Finest gaming motherboard in 2024

As we present in our Ryzen 7 9800X3D assessment, this premium motherboard is the proper accomplice for the present finest gaming CPU. For a begin, it seems lovely, with a swirling RGB dragon on the I/O panel defend, 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 a large depend of 9 USB-A ports. MSI has actually gone to city with the toolless entry as nicely. 

We significantly appreciated the push-button management to unlock your graphics card from its PCIe slot, which saves fiddling round with the traditional latch. Likewise, it’s also possible to match an SSD and heatsink with out having to achieve for a screwdriver.

We additionally used this board to overclock the 9800X3D, and appreciated the straightforward choices within the EFI for enabling AMD overclocking. You’ll be able to simply get your CPU boosting to five.4GHz in video games with this board, simply by altering a couple of settings.

Because of 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, however it’s an excellent basis for a high-end AMD PC.

Learn our full MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi assessment.

If you would like the most effective 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 excellent. 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. Based mostly on AMD’s newest X870 chipset, it provides a perfect house to one in every of AMD’s newest Zen 5 CPUs, such because the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and it additionally provides a surprisingly packed function set for its value. This consists of 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 probably the greatest gaming SSD choices, though a few of them will take lanes out of your graphics card, so examine the guide prior to installing your SSD. Toolless options are good as nicely, 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 palms fidgeting with the standard locking latch in your PCIe slot.

To high all of it off, this engaging 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 provides first rate worth for its function set and attractiveness.

Learn our full Gigabyte Aorus Elite X870 WiFi7 Ice assessment.

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 in every of 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 preferrred, they usually don’t draw a lot energy both.

In case 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 gained’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 assessment.

Regardless of its wallet-friendly value, this motherboard has a strong vary of options, together with simple 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 simple 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 several other USB ports on the rear panel, together with six USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports, one in every of 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.

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

Asus completely nailed it with this excellent 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 point out off the lights at nighttime). This premium motherboard isn’t simply filled with options, however it additionally seems implausible.

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

In the meantime, the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot ensures you possibly can 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 could possibly need. You additionally get help for the newest Wi-Fi 7 commonplace, and the audio high quality from the ESS9218 DAC is excellent.

Different helpful 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 trouble of getting to fiddle round below a large GPU cooler.

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

Constructing the most effective 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. Based mostly on Intel’s Z790 chipset, it makes an excellent house for an Intel 14th-gen CPU, and it even has a 16x PCIe 5.0 slot prepared for the subsequent era of graphics playing cards, such because the Nvidia RTX 5000 sequence.

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 nicely. One of many options that actually impressed us about this board was its EFI system, which is nicely 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, due to 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, however it’s in any other case an excellent choice if you wish to construct a high-end mini gaming PC.

Learn our full MSI MPG Z790I Edge WiFi assessment.

This LGA1700 mATX motherboard from MSI is a strong selection for a price range or mid-range gaming PC construct and is our private choose for the most effective 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’ll be able to 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 Ok-series Intel processors however with the mighty Intel Core i5-12400 and its non-Ok ilk nonetheless providing severe gaming efficiency at inventory speeds, that means that’s not too large a problem. The MSI Professional B660M-A can be a properly proportioned board too, permitting you to drop it right into a extra svelte chassis than the bigger ATX board commonplace.

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