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You can spend all your time and money in the world on researching and buying the best graphics card or the fastest SSD to build the ultimate gaming equipment. However, all these components, no matter how rich and powerful they are, are only as good as the motherboard to which they are connected. This is why it is important to choose the best gaming motherboard on the market that can handle other core components. Of course, the process of going through a bunch of motherboards is less exciting than selecting other parts, but this is not something that cannot be ignored. In this article, we will focus on some of the best gaming motherboards available today.
When discussing games, it's hard to ignore ASUS ROG series products. The brand has too many products worthy of being among the best in our series, and the gaming motherboard category is no exception. We think ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is the best ATX gaming motherboard currently available on the market. It has an expanded feature list and stylish appearance, which can perfectly blend with the overall beauty of your gaming equipment.
The ASUS ROG Hero motherboard is not the best or most expensive motherboard in ASUS’s current Z590 product line, but it is sufficient for most gamers who want to build a high-end gaming PC. ROG Maximus XIII Hero provides a large number of USB ports (including Thunderbolt Type-C), high-quality VRM and four M.2 slots for ultra-high-end configuration. All of this, and its very beautiful appearance make it one of the best gaming motherboards currently.
As you can see, ASUS ROG Maximus XIII is equipped with a huge heat sink/shield that covers a large part of the motherboard. It also has four DRAM slots and can support up to 128GB of RAM. ASUS stated that it supports speeds up to DDR4-5333, so we think it is sufficient to support the best DDR4 memory kits currently available. As a Z590-based motherboard, this motherboard has an Intel LGA 1200 socket for Comet Lake and Rocket Lake desktop CPUs. It also has three full-length PCIe slots and one x1 sized slot. When using the 11th generation Intel processor, the top two PCIe slots are connected to the CPU and support PCIe 4.0. They run in x16/x8, x8/x8 or x8/x4 and support Nvidia 2-Way SLI.
This particular motherboard also comes with a large number of fan/pump connectors. You also get a large number of SATA ports, RGB connectors, and two USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel connectors. It is worth noting that the motherboard comes with a pre-installed rear I/O panel. We like the black background and white label of the I/O shield to make it easier to read the ports and buttons. You will appreciate it because there are 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 an audio stack. There is also a BIOS flashback button for flashing without a CPU and a clear CMOS button.
As expected, ROG Maximus XIII Hero is not inferior in terms of performance. It turns out that it can provide reliable results when paired with high-end CPUs on the market. It can also handle overclocking smoothly, and can run a CPU with a maximum overclocking speed of more than 5.1GHz, and a memory set to around DDR4-4000. It can obviously meet the most demanding needs of enthusiast gamers. However, the things in the pocket are not easy, and the price is 499 US dollars. It competes with products such as ASRock Tai Chi and MSI MEG Z590 in price. They all have their own unique ways, but if you are looking for a mid-to-high-end motherboard with a price of less than $500, ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is a product that we think is worthy of a place on your PC.
GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Tachyon is an E-ATX motherboard designed for advanced users who only want the absolute best performance of the system. This particular motherboard is designed to support extreme overclocking, making it stand out from many other motherboards on the market. Aorus Tachyon has a 12-layer PCB with a large heat sink to cool the two VRM groups that extend to the rear IO. You will also see enhanced PCIe slots that are becoming more and more common, especially in the high-end series.
In addition to the dark reflective strip with the Tachyon name in the middle, we think this is also a very simple board. In fact, it is hard to say that this is a high-performance motherboard that supports extreme overclocking. Even on the front of the RGB, there is only one strip on the chipset heat sink, located above the Aorus brand. Overall, this is a beautiful-looking board, and we think it can be perfectly integrated with most constructions.
Aorus Tachyon has two 8-pin EPS connectors for powering the CPU. Unlike most motherboards, these EPS connectors are located below the rear IO position, which is an interesting choice. It is worth noting that Tachyon uses 100% all tantalum polymer capacitors to make it have better transient response and less mechanical interference during extreme overclocking. However, you can only get two enhanced DRAM slots that support up to 64GB of RAM, and the speed listed in the memory compatibility chart is DDR4 5333. You will also find a large number of RGB, USB, SATA, fan/pump connectors.
The motherboard also has a special location for overclocking, which includes power/reset and CMOS reset buttons. In addition, you can get two switches for adjusting the CPU ratio, two other configuration files for accessing storage, a voltage measurement point, and several other switches. There is also an OC Trigger switch, which essentially serves as a reduction button to reduce the CPU frequency. This is a very well-designed setting, and we think that enthusiasts who want to make the most of the processor will absolutely love this motherboard.
Tachyon's 11-phase power supply can provide 1100 amperes of current for the CPU, which is enough to keep everything running at maximum speed. However, it is not the most powerful motherboard in terms of power supply. Other motherboards from competing brands such as ASUS and ASRock offer more power, but you will also see significantly higher prices. As a Z590-based chipset, Aorus Tachyon has an LGA 1200 socket for Intel CPUs. There are many heat sinks that can cover the M.2 socket and the Z590 chipset.
Overall, Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Tachyon is a sturdy motherboard suitable for advanced users. This is one of the motherboards that allows users to truly break through the CPU limit without affecting performance. It is also a stylish-looking board that can be easily integrated into most versions. However, the I/O shield is not pre-installed, so you may need to put in some effort there, but other than that, it is an excellent motherboard that keeps competitors out of the picture.
In addition to Z590-based motherboards, ASUS also provides a large number of options for those who prefer to build on AMD. The ASUS X570 motherboard series includes options for TUF, Prime, Strix and ROG series. Of course, ROG has a leading position in performance-based gaming motherboards, followed by the Strix, Prime and TUF series in the product line. ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII is not the best X570-based motherboard ASUS must provide, but it is definitely the best.
ROG Crosshair VIII motherboards belong to the mid-to-high end of all X570-based motherboards. It has a beautiful appearance and a lot of features to support its price tag. By the way, its price is surprisingly low, only $380. Of course, it is not the most affordable motherboard on the market, but it is an excellent motherboard for high-end high-end PCs. This special motherboard has 12 USB ports on the back of the I/O, including 8 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (7 Type-A, one Type-C), Realtek-based fast 2.5G LAN and Intel Wi-Fi 6 Integration.
In terms of processor compatibility, ROG Crosshair VIII supports both Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series processors. It also has four DIMM slots and can support up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM. However, the company did not specify the rated memory speed of the slot. In addition, the board also includes three full-length PCIe slots, two of which are reinforced for heavy-duty GPU and EMI slot protection. Needless to say, you will get a lot of SATA ports, fan/pump connectors, RGB connectors, USB connectors, etc. It is worth noting that ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero also provides two M.2 slots, which can run m.2 modules based on SATA or PCIe.
Interestingly, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII motherboard is also suitable for water-cooled ecosystems because it has a water flow sensor and temperature connector. The I/O shield is the same as the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, with a black shell and white text representing ports and buttons. In terms of performance, Crosshair VIII Hero has also proven to be second to none. It can even handle the most powerful AMD CPUs currently available, and for enthusiasts who want to try their luck, overclocking is also feasible.
The only downside regarding the motherboard seems to be the placement of the chipset fan. When using any dual-socket GPU, it is basically blocked, thereby locking in the cold air. Considering that the board does not have any red flags so far, this may not be a big problem, but it is definitely worth mentioning. Overall, it is an excellent motherboard that can provide stable and reliable performance for mid-to-high-end X570 construction. It is competing with some other high-end motherboards on the market, such as ASRock Phantom Gaming X, but Crosshair VIII Hero finally won the battle with its long list of features and reliable performance. Not to mention, it is also one of the fashionable motherboards currently on the market, and the number of RGB lights is just right.
ROG Maximus XIII Extreme is at the top of the ROG motherboard stack. It is one of the most expensive motherboards you can buy right now, but it offers some of the best hardware and a comprehensive feature set. ROG Maximus XIII Extreme is even better than the Maximus XIII Hero we have seen before. It is tied with its liquid-cooled brother Extreme Glacial. These motherboards have advanced features.
We are looking for incredibly powerful power transmission, up to five M.2 sockets, dual Thunderbolt 4/Type-C ports, water-cooled monitoring function, high-quality audio DAC, a large number of controls in the form of buttons and switches to maintain even the most Skilled overclockers are also very busy, and of course there are stylish designs that look great under most build themes. Glacial is a water-cooled motherboard, and even adds a custom water-cooled block to cool the CPU, VRM and chipset. Yes, you read that right-the liquid cooling of the motherboard.
ASUS cooperated with EK to manufacture water cooling blocks for Glacial motherboards. This is a delicate piece of hardware that looks gorgeous. The motherboard adopts a monolithic structure and occupies most of the weight. The 8-layer PCB under the shield is matte black, although you may never see it. The motherboard also has some RGB lighting elements located in the visible cooling channels. You can only see the reinforced PCIe slot through the shield.
Interestingly, ASUS also managed to make room for the two-inch LiveDash color OLED panel to display information about the system during POST. When the system is up and running, you will also see some other information, including temperature, clock speed, voltage, and so on. ASUS says that you can also use this panel to display GIFs, which is similar to many AIO coolers that allow you to customize the display on the CPU water block. It is worth noting that the I/O shield is also pre-installed, which means there is no need to worry about one step when building the computer.
ROG Maximus XIII Glacial has 2 enhanced full-length slots and 1 PCIe x4 slot. The x4 slot is at the top, which is good because no matter how many GPUs you have or whether the 2.5 slot card covers it or not, you can always use the x4 slot. These slots will run at PCIe 4.0 x16 at most when using Rocket Lake CPUs, and they will be reduced to x8/x8 when both are used. The motherboard also has six SATA ports that support RAID0, 1, 5, and 10. There are also two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C front panel connectors. It obviously provides a lot of Thunderbolt and USB ports. Needless to say, you can get a large number of connectors for fans, USB, RGB, monitoring sensors, etc.
Maximus XIII Glacial is one of the most powerful motherboards. The performance of water-cooled Glacial is often better than its air cooler product Maximus XIII Extreme. If you are looking for a high-quality water-cooled structure that meets the needs of gaming, then this is the kind of motherboard you need to buy. Just make sure you have additional pipes and coolant can also pass through the motherboard.
Although B550 motherboards are a reliable alternative to higher-quality X570-based motherboards, most people even tend to consider cheap X570 motherboards. Yes, they do exist and bring better quality chipsets at relatively affordable prices. MSI's MPG X570 Gaming Plus is one of those cheap X570 motherboards, which provides a series of eye-catching features for only $160. Just to put things in perspective, the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero premium X570 motherboard is $200 more expensive than the MPG X570.
The highlight of MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus is that it is equipped with eight 46A MOSFETs for the CPU core, enough to run the full range of Ryzen AM4 processors under inventory settings. Overclocking is also under consideration, but you may want to control your expectations. All slots on MPG X570 support PCIe 4.0. Among all PCIe channels, the four PCIe 4.0 channels of the CPU are connected to the M.2 slot, and more are connected to the X570 PCH. The remaining 16 slots are fixedly connected to the top PCIe slots. You cannot run SLI on this board, but you can still use the second x16 slot to add auxiliary cards to the CrossFire array.
Among all the available SATA ports, SATA ports 1 and 2 may not be impressive because they are powered by the motherboard's PCIe 2.0 x1-to-SATA adapter. It is worth noting that MSI MPG X570 also does not have a Gen2 front panel USB connector, but has two USB3 Gen1 front panel connectors. Yes, MSI MPG X570 is not the best in terms of PCIe slots or SATA connectors, but there are some thoughtful additional features, such as PS/2 ports for traditional keyboards and mice, and two for modern keyboards and mice. A separate USB 2.0 port. You can also get a connector for front panel audio, an RGB cable, TPM, four PWM fan connectors, serial COM ports, two dual-port USB 2.0, one dual-port USB 3.0, and an Intel-specific front panel LED/button Group.
MSI MPG X570 offers good price performance. It does not compete with large dogs, so it is best to control your expectations. If anything, it is more comparable to the B550 motherboard than other advanced X570 chipsets. ASUS TUFGaming X570 Plus is the closest competitor, but MSI motherboards are cheaper, as good as TUF Gaming Plus, or even better. MSI MPG X570 can also handle high-performance CPUs, but it is best to match a mid-range CPU, such as 3950X or 5600X.
Overclocking is not completely impossible, but it is not a function supported by budget boards like MPG X570. If you want to pursue a lot of numbers through overclocking, you may need to spend more on some of the other motherboards we have listed in this series. We recommend MSI MPG X570 to those who learn the basics on the X570 motherboard. Spending less money on a budget board like this allows you to have more money to buy better processors or other components. If you want to check some other products before drawing conclusions, ASRock X570 Steel Legend WiFi is also a worthwhile choice.
B550 motherboards are not as high-quality as X570 motherboards, but they are often good value for money. In fact, we think that the B550 motherboard should be the first choice of most people, they don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles of a better X570-based motherboard. However, choosing the right B550 motherboard can be tricky, because there are many things to consider, and there are many options to sort out. Among all the B550 motherboards available on the market, we believe that ASUS Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi is a motherboard that deserves a place on your PC.
The Strix B550 motherboard is located in the middle of the ASUS B550 stack along with TUF and Prime motherboards. Although it is not the best quality ASUS motherboard, we are still working on a series of well-designed features. It is equipped with 14-phase power supply, 2.5 GbE LAN, integrated Wi-Fi 6 AX200, two M.2 slots, six SATA ports and an audio DAC.
The motherboard has a completely black PCB with a considerable number of heat sinks and ports. There are only ROG name and ROG logo in bling's name, which will be appreciated by many people. We really like the overall beauty of this motherboard, it should be able to integrate smoothly into most PC versions. Unlike the X570 motherboard, Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi does not have a fan on the chipset heat sink. This is because the B550 chipset itself uses less power, because it does not have to support too many PCIe 4.0 channels.
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard comes with two EPS connectors, one of which is a mandatory 8-pin CPU power connector, and the other is an optional 4-pin connector. The motherboard also contains four single-sided latch DIMM slots that can accommodate up to 128GB of DDR4 memory. ASUS stated that the motherboard supports memory speeds up to DDR4-4400(OC), which is sufficient for a large number of builds involving DDR4 RAM kits. In fact, AMD's best choice for memory is DDR4 3600-3733, so you should be fine.
This B550 motherboard will not stingy you to build the M.2 socket or even different connectors required for a full-featured setup. You will get two M.2 sockets, both of which support modules up to 110 mm in length. It is worth noting that both sockets also have their own radiators, which can be kept cool at any time. In addition, you can also get 6 SATA3 6Gbps ports that support RAID 0, 1, and 10. The board also comes with a pre-installed I/O shield and a large number of ports, which can satisfy even the most demanding users.
ASUS Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi is a high-performance motherboard that can keep pace with other expensive motherboards on the market. It can also be well overclocked, but, first of all, the inventory settings are sufficient for most users who will buy this motherboard. It has no problems up to the factory 4.6 GHz clock speed, which is good.
The availability of mini-ITX motherboards is not as extensive as the ATX motherboards on the market, but there are some reliable options that can be considered from many popular manufacturers, such as Gigabyte, Asus, etc. We think GIGABYTE’s X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi is a great choice for those who buy a compact motherboard and mini ITX case. X570-I Aorus Pro is a compact Mini-ITX motherboard, designed for small builds, capable of handling anything from HTPC to mature gaming equipment. For those who want to launch a relatively high-end PC in an SFF case like Cooler Master NR200P Max, this motherboard is worth considering.
The Gigabyte X570-I Aorus Pro includes dual M.2 slots, fast RAM support, and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port on the back. By competing with some of the all-ATX motherboards on the market, it is winning the top spot. 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 motherboard, the X570-I is equipped with all the features we expect from a lineup of premium games and enthusiasts. This special motherboard also has metal "armor" on RGB LEDs, DIMMs and/or PCIe slots, electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices, etc.
The best thing about X570-I is that it manages to pack all these thoughtful additional features without affecting the overall design. No features are imposed after the fact, everything is arranged very well. Like other X570 motherboards, X570-I Aorus Pro Wi-Fi supports 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 we mentioned above supports up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, and the overclocking speed is up to DDR4 4400 MHz. Both PCIe and DIMM slots are reinforced with Gigabyte's Ultra Durable PCIe and Memory Armor to protect them from heavy components. There are also a considerable number of radiators covered VRM with brushed aluminum finishes.
The rear I/O shield is also pre-installed, adding a more advanced feel to the already excellent motherboard. It also includes a fan to keep the chipset and M.2 drive cool. X570-I also has a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, located directly below the large chipset and M.2 heat sink. This motherboard can even drive certain high-performance AMD chips under two inventory and overclocking settings. The overall efficiency of this motherboard under the default settings is also higher than other motherboards of its kind. Efficiency is a major factor to consider, especially in the SFF version with relatively low power SFX PSU. Having said that, the VRM of X570-I can also meet your overclocking needs.
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX is the only option close to the performance of the Aorus X570-I motherboard. Both have enough power to drive the CPU to the thermal limit in terms of power and provide a long list of noteworthy features.
Anything other than consumer-grade mainstream CPUs is redundant for games. We have said this many times when discussing PC components, and we will continue to do so just to remind you to save money for parts and upgrades required for a specific workflow. But on the other hand, if you are a gamer who happens to be a content creator dealing with heavy workflows and tight timelines, then you can benefit a lot from the many CPU cores that provide services for 64-channel PCIe . When it comes to AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper CPU, we think it’s best to pair it with a powerful motherboard like ASRock TRX40 Taichi.
ASRock TRX40 Taichi is one of the most advanced motherboards on the market, with a comprehensive feature list. It is one of the circuit boards specially designed for high-power loads, which is obvious only from the appearance. In addition to the 50mm chipset fans commonly found on AMD X570 motherboards, TRX40 Taichi is also equipped with two 40mm 7600RPM fans, which are connected to the heat sink covering the regulator. Another thing to note here is that the motherboard is equipped with ASRock's "Hyper Quad M.2" four-drive adapter, suitable for those who think that two M.2 drives are not enough for their HEDT build.
You can permanently connect it to the board in x16 form, and after installing the card, the total number of possible NVMe 4.0 drives jumps to six. TRX40 Taichi uses two EPS12V (8-pin CPU) power connectors to power its spacious regulator. The M.2 cover hides three M.2 slots, of which the Key-E slot is shipped with Intel’s AX200 Wi-Fi module. As a premium motherboard capable of driving the most powerful system, TRX40 Taichi provides an impressive series of connectors, including HD-Audio front panel connectors, auxiliary RGB and ARGB cable connectors, a total of five fan connectors, and a beep code Speakers, a dual-port USB 2.0 connector, two additional SATA ports, etc.
The overall stability of the construction is also not a problem, because the voltage regulator heat sink is partially supported by a black anodized aluminum back plate. I/O Shield is also pre-installed, which reduces the trouble of building a PC. These are some well-thought-out additions that make people tend to use better quality components. The backplane also fixes a plastic RGB LED lighting diffuser on the front edge of the circuit board. This is the only RGB element that ASRock added to this motherboard. This is a nice RGB touch that can bring some beautiful looks without being as obvious as annoying as some other motherboards on the market.
Regarding the performance of the TRX40 Taichi motherboard, there are no red flags. The huge fan cooling radiator is designed to support Threadripper processors with up to 64 cores/128 threads without thermal throttling. Some other motherboards can also withstand the wrath of the Threadripper processor, but the power efficiency of the TRX40 Tachi is often slightly higher. At US$500, we believe that ASRock TRX40 Taichi is currently leading the development of TRX40 motherboards in the market.
Gamers have a variety of different types of choices in the market, and motherboards are no exception. Choosing the right motherboard can be a little overwhelming, but if you just choose one of the motherboards we mentioned in this series, you will get more than you ever need. ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero and ROG Crosshair VIII Hero are currently the best two motherboards, depending on the CPU you choose. Budget shoppers who tend to build on a budget should consider buying MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus or ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi for a reliable build based on AMD. We also have some mini-ITX and TRX40 motherboards for unusual builds.
Between the release of Windows 11 and the release of Intel’s new Alder Lake CPU, the computing field has recently been full of exciting news. There has never been such an exciting time to build game equipment. All our buying guides reflect the ever-evolving PC hardware market, so when we add newer and more powerful products to the list, be sure to pay attention to this series. If you plan to build a new setup from scratch, we also encourage you to check out some of our other series, such as the best monitors and even the best webcams.
XDA »Buying Guide» The best gaming motherboards you can buy in 2021
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