Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
for Hardware 2.0
| October 29, 2021
| Topic: Hardware
Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI
High-end motherboard at a decent price
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$250 at Amazon
Asus ROG Maximus XII Extreme
A price tag to make you wince
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$1,075 at Amazon
ASRock B460 Steel Legend
Solid performer
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$120 at Amazon
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi
Pro gaming at a fantastic price
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$260 at Amazon
MSI MAG B550M Mortar
Power without the hefty price tag
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$160 at Amazon
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Gigabyte A520 Aorus Elite
Solid performance for just over $100
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$106 at Amazon
Building a new gaming PC? One of the most important decisions that you’ll have to make is what motherboard to buy to act as the foundation for your PC.
Yes, the motherboard is the foundation of a PC. Sure, what CPU and GPU you buy will greatly determine the performance, but remember that everything connects to the motherboard, and if you fit a great CPU and GPU to a poor motherboard, you’ll end up with a poor PC that offers a poor experience.
A good motherboard makes all the difference.
Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI
High-end motherboard at a decent price
Here you get a motherboard that offers high-end features, but at a decent price. The Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI is built using high-end components, and the cooling features are actually useful rather than being there for show.
A great all-round board.
Tech specs
Socket: Intel LGA 1200Chipset: Intel Z590RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 5333 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$250 at Amazon
Asus ROG Maximus XII Extreme
A price tag to make you wince
Right from the start, you need to know that this is not a cheap motherboard. This is a high-end board for people with high-end demands and who have deep pockets.
That said, this board is a pleasure to use. It’s well thought out, and fantastically stable when you set it up right.
But yes, that price tag is painful.
Tech specs
Socket: Intel LGA 1200Chipset: Intel Z490RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 5333 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$1,075 at Amazon
ASRock B460 Steel Legend
Solid performer
Probably one of my favorite motherboards for Intel CPUs. It’s a solid performer at a decent price that offers everything that the average gamer would want from a motherboard.
Tech specs
Socket: Intel LGA 1200Chipset: Intel B460RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 2933 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$120 at Amazon
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi
Pro gaming at a fantastic price
This is a great board for AMD fans. A solid performer, tons of cool features, well-engineered cooling, and if you’re into LED lighting for your PC, this is the board for you!
Tech specs
Socket: Socket AM4Chipset: AMD X570RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 4600 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$260 at Amazon
MSI MAG B550M Mortar
Power without the hefty price tag
One of my all-time favorite AMD motherboards. This one is packed with features, offers amazing cooling, and comes in at a decent price. You can stick a high-end AMD CPU into this motherboard and be guaranteed of great results.
Tech specs
Socket: Socket AM4Chipset: AMD B550RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 4400 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$160 at Amazon
Gigabyte A520 Aorus Elite
Solid performance for just over $100
This is the perfect motherboard for those wanting to build a decent gaming PC that won’t break the bank. And for just a shade over $100, you’re getting a motherboard that supports advanced features such as overclocking.
Tech specs
Socket: Socket AM4Chipset: AMD A520RAM: DDR4Max RAM speed: 4733 MHzMax RAM slots: 4Max RAM: 128 GB
$106 at Amazon
How were these products chosen?
This is a combination of products that I use from companies that I trust. All these companies have a reputation for building solid products with good support.
I’ve covered both Intel and AMD chips, and a range of prices to suit all pockets.
How do I know if the motherboard is compatible with all my other parts?
This is where I highly recommend that you go to the manufacturers website and check the compatibility list. Most manufacturers produce a list of compatible CPUs and RAM modules, and this can be offer a wealth of information.
Is it worth “upgrading” a motherboard alone?
Unless you’re upgrading a CPU and/or RAM to go with it, I would say no. The only time I would say yes to this is if your existing motherboard is unstable with the parts you have.
Is it worthwhile buying a motherboard that supports “overclocking”?
You can get a lot of of overclocking a system, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Overclocking can be fun, but it can also be frustrating, and can damage components.
It’s one of those “at your own risk” things.
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