Let’s face facts. Much like all other major motherboard manufacturers, MSI has put a lot of time and effort into its BIOS design. Time and effort into making it as user-friendly and yet powerful as possible. However, just like every other manufacture each BIOS has its own unique quirks… as each BIOS team follows slightly different philosophies. To be blunt, MSI is firmly in the “use as few sub-sub-menus as possible” camp. This commitment to not hiding BIOS features is laudable, but it does also mean that the UI can be considered ‘unusual’. Highly unusual at times. Which is fair. Just like an ASRock is not the same as a Gigabyte, which is different than Asus, MSI’s UI is different than the rest and does things the MSI Way™. It always gets the job done, but first-time MSI motherboard owners may find it a bit busy, crowded, or even a touch disconcerting.
This is the biggest quirk users will find with the BIOS. However, once you get used to the flow (and occasionally ‘different’ naming schemes), it will quickly grow on you. It may never become your absolute favorite. But it can be counted on to always get the job done… and does make sense once you get used to the MSI Way™.
Thankfully, MSI is fully aware of that and includes two different BIOS UIs. EZ Mode is just that. Easy mode for novices who do not want, or even care, about the minutiae of their motherboard. They just want to hit Delete or F2 on POST, enter is a simplified UI and tweak the fan profiles, or select the boot order… or just activate XMP options of their RAM. All of which are here and then some. In fact, compared to some lower-tiered motherboard manufacturers’ BIOS… MSI’s Easy Mode is more capable and more powerful.
If, however, you need/want/desire more than just handholding. Hitting F7 will get you into the ‘real’ BIOS. A real BIOS which is indeed unique in its three-column layout – with right and left columns for your menu options and the 50% center column for where said options appear and are configurable. All of which is basically what you would find with the TomaHawk Z890 WiFi v1. Yes. There are a few minor additions/revisions… but an Intel Core Ultra 200/200Plus CPU + Z890 chipset combination is an Intel Core Ultra 200/200Plus CPU + Z890 chipset combination. There really is not much MSI can change. Which is fine, as MSI has spent countless years, arguably decades, refining the BIOS, and they simply modify to take advantage of new features available in any given generation of CPUs.
Before moving on, a great example of this is the new “AI Boost” feature baked into this BIOS. This allows for three different “stages” of NPU overclocking. The highest of which gives one upwards of 27% performance uplift in AI Computing tasks that are NPU-bound. So while this will do somewhere between jack and squat, all good for (most) buyers not interested in pushing the boundaries of NPU overclocking… for those who need as much performance as they can get, it can make a noticeable difference. As such, this easy-to-find, easy-to-use feature should at least be tried before throwing money at your AI computing bottlenecks.
Moving on. Much like the BIOS will not really have any surprises for experienced Z890 users, as overclocking of any Core Ultra 200-S Plus CPU is really no different than the non-Plus variant of said CPU class. This is especially true if you are previously used to a TomaHawk Z890 WiFi 1.0… as the new II is mostly a refinement of the blueprint that board previously laid down. That is reasonable. That is fine. That is what should be expected as the TomaHawk Z890 WiFi v1 came with a very good, rather robust VRM. As such, don’t expect to get much, if any, more ‘free’ performance out of this WiFI II variant. Which is also fine and more than acceptable. These new Tommys are more than capable of pushing the typical modern Intel CPU to its limits, and only those who really, really need every last Megahertz will find it wanting. It is just that easy to use and that consistent a board.
