Between the Z890 Taichi Aqua and MAG B850 Tomahawk, the Z890 Taichi Aqua comes out ahead in m.2 slots, while the MAG B850 Tomahawk wins on several specs. Overall, the Z890 Taichi Aqua scores 70.7 and the MAG B850 Tomahawk scores 65 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Z890 Taichi Aqua edges ahead on the Mars Score (70.7 vs 65), but the 5.7-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Z890 Taichi Aqua if you care most about m.2 slots. The biggest gaps in its favor are m.2 slots.
The MAG B850 Tomahawk similarly doesn't carry a headline advantage on the popular specs — look at the full table for category-specific deltas.
Both ship with comparable max memory, ram slots, pcie slots, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Z890 Taichi Aqua is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why ASRock - Z890 Taichi Aqua wins
- ▲M.2 slots — 1.00 more. 5 vs 4.
Why MSI - MAG B850 Tomahawk wins
- No decisive advantages.
Spec comparison
Platform
| Spec | ASRock - Z890 Taichi Aqua | MSI - MAG B850 Tomahawk |
|---|---|---|
| Socketⓘ | LGA1851 | AM5 |
| Chipset | Z890 | B850 |
| Form factor | E-ATXlead | ATX |
Expansion
| Spec | ASRock - Z890 Taichi Aqua | MSI - MAG B850 Tomahawk |
|---|---|---|
| RAM slots | 4 | 4 |
| Max memory | 192 GB | 192 GB |
| PCIe slots | 3 | 3 |
| M.2 slotsⓘ | 5lead | 4 |
I/O
| Spec | ASRock - Z890 Taichi Aqua | MSI - MAG B850 Tomahawk |
|---|---|---|
| USB ports | 14lead | 10 |
| 2.5GbE LAN | true | true |
| Wi-Fi 7ⓘ | true | true |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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