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Best Motherboards for Gaming in 2021: The Ultimate Buying Guide and Review

Paul Syverson
  Mar 29, 2024 1:44 AM

People tend to pay more attention to choosing the best CPUs and graphics cards than picking the Best Motherboards for gaming builds or any purpose. It’s easy to pick a motherboard to make the PC work. However, if you want a reliable one with upgrade potential, you have to choose carefully.

Gaming components will develop more in the future, so you need to get the right future-proof motherboard. Here we give you the list and reviews of Best Motherboards for gaming. You can see some major brands: asus, msi, gigabyte, asrock.


Buying Guides

  • The socket of CPUs must match the socket of motherboards. Otherwise, they will not work. In this review, we just mention the latest generations: AM4, LGA 1200, and LGA 1151.

  • You must choose the suitable motherboard form to fit your case. There are four types: e-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, and mini-ITX. Each class works with each case size; you should measure the case carefully when choosing e-ATX or mini-ITX motherboards. The larger motherboards usually offer more features than the smaller ones.

  • The number of ports and slots: Depending on your using purpose to choose the number of ports. The more ports the motherboard has, the more expensive it has. If you want to connect multiple cards to serve your gaming, you will need several full-speed PCI Express x16 slots. Some more slots/ports a motherboard can have are 2nd or 3rd M.2 SSD slot, SLI support, PCIe 4.0, RAID, and dual gigabit ethernet.

  • Motherboards delivering more features cost more. Therefore, determine your purpose and budget before paying for your new product.


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Best Motherboards

1. ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero Ryzen 5000

Best AMD X570 motherboard for gaming 

Today’s best deal: View on Amazon

Specifications

  • CPU support: AMD 3rd Generation Ryzen

  • Socket: AM4

  • Chipset: AMD X570

  • Size: ATX

  • Memory support: Dual Channel DDR4

  • PCIe x16 type: PCIe 4.0

  • Network: WiFi 6 (802. 11Ax) with MU-MIMO support

Reasons to buy

  • Support both AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards

  • Support AM4 CPU, even overclocking

  • PCIe gen 4

  • ROG Overclock features

Reasons to avoid

  • Overpriced 

ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is an ATX gaming motherboard compatible with AMD Ryzen 5000 series (and previous generations) processors. You will love this motherboard at first sight due to its user-friendly design. From the outside, you can see a pre-mounted I/O shield, ASUS SafeSlot, BIOS flashback, and other high-end components. They are all put neatly together and have a nice look.

ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero can deliver power robustly. The latest VRM architecture uses teamed power stages to swing current. You will not have to worry about overheating during this process, thanks to the comprehensive thermal design. Thermal performance is maintained because the motherboard has two kinds of heatsinks (passive chipset and M.2 aluminum) and a ROG water cooling zone to cool it down quickly. 

Moreover, you will have many network options, including onboard WiFi 6 (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet. Demanding and high-speed games are no longer challenging problems with the support of ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. You can even optimize and overclock it to get better performance.

Alternate choices:

GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master

GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Ultra

ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming 

ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (Wi-Fi) 

2. ROG Maximus XIII Hero (WiFi 6E) Z590 LGA 1200

Best Z590 motherboard for high-end Intel gaming PCs

Today’s best deal: View on Amazon

Specifications

  • CPU support: Intel gen 11th/10th

  • Socket: LGA 1200

  • Chipset: Z590

  • Size: ATX

  • Memory support: Dual Channel DDR4

  • PCIe x16 type: PCIe 4.0 (Intel gen 11th only)

  • Network: WiFi 6E (802.11ax), dual Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and ASUS LANGaurd

Reasons to buy

  • Modern and latest generations of motherboard

  • PCIe gen 4

  • Extreme OC kit

  • Various network options

Reasons to avoid

  • A bit pricey

  • Need the latest Intel CPUs to get full advantage of the motherboard  

Intel Socket LGA 1200 is designed for Intel CPUs gen 10th and 11th, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors. With the optimized thermal design, you will not have to worry that your motherboard will be overheated. It has large VRM heatsinks, integrated aluminum I/O cover, and a ROG Water-Cooling zone. The heat is transferred effectively through a high-conductivity thermal pad.

Furthermore, with the support of multiple connectivities (PCIe 4.0, quad M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 front-panel connector, dual USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 USB-C), you can enjoy the fastest gaming experience ever. 

You can personalize your motherboard through ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB, which lets you plug RGB lighting in the RGB headers. 

On top of that, ASUS provides exclusive software to set the motherboard more simply and improve performance. You can do many tasks on the software, including overclocking, cooling, connecting the network, and canceling noise. 

Alternate choices:

ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi 6E LGA 1200

ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming Z490

3. ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6) 

Best B550 motherboard for mid-range PCs 

Today’s best deal: View on Amazon

Specifications

  • CPU support: AMD Zen 3th Ryzen

  • Socket: AM4

  • Chipset: B550-F

  • Size: ATX

  • Memory support: Dual Channel DDR4

  • PCIe x16 type: 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 mode), 1 x PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot, PCIe 3.0

  • Network: WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and 2.5 Gb Ethernet

Reasons to buy

  • Support both PCIe gen 3 and gen 4

  • Affordable price

  • AI noise-cancelling

  • Robust power design

Reasons to avoid

  • PCIe safe slot latch is difficult to handle

  • Limited overclocking options 

ROG Strix B550-F has two M.2 slots, including PCIe gen 3 and gen 4 to provide flexible storage capacity and rapid data speed via the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen platform. It also can connect to WiFi 6 to offer high-efficiency wireless connectivity. If your house has WiFi 6 connection, you should consider this motherboard to improve your gaming performance.

In terms of thermal performance, ASUS ROG Strix B550-F has an enlarged fanless VRM and chipset heatsink to transfer more heat. Additionally, you can install fans to increase the thermal performance. 

Your gaming experience will be boosted thanks to AI noise-canceling microphone software, exclusively featured on ASUS motherboards. This function can filter distracting keyboard clatter and mouse clicks and just keep your voice remaining. 

Alternate choices:

MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK

GIGABYTE B550 AORUS PRO AC

ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming II AMD AM4

4. ASUS ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WiFi LGA 1200 

Best Intel motherboard for mid-range LGA 1200 PCs 

Today’s best deal: View on Amazon

Specifications

  • CPU support: Intel Celeron/ Pentium Gold

  • Socket: LGA 1200

  • Chipset: B560-A

  • Size: ATX

  • Memory support: Dual Channel DDR4

  • PCIe x16 type: PCIe 4.0 for GPU, PCIe 3.0 for drives

  • Network: WiFi 6 AX201 (802.11ax) and Realtek 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard

Reasons to buy

  • Great-quality gaming audio

  • Support Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

  • The latest technology of connectivity 

  • A wide range of I/O ports 

Reasons to avoid

  • Just overclock the RAM, not the CPU

  • A bit overpriced for B560

If you have a mid-price gaming PC running the Intel Core gen 10/11th, Pentium Gold, and Celeron CPUs, ASUS ROG Strix B560-A is definitely for you. It equips the best connection methods for gaming: HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 output, two M.2 slots, and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 USB Type-C. 

Moreover, the latest network technology, including WiFi 6 AX201 (802.11ax) and Realtek 2.5 Gb Ethernet, will give you smooth connectivity to play the most demanding and heavy games. Plus, you can overclock your RAM to push the speed up. 

B560-A has some more outstanding features compared to the B560 motherboard. It has three fan headers, various I/O options, a USB C header, and many other ones. It makes ASUS ROG Strix B560-A the champion in the best Intel motherboard for the mid-range LGA 1200 PCs award. 

Alternate choices:

ASUS Prime B560-PLUS LGA1200

Asrock B560 for Intel 10TH/11TH

MSI MAG B460 Tomahawk

ASROCK B460 for 10th Gen Intel

ASUS ROG Strix B460-H Gaming LGA 1200

5. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO WiFi

Best Z390 motherboards for LGA 1151 PCs

Today’s best deal: View on Amazon

Specifications

  • CPU support: 8th Generation Intel Core

  • Socket: LGA 1151

  • Chipset: Z390

  • Size: ATX

  • Memory support: Dual Channel DDR4

  • PCIe x16 type: PCIe 3.0

  • Network: Onboard Intel CNVi 802.11AC 2x2 wave 2 WiFi

Reasons to buy

  • Compatibility: Intel gen 8th or 9th (overclock support)

  • High thermal performance: multi-cuts heatsinks and heat pipes

  • RGB FUSION 2.0 support

  • Dual armor and ultra-durable design: support multi-way graphics

Reasons to avoid

  • Not the latest motherboard

  • Just support PCIe 3.0

GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO is covered by Ultra Durable protection, including an integrated I/O shield, memory armor, and PCIe armor so that gamers can build a high-end gaming PC rig. With the enhanced VRM design, people can get maximum performance from Intel Core i3-i9 processors. 

With the ability to connect to CNVi 802.11AC 2x2 wave 2 WiFi, GIGABYTE Z390 delivers smooth streaming and gaming experience with a maximum speed of 1.73Gbps. 

This motherboard also deals with the overheating problem well. Using Smart Fan 5, the PC stays cool even when you play games and do heavy tasks for an extended period. You can even keep track of the flow rate and temperature by interchanging the fan headers. With the support of a dual thermal guard, transferring heat will happen faster and more efficiently. 

Last but not least, the Z390 motherboard has a LED light system shining beautifully. You can control them to personalize your gaming space. 

Alternate choices:

ASUS Prime Z390-A Motherboard LGA1151

MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC LGA1151


FAQs

1. What is the most critical factor when buying a motherboard?

There are several factors in choosing a motherboard, and all of them are equally important. Below are things that you should take a look to:

  • Form factor: eATX, ATX and micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. If you’re unsure of your motherboard’s size, measure your old one and compare it to the new one.

  • Processor socket: Intel uses LGA, while AMD uses PGA. Buy the one that is compatible with your CPU. 

  • RAM: You should buy a motherboard that can fully support the potential of your RAM. Otherwise, it will be a waste of money.

  • PCI slots: They allow expansion cards to connect to your motherboard. If you’re a gamer, you will want at least one full-speed PCI Express x16 slot and other essential slots.

2. Can I overclock the motherboard?

You can overclock some cheap Z Intel and AMD motherboards to improve the CPU or RAM performance. However, there will be some restrictions returned. Unfortunately, it’s not suitable for long-term purposes. If you want a solid and reliable rig, you need to buy a high-end motherboard. 

3. Should I upgrade my motherboard?

If you have just upgraded your CPU or graphics cards, you probably need a new motherboard to support each other and get the highest performance. On the other hand, if the upgrade isn’t that big or just adding one more RAM stick, you can keep your old motherboard.


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