MSIB650 GAMING PLUS WIFI Motherboard, ATX - Supports AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 Series Processors, AM5 - 14+2 Duet Rail VRM, DDR5 Memory Boost 6400+MHz/OC, 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16, 2 x M.2 Gen4, Wi-Fi 6E

The MSI B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI is a solid micro-ATX motherboard designed for AMD's latest Ryzen 9000, 8000, and 7000 series processors on the AM5 platform. It offers an excellent balance of features, performance, and affordability, making it a great choice for gamers and PC builders looking to take advantage of the latest technologies without breaking the bank.Performance & MemoryWith support for DDR5 memory up to 7800+ MHz (OC), this motherboard ensures high-speed performance for gaming and productivity. The Memory Boost technology helps improve stability and efficiency, allowing users to fully utilize the potential of DDR5.Expansion & StorageEquipped with a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, the B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI provides ample bandwidth for modern GPUs, ensuring high frame rates in gaming and smooth rendering for creative workloads. Additionally, it features M.2 Gen4 slots, allowing for lightning-fast NVMe SSD storage, significantly reducing load times.Connectivity & NetworkingThe inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5G LAN ensures high-speed and low-latency networking, perfect for gaming, streaming, and downloading large files. Wi-Fi 6E provides enhanced wireless performance with lower interference, making it a future-proof addition to any build.Build Quality & DesignMSI has built this board with solid VRMs and heatsinks, ensuring reliable power delivery and thermal performance for high-performance Ryzen CPUs. While it doesn’t have the most premium aesthetics, the motherboard is cleanly designed with a functional layout that fits well in compact builds.Pros & ConsPros:✔ AM5 compatibility with Ryzen 9000, 8000, and 7000 series CPUs✔ DDR5 support up to 7800+ MHz (OC) for future-proofing✔ PCIe 4.0 x16 & M.2 Gen4 for fast storage and GPU performance✔ Wi-Fi 6E & 2.5G LAN for high-speed networking✔ Good VRM & cooling design for stabilityCons:✖ No PCIe 5.0 support (but PCIe 4.0 is still very capable)✖ Limited RGB/customization features✖ Only two M.2 slots (some competitors offer more)Final VerdictThe MSI B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI is an excellent mid-range motherboard for gamers and PC builders looking for solid performance, fast memory support, and modern connectivity. It’s a great choice for Ryzen 7800X3D and other AM5 CPUs, delivering reliable power, fast storage options, and Wi-Fi 6E for seamless gaming. While it lacks PCIe 5.0 and extensive customization, it packs great value for the price and is a strong contender in the B650 lineup.Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

There is nothing to complain about with this product. It is extremely versatile and designed well. The value is also really good, for many other brands it is hard or much more expensive to get WIFI 7. However this comes included with WIFI 7 which is great.Building with it is easy as well, all the connections are well laid out.

Brought this motherboard as the price was very good. I also tried to get a middle of the range motherboard that would help future proof my build so i don't have to update components as tech changes so fast these days. Easy to install and set up. Loaded first time with no Bios update needed. I paired this motherboard with (CPU) AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 core, and a Radeon 7600XT Graphics card.

The board arrived well packed, on time and competitively priced. The board had not been easy to source with many retailers out of stock. The popularity due to probably its pricing and features.When I opened the box the nice glossy instruction/information booklet was 'missing'. They now include a folded quick set-up guide and a European Union Regulatory Notices in multi-language fold-up sheet. The quick set-up guide contains links to videos on Youtube, at the least I would strongly advise you to watch these before attempting to install your board. Preferably also go to the MSI website and download and print off the 26 double sided pages of your relevant board. Hole punch the sheets and put them in an A4 binder - you'll thank me later.The board I received had a bios version 7 revisions behind! Now you can update the bios before installation, there is a youtube video showing how to do it using the bios button. I didn't follow this route but elected to assemble the components and update the bios after assembly.Before assembly I downloaded and printed off the manual and downloaded the latest bios version to a flash drive, renaming the bios version to msi.rom I already had iso's of Windows 10 and Windows 11 and valid registration keys.I attempted to load Windows 11 on power-up, but it just went into a 5 minute loop and refused to load, whether this was a bios issue or corrupted operating system iso I don't know, but I had successfully used the iso to load Windows 11 previously. I then tried loading Windows 10, that went seamlessly.I updated the bios (flashdrive 8gb best larger capacity can be problematic), there is a specific usb port to use, on this board the second behind the LAN port. To get to the mflash screen you toggle the delete key on start-up. My update was in two parts, it installed the update, but when I shut down the computer, it fired itself up and spent about 5 minutes finishing off the installation - so don't isolate the mains power to the PC.I then downloaded Windows 11 and installed. When it came to activation, it refused to accept the key and told me to buy a genuine one. To overcome this you have to access a screen that gives you an option to tick a box that say's you have made a significant hardware change, check this box and it will accept the activation key.If you install the latest Windows 11 operating system, you will find the ability to make unfettered access to your computer on start-up as been withdrawn. You now are forced to use a PIN, Passkey or Biometrics. There are alleged workarounds but I couldn't find one that worked.If you are migrating from an existing system use google drive (cloud) to store the info you wish to port over. You will need your access ID and password for Chrome, Microsoft, Password Manager and Mail Clients at the least. Also the set-up details for your email access.When I re-installed Windows 11 and activated most of my previous settings 'magically' installed themselves. Be aware you may not be able to restore from Google Drive if you haven't activated Windows 11.When you download the drivers from the MSI site, included, will be a 6 months trial Norton virus software package, which you have to load, as far as I could gather. I have since uninstalled it as it would not let me access some sponsored sites. If you have this issue, the software can be uninstalled.I find the WiFi and Bluetooth pairing with a mobile phone very useful. On many sites you can use the fingerprint feature on the smart phone to access, without putting your password in the PC. If you sinc the phone and PC it keeps your contacts up to date.In summation the board is working well, but there appears to be some pitfalls for the unwary. A level of preparation prior to installation is advisable

Brilliant motherboard, entry into AM5 and can see this lasting, no other boards on wifi 7 and 5G ethernet close to this price point, really good quality, great VRM sinks, nvme m2 gen5 has heatsink, plenty of headers for fans, pump, everything where you'd expect it to be, nice and tidy cabling. Really impressed with the board, will look for MSI again.