Your choice of motherboard shouldn't be an afterthought. Sure, your graphics card and CPU are easier to get excited about, since they're the components that are most closely associated with all the in-game settings you'll get to dial up and just how fast you'll be running your games. But, your motherboard choice goes well beyond determining your CPU compatibility, and it has a lot more to do with the capabilities your gaming PC will ultimately have.
Most mainstream motherboards will let you go with your choice of graphics cards, as PCIe 3.0 x16 slots are nearly ubiquitous, but your choice of motherboard will figure into just what other expansion cards you can use. The ability to set up multiple graphics cards or get plenty of bandwidth through numerous PCIe lanes will come down to your motherboard and its chipset. Your motherboard will also play into how much overclocking you can do, what RAM speeds you can enable via XMP, and how many different storage devices you can attach – just because a motherboard has eight SATA ports and two M.2 slots doesn't you can populate all of those with drives.
With these things in mind, it's worth considering your motherboard carefully before getting too excited about what your gaming PC will be able to do based off just its CPU and GPU. To help you through this selection process, we've rounded up a bunch of quality motherboards for both Intel and AMD systems, so you can find one that checks all your boxes. If you're building a more compact system, then you should also check out the best Micro ATX motherboards – and click here to find them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Gaming Motherboards:
- Asus ROG Strix Z590-E
- Asus ROG Maximus XIII Apex
- Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Elite AX
- Asus Prime H570-Plus
- Asus ROG X570 Crosshair Hero VIII (Wi-Fi)
- MSI MEG X570 Godlike
- ASRock X570 PG Velocita
- Gigabyte B550 Gaming X
1. Asus ROG Strix Z590-E
Best Intel Motherboard
Intel motherboards just got better with the introduction of the Z590 platform, and the Asus ROG Strix Z-590E stands above the rest. At $379, it's reasonably priced for a motherboard as premium as it is. The big upgrade you're getting with this motherboard is support for PCIe 4.0 with 11th Gen Intel Core processors. This will get you a full PCIe 4.0 x16 slot you can run at full bandwidth, or you can split its lanes to share with a second PCIe 4.0 x16-length slot. There's even a third PCIe 3.0 x16 slot with four lanes, so you don't have to pick and choose add-in cards based on slot length.Of course, PCIe 4.0's big advantages really show up in storage speeds, and this motherboard includes two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 NVMe slots. You'll also get a second pair of PCIe 3.0 x4 slots for slower NVMe drives. The speeds don't stop there, as this board is built with beefy power delivery for your overclocking needs, including support for RAM speeds in excess of 5,333MHz. Even the networking goes fast with dual 2.5Gb LAN ports and Wi-Fi 6E. It should come as no surprise that you're also getting 20Gbps USB support as well.
2. Asus ROG Maximus XIII Apex
Best High-End Intel Motherboard
For a gaming machine that you can deck out, the Asus ROG Maximus XIII Apex is a solid platform to build on. This gaming motherboard is ready for the latest Intel processors and will let you pair them with a ton of high-performance parts. You’ll get two DIMM slots to support DDR4 memory at up to 5,333MHz. If you’re wondering why there aren’t four memory slots, it’s because the other two DIMM slots are tricked out to house M.2 SSDs. Those come in addition to the two available PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 SSD slots, giving you a ton of room for high-speed storage.
The motherboard also has three expansion card slots with two full-length x16 slots and one x1 slot. This motherboard is decked out for your accessories with lots of USB ports ranging from the 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 variety and only going down to USB 3.2 Gen 1 – no slow USB 2.0 ports unless you want to add them yourself using the available headers. The motherboard even offers a 2.5Gb LAN port as well as built-in Wi-Fi 6E card with support for 2x2 MIMO for exceptional connectivity.
3. Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Elite AX
Best Mid-Range Intel Motherboard
For a modestly priced motherboard that will get your system up to speed, the Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Elite AX will be your friend. It’s got the LGA1200 socket and Z590 chipset you need to support the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processors, and it offers four memory slots with support for speeds up to 5,400MHz. It’s not just your memory that can go fast, as this board also features three M.2 slots for high-speed SSDs, including one PCIe 4.0 version.
The Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Elite AX will also help ensure your peripherals and internet are getting plenty of bandwidth. The board features several USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports as well as a 20Gbps USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port. For networking, you’ll find a 2.5Gb LAN port as well as a Wi-Fi 6 chip.
4. Asus Prime H570-Plus
Best Budget Intel Motherboard
Want an affordable way to get the latest performance upgrades for your Intel machine? The Asus Prime H570-Plus can do just that. This motherboard costs just a fraction of some of the higher-end Z590 motherboards, but it comes with one of the most notable upgrades of the Z590 platform: PCIe 4.0. That's right, this budget-friendly board offers you a graphics-card-ready slot with PCIe 4.0 x16 speeds as well as an NVMe slot with PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds, so you can throw in the SSD of your dreams.Asus provides plenty of other connections for extra add-in devices. Though this board doesn't come with its own Wi-Fi module, you can slot one into the dedicated M.2 Key E port or one of the four extra PCIe slots (one of which is full length). The board also lacks any 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports, but it does provide a header for you to add in a Thunderbolt 4 card, which will let you jump to 40Gbps connectivity. On a tight budget, you can't really ask for much more than the Asus Prime H570-Plus is providing.
5. Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi)
Best AMD Motherboard
The Ryzen rig of your dreams is right around the corner with the Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero motherboard. This ATX motherboard is geared toward high-performance builds without overdoing it and thereby breaking the bank — see the MSI MEG X570 Godlike for that. What you do get is support for fast RAM running at up to 4,800MHz to provide plenty of headroom for overclocking your CPU and RAM and syncing up clocks between the memory and the Infinity Fabric.
This board also has you covered for high-speed add-ins. It offers two PCIe x16 slots that can split sixteen lanes at PCIe 4.0 speeds or you can just use one at the full PCIe 4.0 x16 bandwidth. There’s even a third PCIe 4.0 x16 slot with four lanes for full-length cards that don’t need as much bandwidth. Your storage can cruise as well with two PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD slots. It’s all topped off with a smattering of high-speed USB ports and fast networking capabilities through Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gb LAN.
6. MSI MEG X570 Godlike
Best High-End AMD Motherboard
If you need a motherboard that's going to be ready for just about anything you might want to throw at it with Team Red, then you'll want the MSI MEG X570 Godlike.This E-ATX motherboard takes full advantage of the extended room and is ready to house your most powerful systems. The motherboard can handle some serious power delivery to the CPU for overclocking thanks to dual 8-pin connectors providing loads of juice to a 14+4 phase power deliver system with an advanced VRM design. That CPU overclocking potential can pair nicely with the memory overclocking.The MSI MEG X570 Godlike also goes all-in on expansions. It features four full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, albeit with shared PCIe lanes among the first three and four lanes for the fourth slot. MSI is likely expecting you'll want to use one or two of these for expanded storage and networking capabilities, as this premium package includes a 10Gb networking card and an M.2 Xpander-Z Gen 4 add-in card. Combine that Xpander-Z with the three M.2 SSD slots built onto the motherboard itself and you'll be looking at some monstrous storage potential for up to five M.2 drives running at full PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. It's no wonder this motherboard is over $600.
7. ASRock X570 PG Velocita
Best Mid-Range AMD Motherboard
It may seem like all the most impressive X570 motherboards come in at painfully high prices, but the ASRock X570 PG Velocita brings a lot to the table for under $300. On top of support for the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs, the motherboard also supports memory speeds up to 5,000MHz. You also get plenty of system storage potential with dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots in addition to eight SATA ports.The board has plenty in the way of connectivity options. In addition to a plethora of USB ports (and even a Thunderbolt option), the board boasts Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and 2.5Gb networking. Throw in a splash of RGB lighting on the IO shroud and chipset cooler as well as support for RGB peripherals, and you've got a stylish and capable board at this mid-range price.
8. Gigabyte B550 Gaming X
Best Budget AMD Motherboard
You can still get up to speed on a budget with Gigabyte’s B550 Gaming X motherboard. This ATX motherboard won’t leave you behind on the latest features, nor will it leave you stuck with a drab design. The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X supports Ryzen 3000 and Ryzen 5000 Series processors, giving you the choice of a fantastic host of CPUs and APUs to build your system around.
A big part of the promise of the B550 chipset when paired with a Ryzen 5000 Series processor is the upgrade to PCIe 4.0. This motherboard is no exception, as you can enjoy a full PCIe 4.0 x16 connection for your graphics card or other add-in card as well as a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection for a high-speed NVMe storage card. That pairing can get you gaming with the best of them, especially where games start to take advantage of the direct link between graphics cards and storage.
Where to Get the Best Motherboard in the UK
What's Next For Gaming Motherboards
The announcement of Ryzen Threadripper 3rd Generation processors came with the introduction of TRX40 motherboards. Although it might seem like these motherboards have the same socket AMD has used since introducing its first Zen-based HEDT chips, this new platform utilizes a new sTRX4 socket that makes buying a new motherboard essential to any Threadripper 3rd Generation system.
While this will be an inconvenience to those hoping to continue using their X399 motherboards into the next generation, you at least get PCI-Express 4.0 support. In fact, you get 48 PCIe 4.0 lanes straight off the processor itself then another 24 from the TRX40 chipset—just be prepared to pay for some pricey motherboards
What to Look for in a Gaming Motherboard
Below we've broken down the various chipsets that Intel and AMD processors support along with what specifications and features you should look for in a motherboard.
You might be wondering what makes a motherboard good for gaming when you can pretty much game (to a limited degree) on an Ultrabook these days. Well, it comes down to choosing a gaming motherboard, you’ll want to find one that can do everything you want, whether that be overclocking your processor, having multiple M.2 slots for the fastest solid-state drives or Nvidia SLI and AMD Crossfire support to plug in more than one graphics card.
But let’s quickly go back to the most basic thing you should look for when buying a motherboard: chipsets. Intel and AMD processors are designed to work with a variety of tiered chipsets. The highest-end Intel motherboards will feature a Z390 chipset that supports the latest Intel 9th Generation processors with native 802.11ac Wi-Fi and USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity and up to 24 PCIe lanes. Additionally, these high-end motherboards will be made of better materials and components to consistently deliver the power necessary for overclocking components attached to them.
Just below that, you’ll find a Z370 chipset that is nearly identical to the Z390 chipset, except it lacks the native 802.11ac Wi-Fi and USB 3.1 Gen 2 support. With an H370 motherboard, Intel CPUs will only have access to 20 PCIe lanes while losing the ability to overclock. Next up is the Intel B360 chipset, which drops the number of PCIe lanes to 12. Lastly, the Intel H310 chipset only supports six PCIe lanes.
AMD motherboards mostly follow the same tiered system, except you’ll be able to overclock your CPU on almost any motherboard. The highest-end chipset on this platform is X570 and it complicates things a bit by having PCIe 4.0 lanes that support twice the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 lanes. X570 comes with 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes and a Ryzen 3rd Generation CPU itself adds another 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes.
Older AMD AM4 platforms like X470 supports 28 PCIe 3.0 lanes, meanwhile, B450 motherboards only have access to 24 PCIe PCIe 3.0 lanes. The A320 chipset is the only one that doesn’t support overclocking Ryzen CPUs, but honestly, you’d be better off spending a little more on a B450 or B350 motherboard instead.
We mentioned PCIe lanes before and these are important because they dictate how many high-speed components you can install into your PC. For example, a single graphics card can use up 16 PCIe lanes and each NVMe SSD needs four PCIe lanes to operate at its maximum speed.
You’ll also want to look for a motherboard with all the physical PCIe slots you need to plug in your components. The good news is that most ATX boards come with at least two to three PCIe slots to slot in multiple GPUs using either Nvidia SLI or AMD Crossfire. M.2 PCIe slots will also be crucial for plugging in the fastest NVMe solid-state drives, should they be part of your build as well.
And those are pretty much the basics you need to know about buying yourself a quality motherboard. Be aware that we’ve primarily chosen only the best full-sized ATX motherboards in this guide, but there are also microATX and Mini-ITX motherboards to consider if you’re building a smaller PC.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
