MSI’s board is the cheapest Z390 product in this group, and it certainly punches above its weight: it has a decent specification that can support mainstream builds with single GPUs and overclocked CPUs, and it has solid gaming performance. Its weaker application performance restricts where this board will succeed, but it’s a good alternative if you want to build a gaming system on a budget.

Aesthetically, MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk hits the nail on the head with a chunky, industrial design that stands out a little from the usual grey and black crowd without ditching its overall colour neutrality, and the I/O shroud and integrated I/O shield mean that it's almost a shame to have the board hidden inside a case. ...

While the MAG Z390 Tomahawk might be a great board to support a lesser processor, our high-priced Core i9-9900K presented an unrealistically heavy power load for this low-cost product. ...