A motherboard performs the function of a column in a computer system and is compatible with all components of the system. Motherboards not used to be so popular a decade ago, but the latest inventions and technologies resulted in a large increase in the importance of the motherboard and now a base plate should not only work well but also look great.
When it comes to the best gaming motherboards, there must be a lot of refinement because there are so many chipsets, much less the number of motherboards for each chipset.
As for the HEDT platform, the latest chipset on the AMD platform is the TRX40 chipset, which feels quite unique as it does not follow the conventional chipset names and is compatible with 3rd generation AMD HEDT processors. . So, let’s take a look at the best motherboards for gaming in detail below.
Frankly, choosing the motherboard is not as difficult as choosing some of the other components, especially when it comes to gaming PCs.
1. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme – Best Gaming Motherboards
ASUS needs no introduction and the company is famous for making some of the most powerful motherboards. ASUS ROG is a subsidiary of ASUS and specializes in game-related components.
The MAXIMUS motherboard series is Intel’s flagship motherboard series for mainstream processors and is known for delivering world-class performance without compromise.
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme is the flagship motherboard among the MAXIMUS series and that alone can say a lot about this motherboard.
The motherboard costs almost four times the price you would pay for basic motherboards for this chipset. Speaking of the chipset, ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme is based on the latest Z490 chipset, which provides support for the latest 10th-generation Intel processors.
The motherboard provides an LGA 1200 socket instead of the LGA 1151 socket that was previously used in many generations of Intel processors.
The main difference between the Z490 and Z390 chipset is that the Z490 chipset comes with an LGA 1200 socket instead of LGA 1151, breaking the compatibility between 9th gen processors and this motherboard.
This move was quite expected from Intel because Intel always breaks compatibility after about two years.
In terms of motherboard design, this motherboard is quite similar to other ROG series motherboards from ASUS and there is no doubt that it looks excellent.
The chipset heatsink at the bottom of the motherboard is glossy black, while the left side of the heatsink has a scratched black texture. The same goes for the I / O heatsink and RGB lighting is present on both heatsinks; especially the ROG logo on the chipset heatsink looks really cool.
This motherboard is known for providing top-notch overclocking performance and that is why the performance of the processors on this motherboard will be better than any other motherboard from ASUS and even most other motherboards from other companies.
The motherboard provides 16-phase power delivery and that helps greatly in overclocking the processor while having a stable voltage, thanks to the latest power design used by ROG on this motherboard.
The VRM heatsinks are quite large and the I / O cover is made of aluminum and it helps to cool the VRM as there is a heat pipe connecting the I / O cover and the main heat sink.
Coming to the I / O, the motherboard provides 6 audio ports, 2 WIFI antenna connectors, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports, 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 2 ports USB 2.0 Type-A (one for BIOS), one BIOS button, one Clear CMOS button, and two LAN ports. The motherboard uses ROG SupremeFX 7.1 surround sound with Codec S1220, which is among the high-quality Realtek chipsets.
The motherboard provides a 10G LAN port in addition to the native 2.5G LAN port of the Z490 chipset, which makes it vastly better than other motherboards.
There are two PCI-E X16 slots and one PCI-E X4 slot on the motherboard, which seems a bit low for a motherboard like this, but the main reason behind this was to provide a lot of M.2 slots and that is why The motherboard provides total of four M.2 slots, where two of them can be accessed via the DIMM.2 slot.
There are four DIMM slots on the motherboard, resulting in a total memory of 128GB, while the maximum memory speed supported with overclocking is 4800 MHz.
There are a total of twelve 4-pin fan headers on the motherboard, which is amazing and we have never seen such a large number of fan headers on a motherboard before.
Two of these heads can be used for water pumps that have the ability to provide up to 3 amps of current. There are many accessories with the motherboard, such as ASUS Fan Extension Card II, ROG DIMM.2 heatsink, etc.
Conclusion
Overall, this is one of the best gaming motherboards on the market right now that can tend to even the most powerful overclockers and you will have no problem with this motherboard when it comes to performance, although the cost of this motherboard it is probably going to be more than most users would like to spend on a motherboard.
Specs
- Model: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme
- Platform: Intel
- Chipset: Z490
- Form Factor: E-ATX
- PCI-E: Slots 3
- Great overclocking potential
- Many M.2 ports
- Great cooling
- Quite expensive
2. MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE – Best Micro ATX Motherboard
MSI is a great competitor to ASUS when it comes to motherboards and graphics cards. MSI GODLIKE series motherboards are the flagship motherboards that tend to provide all the possible features that the company could put on the motherboard.
MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE is the flagship motherboard based on the Z490 chipset and the price of this motherboard is very close to the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme, which makes it quite expensive for most people.
The overall motherboard design feels very premium as expected from such a high-priced motherboard and there is a mix of grayish texture on the motherboard heatsinks.
There is the “MSI DRAGON” logo on the I / O cover and it is written GODLIKE on the chipset heatsink. Both areas have RGB lighting and especially the dragon looks very exquisite.
There is an OLED display on the right side of the DIMM slots that can be used for diagnostics and statistics of system components; an idea that can be quite useful in the near future.
The motherboard VRM cooling solution is excellent. Along with the use of stacked fin array heatsinks, the motherboard uses two small fans for active cooling.
The fans are located under the I / O cover and also use Zero FROZR technology, which causes the fan to stop completely at low temperatures. The motherboard uses a powerful 16 + 1 + 1 power phase VRM which should be sufficient to handle even the most powerful 10th-generation processor in high clocks.
As for the motherboard I / O, there are 6 audio ports, 2 antenna connectors, a 10G LAN port and a 2.5G LAN port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports Type-A ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a flash BIOS button, a transparent BIOS button, and a PS / 2 port.
The motherboard uses ALC1220 and ESS SABRE9018Q2C combo DAC. Like the MAXIMUS XII EXTREME, there is also 10G LAN on this motherboard.
There are a total of four PCI-E slots, where three of them are PCI-E X16 slots and one of them is PCI-E X1 slots. The four DIMM slots result in a maximum memory of 128 GB.
Both the DIMM slots and the PCI-E slots are metal-reinforced, which looks good in addition to supporting components. The maximum memory speed of this motherboard is the highest on the list, at 5000 MHz, although you will have a hard time finding memory cards that can sustain a frequency as high as this.
There are six SATA ports on the motherboard, which is a bit lower than the MAXIMUS XII EXTREME, although it probably won’t be a deal-breaker for anyone.
Other than that, there are three M.2 slots on the motherboard, each with its own heat sink for high-end SSD devices. There are ten fan headers on the motherboard, where one of them is used for the CPU cooler, one for the water block cooler, and eight of for case fans.
Like the MAXIMUS XII EXTREME, MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE also comes with many accessories like M.2 XPANDER-Z card, etc.
MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE is a great alternative to ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme and provides performance as great as the latter, although you won’t be able to get exclusive ASUS features, however, the same can be said for ASUS motherboard as well.
Conclusion
With a lot of power under the hood, the motherboard comes at a hefty price tag that is well worth it if you decide to have a record-breaking motherboard that also provides top-notch aesthetics.
Specs
- Model MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE
- Platform Intel
- Chipset Z490
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 4
- Very high memory performance
- Active cooling solution
- OLED display for diagnostics and statistics
- It costs almost the same as MAXIMUS XII EXTREME
3. GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme – Best Gaming Motherboard
GIGABYTE is one of those companies that has risen from the ashes very quickly and now the company is recognized by all players. There was a time when your products used to be pretty ugly, but not anymore.
In fact, now if you want to get aesthetically beautiful products, GIGABYTE could offer you components that are unrivaled by other companies. An example of such a motherboard is this GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme.
There is no doubt that this is perhaps the most beautiful motherboard we have ever seen. With a mixture of pure black color and transparency, the motherboard offers a unique look and the reason for putting transparency here is that the cooling of the motherboard is based on liquid cooling.
Now for the functionality of the motherboard, the user must install a liquid cooling system, which makes this motherboard a powerful keyboard for overclockers.
There is an AORUS RGB logo on the I / O cover, while there is also a larger AORUS logo in the transparent area above the socket.
Due to the liquid cooling solution, the motherboard operating temperatures are the lowest on the list, although this comes at a high cost. The cooling also cools the 16 + 1 phase digital VRM solution with 90A Smart Power Stage and this enables unmatched overclocking potential.
As long as you use a large radiator and high-end fans, this motherboard will continue to show you the limits of maximum performance for 10th-gen processors.
The price of this motherboard is even higher than the two motherboards mentioned above, making it accessible only to extreme enthusiasts who do not want to compromise on performance.
As far as motherboard I / O is concerned, there are 6 audio ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 USB 2.0 Type-A ports, 2 antenna outputs, a flash button, a Clear CMOS button, an HDMI port, and two LAN ports.
Like the previous motherboards, this motherboard also provides the 10G LAN along with the 2.5G LAN. For audio, this motherboard uses Realtek ALC1220-VB Codec + ESS ES9218P DAC for front panel audio and Realtek ALC1220-VB Codec + ESS ES9018K2M DAC + TI OPA1622 op-amp for rear panel audio.
There are only three PCI-E slots on the motherboard, all of them PCI-E X16 slots, bolstered by GIGABYTE Armor technology. All four DIMM slots are also hardened with the same technology and GIGABYTE is the industry leader with this technology of theirs and was the first company to come up with the idea to do this. The maximum motherboard memory speed is 5000MHz which is the same as the MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE and you will not get a higher memory speed on any motherboard than this.
For storage, there are three M.2 slots on the motherboard and six SATA slots, which is the norm for most Z490 motherboards.
There are a total of eight 4-pin fan headers on the motherboard and also eight temperature sensors. In addition to these headers, the motherboard ships with AORUS RGB FAN COMMANDER, which also allows for eight additional hybrid fan connectors, leading to a maximum of sixteen fan headers, which is overkill for any configuration.
Specs
- Model GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme
- Platform Intel
- Chipset Z490
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 3
- Better cooling performance thanks to liquid cooling
- Top-notch audio DAC
- High memory performance
- One of the most expensive motherboards
4. ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme – Best Motherboard For Gaming
Now, we come to the Intel HEDT platform and we will talk about motherboards based on the X299 chipset. For this chipset, one of the most famous motherboards is ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme.
The ROG RAMPAGE series is the HEDT counterpart to the ROG MAXIMUS series motherboards and offers a very similar experience in terms of features and potential.
The overall look of the motherboard is quite similar to the MAXIMUS XII EXTREME, with the RGB-lit ROG logo on the chipset heatsink and RGB lighting present on the M.2 heatsink cover and I cover. /OR.
There is also an OLED LiveDash on the I / O deck, which can be used to display various functions. This motherboard is quite old now and was first released in 2017.
However, this does not mean that this motherboard should be taken lightly because the performance levels of this motherboard are off the charts.
The motherboard VRM features a true 8-phase configuration that is cooled by large heat sinks connected via a heat pipe. The power requirements of HEDT processors are quite higher than conventional processors, but this motherboard can handle even the monstrous 18-core processor, the Intel Core i9 10980XE without breaking a sweat.
As for the I / O, there are 5 3.5mm connectors, one S / PDIF output, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 8 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 LAN ports, 3 antenna connectors, a flash button, and a clear CMOS button.
The motherboard has a 10G LAN and a 1G LAN. The motherboard WIFI supports a transfer rate of up to 4600Mbps, which is unmatched on any motherboard so far.
The motherboard uses the SupremeFX S1220 codec with high definition DAC / AMP ESS SABRE9018Q2C “.
There are a total of five PCI-E slots on the motherboard, where four of them are PCI-E X16 slots and one of them is PCI-E X4 slot. There is an Indian-plated ROG armor on top of the PCI-E slots, which also provides a fantastic look.
There are eight DIMM slots on the motherboard, resulting in up to 256GB of memory, while the maximum possible speed is 4200 MHz, although you may be able to push a bit more with the latest processors as well.
When it comes to storage, the motherboard uses the DIMM.2 slot for two M.2 devices and offers an M.2 slot near the PCI-E slots.
There is a total of ten 4-pin fan headers on the motherboard, where two of them can be used for the water pump. Also, the motherboard comes with a fan extension card, which provides three fan headers and three thermal probe headers.
Conclusion
ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme is the pinnacle of power when it comes to the Intel HEDT platform and there is no question that this motherboard is one of the most powerful of all time.
With the latest 10th Gen Intel HEDT processors, the motherboard is capable of overclocking processors to the limit while providing additional features like 10G LAN and 4.6G WIFI along with high-end audio DACs.
Specs
- Model ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme
- Platform Intel
- Chipset X299
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 5
- Tons of RAM capacity
- Very powerful WIFI
- Relatively lower memory performance than standard
- Costly motherboards
5. EVGA X299 Dark – Good Motherboard For Gaming
EVGA is a name that is mostly known for graphics card drives, however, the company also makes some of the best motherboards and power supplies.
EVGA X299 Dark is one of those motherboards and this motherboard has also achieved some world records, thanks to its supreme overclocking performance.
The EVGA X299 Dark may not appeal to you during your first encounter with it, but the look can be deceiving at times. This motherboard was made exclusively to allow extreme overclocks and that’s one of the reasons why it cuts down on anything that might hinder overclocking performance.
The motherboard VRM uses a 12-phase power supply, while the motherboard heat sinks are highly capable of handling the heat. The VRM heatsink has two small fans on top, actively cooling it and that is why the heatsink has a finned stacked array design.
The motherboard chipset heatsink is also actively cooled via a blower-type fan which also helps cool the M.2 slots as their covers are included with the chipset heatsink cover.
Despite featuring an E-ATX form factor, the motherboard does not provide eight DIMM slots like most X299 chipset motherboards. The reason for this is that if the number of DIMM slots is greater than the number of channels supported by the processor, the overclocking performance is reduced.
For PCI-E slots, there are six, where five of them are PCI-E X16 slots and one of them is PCI-E X4 slot. When it comes to storage, there are two M.2 slots on the motherboard and eight SATA ports.
The motherboard I / O is somewhat limited. There are 6 audio connectors, a CMOS reset button, 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one PS / 2 port, and two LAN ports.
The motherboard uses the Creative Sound Core3D Quad-Core audio processor, which seems to be better than Realtek audio chipsets when it comes to processing. Also, there are a total of seven 4-pin fan headers on the motherboard, where two of which can be used for water pumps.
Conclusion
EVGA X299 Dark is one of the best motherboards for overclocking and it broke 12 world records even before its release. The motherboard is aimed at extreme overclockers who want to test the limits of processors with various benchmarks, however, this motherboard’s relatively lower price makes it a great product for those who want to use it for everyday use.
Specs
- Model EVGA X299 Dark
- Platform Intel
- Chipset X299
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 6
- Low price on performance
- Great audio chipset
- Not the best looks
6. ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula – Gaming Pc Motherboard
Now, we are discussing AMD platform motherboards and one of the most premium motherboards for mainstream AMD processors right now is the ASUS ROG Crosshair Formula VIII.
This series is AMD’s counterpart to the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS series and is quite similar in terms of price, performance, and looks. This motherboard is based on the latest X570 chipset and provides several newer features like PCI-E 4.0 and high-frequency RAM support.
By looking at the design of the motherboard, you can notice the aura of the ROG symbolism on it. This motherboard feels sleeker than the MAXIMUS XII EXTREME and the reason for that is probably due to a more boxy look.
There is a 1.3-inch OLED display on the I / O deck and this display offers similar functionality to that found on the RAMPAGE VI EXTREME motherboard.
There is RGB lighting on the I / O cover and the M.2 heat sinks that cover the PCI-E slot area. Also, there is an RGB ROG logo on the chipset heatsink. The chipset heatsink has many small vents, under which a fan is present to actively cool it.
The design of the VRM heatsinks looks very unique and the reason for this is that the heatsinks are hybrid and can also be used in combination with liquid cooling.
The motherboard VRM is more than capable of handling even AMD’s flagship processors, thanks to the powerful 16-phase power design. The cooling of the VRM is up to the user and if the user wants to use liquid cooling, there will be no competition against him when it comes to other VRM cooling solutions based on air cooling.
There are four PCI-E slots in total, where three of them are PCI-E 4.0 X16 and one of them is PCI-E 4.0 X1. Two of the X16 slots are reinforced with metal, while the other two use basic support.
There are four DIMM slots on the motherboard, leading to a maximum memory of 128GB by using 32GB USB sticks, while the maximum nominal memory frequency for this motherboard is 4800MHz.
Higher frequency memory results in a huge performance boost in the case of AMD Ryzen processors, but the difference seems to be very subtle after 4000 MHz.
The motherboard I / O consists of 5 3.5mm audio connectors, 1 S / PDIF port, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports Type-A port, 2 LAN ports, 2 WIFI antenna outputs, a Clear CMOS button, and a BIOS Flash button.
The motherboard uses the ROG SupremeFX S1220 8-channel high-definition audio codec for audio and can be found on many of ASUS ‘high-end motherboards.
This motherboard does not provide a 10G LAN like previous motherboards, but it does provide a 5G LAN chipset, which should be sufficient for most people as well.
As for storage, there are eight SATA ports on the motherboard and two M.2 slots, which are present under the heat sink next to the chipset heat sink.
There are ten 4-pin headers on the motherboard, where one of them is occupied by the chipset fan.
Conclusion
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula is a motherboard that gives you the best experience in terms of overclocking and high-end features like LiveDash OLED display and with an optional liquid cooling solution for motherboard VRM, this motherboard will not stay. behind the rest when it comes to peak performance.
Specs
- Model ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
- Platform AMD
- Chipset X570
- Form Factor ATX
- PCI-E Slots 4
- Optional option for VRM liquid cooling
- LiveDash OLED screen looks novel
- Only two M.2 slots
7. ASRock X570 Taichi – Best Micro ATX Motherboard
ASRock used to be a subsidiary of ASUS before, just like ROG these days, but then it became a separate company. The company designs high-value products, where the main focus is performance, although its latest products do not lag behind others in terms of appearance.
ASRock X570 Taichi is one of those products, with a completely different design from the previously designed ASRock X470 Taichi.
The Taichi series motherboards are the company’s flagship motherboards and attracted many customers due to their high performance but at lower prices than the competition.
The motherboard design has changed a lot from the previous generation and now, instead of a gray color theme, the company has decided to use a black color theme.
Also, there is now a lot of RGB lighting on the motherboard along with the chipset heatsink and I / O cover. The chipset I / O cover and heatsink are silver in color, providing a great contrast to the black PCB.
Taichi series motherboards are famous for their amazing quality VRM and X570 Taichi also presents a similar solution by using a 14 phase power design.
So you can overclock even the sixteen-core Ryzen processor without any difficulties. The VRM heatsinks are quite large and black, although we think the silver color could have looked a bit better.
As for the I / O, there are 6 audio ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one HDMI port, two WIFI antenna outputs, a LAN port, a Clear CMOS button, a BIOS Flash button, and a PS / 2 port.
The motherboard uses Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec with Purity Sound 4 system. There is no 10G and 5G LAN on this motherboard and it comes with 1G LAN, so if you want a faster LAN, you should look for another motherboard.
There are four DIMM slots and five PCI-E slots on the motherboard. Three of the PCI-E slots are PCI-E 4.0 X16 and the rest of the two are PCI-E 4.0 X1 slots.
Fortunately, there are eight SATA ports and three M.2 ports, so you won’t run out of space as long as you have the money for new drives.
Conclusion
ASRock X570 Taichi is a high-end X570-based motherboard that tends to provide high performance without costing the same as ROG CROSSHAIR series motherboards.
If you are someone who does not want to spend a lot but is not ready to compromise on performance yet, this motherboard will be perfect for you.
Specs
- Model ASRock X570 Taichi
- Platform AMD
- Chipset X570
- Form Factor ATX
- PCI-E Slots 5
- Great value for the price
- Many storage slots
- Slower LAN compared to others
8. GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme – Top Motherboard
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme is the company’s flagship motherboard for the X570 chipset and outperforms all other AORUS X570 motherboards in terms of quality and features.
The price of the motherboard is similar to that of the ROG CROSSHAIR VIII FORMULA and is priced more than three times higher than that of the basic AORUS X570-based motherboards.
The look of this motherboard is very impressive. The whole motherboard is equipped with black covers that not only look good but also protect the motherboard.
There is the AORUS logo on the I / O cover and “AORUS” written on the chipset heatsink. Unlike lower-end GIGABYTE motherboards, this one doesn’t provide tons of RGB lighting and this enhances the elegance of the motherboard.
The motherboard uses a 16-phase VRM, which is one of the best of its kind and the VRM’s cooling solution is quite interesting too. There is heat pipe routing from the VRM heatsink to the chipset heatsink, which means that all the heatsinks on the motherboard are connected, thus improving cooling efficiency.
The motherboard I / O provides 5 gold-plated 3.5mm audio connectors, 1 S / PDIF optical out port, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports, 2 x WIFI antenna outputs, 2 x LAN ports, one of which is a 10G LAN, a Clear CMOS button, and a BIOS Flash button.
The motherboard uses the top-notch Realtek ALC1220-VB audio codec and ESS SABER 9218 DAC with WIMA audio capacitors, resulting in up to 130dB of SNR, which is unmatched on this motherboard list.
All four DIMM slots and three PCI-E X16 slots are metal-reinforced, while there are three M.2 slots and six SATA ports for storage. As for the fan connectors, there are a total of eight fan headers on the motherboard.
Conclusion
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme is quite a unique X570-based motherboard and offers the best look without losing a single drop of performance. The motherboard price is surely high, but you won’t get a motherboard with such great features for a lower price.
Specs
- Model GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme
- Platform AMD
- Chipset X570
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 3
- Super clear audio solution
- Offers a very decent look
- Too expensive for an X570 based motherboard
9. ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha – Best Mobo For The Money
Now, we’re looking at the most powerful single-processor motherboards of our time and ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha happens to be one of those motherboards.
The motherboard is based on the latest TRX40 chipset that houses the AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors and provides the sTRX4 socket.
The appearance of the motherboard is very similar to the ASUS ROG Crosshair Formula VIII, with the difference that this motherboard is larger due to four additional DIMM slots and the use of a larger socket.
The RGB lighting is present on the I / O shroud and chipset heatsink just like the CROSSHAIR VIII FORMULA and there is also a fan that actively cools the chipset heatsink.
The motherboard uses a 16-phase power design with 90A power stages, which is more than capable of handling even the 64-core Ryzen processor. The VRM heatsink is huge, to efficiently cool the VRM and a heat pipe is also routed towards the I / O deck.
The motherboard I / O consists of 6 audio ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports, 6 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 x antenna outputs, 2 LAN ports (one of them is a 10G LAN), a BIOS Flash button and a Clear CMOS button.
The motherboard uses ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio Codec S1220 for audio and Aquantia AQC-107 10G is used for LAN.
There are four PCI-E 4.0 X16 slots and eight DIMM slots, leading to a maximum of 256GB of memory. With three M.2 slots on the motherboard and two on the DIMM.2 card, it can support a total of five M.2 devices, which is impressive.
The motherboard has a total of seven 4-pin fan headers, however, it also comes with the Fan Extension Card II, which additionally supports six fans.
Conclusion
ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha is one of a kind and while it is priced much higher than most other motherboards on the market, it deserves everything because of tons of components, and with this motherboard, one can easily push the envelope. Threadripper. processors to their limit, however, if you want a gaming-only system, buying this motherboard will definitely not be a good move.
Specs
- Model ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha
- Platform AMD
- Chipset TRX40
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 4
- Monstrous looks
- Many M.2 slots
- Not the best approach for a gaming-only system
10. MSI Creator TRX40 – Best ATX Motherboard
MSI Creator TRX40 is a similar motherboard to ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha and is based on the TRX40 chipset.
MSI Creator motherboards are generally aimed at content creators and come with a lot of accessories, however, if you want to create a system that you can use for both games and content creation, this motherboard is in for a big surprise.
The crystalline shape on the motherboard I / O cover gives it a fascinating look and there is also RGB lighting underneath. The heatsinks are black and so is the motherboard PCB, presenting a simple look.
The overall design feels great, but the RGB lighting on the chipset heatsink would have added to the allure of the motherboard even more.
The motherboard provides eight DIMM slots and four PCI-E 4.0 X16 slots, which is the same configuration as the Zenith II Extreme Alpha. As for the I / O, there are 6 audio ports, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port, 2 x antenna outputs, a Clear CMOS button, a BIOS Flash button and two LAN ports. The motherboard uses Realtek ALC1220 Codec for audio, which is not bad at all.
There are three M.2 slots on the motherboard and six SATA ports, although you can use the included M.2 Xpander card, which provides four additional M.2 slots.
Conclusion
MSI Creator TRX40 offers an alternative approach to the ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha and this motherboard is also a bit cheaper than the Zenith II motherboard and if you want to use tons of storage devices this motherboard is ideal for you as supports up to seven M.2 devices.
However, this motherboard is not, again, a gaming-only motherboard and if you are not interested in creating content, perhaps you should look at the X570 motherboards.
Specs
- Model MSI Creator TRX40
- Platform AMD
- Chipset TRX40
- Form Factor E-ATX
- PCI-E Slots 4
- Can accommodate up to seven M.2 devices
- A big fan on the chipset heatsink
- Could have used RGB lighting on the chipset heatsink
Things to Consider Before Buying
So these are the key factors to consider when deciding which motherboard to buy.
1. CPU
The first and most important step is to decide which CPU you will use, or rather, whether it will be in the AMD or Intel team since most of their CPUs now use a standardized socket: AM4 for the former and LGA1151 for the latter.
Of course, there are still CPUs that use a different socket, like AMD’s Threadripper (TR4) or some of Intel’s i9 or Xeon CPUs (LGA2066) but all budget, mid-range, and high-end CPUs that you use in a Gaming PC is now designed with the two plugs mentioned above in mind.
Also, none of these sockets are likely to be replaced anytime soon, and the next generations of Ryzen and Core CPUs will surely be compatible with them.
2. Chipset
Now, we come to the chipset, which determines whether you will have access to some features like AMD CrossFire and Nvidia SLI for multi-GPU setups or AMD StoreMI and Intel Optane when it comes to storage.
Also, it affects how many ports/connectors/slots the motherboard can have and whether it will support overclocking.
You can see the characteristics of the AMD chipsets here and those of the Intel chipsets here. It goes without saying that motherboards that come with the most advanced chipsets will come with higher price tags.
Furthermore, it must also be said that AMD is doing a better job than Intel when it comes to compatibility as its AM4 socket was designed with the future in mind.
This means that any AM4 CPU will be compatible with any AM4 motherboard, regardless of the chipset. Meanwhile, Intel has recently revised the LGA1151 socket, rearranging some of the pins and thus making the new version of the socket incompatible with pre-coffee Lake CPUs.
3. Ports, Slots, and Connectors
As you can see, we’ve highlighted the most important connectors you should pay attention to, but what exactly are they used for?
- PCIe – used for GPUs and various expansion cards, eg. Eg sound cards, capture cards, etc.
- SATA III – Used for HDD and NAND SSD storage.
- M.2 – Used for NAND and NVMe SSD storage.
- HDMI / DisplayPort / DVI-D / VGA – Used for integrated graphics.
- USB 2.0 – Used by peripherals with low bandwidth requirements, such as Bluetooth keyboards, mice, or dongles.
- USB 3.1 Gen 1 – Hi-Speed USB port used by most peripherals.
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 – The newest and fastest iteration of the USB interface, it is much faster than Gen 1 ports, but not many peripherals are taking full advantage of it yet.
- PS / 2 – Analog connector used by older keyboards and mice.
- Analog Audio Jack – Used by most wired headphones, microphones, and speakers. Optical Audio – Used by more advanced audio solutions such as surround systems or sound bars.
4. Form factor
And finally, as we have already established, motherboards come in different formats, the most common being Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and ATX. Of course, there are other formats, but when it comes to gaming PCs and mainstream desktops in general, these three are dominant.
Now, in addition to the size, the format of the motherboard also affects its characteristics, mainly the number of slots, ports, and connectors available. Naturally, you can’t fit four PCIe x16 slots and eight RAM slots on a tiny Mini ITX motherboard!
That said, smaller motherboards are a good option if you’re looking to build a more compact gaming PC, but if that’s not the case, a Micro ATX or ATX motherboard would be a better alternative because they would be more cost-effective and offer more connectors. . Also, larger cases generally have a better airflow, which is something you’ll need to consider when building a gaming PC.
- The mini ITX form factor is good for building compact PCs, but these motherboards have fewer connectors, ports, and slots, plus they tend to be relatively expensive.
- Micro ATX tends to be fairly affordable and offers a good balance between size, price and feature set, which makes them ideal for PC games cheap.
- Motherboards ATX have virtually all the features you need in a PC for high-end gaming, but can also be quite expensive, especially when it comes to more advanced chipsets.
5. Memory Speed
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a motherboard for gaming is memory speed. Memory speed is measured in MHz and refers to the speed at which the memory chips on the motherboard can communicate with each other. The higher the memory speed, the better the performance of the system will be.
When it comes to gaming, you want to choose a motherboard that has a high memory speed. This will ensure that your system can keep up with the demanding requirements of games. If you’re not sure what memory speed to look for, aim for a minimum of 2133MHz.
FAQ’s
Which motherboard is better to play games?
A gamer’s first choice should be the Asus Rog Strix Z-390 E Gaming as it offers great connectivity with good overclocking limits. It also supports 2 GPUs at the same time, which is useful for heavy-duty tasks.
What is a good cheap gaming motherboard?
MSI Z490-A Pro is the best motherboard for budget gamers. It is available in white, black, and silver and is capable of 128GB of RAM overclocked to 4800MHZ with dual M.2 slots. All its impressive features and a very economical price really make it a good option.
Which brand makes the best motherboards?
There are many well-known names in the computer manufacturing industry. But Asus is the first since making the best motherboards.
How to Check Motherboard and CPU Compatibility?
When building a computer, it is important to ensure that the motherboard and CPU are compatible. There are a few ways to check compatibility:
- Check the manufacturer’s website. Most manufacturers will have a list of compatible motherboards and CPUs on their websites.
- Use an online compatibility checker. There are a few different websites that offer this service, such as PCPartPicker.com and Motherboard CPU Compatibility Checker.
- Contact customer support. If you are unsure about compatibility, you can always contact the manufacturer’s customer support for assistance.
Conclusion
First of all, the most famous chipset for gaming at the moment is the latest Z490 chipset which is from the Intel platform and supports the latest 10th-generation Intel processors.
Along with this chipset, we have also listed motherboards for the Intel HEDT platform and the latest chipset for the Intel HEDT platform is the X299 chipset which supports even 10th-generation Intel HEDT processors.
When it comes to the AMD platform, the most powerful chipset for mainstream AMD processors at the moment is the X570 chipset which was released alongside 3rd generation AMD processors.
It was quite an entertaining task to wrap up the best gaming motherboards of the day and we’ve done our best to uncover the hidden potential of the powerful motherboards that are waiting for you to pick up and use in your spectacular gaming battle stations.
So we’ve listed quite a few motherboards here, but what are the specific features to watch out for?
