Jack has been interested in computers and tech since 10 years old when he decided to dismantle his PC to see how it worked. Ever since Jack has had a passion for IT and gaming beyond any other. He loves the data and testing process and allowing himself to take an analytical and technical approach to PC hardware. He's even gone as far as getting educated in cyber security.
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MSI is one of the world’s biggest retailers of motherboards, and a few months ago, they released the AMD 300- and 400- series “MAX” line of boards. Since the release of the new Ryzen 3000 chips, AM4 compatibility has been quite a frequent topic of discussion.
Some consumers were a bit overwhelmed with the complicated BIOS update and just wanted some out of the box performance. The BIOS on the non-MAX versions wasn’t big enough to support all three generations of Ryzen Processors, so MSI MAX motherboards were released to create a simple solution to the problem and bring about an increase in RAM performance too.
![MAX board compare shot MAX board compare shot](https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/MAX-board-compare-shot-1200x800.jpg)
Do You Need A MAX Motherboard?
The value of MSI MAX boards is excellent, making them an ideal choice for quite a wide variety of PC builders. MSI has done away with the need to flash your BIOS, ensuring you get out of the box 3rd-gen support. Furthermore, these newer boards come with improved memory performance when used with the 3rd-gen Ryzen chips.
For those looking to get a 300 or 400 series AMD chipset for their PC build, the following motherboards are available in the “MAX” version:
- X470 Gaming PLUS MAX
- X470 Gaming PRO MAX
- B450 Gaming Plus MAX
- B450 TOMAHAWK MAX
- B450M MORTAR MAX
- B450-A PRO MAX
- B450M PRO-VDH MAX
- B450M PRO-M2 MAX
- B450M-A PRO MAX
- A320M-A PRO MAX
![DSC01123 DSC01123](https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DSC01123.jpg)
Two of the top sellers in the series are the “TOMAHAWK” and the “MORTAR.” Both motherboards are considered to be excellent value and benefit from reliable VRMs too. Moreover, these boards feature the handy “Flash BIOS” button, making BIOS updates completely painless.
The B450 Tomahawk MAX, as you know, supports all Ryzen CPUs. Furthermore, it supports DDR4 memory, up to 4133MHz. The extended PWM heatsink design on this board ensures your CPU will run at full speed.
![DSC01124 DSC01124](https://wordpress-529474-2504280.cloudwaysapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DSC01124.jpg)
As mentioned, the VRMs are robust and reliable because they have been made to be sturdy and outclass the competition. The heatsink design has been extended to keep the VRMs around 26% cooler.
Final Words
So there you have it, MAX motherboards. The annoying BIOS update problem is no more, and with MSI’s Click BIOS 5, you are greeted with a user-friendly interface with quality functions and high-res text, lovely.