Best gaming motherboard in 2024

As we present in our Ryzen 7 9800X3D evaluate, this premium motherboard is the proper associate for the present finest gaming CPU. For a begin, it seems to be stunning, with a swirling RGB dragon on the I/O panel protect, and also you even get lighting on one of many M.2 SSD heatsinks.

It’s packed to the gills with options too, together with two USB-C 4.0 ports, a pair of USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and an enormous depend of 9 USB-A ports. MSI has actually gone to city with the toolless entry as properly. 

We notably preferred the push-button management to unlock your graphics card from its PCIe slot, which saves fiddling round with the conventional latch. Likewise, you too can match an SSD and heatsink with out having to succeed in for a screwdriver.

We additionally used this board to overclock the 9800X3D, and preferred the simple choices within the EFI for enabling AMD overclocking. You possibly can simply get your CPU boosting to five.4GHz in video games with this board, simply by altering a number of settings.

Due to its use of AMD’s newest X870E chipset, there are additionally no worries about PCe 5.0 SSDs stealing lanes out of your graphics card, and also you even get a pair of PCIe 5.0 SSD M.2 ports, full with heatsinks. This board isn’t low cost, but it surely’s a terrific basis for a high-end AMD PC.

Learn our full MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi evaluate.

In order for you the perfect motherboard to screw right into a frosty white PC case, then look no additional, as Gigabyte’s consideration to element on this board’s white end is great. It’s not simply the PCB that’s white, but additionally the rear I/O panel, sockets, and heatsinks. Even the POST code show is white. To make use of the phrases of Spinal Faucet, it’s none extra white.

The Gigabyte Aorus Elite X870 WiFi7 Ice isn’t only a fairly PCB both. Primarily based on AMD’s newest X870 chipset, it gives an excellent house to one among AMD’s newest Zen 5 CPUs, such because the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and it additionally gives a surprisingly packed characteristic set for its value. This contains ten USB-A ports, plus a pair of USB-C 4.0 ports, on the rear.

You even get three PCIe 5.0 M.2 ports for putting in top-of-the-line gaming SSD choices, though a few of them will take lanes out of your graphics card, so verify the guide prior to installing your SSD. Toolless options are good as properly, requiring no want for a screwdriver to put in an M.2 SSD, whereas Gigabyte’s EZ-Latch Plus button lets you launch your graphics card with out having to scrape your fingers twiddling with the same old locking latch in your PCIe slot.

To high all of it off, this enticing motherboard isn’t even that costly. You will get the identical uncooked CPU efficiency from a less expensive board primarily based on the B650 chipset, in fact, however this motherboard’s value of $289 gives first rate worth for its characteristic set and attractiveness.

Learn our full Gigabyte Aorus Elite X870 WiFi7 Ice evaluate.

Whereas the brand new Intel Arrow Lake lineup didn’t set the world alight with regards to gaming efficiency, there are many different causes to think about constructing a PC primarily based on one among Intel’s new Core Extremely 200 CPUs. In case your precedence is getting the quickest multi-threaded efficiency attainable, maybe for video encoding or 3D rendering work, then Intel’s newest CPUs are excellent, they usually don’t draw a lot energy both.

In the event you’re planning to construct an IntelArrow Lake system, you will want a motherboard that makes use of the brand new Intel LGA1851 socket, because the LGA1700 motherboards for Intel’s final three CPU generations received’t work with the brand new chips. Our best choice right here is the Asus TUF Gaming Z890-Plus WiFi, which we used for testing in our Core Extremely 265K evaluate.

Regardless of its wallet-friendly value, this motherboard has a strong vary of options, together with straightforward tool-free entry to the M.2 slots, whereas the chunky PCIe 5.0 SSD heatsink has an easy-release button to so make it straightforward to put in your quick SSD. Equally, the hinged latch launch system on the far proper of the board makes it very easy to free your graphics card from its PCIe slot.

In the meantime, there are many enlargement slots, and a number of other USB ports on the rear panel, together with six USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports, one among which helps Thunderbolt 4. There’s not a lot in the way in which of RGB lighting, with just a bit little bit of underglow within the high proper nook, however we additionally fairly like this board’s sensible, black look. What’s extra, this motherboard doesn’t demand a foolish value, costing just below $300.

Nonetheless, we suggest updating this motherboard’s BIOS to the newest model, to keep away from compatibility points with Home windows. Learn our information on find out how to flash your BIOS to see how that is finished.

Asus completely nailed it with this very good Intel LGA1700 motherboard, which we’ve been utilizing for all our Intel 14th-gen CPU opinions, and which our {hardware} editor additionally makes use of because the motherboard in his personal PC (pictured above to indicate off the lights at the hours of darkness). This premium motherboard isn’t simply filled with options, but it surely additionally seems to be incredible.

The massive eye-catching characteristic, in fact, is that brilliant, glowing ROG panel on high of the I/O protect, however there are many different thrilling devices with this board that make it a terrific house for a Core i9 14900K. For a begin, the 16x PCIe 5.0 slot means it could actually fortunately run a next-gen GPU, presumably together with the Nvidia RTX 5000 collection, at full pace.

In the meantime, the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot ensures you’ll be able to add a high-speed SSD, whereas an additional 4 (sure, 4) PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots imply you’ll have loads of room for all of the drives you can need. You additionally get help for the newest Wi-Fi 7 customary, and the audio high quality from the ESS9218 DAC is great.

Different useful options embody the tool-free M.2 ports, which imply you don’t need to fiddle with a tiny screw to put in your drives. The identical additionally goes for the Q-Launch system for the highest graphics slot, the place you push a button to launch your graphics card from its slot, saving the effort of getting to fiddle round beneath an enormous GPU cooler.

There are a great deal of USB ports as properly, together with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, and the front-panel USB-C connector can provide as much as 60W for rapidly charging your units. Primarily, although, it simply seems to be incredible. You will get the identical CPU efficiency from a less expensive motherboard, in fact, and the ROG Maximus Z790 Darkish Hero could be very removed from low cost, however this motherboard is a good foundation for a high-end Intel 14th-gen gaming rig.

Constructing the perfect mini gaming PC doesn’t need to imply compromising on efficiency, and that is completely demonstrated by this top-tier mini-ITX motherboard from MSI. Primarily based on Intel’s Z790 chipset, it makes a terrific house for an Intel 14th-gen CPU, and it even has a 16x PCIe 5.0 slot prepared for the subsequent technology of graphics playing cards, such because the Nvidia RTX 5000 collection.

Amazingly, it even has room so that you can set up three M.2 SSDs, together with a pair of PCIe 4.0 fashions, and there’s a hefty SSD heatsink on the entrance of the board as properly. One of many options that actually impressed us about this board was its EFI system, which is properly laid out and simple to navigate, with some glorious fan management settings.

We even managed to overclock the Core i5 13600K on this motherboard to five.7GHz on all cores, because of its strong VRM cooling. This board isn’t low cost, particularly for an choice with no RGB lighting, and it might do with extra USB ports, but it surely’s in any other case a terrific choice if you wish to construct a high-end mini gaming PC.

Learn our full MSI MPG Z790I Edge WiFi evaluate.

This LGA1700 mATX motherboard from MSI is a strong selection for a funds or mid-range gaming PC construct and is our private decide for the perfect B660 motherboard. It comes with two M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs and a plethora of USB 3.0 ports regardless of its smaller footprint. You possibly can match as much as 128GB of DDR4 RAM throughout 4 DIMM slots at a most frequency of 4,800MHz besides.

You’ll miss out on any overclocking potential of the Okay-series Intel processors however with the mighty Intel Core i5-12400 and its non-Okay ilk nonetheless providing severe gaming efficiency at inventory speeds, which means that’s not too huge a problem. The MSI Professional B660M-A can also be a properly proportioned board too, permitting you to drop it right into a extra svelte chassis than the bigger ATX board customary.

For the value, we’d have appreciated a broader collection of rear I/O ports, however to be trustworthy, the general choice ought to nonetheless be advantageous for most individuals. Simply hold it in thoughts and take into consideration how it might be positioned inside your setup.