ASUS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
AM5 · X870E · PCIe 5.0 · 5 Gb LAN
93
/ 100
From $699
VS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero wins by 5
MSI
MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk
LGA1851 · B860
88
/ 100
From $229
Specdex verdict
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero lands at 93 and MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk at 88. That puts ROG Crosshair X870E Hero ahead by 5 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick ROG Crosshair X870E Hero if…
- ✓Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- ✓Excellent VRM
- ✓5G + 10G networking options
Pick MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk if…
- ✓PCIe 5.0 support
- ✓Current-gen networking
- ✓Modern I/O
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero 93
vs 88 MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk
Score breakdown
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
93 vrm 96
features 96
bios 92
value 80
MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk
88 vrm 88
features 86
bios 84
value 84
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | ROG Crosshair X870E Hero | MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM5 | LGA1851 |
| Chipset | X870E | B860 |
| VRM phases | 20+2 | — |
| RAM slots | 4× DDR5-8000+ | — |
| PCIe | 2× PCIe 5.0 x16 | — |
| Networking | 5 GbE + Wi-Fi 7 | — |
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Pros
- +Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- +Excellent VRM
- +5G + 10G networking options
Cons
- −Expensive
- −Only 2 DIMMs for memory overclocking headroom
- −Fan control UX
MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk
Pros
- +PCIe 5.0 support
- +Current-gen networking
- +Modern I/O
Cons
- −Firmware updates on launch
- −DDR5 required
- −Pricing varies week to week
FAQ: ROG Crosshair X870E Hero vs MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk
Which is better, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk? +
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero scores 93 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 5. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is ROG Crosshair X870E Hero worth the price? +
At $699, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero delivers a Specdex score of 93 — strongest in vrm.
Is MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk worth the price? +
At $229, MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk delivers a Specdex score of 88 — strongest in vrm.
Does ROG Crosshair X870E Hero or MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.