Can MSI’s mid-priced Tomahawk push the limits of our high-end hardware? We review it to find out!

PC enthusiasts and early adopters of a new platform have come to expect high prices, even when shopping on a “tight” budget. Perhaps it’s because we know we’re paying for lower-volume products, where the development and production configuration costs are spread across fewer buyers. Whatever the psychology, the result was that we expected the high-end “Z” version of Intel’s mainstream platform to have a starting price of around $160. Anything less would require a sacrifice in component quality or basic features, right? And if a company is determined to maintain quality, which basic features should be cut to get that board down to $150?