• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

BuildPicker

  • Ryzen Zen 2
    • Ryzen 5 3600
    • Ryzen 7 3700X
    • Ryzen 7 3800X
    • Ryzen 9 3900X
  • Guides
  • News
  • About
    • Contact

Motherboards

3 Best B450 motherboards for Ryzen 3300X & 3100

May 21, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

best-motherboards-for-ryzen-3-3300x-3100

The AMD Ryzen series of CPUs is well known for its incredible versatility, able to be combined with just about any other hardware and work without any kind of serious complication whatsoever.

However, now that we have the latest and greatest iterations of the Ryzen 3300X, it only makes sense to start optimizing. While you certainly could plug your brand new Ryzen 3300X into any old motherboard, why not get yourself a motherboard that was designed specifically for your CPU.

While the B450 chipset motherboards are known far and wide as the very best hardware to pair with your new Ryzen CPU, how are you supposed to know which one to get?

Here is a brief list of the best three B450 motherboards, so you can make a reliable decision on what to pair with your new Ryzen 3 3300X or 3100 processor.

You can instead opt for a B550 motherboard if you wanted to take advantage of the new PCIe 4.0 standard (but we wouldn’t expect it for this level of build).


Best Motherboards for Ryzen 3300X & 3100 – Our Recommended

Best Budget B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 3300X / 3100

ASRock B450M Steel Legend

If you don’t want to give too much attention or money to your motherboard, you can always consider a more budget-friendly option for your Ryzen 3300X or 3100 pairing. For those that want to remain budget-conscious, the ASRock B450M Steel Legend is an excellent pick.

While it is quite cheap, this micro-ATX motherboard still packs sufficient capability to work well with your new Ryzen CPU. For starters, it is extremely attractive as far as ascetics go, with a beautiful matte silver coating on everything, including the VRM and M.2 slot. This is a great choice for those with a glass side panel on their PC case, as you will just want to look at it endlessly.’

You get a total of four DDR4 DIMM slots, allowing you to get up to 64 GB, which is more than enough RAM for all your gaming needs. The RAM slot design of this board is also really excellent, as they are affixed with closed locks, making removal really easy even with your GPU still installed.

The audio codec used on this board is the Realtek ALC892, just like with ASRock’s other B450 motherboards, giving the whole board an excellent sound quality for such a cheap price point. 

Utilizing a six phase power design and 60A power chokes, this motherboard comes with plenty of silver lined heat sinks that mean that heat control is not going to be a problem with this motherboard.

One strange quality is that the six SATA 6GB/s ports on this board are stacked in a straight line, which is pretty atypical as far as motherboard design goes. Instead of the standard stacked, slightly rectangular shape, we would expect, they sit in this cute ordered system, making it a bit finicky to try and find space in your case for their access.

Additionally, keep in mind that this B450 motherboard is really only designed for a single GPU, so don’t expect to get two cards on this relatively smaller sized motherboard.

View on Amazon

Best Mini ITX B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 3 3300 / 3100 SFF Builds

MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC

Just because you want to use a powerful CPU like the Ryzen 3300X doesn’t mean necessarily have a massive case. For those with a smaller ITX build, what kind of specialized motherboard should you look at?

Choosing a good ITX B450 motherboard is all about making sure it still has an effective VRM solution considering both its price and its size limitations. This is why the MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is one of the best ITX options for AMD users.

With eight VRM phases and an Infineon IR32201 PWM Controller, this motherboard offers potent VRM solutions, allowing for incredible overclocking potential of your CPU.

While the MSI B450I is still limited in its hardware accessories due to its size, it makes up for it in ensuring that those few accessories get as much as they need. You might only be able to fit in two slots of RAM up to 32 GB; you can support speeds up to 3466 MHz, making it one of the faster and more powerful options available.

Even though it has just one PCIe 3.0 slot and one a single M.2 slot on the back, this ITX motherboard still adamantly feels like a regular sized motherboard when it comes to its technical aspects. It has the standard Realtek ALC 8887 chipset, but also boasts MSI’s Audio Boost 4 for HD audio processing.

Additionally, this motherboard is extremely decently priced, considering its VRM potency and what you get for such little money. For those with a smaller case, whether through budgetary needs or just because it fits on your desk better, this is the motherboard you want.

View on Amazon

Best Overall B450 Motherboard for 3300X / 3100

MSI-B450-Gaming-Pro-Carbon-AC-Motherboard

There is a huge variety of different B450 motherboards available out there, all of them competing for the title of the best overall. However, it is difficult to imagine any of them are better than MSI’s B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC.

With a six phase PWM controller running on Richtek RT 8894A and two virtual phase doublers, this motherboard an actual VRM count of 10 phases.

This motherboard’s main strength is its capability for overclocking, as well as its insane number of heat sinks. An extended PWM heat sink on the IO, and more around the CPU, as well as extras dotted throughout. While it would be helpful to make sure that your PC case is well aired, this motherboard is incredibly effective at handling excess heat.

With two PCI slots and four RAM slots up to 64 GB of a maximum of 3466 MHz, this motherboard lets you get the most out of your hardware.

It even manages to boast a sufficient number of USB slots, something a lot of B450 motherboards fail to do, even coming with a single Type C USB 3.1 alongside its regular Type A, and some normal USB 3.0s, alongside the standard two USB 2.0s.

With all the same great MSI technologies, like the Audio Boost 4 in its audio chipset, this motherboard is the best candidate not only for supreme overclocking but also general use and effectiveness. While it is a little bit pricier than many of the other options, it is still the best overall choice for those looking for a B450 motherboard.

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards, Ryzen 3 3100, Ryzen 3 3300X

B550 Motherboard List – 20+ Model Comparison & Release Date

May 18, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

AMD has finally announced their update to the B450 chipset motherboards with the all new the B550 chipset – which finally brings PCIe 4.0 support to the entry-level range of AMD motherboards. It’s not just the higher-end X570 motherboards that support the blazing fast PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, anymore.

After months of hints and leaks about this upcoming chipset, AMD has confirmed that B550 motherboards will be launching June 16th, 2020.

Alongside this launch also comes two new entry-level, Ryzen 3-series processors aimed at taking on the new 10th-gen Intel Core i3 processors – the Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100. Both of these will be supported by the new B550 chipset.

Which AMD processors are compatible with B550 motherboards?

b550 motherboard compatibility

It’s important to note that the new B550 chipset won’t be compatible with all previous generation AMD processors, such as the 1st generation and 2nd generation Ryzen processors – though the Ryzen 3000 / Zen 2 processors and newer will be compatible.

Also note, older processors won’t support PCIe 4.0, therefore, won’t be able to reap the benefits of choosing a B550 motherboard over a B450 or X470 chipset motherboard, per se.


B550 Motherboard List

ManufacturerModelForm FactorPrice
ASRockB550AM GamingmATXTBA
AsusTUF Gaming B550M-PlusmATX$89
AsusPrime B550M-AmATX$115
AsusROS Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi)ATX$129
GigabyteB550 AORUS MasterATXTBA
GigabyteB550 AORUS EliteATXTBA
GigabyteB550 AORUS Pro ACATXTBA
GigabyteB550 AORUS Pro AXATXTBA
GigabyteB550 AORUS ProATXTBA
GigabyteB550M AORUS PromATXTBA
GigabyteB550 Gaming XATXTBA
GigabyteB550M GamingmATXTBA
GigabyteB550M DS3HmATXTBA
GigabyteB550M HmATXTBA
GigabyteB550M S2HmATXTBA
MSIB550 Gaming Edge WiFiATXTBA
MSIB550I Gaming Edge WiFiITXTBA
MSIMAG B550M Mortar WiFimATXTBA
MSIB550M Pro-VDH WiFimATXTBA
MSIMPG B550 Gaming Carbon WiFiATXTBA

When is the B550 motherboard release date?

The B550 chipset motherboards will launch June 16th, 2020, according to AMD.

View all B550 Motherboards on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards

3 Best Motherboards for Intel Core i5-9600K
 Builds

May 1, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

Best motherboards for intel core i5-9600K builds

With speeds reaching 3.7 to 4.6 GHz, and a cache of 9MB, the six-core, six-thread, Intel i5-9600K is Intel’s mid-range CPU primarily designed for gaming; though it can be used for light editing and rendering applications. Despite its specifications seriously lacking those of equivalently priced Ryzen CPUs, its benchmarks show that it can rival some of its more expensive counterparts, like the Ryzen 7 3700X, in terms of benchmarked effective FPS due to the lack of CPU bottlenecking with Nvidia GPUs. Therefore, if you’re looking for an inexpensive build primarily for gaming – especially for popular online multiplayer games – then this mid-range CPU will suit your needs perfectly.

But in order to reach these high refresh rates, the CPU has to synergize with the other PC components, and what more important than the motherboard that will house the unit. A motherboard can either limit your CPU’s power and overclocking abilities or give it the thermal efficiency to reach its maximum speeds for prolonged periods of time. Since this hardware component is so crucial, it is best to keep up to date and not sacrifice on its utility by appropriating the right amount of your budget towards it. Of course, on the other hand, you may not want a motherboard that has specifications that are overkill for your CPU, which will, therefore, go unused and end up being a waste of money. This will ultimately depend on your intended use of the machine, because if you plan, for example, to later upgrade to an Intel i9-9900K then it is best to invest in a mid-level motherboard that can handle both these CPUs to a fair extent. Taken all the above into account, we recommend going for the Z390 chipset, which can work great for all mid-to-high-end Intel 9th generation CPUs, and still has decent options (mainly from Gigabyte) for under $200.

In this article, we have picked the best Z390 options for gaming, overall-value, and SFF cases, all options which will cost under $200. In addition, we have chosen a motherboard that will best suit those looking to upgrade their CPU in the near future, so these options will also futureproof your build and save you from needing to purchase a motherboard when (and if) you decide to upgrade your Intel i5- 9600K.


Best Motherboards for i5-9600K – My Recommendations

Best Overall Value Motherboard for i5-9600K

Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro WiFI

The best overall value Z390 motherboard for under $200, the Gigabyte AORUS Pro WIFI has more than enough power for the Intel i5-9600K, and can even properly holster the i9-9900K sufficiently.

This motherboards VRM design uses Vishay SiC634 50A MOSFETs with a 12 + 1 phase, digitally PWM controlled, VRM solution using Dr MOS and 8 + 4 solid-pin CPU power connectors. For an Intel i5-9600K, this may even be considered overkill, but either way, it is easily efficient enough to host and overclock the CPU. To help keep these VRMs cool, the AORUS Pro uses a 1.5mm thick thermal pad, situated under a heatpipe which will also help transfer heat between the two heatsinks. Overall a great thermal solution for the amount of power supplied. In addition, this CPU uses two-times the copper PCBs and an enlarged CPU power plane, which allows for better heat dissipation as the heat from the components can sink heat into a larger surface area.

In terms of RAM, this motherboard allows for more than enough memory for gaming, or even for mid-range workstation, as it allows for 128 GB at 4133 MHz – though anything over 3200 MHz is where diminishing returns begin to become prominent, as lower CAS numbers are more important after this 3200 MHz range. It also allows for two M.2 PCIe Gen3 SSDs, one of which is 22110, the other a 2280 type slot. It also has six SATA 6 Gb/s HDD/SSDs.

In terms of audio, the motherboard uses an ALC1220-VB 120 dB HD audio codec, similar to though on high-end motherboards that are priced several times above the AORUS Pro WIFI. It has a smart headphone amp which automatically detects the impedance of your headphone, eliminating issues like low-volumes and distortions for high impedance headphones.

Finally, it does also feature RGB Fusion 2.0, with RGB lighting on the front panel and on the RAM slots, with the software allowing for full customization of the lighting, the fan speeds, the system metrics – even the optimization of internet speeds.

You can currently find the Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Pro WIFI for only $189 – easily making it the best deal to be made for a motherboard suitable to holster the Intel i5-9600K and beyond.

View on Amazon

Best Gaming Motherboard for i5-9600K

Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Elite

Very similar, both in price and in features, with the Z390 AORUS Pro WIFI, the Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Elite has the exact same VRM solution, heatsinks, and audio chipset. The differences between the two are quite slim, but worth being mentioned.

The AORUS Elite has slightly higher RAM support, as it can support RAM of up to 4266 MHz, versus 4133 MHz of the AORUS Pro (which admittedly is quite meaningless), while the AORUS Pro WIFI has an extra thermal guard on its 2280 M.2 slot, which is missing from the AORUS Elite. Also, the AORUS Elite lacks SLI support, as the AORUS PRO has an extra PCIe x16 lane, though again rarely will SLI be useful, especially with an i5-9600K CPU.

In terms of ports and other miscellaneous features, the Elite switches a USB 3.1 Type-C for a USB 3.1 Type-A in comparison to the Pro WIFI, as well as lacking two thermal sensors. Additionally, the Elite is also missing three system fan headers, though it does have a total of four, which should be more than enough cooling for a system featuring the i5-9600K.

Taking into consideration that the Elite has the same RGB lighting, same Gigabyte exclusive software, and more importantly the same impressive VRM solution, it is a great choice to make for a gaming build. Currently, it sits at a $179 price, so only a $10 difference with the AORUS Pro WIFI, but depending on availability this is a great choice to pair with the Intel i5-9600K.

View on Amazon

Best ITX Motherboard for SFF Cases

ASRoock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX

If you’re looking to situate your Intel i5-9600K into a small form factor case (great choice) then this is the motherboard to go for.

The ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX has a DIGI power design with 7 power phases, 60-amp power chokes and a Dr. MOS design with Smart Power Stage technology. According to TweakTown’s benchmarks, this VRM was able to overclock an Intel i9-9900K CPU to 5.2 GHz at 1.33V, which is quite impressive for a motherboard of this size and price.

What is also impressive for its size, is its volume of ports. It can holster two M.2 SSDs, providing a full coverage heatsink for one of the two, as well as four SATA3 6 Gbps slots. It also has four USB 3.1 Gen 2, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 sockets, and an Intel Thunderbolt 3 Type-C socket. In terms of DDR4 RAM, it can hold 32 GBs with speeds of up to 4500 MHz, separated into two RAM slots. 

Similar to the aforementioned Gigabyte motherboards, the Phantom Gaming ITX also has a Realtek ALC 1220 Audio Codec with 7.1 channel HD Audio, which is a great overall audio chipset to feature.

In general, it is hard to find faults with this motherboard, especially for its price and its ITX compatibility. You can currently purchase the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/AC for only $190, so if you’re looking to build an SFF PC with your Intel i5-9600K, while maintaining the ability to later upgrade the CPU to as high as a i9-9900K, then this is the motherboard to buy.

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, i5-9600K, Motherboards

4 Best Motherboards for Ryzen 3700X & 3800X Builds

April 15, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

best motherboards for ryzen 7 3700x 3800x

Whether you’re a gaming enthusiast or building a PC purely for work, the Ryzen 3000 series processors will get the job done, and even futureproof your build. These 8-core, 16-thread, processors can handle current-generation (and soon-to-arrive next generation) games with ease, all while having enough octa-core speeds to handle multi-layer rendering applications, and so much more.

Making the choice to build your PC around the Ryzen 3000 series is an easy one to make, but choosing the proper motherboard to house the processor may prove to be a bit trickier. Currently there are three series of motherboards that can handle the Ryzen 7 3700X, and Ryzen 7 3800x, just fine: the B450, X470, and X570 chipset motherboards.

Depending on your budget, and of course the intended use of the device, each of these motherboard chipsets will have viable options. For gaming, all three options can work just fine, so it will ultimately depend on your budget, and whether or not you want to futureproof your PC for the next generation of games. Workstations would be better suited for the X570, as it has compatibility with PCIe 4.0, giving you the ability to use the blazingly-fast 4.0 M.2 SSDs. In terms of ITX cases, both the B450 and X570 motherboards have viable options, again, the budget being the deciding factor.

Other than the price, there are several other aspects that one would have to take into account when shopping for a motherboard; the slightest of details making all the difference. Are you looking to overclock your CPU consistently? Then VRMs are most important. Are you looking to use your computer mainly for gaming? Then 16 GB of RAM will suffice, whereas a workstation would need upwards of 32 GB of RAM support. Also, for workstations, the more the ROM (M.2 and SATA) slots, the better.

Related: Best RAM & Memory Timings for Ryzen 3000 Processors

To help you choose the best motherboard for your Ryzen 7 3700X or 3800X build in 2020, we’ve listed the best money-for-value options for each chipset, including the best motherboard optimized for ITX, SFF builds.


Best Motherboards for Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X Builds – My Recommendations

Best Budget B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X

ASRock B450 Fatal1ty Gaming K4

If you’re looking for a B450 motherboard, then you most likely want a motherboard on a budget; one that can handle desktop use and current generation games, including competitive online multiplayers. If that’s the case, and you’re looking to build with the Ryzen 7 3700X / 3800X, then the ASRock B450 Fatal1ty Gaming K4 is the B450 motherboard for you.

At under $100, this motherboard has great value. Firstly, despite the price, it is a full-sized ATX board with a respectable VRM solution. It has a virtual 9-phase (6 true) VRM, using SM4337 and SM4336 55A/65A MOSFETs. The heatsink on these VRMs isn’t the greatest, so don’t expect to overclock your processors too much and too often – not that you’ll need to, though, for most tasks.

In terms of RAM, it can hold up to 64 GBs of DDR4 RAM, with up to 3200 MHz OC speeds; more than enough for its intended use. In terms of storage, it has two M.2 PCIe slots: one with up to 2280 support, the other with up to 22110 support. Unfortunately, neither of the two M.2 slots have covers, and using the M.2 slots will disable certain parts of the motherboard. One slot will disable the PCIe x4, while the other will disable two SATA slots. Fortunately, it does come with six SATA 6 GB/s SSD ports (four of which are in 90-degree angles) so you’ll have more than enough slots for storage. It also does have USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Gen2 Type-A and Type-C ports, so worry not about limited connectivity.

In terms of audio, it comes equipped with a Realtek ALC892 chipset, for 7.1 Channel HD audio; an overall great audio solution for the price.

In fact, its best feature is its price, as this motherboard will only cost you $85; an amazing price for a motherboard that can run Ryzen 3000 series CPUs straight out of the box. A great deal if you’re looking for a motherboard on a budget for the 3700X and 3800X.

View on Amazon

Best Value X470 Motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X

crosshair-VII-hero-x470-mobo

The ASUS Crosshair Hero VII is perfect for any overall mid-end Ryzen 7 3700X/3800X setups, be it gaming, workstation or otherwise. It has a 12-phase VRM via an IR35201 PWM controller, using 7 IR3555, 60-amp PowlRstage MOSFETs, and an IR3599 doubler for the 5 CPU VCCs. Overall, this motherboard is great for overclocking either the Ryzen 7 3700X or the Ryzen 7 3800X, as it supplies sufficient voltage and has a respectable heatsink to keep the VRMs from overheating.

It can hold up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory in four slots, with speeds of up to 3600 MHz – sufficient enough for the vast majority of setups, as speeds over 3200 MHz will have diminishing returns, and 64 GB of RAM is more than enough for even most workstation builds – let alone gaming. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero also has three PCIe slots, two of which are 3.0, and one of which is 2.0. Note that the PCIe x8 will downgrade to x4 if the second M.2 socket is used. Speaking of which, this motherboard can carry up to two M.2 drives (though only one has a heatsink cover) and six SATA SSDs, all being situated in 90-degree angles.

For audio, it comes equipped with the SupremeFX S1220 Codec, with 133dB signal-to-noise ratio on the line-in connection., and includes an ESS Sabre Hi-Fi ES9023P converter and a TI RC4580 op amp for high gain with low distortion. It also includes the Sonic Studio III software interface for audio customization.

In terms of software, the Hero VII includes Gamefirst IV, software built for optimizing network traffic in order to enhance gaming internet bandwidth, RAMCache II, which automatically caches your storage devices in order to minimize in-game load times, and of course, Aura Sync, for customizable RGB lighting displays with all ASUS-branded PC gear.

You can currently find the Crosshair VII Hero for $199, which is a great deal for its overall value, be it more than capable of tapping into the Ryzen 7’s 3700X and 3800X power, for high speed gaming setups, and more.

View on Amazon

Best Overall X570 Motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X

ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi

ASUS took it a step further, and once again released a motherboard worthy of its title of “best overall-value” for its chipset. The ASUS Crosshair Hero VIII, has a 14+2 International Rectifier 3555 PowlRstages, each handling 60 amps of current, accompanied by high-permeability alloy chokes designed to handle up to 45 amps. These VRMs are situated onto a heatsink, which itself connects to an IO via an embedded heatpipe, for overall better heat dispersion. It is clearly designed for giving you all the freedom you need to overclock your CPU as you see fit.

Upping the ante from the AMD Hero VII, this motherboard holds up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM, and can run speeds of up 4600 MHz. Of course, this upgrade means little for gamers, as 16-32 GBs of RAM, and speeds of 3000-3200 MHz, will more than suffice. Like its predecessor, it comes with two M.2 NVMe slots, though this motherboard supports PCIe 4.0. Also, both M.2s are equipped with aluminum heatsinks this time around. Furthermore, it has eight SATA 6 GB/s SSDs – up two from the Hero VII.

Though having upgraded in terms of VRMs, memory, and storage, the two motherboards have the exact same audio configuration.  Same goes for the RGB displays on the faceplate, which are very similar, and, of course, both come equipped with the same software options.

Though the upgrades from the Hero VII to the Hero VIII are quite significant, they do come at a price: an increase of $179.99 to be exact; the Crosshair Hero VIII being priced at $379.99. If you’re looking to build a high-end gaming setup, then it is well worth the investment, otherwise the Hero VII should work just fine. If you’re looking to build a workstation and want a X570 for the PCIe 4.0 support, check our article here where we analyze the MSI Meg X570 Unify.

View on Amazon

Best Budget ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X

MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC

If you’re going for an ITX build, two are our suggestions: one is the above mentioned MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC, the other being Gigabyte’s X570I AORUS Pro WIFI. The latter has similar VRMs, but much better cooling, connectivity, and audio – though it does come at a $55 price increase. If you’re looking for taking full advantage of your CPU, the Gigabyte option would be the way to go. You can read a detailed breakdown of this motherboard in our Ryzen 9 3950X article here.

For its price, the MSI B450I Gaming Plus is the best mITX option for situating a Ryzen 7 3700X or 3800X processor. It uses an Infineon IR35201 PWM controller with a configuration of eight (6 + 2), all-true-phase, Infineon IR3555 60-amp MOSFETs. While this is a powerful VRM solution, the heatsink and general thermal design is not that great, so you will need to have good airflow to prevent overheating, especially if you are looking to overclock the CPU regularly. Same goes for the M.2 slot, which does not have a heatsink/cover.  

The MSI B450I Gaming Plus comes with one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, and one M.2 NVMe SSD. It can also hold four SATA III SSDs, though note that none of these SSD slots are at 90-degree angles. In regards to RAM it holds up to 64 GB, separated into two slots, of speeds of up to 3466 MHz.

For audio it uses a Realtek ALC887 Codec for 7.1 channel HD audio, with separate PCB layers for left and right audio channels. The audio operates via a dedicated soundcard, being isolated from surrounding circuitry to avoid signal interference.

In regards to software, it comes with MSI’s X-Boost (storage device speed tuning), Command Center (system management), and Live Update which automatically downloads and installs the latest drivers and BIOS updates.

Despite its minor drawbacks, the MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is the best mITX in the B450 and X470 range, and you can currently find for $165; a great deal if you’re looking for an ITX motherboard on a budget. 

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards, Ryzen 7 3700X, Ryzen 7 3800X

3 Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3950X Builds

April 15, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

best motherboards for ryzen 9 3950x (1)

AMD’s high-end Zen 2 processor, the Ryzen 9 3950X, is the most powerful desktop processor currently available in the market. With its 16 cores and 32 threads, this processor is optimized for workstations, but can handle gaming and desktop tasks with ease. Especially for streaming, and content production, this processor is second to none. But a processor is only as good as the motherboard it lays in, for this is the component which gives the CPU the necessary supply power it will need in order to function to its full capacity.

Therefore, to make the most out of the $700+ Ryzen 9 3950X, an X570 motherboard is certainly a must, as anything less would be selling the processor short. Depending on your intended use, there are different key elements to look for when purchasing a motherboard. Firstly, you will want to purchase a motherboard with a VRM solution that covers your overclocking needs, especially if you intend to overclock your CPU often and for extended periods of time.

Next, you’ll want to make sure that the motherboard has enough memory slots for both RAM and ROM, as capacity for RAM, M.2, and SATA SSDs are increasingly important; depending, of course, on your occupation. A great element inherent in X570 motherboards is that they are PCIe 4.0 compatible, meaning you can make use of the newer, blazingly-fast, M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSDs, such as the Sabrent Rocket 4.0. In terms of RAM, if you’re looking to use your computer for production, then you will want upwards of 32 GB of RAM, while if you’re looking to game, stream, and perhaps do some light editing on the side, 16 to 32 GB of RAM will suffice.

Finally, you will want to make sure that the motherboard fits your case, as there are different options out there for EATX, ATX, mATX, and ITX sized motherboards. 

To help you choose your future X570 motherboard, we will present you with the best options depending on intended functionality. Our first choice will be the motherboard best optimized for a gaming setup, next, a motherboard best for workstations, and finally the best motherboard for a small form factor build (mITX); all of which will meet criteria chosen to best maximize the processing power of the strongest AMD CPU: the Ryzen 9 3950X.


Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3950X – My Recommendations

Best Gaming Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3950X

ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi

If you’re looking to make a beast of a gaming machine using the Ryzen 9 3950X, then the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero is the best motherboard for you. It has a 14+2 International Rectifier 3555 PowlRstages, each handling 60 amps of current, accompanied by high-permeability alloy chokes designed to handle up to 45 amps. These VRMs are situated onto a heatsink which itself connects to an IO via an embedded heatpipe, further increasing the surface area, translating to better heat dispersion. What does all this mean in terms of practicality? It can take high amounts of overclocking, for extended periods of time, giving you the freedom to overclock your CPU as you see fit.

In terms of memory, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero can support up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM in four slots, with supported speeds of up to 4600 MHz. That being said, you wouldn’t need more than 16-32 GBs of RAM – and speeds of 3000-3200 MHz will suffice for gaming – though it’s still good to have the option to upgrade later down the line. In terms of ROM, it comes with two M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots, one up to 22110, the other 2280 – both equipped with aluminum heatsinks. Furthermore, it has eight SATA 6 GB/s SSD slots, so it can hold plenty of storage units.

In regards to audio, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero comes equipped with a SupremeFX S1220 codec, an ESS ES9023P converter, and a TI RC4580 OP AMP, delivery 113dB of signal-to-noise ratio on the line-in connection. This all brings forth a neutral sound signature that is detailed enough for you to hear footsteps from max distance, or listen to the smallest of details for enhanced VR emersion.  

Finally, if you’re going to be spending $700 for a processor of a gaming setup, you’re going to want this gaming setup to look stunning. For this intended purpose, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero comes equipped with Aura Sync, and two customizable RGB displays on the faceplate, as well as support for two addressable lighting strips. In terms of software, the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero also comes with Gamefirst, software built for optimizing network traffic in order to enhance gaming internet bandwidth, Sonic Studio III, for finding an ideal audio equalizer or preset, RAMCache, which automatically caches your storage devices in order to minimize in-game load times, and finally the Armory Crate, made as a control center for all products ASUS.

All this will, of course, does come at a price: $359 to be exact, which isn’t cheap, but for a high-end gaming setup, and with all the connectivity and features it provides, it is well worth the investment for the perfect gaming motherboard to holster AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X.

View on Amazon

Best Workstation Motherboard for Ryzen 3950X

MSI Meg X570 Unify

If you’re looking to build a workstation, then what you really want is functionality. RGB lighting and any related nonessential fluff must be replaced with enhanced performance, in order to fully take advantage of the 16 cores and 32 threads the Ryzen 9 3950X provides – which may currently be overkill for gaming, but is extremely useful for editing videos, images, and other production related workloads. For this intended purpose, the MSI Meg X570 Unify is the perfect match (especially for its price).

The MSI Meg Unify features a 12+2+1 VRM design, with an Infineon IR35201 Digital PWM Controller (6x IR3599, 12x IR3555), and 60-amp power stages on a Dr. MOS design with 12 titanium chokes; ultimately designed for high-power delivery and sustained overclocking. It has a large, all-metal, aluminum extended heatsink cover, which enlarges the surface area and allows for better heat dispersion. In terms of cooling, it also has MSI’s M.2 shield FROZR, for the three M.2 slots it contains, and a FROZR heatsink thermal solution with a built-in fan and AI tuning technology for auto-adjusted fan speeds, all in accordance with the chipset’s temperature fluctuations. It also has a server-grade PCB and a pre-installed I/O cover shield.

In terms of memory, it can hold up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM with up to 5000 (overclocked) MHz speeds. It has three M.2 slots, 2 of which are 2280s, and the other being 22110, and four SATA 6 Gb/s slots.

It uses a 7.1 channel Realtek ALC1220 audio, and an ESS audio DAC, with separated audio layers for left and right channels. What’s really great about this motherboard, in terms of audio, is the dedicated headphone amplifier which auto-detects impedance. This means you can use headphones with up to 600 Ohms of impedance without having to purchase an amplifier.

In terms of other connectivity, is has three PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, two 3.2 Gen 1 (can support up to four) and one 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C USB ports, as well as two USB 2.0 connectors, though it can support up to four.

Considering its $299 price tag, the MSI Meg X570 Unify is an amazingly powerful motherboard with a myriad of features, software options, and convenient work-oriented designs, making it the perfect choice to house the Ryzen 9 3950X at an affordable price. 

View on Amazon

Best ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3950X

Gigabyte X570I AORUS Pro WIFI

If you, too, have jumped on the SFF bandwagon, we can’t blame you. It’s great to have such a powerful PC with only a fraction of the footprint, providing you with additional options in regards to displaying your build. The fact that a CPU as powerful as the Ryzen 9 3950X can fit in such a small case, and not lack the ability to overclock to the standards of larger desktop-builds, is a marvel to behold.

For the X570 chipset, two are the mITX motherboards that are in contention: the Gigabyte X570I AORUS Pro WIFI, and the ASUS ROG Strix X570I. Both motherboards have similar VRM performance, similar memory slots, and similar audio output. The ASUS X570I does have a couple of extra USB slots, and an added fan header, though it is questionable whether these are worth the $30-$40 increase in price – hence our choice of Gigabyte’s X570I AORUS Pro WIFI.

This motherboard uses a Direct, all-true, 8-Phase IR35201 PWM controller, with IR3553 40A PowlRstage and Infineon TDA21472, 70-amp, MOSFETs, with no added use of doublers or parallels. This translates to better precision in delivering power to the CPU, in-turn creating better overclocking power and sustainability conditions. Despite its small size, it uses a multilayered extended heatsink, with a LAIRD 1.5mm thick, and 5W/mK thermal conductivity pads – using Fins-Array and direct touch heatpipes to dissipate the heat. It also has an active thermal guard for the M.2 slots; heatsink and fan included in the multilayer deisgn.

In terms of RAM, it can hold up to 64 GBs, separated into two RAM slots, which is standard for its size. It has two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and can hold up to four SATA 6 Gb/s SSDs (all at 90-degree angles).

It uses a Realtek ALC1220-VB codec for 7.1-channel audio, with DSD audio support in the back-panel line out-jack. Similar to the MSI Meg Unify, it can also detect the impedance of your headset to prevent low volumes or distortions in higher impedance headsets.

If you enjoy RGB pizzazz, it does have RGB Fusion 2.0 Software, which you can also use via an app you can install on your phone. It also has Smart Fan 5 software, which limits the use of your fans when the computer is not under heavy loads, a Gigabyte App Center, a portal from where you can choose different utilities such as VTuner, Smart Backup, or SIV, and System Information Viewer, a central location which gives you access to your system’s status. It also has in-Windows apps for fine-tuning your setup, such as EasyTune, allowing you to tweak memory clocks and one-click overclocking, and @BIOS, a tool for updating your BIOS through your operating system.

You can currently find this mITX motherboard for only $219.99, and considering its plethora of features, software, and VRM capabilities, it is certainly a great price to pay for a motherboard that is small in size, but big in performance.

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards, Ryzen 9 3950X

4 Best Motherboards for i9-9900K Builds in 2020

April 9, 2020 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

best motherboards for i9-9900k

The upper-mid range Intel i9-9900K is currently Intel’s best 8-core, 16-thread option for desktop computers. In fact, it is the best option currently available for gaming, as it avoids throttling, and bottlenecking, issues which are inherent in AMD processors. With all the processing power available in the i9-9900K, there comes equivalently high demands for any connecting hardware components, so that they synergize properly with the processor. To make the most use of its inherent capabilities, one has to make sure that the CPU isn’t inhibited by the peculiarities of the board from which it will lay in its pouch.

A good motherboard will allow a user to use overclock their CPU to the maximum of its effective ability without any unwanted interference, all while keeping temperatures as low as possible. For the Intel i9-9900K, one would best need a Z390 motherboard, and though there are many options available, the right choice ultimately depends on the intended use of the PC, as well as its size. A workstation will have more demands from both the processor’s speeds, as well the motherboards available slots. 16 GB of RAM is great for a computer meant for gaming, whereas 32 GB of RAM would be the bare minimum for editing and rendering high-resolution videos. Also, depending on the size of your case (whether you’re going for a traditional ATX build, of a small-form-factor PC) you are going to want the best motherboard for its size.

In this article, we will provide you with the best Z390 motherboards depending on your intended use. Whether you’re on a budget, want to make a dedicated gaming build, or whether you’re looking to make a workstation, you will find the best options for your needs. We will and also provide you with the best micro-ATX motherboard option for the Intel i9-9900K as well.


Best Motherboards for i9-9900K Builds – My Recommendations

Best Gaming Motherboard for i9-9900K – Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Master

Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Master

This motherboard has everything a gamer could ask for. With a 12-phase, 40A VRM solution, the processor is guaranteed to receive a sufficient amount of power it will need for overclocking. The motherboard achieves this feat using an all IR-digital CPU power design, including a digital PWM and PowlRstage MOSFET. In terms of thermal design, it has a Fins-Array heat sink with a direct-touch heat pipe and thermal conductivity pad. In practical terms, what does all this mean? It means lower MOSFET temperatures, which itself translates to more freedom to overclock your CPU consistently.

With regards to memory, this motherboard supports up to 128GB 4266 MHz DDR4, XMP compatible, RAM. Of course, on a gaming computer you shouldn’t need more that 16 GBs of 3200 MHz RAM, but the fact that it allows you the freedom to reach this capacity is a great addition, further futureproofing your build. Accordingly, for ROM, it allows for three M.2 hard drives, with Gigabyte’s integrated thermal guard for added heat dispersion. More specifically it allows for 2 PCIe Gen3 x4 type 22110 M.2s, and one PCIe Gen3 x4 type 2280 M.2. It also has six slots for 6 GB/s SATA drives.

In terms of audio, it features a Realtek ALC1220 120dB(A) SNR HD audio chipset which automatically detects the impedance of your head-worn audio device, preventing issues relating to low-volumes or distortion – effectively relieving you of the need to buy an amplifier for your 250 Ohm headset, while at the time automatically adjusting impedance to your Bluetooth earplugs.

Lest we forget, it also has a, customizable, RGB lighting panel on the front face of the motherboard, which you can adjust to fit your build through the RGB Fusion 2.0 application included within. This motherboard has applications for everything: from increasing your internet speeds, to adjusting fans-speeds and system metrics, to even software which removes the background from your camera feed, so you can effectively feature a green screen on your stream, without actually having a green screen.

View on Amazon

Best Budget Motherboard for i9-9900K – Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Pro WiFi

 Gigabyte-Z390-Aorus-Pro

Speaking of a great deal, have you seen the Gigabyte’s AORUS Pro WIFI? For under $200, this motherboard has many similar features to the AORUS Master, and will cost you close to $100 cheaper.

The differences are minor, but the devil is in the details. Whether or not this is the better option for you depends on what you’re looking for, in terms of use, from your build. The VRMs on this motherboard are SiC634, versus the International Rectifier MOSFETs (IR3553) of the AORUS Master – IR MOSFETs being the superior VRMs. The effect that this will have on your CPU is little-to-none if you don’t plan on extreme overclocking your CPU regularly.

While the two motherboards can hold the same amount of RAM (128GB), the AORUS Master can support up to 4266 MHz, while the Pro WIFI supports up to 4133 MHz – though more than 3200 MHz on RAM is where diminishing returns start to kick in. In terms of ROM, this motherboard is down one slot: the 22110 socket – though it holds the same amount (six) of SATA 6 Gb/s HDs.

Other than that, and of course its slightly more basic appearance, the Pro WIFI has little to envy from its 50%-more-expensive AORUS Master sibling. Whether or not this motherboard will fit your needs depends entirely on your overclocking demands from your i9-9900K. If you don’t plan on using it to its limits, but rather just want to plug and play, then this is the motherboard for you.

View on Amazon

Best Micro ATX Motherboard for i9-9900K – Asus ROG Maximus XI Gene

ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene (1)

If you’re looking for a small form factor build, but don’t want to compromise in terms of the overclocking capabilities of your CPU, then the ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene is the perfect choice. Of all the Z390 motherboards build for mATX (or even ITX) this is by far the superior. It features a 10 phase IR3555 VRM solution, so it is top-tier in regards to the amount of overclocking that it allows – even in comparison to full ATX builds.

What may be a turn-off for many is the fact that it has only two RAM slots, though with the use of Double-Capacity DIMM support it can reach up to 64GB of RAM. Of course, that would mean having to find respectable single-rank 32GB cards, definitely not an easy task. Depending on your intended use, two 8 GB cards should work just fine. What it lacks in RAM slots, it makes up in ROM slots, holding up to an impressive four PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSDS, 2 of which can fit type 22110 models, and the other two 2280s. It can also hold up to four SATA 6 Gb/s SSDs.

For audio it uses SupremeFX audio technology, with a 1220A codec. It features a Sonic Radar III for audio detail at low volumes, and Sonic Studio III for EQ options and one-click presets.

For its $399 price, it may seem a bit expensive for an mATX motherboard, but it is by far the best option for an SFF build using the i9-9900K, and it comes with a ton of useful software and features, so it is worth the extra cost.

View on Amazon

Best Overall (Price/Performance) Motherboard for i9-9900K – EVGA Z390 Dark

EVGA Z390 Dark

This motherboard is a beast in its overclocking capabilities, as well as a saint in its quality of build. It has a 17-phase digital VRM, sitting on a large, passive, heatsink which allows for chassis airflow to go right across the CPU and memory, and straight through the rear-panel heatsink. With such a large heatsink, you can have low temperatures even when overclocking the CPU beyond 5 GHz. To ensure better power delivery to the CPU, EVGA also provided the CPU socket with a higher volume (150% over competitors) of gold – which means less contact resistance and better conductivity. The overall build features a 10-layer E-ATX PCBA with a gold-plated, shielded, edge.

The only area where this motherboard disappoints, is the amount of RAM it can hold – only 32 GBs divided into two slots; but 32 GB is more than enough RAM for most intended purposes, including workstations. It has two M.2 Key-M 110mm slots, and a M.2 Key-E 32mm slot, as well as six SATA 6 Gb/s Intel PCH SSD slots, and two ASMedia ASM1061 slots, for a total of eight SATA 6 GB/s SSD slots. It also has seven USB 3.1 ports, 5 of which are Gen2, and even includes a U.2 NVMe port.

In terms of audio, it uses a Creative 5.1 Channel Audio with EVGA’s NU Audio, which is made available through the front-panel header.

Though it may not have much in terms of extra fluff, like RGB lighting for example, what it does have is a ton of great, useful, features that are many times overlooked prior to purchasing a motherboard. For starters, it has the best designed BIOS of any brand, even featuring in-BIOS stress testing. In fact, it has 3 different BIOS ROM profiles that you can choose from, so you can boot depending on your needs. It also has a SW slow-mode switch, which changes the CPU ratio back to the minimum, when stability or heat issues arrise in long, high load sessions. This can be life-saving.

If the limited RAM is not an issue for you, then this motherboard is the best that money can buy – especially for its current $399 price, as it can perform at the level of other motherboards that are double its price.

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, i9-9900K, Motherboards

Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3900X Builds in 2019

August 5, 2019 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3900X

If you’re looking to build a high-end, enthusiast-grade PC right now, the best processor right now to build with is the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X – a 12-core, 24-thread monster of a CPU set to take on Intel’s Core i9-9900KS.

Already proven to be hugely popular, along with the rest of AMD’s new Zen 2 lineup of processors, these CPUs have taken a significant market share away from Intel, and right now show themselves to be the better performance for the price option when compared to Intel. The Ryzen 3000 processors, especially the Ryzen 9 3900X, are sold out practically everywhere and at least for the summer will be difficult to get hold of.

Should you manage to get your hands on the Ryzen 9 3900X, we want to show you how to get the most out of this Zen 2 enthusiast build, and get the absolute best performance from this 7nm processor by pairing it with the best components (example RAM Timings important for Zen 2 builds), with this article focusing on the best motherboards to pair with the Ryzen 9 3900X in 2019.

We will draw from various motherboard options depending on the type of Ryzen 9 3900X build you will be making, such as a budget, mini-ITX, micro-ATX or enthusiast-grade 3900X build.

We will begin this article by choosing the right chipset for the Ryzen 9 3900X, whether to opt for an X570 chipset motherboard or a previous generation X470, B450 or X370 motherboard that also supports the new Zen 2 processors (with a BIOS update using the flashback feature on select motherboards).

X570 vs X470/B450 for Ryzen 9 3900X builds?

On the assumption that PC builders speccing up a build with the Ryzen 9 3900X are looking for a high-performance, next-generation and future proof build – which means we will recommend the new X570 chipset to pair with the Ryzen 9 3900X, rather than a previous generation X470 or B450 motherboard. The reason for this is that the X570 chipset motherboards support Ryzen Zen 2 out of the box, without the need for a BIOS flashback which many builders are experiencing issues with, but the main reason is the support of the new PCIe 4.0 standard, which gives support to the new blazingly fast PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs from the likes of Corsair, Sabrent and Patriot. The new PCIe 4.0 SDDs offer speeds of up to 5Gb/s sequential write, far outperforming any PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD such as the Samsung 970 Evo.

If we were building an enthusiast-level Ryzen 9 3900X focused on maximum performance and utilising the latest technologies in PC gaming, we will want to have a motherboard that supports the PCIe 4.0 standard, and that will be an X570 motherboard for the Ryzen 9 3900X.

With that said, I will now recommend the best motherboards for the Ryzen 9 3900X in 2019 – and if you are set on building with an X470 or B450 motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X builds, I will also give my recommendations on those further down.

As usual, any questions you may have or want advice on your specific build, let me know in the comment section below!

Related: Best motherboards to pair with the Ryzen 5 3600


Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3900X – Top Picks

Best Motherboards for Ryzen 9 3900XDesignRecommendation
Best Budget X570 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X (<$200)Gigabyte-X570-Gaming-XGigabyte X570 Gaming X
Best Overall Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900XASUS-ROG-Crosshair-VIII-Hero-WifiASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi
Best Flagship Motherboard for Overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900XGigabyte-X570-AORUS-Xtreme-MotherboardGigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME
Best Micro ATX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900XMSI-B450M-Mortar-MotherboardMSI B450M Mortar
Best Mini ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900XX570-I-AORUS-PRO-WIFIGigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi
Best B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900XMSI-B450-Gaming-Pro-Carbon-AC-MotherboardMSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon
Best X470 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900XMSI-X470-Gaming-Pro-Carbon-ACMSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon AC

Best Budget X570 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X (<$200)

Gigabyte X570 Gaming X

The best X570 motherboard currently under the $200 price point we would recommend is the Gigabyte X570 Gaming X.

Featuring a 10+2 phase VRM, this entry-level X570 motherboard is also one of the cheapest X570 motherboards we would deem suitable for the Ryzen 9 3900X, with a decent VRM design and feature set including dual M.2, RGB, BIOS Flashback, ALC887 audio, Realtek LAN and HDMI 2.0 connectivity. One downside, however, is that there is a lack of USB Type C ports, and features an active cooling fan that many other X570 motherboards feature.

If you want to build with the X570 chipset and 3900X on a budget, and want to utilise X570 features such as PCIe 4.0, we recommend the Gigabyte X570 Gaming X as a good motherboard for budget Ryzen 9 3900X builds.

View on Amazon

Best Overall Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi

Right now, if you want your money to go the furthest in terms of performance with the X570 chipset, then the best price/performance motherboard for the Ryzen 9 3900X is the ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi.

Although for most of the X570 motherboards being largely overkill where you can’t really go wrong, the Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi stands out with fantastic looking VRM components and 14-phase design utilising IR3555 60A chokes. With a sleek understated aesthetic, a large feature set including 8 SATA, WiFi 6 connectivity, 2.5 GbE WiFi and dual M.2 – this is a seriously impressive X570 motherboard perfect for performance Ryzen 9 3900X builds.

View on Amazon

Best Flagship Motherboard for Overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X

GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme

If money is no object, and you want to push the Ryzen 9 3900X to its absolute limits with the X570 chipset, then the only flagship motherboard we would recommend for this purpose is the GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme, a $700 motherboard that has the best VRM and the best cooling performance out of all the X570 motherboards, and with a huge array of features to go along with it – as it should for the $700 price tag!

This is an absolute beast of a motherboard for the 3900X, with a direct 16-phase VRM for excellent power delivery and thankfully does not feature the active chipset fan that many of the X570 motherboards have, rather it is passively cooled. There is a mammoth heatsink for the three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and plenty of connectivity on the rear panel including 5 USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, and USB 3.1 Type C, optical out, clear CMOS and Bios Flashback buttons to name a few.

With 10G NIC and dual networking on board, as well as WiFi 6 support, the Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME is hard to fault and makes this motherboard a great option for a high-end 3900X build for 2019. If you can afford this motherboard in your upcoming 3900X build, then you won’t be disappointed.

View on Amazon

Best Micro ATX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

MSI B450M Mortar

Right now the only X570 micro-ATX motherboard on sale is the ASRock X570M Pro4 – priced at $186 if you are wanting to utilise the PCIe 4.0 standard then this will be your only option for the micro-ATX form factor. Should you not want to be utilising PCIe 4.0 in your Ryzen 9 3900X micro-ATX system, then we actually recommending going for a B450-chipset motherboard, in particular, the MSI B450M Mortar.

The B450M Mortar is a fantastic, feature-packed micro-ATX motherboard for the B450 chipset that will support the Ryzen 9 3900X, and features a best-in-class VRM quality that will be sufficient for even overclocking the 3900X. This is the best micro-ATX AM4 motherboard on the market and gets our recommendation for the building with the Ryzen 9 3900X.

View on Amazon

Best Mini ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

Gigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi

With only a handful of mini-ITX X570 motherboards available for the Ryzen 9 3900X, there certainly isn’t much choice to pick from, but with that said the Gigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi is looking like the most promising ITX option for building with the 3900X in 2019. Reviewed by ‘Buildzoid’ to have impressive PCB and VRM components, this ITX X570 motherboard has an 8-Phase (6+2) VRM with WiFi 6 support, RGB, USB Gen 2 Type C header, ALC1220 and dual M.2 slots supporting the latest PCIe 4.0 standard. Unfortunately, there is no optical out port and features a passively cooled chipset fan, something we are not a fan of on some of the new X570 motherboards.

Priced at $219, the X570 I Aorus Pro Wifi has a very decent feature set for its mini-ITX form factor, and with a decent looking VRM and PCB, we can see this being right now the best mini ITX motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 9 3900X.

View on Amazon

Best B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon

MSI is the king of B450 motherboards, with the best-in-class VRM design out of all of the manufacturers, and their best offering for overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X for the money, or any Zen 2 processor, is the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon. Thankfully this B450 motherboard has BIOS flashback, meaning it can support the latest Zen 2 processors including the 3900X.

View on Amazon

Best X470 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon AC

The best price for the performance X470 motherboard suitable for overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X is the MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon AC. This motherboard is a popular choice amongst X470 builds due to its fantastic 12-phase VRM, large feature set and attractive price – and has been regarded as the best B450 motherboard in terms of its overclocking capabilities.

The Gaming Pro Carbon AC has a good set of features onboard, including WiFi, RGB, chunky heatsinks for the M.2 slots, dual 8-pin connector for the CPU, an impressive 8 SATA3 ports, ALC1220 audio, I211AT LAN and loads of USB connectivity including a USB 3.1 Type C port.

Another great X470 option which features 10G LAN connectivity, but is a fair bit pricier than the Gaming Pro Carbon, is the ASRock X470 Taichi Ultimate, and also gets our recommendation for suitability with 3900X builds.

View on Amazon

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards, Ryzen 9 3900X

Best Motherboards to Pair with the Ryzen 5 3600

July 8, 2019 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

Best Motherboards for Ryzen 5 3600

Released on July 7th, the Ryzen 5 3600 is AMD’s new mid-range CPU offering aimed to take the crown from the Intel Core i5-9600K – offering impressive performance, speed and efficiency for just $199. This 6 core, 12 thread processor is ideal for those looking to build a budget Zen 2 gaming PC that is focused on getting as much performance for its price.

Build a Ryzen 5 3600 system, we recommend its important to do your research and pick the right components to pair with the Ryzen 5 3600, such as the motherboard, graphics card and CPU cooler. Doing so will mean you’re getting the most performance out of your Ryzen 5 3600, helping improve cooling perfromance, connectivity and features, as well as ensuring the GPU and CPU are well matched to ensure there is no bottlenecking between the components.

In this guide, I will focus on the best motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3600, given that the Ryzen 5 3600 is focused on a low price but maximum performance, I will pick appropriate motherboards compatible with the Ryzen 5 3600 that also offer tonnes of performance whilst at a low, affordable price.

I am picking B450 motherboards that have BIOS flashback allowing you to update the BIOS to support Zen 2, and the main manufacturers that support this feature are MSI and Gigabytes AORUS Crosshair motherboards. In general, MSI has nailed their VRM design for the B450 motherboards and generally are regarded to be the motherboard manufacturer to pick should you want to overclock your B450 motherboard and get the best possible performance out of your Ryzen 5 3600.

What chipsets are compatible with the Ryzen 5 3600?

AMD announced a new chipset designed for the new Ryzen 3000 processors, called the X570 chipset. This features the new PCIe 4.0 standard which offers a huge increase in performance for NVMe SSDs, with up to 5GB/s bandwidth. Previous generation AMD chipsets, such as the X470, B450 and B350 chipsets are all compatible with Zen 2, and just require a BIOS update out of the box.

X570 vs B450 for Ryzen 5 3600 Build?

If you aren’t planning on utilising the PCIe 4.0 on X570 chipsets, which is likely if you’re doing a budget Ryzen 5 3600 build, then we recommend building with a B450 chipset motherboard. The B450 motherboards are compatible with the Ryzen Zen 2 processors, either out of the box or just requiring a BIOS update – so make sure whichever one you pick has the update or has a BIOS flashback function for updating the BIOS. X470, X370 and B350 motherboards are too compatible, but the B450 lineup, in general, offers great VRM performance and features at a low price point, often around $100.

Related: Best X570 Motherboards for Ryzen 3000

In this guide, I will mainly focus and select the best B450 motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3600, since these are the best suited for the mid-range gaming builds – with a fantastic price/performance ratio and generally well regarded VRMs for overclocking the Ryzen 5 3600.

Best Motherboards for Ryzen 5 3600 Builds

AwardDesignModel
Best B450 motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450-Gaming-Pro-Carbon-AC-MotherboardMSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Best budget motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450-TomahawkMSI B450 Tomahawk
Best micro ATX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450M-Mortar-MotherboardMSI B450M Mortar
Best mini ITX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450I-Gaming-Plus-AC-2MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC

Best B450 motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600

MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC

This section is focused on the absolute best B450 motherboard that is ideal for heavy overclocking the Ryzen 5 3600 – due to having great VRM components and allowing for stable and efficient power delivery. Right now in 2019, the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC is by far the best B450 motherboard on the market, with a best-in-class VRM quality that will be able to push the Ryzen 5 3600 to very high overclocks – as well as having BIOS flashback built in allowing for you to update the BIOS to support the Ryzen 5 3600. This motherboard has a 9+2 phase design and VRM heatsink that is unrivalled in the B450 range of motherboards.

With a large feature-set including WiFi built in, 6 fan headers, 6 SATA3 and dual M.2 slots – the Gaming Pro Carbon AC has pretty much anything you could want in a mid-range Ryzen 5 3600 build.

The only negative about this B450 motherboard, priced at $160, is that it lacks voltage offset which will make overclocking a little less easy – but the VRM and large feature set makes up for this, and thus gets our award for the best motherboard for the Ryzen 5 3600.

View on Amazon

Best budget motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600

MSI B450 Tomahawk

If you want the absolute best bang-for-your-buck motherboard for the Ryzen 5 3600, then the MSI B450 Tomahawk is the B450 motherboard to go for. Retailing at just under $100, the B450 Tomahawk offers the best performance at an entry-level price point – built on a very impressive 4+2 phase design and great VRM, meaning that overclocking on a budget is a possibility with the Ryzen 5 3600 and B450 Tomahawk.

Importantly, the B450 Tomahawk features BIOS flashback which is important for compatibility with Zen 2, and features USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports on the rear I/O along with a Type C port – something we are impressed by given the sub $100 price point.

View on Amazon

Best micro ATX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600

MSI B450M Mortar

Interestingly, with the Zen 2 and X570 chipset announcement from AMD, there was only one announced X570 motherboard for the micro ATX form factor. For any micro ATX Ryzen 3600 build, we recommend the MSI B450M Mortar – which is regarded as the smaller B450 Tomahawk. Despite the smaller form factor, the B450M mortar has a best in class VRM and heatsink design, better than any other VRM seen on any other mATX B450 motherboard. The B450M mortar also features BIOS flashback, USB Type C and dual M.2. slots, albeit the second slot only running at PCIe 2.0 x4 speeds, not 3.0 x4.

If you want to build a micro-ATX Ryzen 5 3600 system, then you can’t go wrong with the B450M Mortar – this micro-ATX B450 motherboard would even be capable for a 12 core Ryzen 9 3900X!

View on Amazon

Best mini ITX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600

MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC

The MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is a highly capable ITX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600 builds having a best-in-class VRM over any other ITX B450 motherboard, meaning its more than capable of overclocking the Ryzen 5 3600 even in a small form factor enclosure.

With inbuilt WiFi, 4 SATA, DisplayPort, ALC887 audio and fast M.2 slots all packed into this ITX form factor, this mini ITX motherboard will provide plenty of features, performance and connectivity for Ryzen 5 3600 builds in 2019, and at just $120. Absolute bargain.

Update: This ITX motherboard, nor does any ITX B450 motherboard, have USB BIOS Flashback built in, which means you will have to see if retailers will update the BIOS so it is compatible out of the box. There are workarounds, but it won’t be as simple as a BIOS update via USB.

View on Amazon

Summary

AwardDesignModel
Best B450 motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450-Gaming-Pro-Carbon-AC-MotherboardMSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Best budget motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450-TomahawkMSI B450 Tomahawk
Best micro ATX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450M-Mortar-MotherboardMSI B450M Mortar
Best mini ITX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600MSI-B450I-Gaming-Plus-AC-2MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards, Ryzen 5 3600

Best X570 Motherboards for Ryzen Zen 2

July 1, 2019 by BuildPicker Leave a Comment

Best X570 Motherboard

AMD Zen 2 is set to be released in less than a week, July 7 to be exact, and along with this release of the new generation of AMD processors is the new X570 chipset. This new release of processors is set to raise the stakes against Intel, and sure to turn many Intel PC builders heads to consider moving to AMD in 2019 – offering value and impressive benchmarks relative to Intel’s Coffee Lake generation of processors.

All major manufacturers have announced their lineups of X570 motherboards, spanning from small form factor ITX X570 motherboards, to mammoth extended-ATX motherboards – there are X570 motherboards for every type of build, however not currently including the micro-ATX form factor.

In this guide, we will overview the newly released X570 motherboard lineup, and begin to speculate which X570 motherboards will be best to build with in 2019, and for what type of build – whether it be a X570 ITX build or regular ATX mid-tower X570 build.

We will split this article into sections depending on what type of build, budget or preference.

Right now, since we can’t get our hands on the X570 motherboards until July 7, we will try to devise which are the best X570 motherboards based on specifications such as VRM design, and feature sets of these X570 chipset motherboards from all the major manufacturers. As soon as we get more information in the form of benchmarks and user reviews, we will update this guide to show you the absolute best X570 motherboards for every type of build.


Which chipsets are compatible with Zen 2?

 AMD Ryzen (Gen 1)AMD Ryzen Zen (2nd Gen)AMD Ryzen Zen 2 (3rd Gen)
X570NoYesYes
X470YesYesYes
B450YesYesYes
X370YesYesBIOS update required
B350YesYesBIOS update required
A320YesYesNo

The X570 chipset is the successor to the X470 chipset motherboards, and just like this chipset was designed for AMD Zen 1 (e.g. R7 2700X, R5 2600X), AMD Zen 2 processors such as the Ryzen 7 3700X, Ryzen 5 3600X and Ryzen 9 3900X are designed to be built with X570 motherboards.

If you’re looking to upgrade your AMD system to Zen 2, good news, you won’t have to upgrade your motherboard since X470 and B450 motherboards are compatible with the newest generation of AMD processors out of the box. X370 and B350 motherboards will be compatible with Zen 2 processors such as the Ryzen 7 3700X, but will require a selective beta BIOS update for them to support these new processors.

Note, for whatever reason if you were to build a 1st generation Ryzen system, the X570 chipset is not compatible with Ryzen 1st Gen such as the Ryzen 7 1700X.


X470 vs X570 for Ryzen Zen 2

If you’re looking to upgrade your Ryzen build with a Zen 2 processor from an X470 system – is it worth upgrading the motherboard to the latest X570 chipset or use the existing X470 motherboard?

Right now, it is hard to say exactly which one is best to go for until we see actual benchmarks and user tests – but right now the reasons we see for upgrading (and the main differences between X470 and X570 chipset) include:

  • X570 chipset has support for PCIe 4.0 across all lanes – with a 2x increase in speed compared to PCIe 3.0
  • X570 directly supports USB 3.1 Gen2 from the new Zen 2 processors

Reasons to pick an X470 motherboard over a X570 chipset motherboard:

  • Cheaper, more readily available at July 7 launch of Zen 2
  • Benchmarks and reviews already available for X470 and B450 motherboards, so we know which ones perform well for every type of build
  • Picking a X470 motherboard with decent VRM will be just as good as a X570 motherboard – if you’re not planning to utilise the PCIe 4.0 express lanes.

All Currently Announced X570 Motherboards

In this section we will list all X570 motherboards announced from the major manufacturers, including the likes of ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI.

ManufacturerX570 MotherboardForm FactorVRM Phase Design
ASRockASRock X570 AquaATX6 + 6
ASRock X570 CreatorATX6 + 6
ASRock X570 Extreme4ATX4
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4ATX4
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming XATX6 + 6
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3ITX4 + 4
ASRock X570 Pro4ATX4
ASRock X570 Steel LegendATX4
ASRock X570 TaichiATX6 + 6
ASRock X570 Taichi UltimateATX
ASRock X570M Pro4uATX
ASUSASUS Prime X570-PATX4
ASUS Prime X570-ProATX
ASUS Pro WS X570-AceATX6
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII FormulaATX7
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-FiATX7
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII ImpactDTX4
ASUS ROG Strix X570-E GamingATX6
ASUS ROG Strix X570-F GamingATX6
ASUS ROG Strix X570-I GamingITX4
ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-FiATX4
Biostar X570GT8ATX8 + 4
GigabyteGigabyte X570 Aorus EliteATX6 + 6
Gigabyte X570 Aorus MasterATX12
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-FiATX6 + 6
Gigabyte X570 Aorus UltraATX6 + 6
Gigabyte X570 Aorus XtremeeATX14
Gigabyte X570 Gaming XATX5 + 5
Gigabyte X570I Aorus Pro WiFiITX6
MSIMSI MEG X570 AceATX6 + 6
MSI MEG X570 GodlikeeATX7 + 7
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFiATX4 + 4
MSI MPG X570 Gaming PlusATX4 + 4
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFiATX5 + 5
MSI Prestige X570 CreationeATX7 + 1

X570 Motherboard VRM Table

Now that we have a list of all the X570 motherboards, we can look into the VRM design of each motherboard, including the phase design, Low-side and high-side MOSFET design – as well as the cooling setup (passive/active) to see which X570 motherboards are on-paper set to be decent for overclocking Ryzen Zen 2. Note: we are updating this table as we go when more VRM information becomes available for the X570 chipset motherboards.

X570 MotherboardVRM Phase DesignDoublerPower Stage(s) (High Side, Low Side)
ASRock X570 Aqua6 + 6ISL6617A1x  SiC634 50A Power Stage
ASRock X570 Creator6 + 6ISL6617A1x  SiC634 50A Power Stage
ASRock X570 Extreme44
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 44
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X6 + 6ISL6617A1x  SiC634 50A Power Stage
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB34 + 4ISL6617A
ASRock X570 Pro44
ASRock X570 Steel Legend4
ASRock X570 Taichi6 + 6ISL6617A1x  SiC634 50A Power Stage
ASRock X570 Taichi Ultimate
ASRock X570M Pro4
ASUS Prime X570-P4
ASUS Prime X570-Pro
ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace62x  IR3555 60A Power Stage
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula72x  IR3555 60A Power Stage
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi72x  IR3555 60A Power Stage
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact42x  TDA21472 70A Power Stage
ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming6
ASUS ROG Strix X570-F Gaming6
ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming42x  TDA21472 70A Power Stage
ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi43x  SiC639 50A Power Stage
Biostar Racing X570GT88 + 4
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite6 + 6ISL6617A1x  SiC634 50A Power Stage
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master121x  IR3556 50A Power Stage
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi6 + 6IR35991x  IR3553 40A Power Stage
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra6 + 6IR35991x  IR3553 40A Power Stage
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme141x  TDA21472 70A Power Stage
Gigabyte X570 Gaming X5 + 5ISL6617A1x  4C10N, 2x 4C06N
Gigabyte X570I Aorus Pro WiFi61x  TDA21472 70A Power Stage
MSI MEG X570 Ace6 + 6IR35991x  IR3555 60A Power Stage
MSI MEG X570 Godlike7 + 7IR35991x  TDA21472 70A Power Stage
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi4 + 4IR35981x  4C029N, 1x 4C026N
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus4 + 4IR35981x  4C029N, 1x 4C026N
MSI MPG X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi5 + 5IR35981x  QA3111N6N Dual N-FET
MSI Prestige X570 Creation

A Comparison of the Flagship X570 Motherboards

Each manufacturer has announced their flagship X570 motherboard, designed to be their best performing and a showcase of what their X570 motherboards are capable of – each with beautiful designs, impressive feature packs and VRM design. Each of these motherboards is designed for the enthusiast X570 builder, and these boards are certainly not going to be cheap!

Currently, the flagship X570 motherboards for enthusiast/high-end Zen 2 builds include:

  • ASUS X570 Crosshair VIII Formula
  • ASRock X570 Aqua
  • Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME
  • MSI X570 Prestige Creation

To begin to compare these X570 enthusiast motherboards, let’s take a look at their specs, price and VRM to determine which X570 motherboard offers the best value for the price.

Flagship X570 MotherboardASRock X570 AquaASUS ROG Crosshair VIII FormulaGigabyte X570 Aorus XtremeMSI MEG X570 Godlike
DesignASRock Aqua ThumbnailASUS Crosshair VIII formula (2)Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREMEMSI MEG X570 Godlike
Price$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Form FactorE-ATXATXE-ATXE-ATX
Phase Design6 + 67147 + 7
MOSFETs1x SiC634 50A2x IR3555 60A1x TDA21472 70A1x TDA21472 70A
Memory Support4666 MHz4000 MHz4400 MHz2666 MHz
WiFi 6YesYesYesYes
SATA8866
Thunderbolt 32NoNoNo
Lan10 GbE5 GbE10 GbE2.5 GbE
Power Connectors-24, 8, 4 pin24, 8, 8 pin24, 8, 8 pin
ProsFully watercooled, 4666 MHz memory supportGreat Design, Only ATX FlagshipTrue 14 phase, no chipset fanDual Killer NICs, OLED Display
ConsPricePoor Audio, No TB3, Only 5 GbENo TB3Low max memory speed, 2.5 GbE LAN
AvailabilityAmazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com

Looking at the table, we really like the look of the ASRock X570 Aqua, although being the most expensive X570 motherboard at $1000, this certainly impresses us for high end builds with up to 4666 MHz memory support, WiFi 6, 10 GbE, Liquid cooling and even dual Thunderbolt 3 ports – a first on a AMD chipset motherboard!


A Comparison of Mini ITX X570 Motherboards

Mini ITX X570 MotherboardGigabyte X570-I AORUS PRO WIFIASUS ROG STRIX X570-I GamingASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX TB3
DesignGigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WIFIASUS ROG STRIX X570-I Gaming (1)ASRock x570 Phantom ITX TB3
Form FactorITXITXITX
VRM Design644 + 4
MOSFETs1x TDA21472 70A2x TDA21472 70A1x SiC634 50A
WiFiYesYesYes
DisplayPort111
SATA444
M.2221
USB 3.1 Gen1/2February 6, 2019April 6, 20192.4
Usb Type CYesYesYes
TB3NoNo1
Active fanYesNoNo
AvailabilityAmazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com

Right now, there are currently only three mini-ITX X570 motherboards announced for Ryzen 3000 processors, coming from Gigabyte, ASUS and ASRock. Looking at the comparison table above, the X570 ITX motherboard that really excites us is the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX TB3 (a mouthful!) – with a decent 4+4 phase design, Thunderbolt 3 and thankfully lacking an active cooling fan as seen on the other X570 ITX boards.


Best X570 Motherboards – Our top picks

In the next section of this guide, we will give awards to what we believe (right now) to be the best X570 motherboards for Ryzen Zen 2 processors such as the 3600X 3700X, 3800X and 3900x – depending on the type of build and budget.

AwardDesignMotherboardAvailability
Best X570 Motherboard for OverclockingGigabyte X570 AORUS XTREMEGigabyte X570 AORUS XTREMEAmazon.com
Best ATX X570 MotherboardASUS Crosshair VIII formula (2)ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII FormulaAmazon.com
Best Mini ITX X570 MotherboardASRock x570 Phantom ITX TB3ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX TB3Amazon.com
Best Micro ATX X570 MotherboardASRock X570M pro4ASRock X570M Pro4Amazon.com

Best Price/Performance X570 Motherboard

In general, most X570 chipset motherboards have been designed to be pretty bulletproof and overkill for most PC builders – and with quite a hefty pricetag to go with it. For those who want to build with the X570 chipset for Ryzen Zen 2, and want to get the best performance for the price X570 motherboard, then the Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite is the board to go for. This board has been regarded as THE best overall X570 motherboard, with a decent feature set for the price, solid VRM, and easy to use BIOS.

Best X570 Motherboard for Overclocking

Looking at all currently announced X570 motherboards, the most impressive VRM we have seen, and will likely reciprocate into pure overclocking performance, is Gigabyte’s flagship X570 AORUS XTREME, with a true 14-phase VRM with TDA21472 70A power stages – the VRM on this motherboard is designed for some serious overclocking. As well as the impressive VRM, this X570 motherboard also features 10 GbE LAN, WIFI 6, 4400 MHz memory support, as well as plenty of USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity. Our only gripe with this motherboard is the lack of Thunderbolt 3 as seen in the ASRock Aqua, as well as 6 SATA slots for a flagship X570 motherboard – ideally we would be hoping for eight on such a high-end board.

Best ATX X570 Motherboard

All X570 flagship motherboards utilise the extended-ATX form factor, but for those looking to build a mid tower or small ATX Zen 2 build – the only flagship motherboard in the ATX form factor is the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula.

This ATX motherboard supporting the X570 chipset has been rumoured to cost around $700, and features a true 7 phase design, with dual IR3555 60A power stages, 4000 MHz memory support, WIFI 6 and plenty of USB Type C connectivity. Our gripe with this motherboard is that the Audio should be better for $700, and the lack of TB3.

Once we get our hands on some benchmarks and testing of ATX X570 motherboards, this award could likely change hands – as we also look the like of the ASRock X570 Taichi.

Best Budget X570 Motherboard

TBC (Waiting for benchmarks)

Best Mini ITX X570 Motherboard

Following on from our comparison of Mini ITX X570 motherboards, the one motherboard that really caught our eye is the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX TB3 – with a fantastic feature-set for the ITX form factor. This ITX motherboard features Thunderbolt 3, WiFi, USB Type C, 4+4 VRM design with 50A power stages and 4 SATA ports – although only has a single M.2 slot.

Best Micro ATX X570 Motherboard

There is currently (unofficially) one micro ATX X570 motherboard going to be released on July 7 with AMD Zen 2 – and that is the ASRock X570M Pro4. Although we haven’t got official specs, what we know (and like) about this mATX X570 motherboard is the 5 PWM fan headers, 8 SATA connectors, dual M.2. and support up to 4400 MHz memory!

Its a shame that the manufacturers are not giving the Micro-ATX form factor more attention, since we think it is a great form factor which is small enough to be portable and compact, but large enough to house decent, powerful components in the system.

Best Motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X

TBC (Waiting for benchmarks)

Best Motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600X

TBC (Waiting for benchmarks)

Best Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X

TBC (Waiting for benchmarks)


Thank you for reading our guide on the upcoming X570 motherboards for Ryzen Zen 2 – we are trying our best to keep this updated with the most up-to-date information, and with that giving our best recommendations on what the top X570 motherboards will be for every build!

Filed Under: Guides, Motherboards

Copyright © by BuildPicker.com · All rights reserved