Best AMD Motherboards for Gaming

It’s been a tough time for gamers with over two years of shortages and sky-high prices. It’s finally the right time to build a gaming PC. If you’ve decided to go with an AMD Ryzen CPU, you might be confused about which motherboard to pair it with. If you’re looking for the best option, there are several AMD gaming motherboards to choose from, depending on which generation of Ryzen CPU you choose.

Tip: if you don’t have the parts yet, read our guide on things to consider before building your gaming PC.

Best Overall AM4: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite WiFi

Price: $191.26

If you don’t want to compromise on anything AM4 has to offer, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite WiFi is a mid-range option to consider. X570 is the more premium chipset on the AM4 platform, allowing you to run multiple PCIe 4.0 SSDs and overclock and undervolt your Ryzen CPU better than with the B550 chipset. With the X570 Aorus Elite WiFi, you can wirelessly connect to your home network without the hassle of routing Ethernet cables. You can also update the BIOS without a CPU installed to enable support for Ryzen 5000 CPUs. At the $250 mark, this board represents an impressive balance between price and features.

Pros

• Great design with black and grey theme
• Two PCIe 4.0 M.2 ports for running multiple high-speed SSDs
• Integrated I/O shield for a clean external look
• Solid VRMs with 12+2 phase design for surprisingly stable overclocking
• Preinstalled heatsink on the primary M.2 slot

Cons

• No USB-C port
• No DisplayPort
• Only two ARGB headers

Good to Know: not all motherboards will fit in all PC cases, so you’ll want to carefully choose a PC case before you build.

Best Value AM4: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2

Price: $169.99

The AM4 platform is about maximizing value for money while building a powerful gaming rig. This is where the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2 really shines. And yes, we’re recommending a Gigabyte motherboard again, but that’s just how good this board is. For under $200, you get an excellent thermal design for the price, along with onboard Wi-Fi and two M.2 slots. As it’s a B550 board, only one of those slots can utilize PCIe 4.0, but that’s still more than enough for your daily gaming and productivity tasks.

Pros

• Great design, similar to the X570 Aorus Elite WiFi
• Integrated I/O shield at the back
• 12+2 phase VRM solution for decent overclocking
• Preinstalled heatsinks for each M.2 slot
• Q-Flash Plus at the back for easy access
• 1 DisplayPort (not available in the X570 Aorus Elite WiFi)
• Bluetooth 5.0 for better connectivity

Cons

• Only one M.2 port supports PCIe 4.0
• Only two ARGB headers

Best Mini-ITX AM4: Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming

Price: 289.99

For ITX enthusiasts looking for a mini-ITX gaming motherboard, the Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming is perhaps the best choice. Priced just right, this little board packs many useful and gaming-centric features. It looks gorgeous with stylish graffiti on the M.2 heatsink, has all the connectivity options you would need, and features enough RGB goodness that you can sync with the rest of your RGB components. The power and cooling solutions on the board are fully equipped to tackle the constraints of a small form-factor PC while offering incredible gaming performance.

Pros

• Striking ROG Strix design with subtle RGB
• Onboard Wi-Fi for seamless network connectivity
• Ample connectivity options for the price, including DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, USB-C, and 8 USB ports at the back
• Two M.2 ports supporting PCIe 4.0
• Preinstalled heatsink for M.2 ports
• DTS Sound Unbound support for high-fidelity audio
• High-quality capacitors and actively-cooled VRM for cool and stable performance

Cons

• Only two DDR4 memory slots
• Only one ARGB header

Also Helpful: once you build your gaming PC, you may need to optimize the OS for gaming.

Best Overall AM5: Asus ROG Strix X670-E Gaming WiFi

Price: $499.99

Moving on to the AM5 motherboards, both the feature set and asking price tend to increase at a steep rate. The Asus ROG Strix X670-E Gaming WiFi is one of the best upper mid-range X670-E (Extreme) boards you can get that pack in everything you could ask for in a gaming rig. There’s nothing not to love here: a pleasing PCB design with premium build quality, a plethora of next-gen connectivity options, ultra-fast PCIe 5 and DDR5 support, and some quality-of-life features you’re sure to love.

Pros

• Highly robust power delivery with 18+2 phase VRM solution
• Maxed-out cooling with three preinstalled M.2 heatsinks and an additional heatsink accessory
• Beautiful design with Asus Aura Sync RGB on the VRM heatsink
• High-speed storage support with three PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots and one PCIe 4.0 slot
• Superfast DDR5 memory support with speeds of up to 6400 MT/s
• Convenient features like onboard diagnostic display, BIOS Flashback button, and easy release M.2 and PCIe slots
• Onboard Wi-Fi 6E enables access to the low-interference 6 GHz band

Cons

• Could seem needlessly pricey if features are not utilized fully

Best Value AM5: Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WiFi

Price: $297.45

“Value” may not cross your mind when shopping for AM5 boards, but the Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WiFi begs to differ. One of Asus’s top B650 motherboards, the B650E-F Gaming WiFi, offers most of the flagship features in the aforementioned X670-E Gaming WiFi. It features PCIe 5.0 M.2 connectivity, a durable power and thermal design, plenty of high-speed USB ports, and onboard WiFi 6E. For under $300, you still get the signature ROG Strix look and a ton of Asus’s gaming-friendly features.

Pros

• Overclocking-ready with 12+2 phase VRM solution
• Superior build quality for the price with high-quality capacitors and cooling heatsinks
• Fast storage with One PCIe 5.0 and two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots
• Preinstalled heatsinks for all three M.2 slots
• Easy release PCIe and M.2 slots and BIOS Flashback button
• DDR5 memory speeds of up to 6400 MT/s
• Potent RGB with three ARGB headers and one Aura RGB header
• Fast and low-interference Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2

Cons

• No USB4 ports
• Enthusiasts can find the single PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot limiting

Good to Know: you’ll need a good cooler for your CPU, regardless of which motherboard you choose.

Best Mini-ITX AM5: Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra

Price: $269.99

For the small form factor builders on the AM5 side, Gigabyte has delivered a solid offering at an affordable price in the Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra. This mini-ITX board packs as many as three M.2 slots, one of which supports PCIe 5.0. You don’t need to sacrifice much, despite the small size, as you’re also getting beefy heatsinks, all across the board coupled with an equally capable power solution. Other valuable features include easy-release PCIe and M.2 slots, high-fidelity audio, and easy BIOS flash. Seriously, what more can you ask for in this size and at this price?

Pros

• Superior feature set for a mini-ITX board at this price range
• Eye-catching black and white themed design
• Quick release and screwless connectors for the GPU and SSDs
• No compromise on connectivity with onboard Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and plenty of USB 3.2 ports
• Fully covered M.2 slots for active cooling
• One-click BIOS update with Q-Flash Plus

Cons

• No optical audio ports
• Only two DDR5 memory slots

Got a used motherboard? Catch these signs of a bad motherboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a better motherboard increase FPS?

No, the motherboard doesn’t have a direct effect on gaming performance. Instead, your graphics card and CPU determine the bulk of gaming FPS your gaming PC can generate. Sure, a cheap motherboard might not be able to keep up with a beefy GPU’s thermal and power requirements, which could lead to thermal throttling and reduced performance. But, simply upgrading to a better motherboard alone, such as one of the above-mentioned best AMD motherboards, won’t drastically improve gaming FPS. A well-built and equipped motherboard is necessary for a stable gaming performance, but spending on high-end boards doesn’t guarantee higher FPS. To get the most out of your games, refer to our guide on optimizing games using benchmarks and in-game settings.

Is AM5 better than AM4?

AM5 is AMD’s latest platform for their Ryzen 7000 CPUs and beyond. The platform brings several next-generation features, like PCIe 5.0 and DDR5, and support for higher wattage CPUs compared to AM4. Hence, solely going by performance, AM5 is better than AM4, but it would be best to consider the cost of upgrading to the platform. Some users can be smart with their money and choose to stay on the older AM4 platform due to considerably cheaper CPUs, motherboards, and memory.

How long will AM5 socket last?

AMD has confirmed support for the AM5 socket until 2025. That is likely to extend beyond 2025, considering the track record for the last-gen AM4 platform, which lasted from 2017 to 2022. Launched in 2022, the AM5 platform will likely receive new generations of CPUs well into 2026 and possibly 2027.

Is it worth upgrading to AM5?

It depends. For users building a new gaming PC, buying a new platform that’s both future-proof and more powerful than the previous AM4 platform makes sense. Also, those with older generation systems powered by Ryzen 2000, 9th-gen Intel series, or comparable CPUs should strongly consider upgrading to the latest AM5 platform for a big jump in performance. However, if you have newer chips, like the Ryzen 4000, Ryzen 5000, or Intel 12th-gen CPUs, it isn’t yet worth it to upgrade to AM5.

Image credit: Unsplash.