It’s been refreshing to step away from the Intel Z590 chipset and focus on the Intel B560 chipset today and see what is on offer from a cheaper, more affordable solution and we have to say, we’re impressed.
The Mortar may omit RGB lighting both in the form of integrated LEDs and dedicated headers but the overall look and design is appealing. We’re very well accustomed to all-black themes nowadays but by injecting some silver into the scheme we have a distinct livery which we quite admire.
There are some obvious features missing from using a B560 motherboard and a Micro-ATX variant at that, but this may not matter to many enthusiasts who are simply wanting to indulge in Intel’s Rocket Lake without having it hit their wallet hard. Some of the higher-end features are missing but we still get USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and of course, PCIe 4.0 (provided we use an 11th Gen CPU) for storage and the expansion slots. One disappointing inclusion is the sheer number of USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, this feels stagnant and we would have really liked to see more USB 3.2 Gen 2 instead.
Mortar may use the B560 chipset, but is still kept up with other Z590 motherboards in our benchmark tests and we were particular pleased to see the VRM and chipset thermals were within the realms of acceptable. Furthermore, we were able to ramp up out Intel Core i9-11900K to a 5GHz all-core overclock which is the limit of our CPU, but even so, it highlights how capable this motherboard is.
One of the perks of choosing Mortar is the price-tag which sees it available for: GBP £150| USD $170 | AUD $260. This creates an affordable pathway to Intel’s 11th Gen and it means that the cash saved can be funnelled off towards other components.
If you’re looking to save some cash and have your sights set on a compact build then the MSI MAG B560M Mortar WiFi is a brilliant pick. It performs very well and comes with some good features!
Pros
+ Simple, but eye-catching design
+ Affordable
+ Designed for a compact build
+ Performs very well
+ Provides USB 3.2 Gen2x2
+ Supplies PCIe 4.0 functionality
+ Can overclock very well
Cons
- Just 4 fan headers
- Lack of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
- Lacks RGB lighting (if you’re bothered!)
+ Simple, but eye-catching design
+ Affordable
+ Designed for a compact build
+ Performs very well
+ Provides USB 3.2 Gen2x2
+ Supplies PCIe 4.0 functionality
+ Can overclock very well
Cons
- Just 4 fan headers
- Lack of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
- Lacks RGB lighting (if you’re bothered!)
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