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 3900X | Design | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Best Budget X570 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X (<$200) |  | Gigabyte X570 Gaming X |
| Best Overall Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X |  | ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi |
| Best Flagship Motherboard for Overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X |  | Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME |
| Best Micro ATX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X |  | MSI B450M Mortar |
| Best Mini ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X |  | Gigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi |
| Best B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X |  | MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon |
| Best X470 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X |  | MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon AC |
Best Budget X570 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X (<$200)
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.
Best Overall Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
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.
Best Flagship Motherboard for Overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X
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.
Best Micro ATX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
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.
Best Mini ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
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.
Best B450 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
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.
Best X470 Motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
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.