You can spend all the time and money in the world to research and buy the best graphics card or the fastest SSDs to build the ultimate gaming rig. Yet all these parts, regardless of how feature-packed and powerful they are, are only as good as the motherboard they’re connected to.
That’s why it’s important to choose the best motherboard possible for your system. Sure, the process of going through a stack of motherboards is a little less exciting than picking other parts, but it’s not something to be ignored.
Navigate this article:
- Best Z690 motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
- Best ATX Z590 motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
- Best ATX X570 motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
- Best motherboard for custom water cooling: Asus ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial
- Best Budget X570 Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus
- Best B550 motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi
- Best Mini ITX X570 Motherboard: Gigabyte X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi
Best X670 and X670E motherboards for Ryzen 7000
If you’re buying Ryzen 7000 then you need to buy one of the new X670 or X670E motherboards for AM5. As Ryzen 7000 has only just gone on sale, testing on the new motherboards is still in progress and initial availability is still rolling out. Those that have gone on sale so far are already starting to be harder to get hold of, but things should settle down soon.
Nevertheless, based on what we know, these are some of the early contenders you should be looking out for that you can actually buy right now.
- X670E doesn't have to be expensive as this board proves. You don't get as much, for example, there's only one PCIe 5.0 SSD slot, but elsewhere it can match more expensive boards. It even has a built-in I/O shield and a great selection of ports and 2.5G networking, and a subtle RGB-free design.
- ASRock's Taichi designs are always eye-catching, and the same is true of its X670 version. It's pricey, but with a design like this, a pair of PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and support for both PCIe 5.0 and 4.0 storage, and packed with specs, too. You get a 24+2+1 power design and built-in I/O shield as well.
- This motherboard has 18+2 power stages combined with a pair of PCIe 5.0 x 16 slots, four m.2 SSD slots of which three are PCIe 5.0, heatsinks and ports galore and ARGB. It's an absolute beast of a motherboard, and even has Wi-Fi built in.
Best Z690 motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
There are plenty of Z690 motherboards out there but we think the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is the one that’s worth considering. As such, it’s our pick for the best Z690 motherboard you can buy right now for your gaming rig. It’s not the most affordable option but it packs all the essentials that you’d expect from a high-end Z690 board for your 12th or 13th Gen Intel build.
This particular motherboard, as you can see, sports an all-black PCB with plenty of heatsinks/shroud. A huge chunk of the motherboard PCB and the components are covered with heatsinks including the VRM, chipset, its M.2 slots, and more. It’s also worth pointing out that there’s very little in the name of RGB lighting on this board. ASUS has added a pixelated ROG eye logo on the chipset heatsink and some RGB bling on the I/O shroud. But that’s about it. It’s perfect for those who like a little RGB, but don’t want to overpower their build.
The ASUS Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard features a 20+19A phase-delivery system which should be enough to handle even the most components out there. The VRM heatsink also appears to be good enough to maintain the thermal output. The motherboard also has four DIMM slots next to the LGA1700 CPU socket. These slots are capable of accepting the new DDR5 memory modules, though it doesn’t also support DDR4.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero has plenty of M.2 slots. Additionally, you can further increase the number of M.2 slots with the help of an expansion card that’s included in the box with the motherboard. This expansion card bumps the total available M.2 slots to five. Notably, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero also supports PCIe 5.0 and there are two PCIe Gen 5 x16 slots on this board ready for action when you can put them to use.
It’s safe to say that this is one of the best Z690 chipset-based motherboards you can buy right now. It’s a little on the expensive side, but ASUS has a reputation for quality and longevity. Its UEFI is also one of the most feature-packed while being super simple to use.
- The ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is one of the best Z690 chipset based motherboards you can buy right now. It carries the LGA 1700 socket for the new 12th gen Intel CPUs and it has a customizable display on the I/O shield cover that looks fantastic.
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Best ATX Z590 motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
It’s hard to ignore the ASUS ROG series of products while putting together a gaming PC. The brand has way too many products that are worthy of claiming the top spot in our collection and the motherboard category is no different. We think the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is the best Z590 gaming motherboard you can buy on the market right now. It comes with an extended list of features and stylish looks that’ll blend nicely with the overall aesthetics of your gaming rig.
The ASUS ROG Hero motherboard isn’t the best or the most expensive board in ASUS’ current Z590 product stack, however, it’s plenty for most gamers out there looking to build a high-end gaming PC. The ROG Maximus XIII Hero offers a lot of USB ports (Thunderbolt Type-C included), high-quality VRMs, and four M.2 sockets for a super high-end configuration.
The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII, as you can see, comes with a massive heatsink/shroud covering a huge portion of the board. It also sports four DRAM slots capable of supporting up to 128GB of RAM. ASUS says it supports speeds up to DDR4-5333, so we think it’s more than enough to support even the best DDR4 memory kits out there right now. As a Z590-based motherboard, this one boasts an Intel LGA 1200 socket for 10th Gen Comet Lake and 11th Gen Rocket Lake desktop CPUs. It also has three full-length PCIe slots and one x1 size slot. The top two PCIe slots are wired to the CPU and support PCIe 4.0 when using an 11th Gen Intel processor. They run at x16/x8, x8/x8, or x8/x4 and support Nvidia 2-Way SLI.
This particular motherboard also comes with a ton of fan/pump headers. You also get plenty of SATA ports, RGB headers, and two USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel headers. Notably, the motherboard comes with a pre-installed rear I/O panel. We like how the I/O shield has a black background and white labeling to make it easier to read the ports and buttons. You’ll appreciate that because there’s a total of 10 USB ports, two 2.5 GbE ports, two Wi-Fi 6E antenna sockets, an HDMI port to handle video output when using integrated graphics, and the audio stack. There’s also a BIOS flashback button to flash without a CPU and a Clear CMOS button.
Unsurprisingly, the ROG Maximus XIII Hero is no slouch when it comes to performance either. It’s proven to deliver solid results when paired with high-end CPUs on the market. It can also handle overclocking without a hitch and can run CPUs with max overclock speeds of over 5.1GHz along with the memory set to around DDR4-4000. It’s clearly built to handle even the most demanding needs for an enthusiast gamer, though if you’re buying one of Intel’s newest CPUs you won’t be able to use it.
- The ROG Maximus XIII Hero Z590 is our pick for the best ATX motherboard you can buy right now for your 10th or 11th Gen Intel-based build. The ROG Hero line up continues to push the boundries of ATX boards with a strong list of features.
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Best ATX X570 motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
In addition to the Z590-based motherboards for Intel, ASUS also has a raft of options for those who’re leaning towards an AMD-based build. The ASUS X570 motherboard lineup includes options from the TUF, Prime, Strix, and ROG lines. ROG, of course, leads the pack when it comes to performance-based motherboards for gaming, followed by the Strix, Prime, and TUF lines in the product stack.
The ROG Crosshair VIII motherboard falls in the upper midrange of all X570-based motherboards. It’s got great looks and tons of features to support its price tag, which, by the way, is surprisingly low at $380. Sure, it’s not the most affordable motherboard on the market, but it’s a fantastic motherboard for a high-end premium PC build. This particular motherboard comes with 12 USB ports on the rear I/O, including eight USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (seven Type-A, one Type-C), fast 2.5G Realtek-based LAN, as well as Intel Wi-Fi 6 integration.
In terms of processor compatibility, the ROG Crosshair VIII supports Ryzen CPUs between the 2000 and 5000 series. It also features four DIMM slots, capable of supporting up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM. The company doesn’t specify rated memory speeds for the slots, though. Additionally, the board also includes three full-length PCIe slots out of which two are reinforced for heavy GPUs and EMI slot protection. It also goes without saying that you get a ton of SATA ports, fan/pump headers, RGB headers, USB connectors, and more. Notably, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero also offers two M.2 slots, capable of running SATA or PCIe-based m.2 modules.
The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII motherboard is also suitable for a custom water cooling setup as it comes with a water flow sensor and temperature headers. The I/O shield, just like on the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, comes with a black shell with white-colored text to represent the ports and buttons. The Crosshair VIII Hero is also proven to be second to none when it comes to performance. It’s good for overclocking, too, an essential since all Ryzen chips are unlocked.
The only con about the motherboard appears to be the placement of the chipset fan. It’s essentially blocked when using any dual-slot GPU, thereby locking out the cool air. It’s probably not a big deal considering there haven’t been any red flags with this board so far, but it’s definitely worth making a note of. Overall, it’s a fantastic motherboard capable of delivering a solid and reliable performance for a mid-range to high-end X570 build.
- The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero is one of the best ATX motherboards for an AMD-based build. It's backed by a long list of features and reliable performance to beat the competing boards on the market.
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Best motherboard for custom cooling: Asus ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial
The ROG Maximus XIII Extreme sits on top of the ROG motherboard stack. It’s one of the most expensive motherboards you can buy right now, but it offers some of the best hardware along with comprehensive feature sets around. The ROG Maximus XIII Extreme is even better than the Maximus XIII Hero we saw earlier, and this one sits alongside its liquid-cooled big sibling, the Extreme Glacial. These motherboards are packed with premium features.
We’re looking at an incredibly robust power delivery, as many as five M.2 sockets, dual Thunderbolt 4/Type-C ports, water-cooling monitoring capabilities, a premium audio DAC, and plenty of controls in the form of buttons and switches to keep even the most skilled overclocker busy, and of course a stylish design that looks great with most build themes. The Glacial, being a water-cooled motherboard, even adds a custom water block that cools the CPU, VRMs, and Chipset. Yes, you read that right — Liquid cooling for the motherboard.
ASUS partnered with EK to build the water block for the Glacial motherboard. It’s a sophisticated piece of hardware that’s made to look gorgeous. The motherboard features a monoblock that makes up a majority of the heft. The 8-layer PCB underneath the shroud is matte black, although you’ll probably never see that. The motherboard also has some RGB lighting elements that are located in the visible cooling channels. You only ever get to see the reinforced PCIe slots through the shroud.
Interestingly, ASUS has also managed to make some space for the two-inch LiveDash color OLED panel to display information about the system during POST. You also see some other info including temperature, clock speeds, voltage, and more while the system is up and running. ASUS says you can use this panel to display GIFs as well, which is similar to how a lot of AIO coolers allow you to customize the display on CPU water block. Notably, the I/O shield is also pre-installed, which means that’s one step less to worry about while building your computer.
The ROG Maximus XIII Glacial has two reinforced full-length slots and one PCIe x4 slot. The x4 slot is located on the top, which is nice because you can always use the x4 slot regardless of how many GPUs you have or if your 2.5+ slot card covers it. These slots run at a maximum of PCIe 4.0 x16 while using a Rocket Lake CPU, and they drop to x8/x8 when both are in use. The motherboard also features six SATA ports with support for RAID0, 1, 5, and 10. This is in addition to the two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C front panel connectors. It clearly offers a ton of Thunderbolt and USB ports. It also goes without saying that you get plenty of headers for your fan, USB, RGB, monitoring sensors, and more.
- The Asus ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial is the only motherboard in this collection that supports liquid cooling thanks to the massive water block covering the majority of the board.
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Best Budget X570 Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus
While the B550 motherboards are solid alternatives to the more premium X570-based motherboards, you can still get a good X570 for similar money. MSI’s MPG X570 Gaming Plus is one of those budget X570 boards and it comes with a compelling list of features at a significant price advantage over the competition.
The highlight of the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus is that it comes with eight 46A MOSFETs for the CPU core which should be adequate to run the full range of Ryzen AM4 processors at stock settings. Overclocking is also in the cards, but this isn’t really the best option for that. All the slots on the MPG X570 get PCIe 4.0 as well. Out of all the PCIe lanes, four of the CPU’s PCIe 4.0 lanes go to an M.2 slot and fore more to the X570 PCH. The remaining sixteen slots go to the top PCIe slot in a fixed fashion.
Out of all the available SATA ports, SATA ports 1 and 2 can be underwhelming since they’re fed by the board’s PCIe 2.0 x1-to-SATA adapter. Notably, the MSI MPG X570 also lacks a Gen2 front-panel USB header and instead has two USB3 Gen1 front-panel headers. Yes, the MSI MPG X570 isn’t the best when it comes to PCIe slots or SATA connectors, but there are some thoughtful additions like a PS/2 port for legacy keyboards and mice and two separate USB 2.0 ports for contemporary keyboards and mice. You also get headers for the front-panel audio, one RGB cable, TPM, four PWM fan headers, serial COM port, two dual-port USB 2.0, one dual-port USB 3.0, and an Intel-spec front-panel LED/button group.
The MSI MPG X570 delivers a decent performance for the price. It’s not competing with the big dogs, so it’s best to keep your expectations in check. If anything, it’s more comparable to the B550 motherboard than other premium X570 chipset. The ASUS TUFGaming X570 Plus is the closest competition here but the MSI board is costs less and is just as good as the TUF Gaming Plus, if not better. The MSI MPG X570 can also handle high-performance CPUs, but it’s best paired with a mid-ranged CPU like a Ryzen 5 5600X.
- The MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus is a solid budget motherboard for economical shoppers looking to build a capable PC without making too many compromises. It doesn't come with all the bells and whistles, but it doesn't skimp on the performance front.
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Best B550 motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi
The B550 motherboards are not as premium as the X570 boards but they tend to offer a lot of value. If you’re not into overclocking, or you’re building a simple or budget AMD system, B550 is where it’s at (as long as you’re not buying Ryzen 7000). The Strix B550 motherboard sits somewhere in the middle of ASUS’ B550 stack along with the TUF and Prime motherboards. Even though it’s not the most premium, we’re still looking at a fairly elaborate set of features. It comes with 14-phase power delivery, 2.5 GbE LAN, integrated Wi-Fi 6 AX200, two M.2 slots, six SATA ports and an audio DAC, and more.
The motherboard has an all-black PCB, and comes with a decent amount of heatsinks covering the vitals. We really like the overall aesthetics of this motherboard with a subtle design that doesn’t scream you’re a gamer. Unlike the X570 motherboards, the Strix B550 -F Gaming Wi-Fi does not have a fan on the chipset heatsink. This is because the B550 chipset itself uses less power since it doesn’t have to support too many PCIe 4.0 lanes.
The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard comes with two EPS connectors of which one is an 8-pin mandatory connector for the CPU power while the other one is an optional 4-pin connector. The motherboard also packs four single-side latching DIMM slots capable of holding up to 128GB of DDR4 memory. ASUS says memory speeds of up to DDR4-4400(OC) are supported by the board, and it’s more than enough for a lot of builds involving a DDR4 RAM kit.
This B550 board doesn’t skimp on M.2 slots or even different headers that you’d need to build a fully functional setup. You get two M.2 sockets, both of which support modules up to 110mm in length. Notably, both sockets also have their own heatsinks to keep them cool at all times. Additionally, you also get six SATA3 6Gbps ports, with support for RAID 0, 1, and 10. The board also comes with a pre-installed I/O shield and has plenty of ports to keep even the most demanding users happy.
- The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming is one of the newer B550 boards on the market and it's a great option for those looking to build a powerful AMD-based build with one of the 5000-series processors.
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Best Mini ITX X570 Motherboard: Gigabyte X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi
The availability of mini-ITX motherboards isn’t as widespread as the ATX boards on the market but there are some solid options to consider from a lot of popular manufacturers like Gigabyte, ASUS, and more. We think the Gigabyte’s X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi is one such fantastic option for those shopping for a compact motherboard to pair with a mini-ITX enclosure. The X570-I Aorus Pro is a compact Mini-ITX board made for small-form-factor builds that’s capable of handling anything from an HTPC to a full-fledged gaming rig. This board is worth considering for those who are looking to dish out a relatively high-end PC inside an SFF case like the Cooler Master NR200P Max.
The Gigabyte X570-I Aorus Pro includes dual M.2 slots, fast RAM support, as well as a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port in the back. It’s gunning the top spot by competing with some full-ATX motherboards on the market. The X570-I also includes an 8-phase digital VRM, WiFi 6 support, 7.1 channel Realtek ALC1220-VB DAC, and fast memory support up to DDR4 4400(OC). Despite being a mini-ITX board, the X570-I comes with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from a premium gaming and enthusiast lineup. This particular motherboard also features RGB LEDs, metal “armor” on the DIMM and/or PCIe slots, electrostatic discharge (ESD) guards, and more.
The best thing about the X570-I is that it manages to pack all these thoughtful additions without compromising the overall design. None of the features have been forcefully added as an afterthought and everything’s laid out pretty well. And just like other X570 boards, the X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi supports both Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series processors. It even includes four SATA ports and two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots on the back. The DIMM that we mentioned above supports up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, with overclock speeds up to a fast DDR4 4400 MHz. Both the PCIe and DIMM slots are reinforced by Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable PCIe and Memory Armor, thereby protecting them from heavy components. There’s also a decent amount of heatsink covering the VRM with a brushed-aluminum finish.
The rear I/O shield is also pre-installed, adding a more premium feel to an already stellar-looking motherboard. It also includes a fan to keep both the chipset and M.2 drive below cool. The X570-I also features a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot that sits right under the large chipset and M.2 heatsink. This board is capable of pushing even some of the high-performance AMD chips at both stocks as well as overclocked settings. The overall efficiency of this board in default settings is also higher than other motherboards in its category. Efficiency is a major factor to consider especially in SFF builds that have relatively low-powered SFX PSUs. That being said, the X570-I’s VRM is capable of keeping up with your overclocking needs too.
The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX is the only option that comes close to the performance of the Aorus X570-I motherboard. Both are plenty capable of driving the CPU to their thermal limits power-wise and offer a long list of noteworthy features.
- The Gigabyte X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi is one of the very mini-ITX motherboards that's worthy of being added to this collection. Despite the form-factor, the X570-I packs a ton of features and offers reliable performance for even the most demanding SFF build.
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Best gaming motherboards: Final Thoughts
Gamers have a wide variety of options on the market across different categories and the motherboard is no different. Picking the right motherboard can get a little overwhelming but you’ll get more than what you’d ever need if you simply pick one of the boards we’ve mentioned in this collection. If you’re building a new Alder Lake CPU-based build then we recommend picking up either the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero or the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master boards. Those leaning towards previous-gen CPUs can consider either the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero or the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero depending on the choice of the CPU. Economical shoppers leaning towards a budget build should consider grabbing the MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus or the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi for solid AMD-based builds.
The computing space is buzzing with a ton of exciting news lately, including new CPUS and GPUs from all the major players. There has never been a more exciting time to build a gaming rig. All our buying guides reflect the ever-evolving market of PC hardware, so be sure to keep an on this collection as we add newer and more powerful products to the list. We also encourage you to check out some of our other collections like the best monitors or even the best webcams if you’re planning to build a new setup from scratch.
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