[SOLVED] MSI Tomahawk Max vs. Mortar Max

[f_X]

Hi, I am deciding between those two motherboards.

From my point of view, these are the main differences:

• The Tomahawk is ATX, while the Mortar is mATX. Would the former be better in terms of cooling/airflow because attached components would be more spaced? The case will be the Phanteks P400A RGB, which comes with 3 front intake fans, and the CPU cooler will be the Scythe Fuma 2.
• Both motherboards seem to have the same or very similar VRMs, but the Tomahawk has an additional heat sink on the top part. I am currently considering a Ryzen 5 3600, but later, I might step up to a higher processor if the price/performance ratio is good. Also, although the 3600 doesn't allow for much overclocking, the memory modules may do. So, would this additional heat sink be helpful for a higher processor or memory overclocking?

These are other differences that may or may not be relevant:

• The Mortar has an additional M.2 slot, but if I ever put a second SSD, it would probably not run as fast as the one connected to the first slot, so this second slot is not too advantageous, right?
• The Tomahawk has one more 4-pin fan connector, which may be handy if I want to throw in an additional fan, but I can probably daisy-chain some fans to connect more to the Mortar, right?
• The Mortar has two additional USB 3.0 ports on the back and S/PDIF output, which is nice.
• The Tomahawk has a 4-pin water-pump-fan connector, but may not be relevant as I don't plan to use water cooling (at least for now).

So, if you have answers to my questions or additional thoughts, please let me know.

 

[tennis2]

You're lucky the Mortar Max is available in your country/ region!

That being said, if you're buying an ATX case anyway, just get the Tomahawk. It's a great board.