly the same Mortar Wi-Fi B460M / B550M boards, someone's really price gouging these, and all it's convinced me is that if I were on a budget then go buy either a (B550M + Ryzen) or (B460M + 10th Gen), but if you want 12th Gen premium-ness then simply ignore the price-inflated B660 boards and just get a Z690 one for barely any extra money...

I think it's somewhat difficult to comment on price in that certain distributors rip-off their local markets so pricing isn't universal.

In the US the pricing is:

* various similar H610M cards - $100-$110
* Asrock B660m HDV - $95 similar to the H610M cards, good features weak power delivery

The Mortar is $180 with the wifi card, however the Asrock H670 ITX/AX uses 8 DrMos power phases, and is only $170 with wifi.

So basically the availability of Asrock B660M cards for $95 make the entire H610M market look like a scam, and then the availability of the Asrock H670M, with the actual PCIE 5.0 slot, makes all the other manufacturers decision to rip off buyers (there is no increase in chipset price from Intel) look unreasonable.

Not to mention there are a bunch of Z690 boards like the Phantom Gaming (full ATX, PCIE) for $180-$190, which make the decision to buy a 'premium' H660M (in fact, this is not a budget board at all, at least not if you consider that most buyers will be shopping on price first).

There seems to have been an effort by MSI to drive the price of this board up beyond a reasonable level and they have sent review units everywhere to try and sell it, but it comes down to the other options and their pricing as to whether it's worth buying.

 

[thelawnet]

@thelawnet the box says Realtek 8125BG for the Lan and Intel Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2. That is all the information I have.

Apparently it's the AX201, which is soon to be two generations outdated (replaced by AX211 in 2020, and soon the AX411). They should just supply boards with empty slots and let consumers buy their own card.

 

[Sombreuil]

Hello,
I'm targeting this motherboard with a 12600KF, which means the VRMs should be good enough from what I understand.
Something that worries me though, is how do I know if my air cooler would fit? I'll probably get a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120, is there a way to know if there is enough room for it?

 

[Why_Me]

Hello,
I'm targeting this motherboard with a 12600KF, which means the VRMs should be good enough from what I understand.
Something that worries me though, is how do I know if my air cooler would fite? I'll probably get a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120, is there a way to know if there is enough room for it?

If you don't need WiFi then you can save some money by going with this MSI board in the link.

MAG B660M MORTAR DDR4

Powered by Intel 12th Gen Core processors, the MSI MAG B660M MORTAR DDR4 is hardened with performance essential specifications to outlast enemies. Tuned for better performance by Core boost, Memory Boost, Premium Thermal Solution, M.2 Shield Frozr,

www.msi.com

MSI MAG B660M MORTAR DDR4

Peerless Assassin 120 – Thermalright

www.thermalright.com

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/?compatible_with=YxVmP6
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 compatible motherboards

 

[Sombreuil]

Thanks for the link to PCpartpicker, I always forget those kind of websites exist. Seems like it's compatible, perfect!