New York, Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. The most important thing is to decide what size PC you want to build or buy, how many components you will want to configure now and into the future, and then pick the motherboard form factor that best fits your needs. Choosing the best Intel motherboard. One thing you should note here is that even though the latest is the DDR4 SD RAM, you will find DDR3 compatible motherboards quite easily. Quality. Asus’ TUF lineup has changed over time. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, An even more affordable option than the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus is the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus. CPU support: Intel 10th Gen | Socket: LGA 1200 | Size: Extended ATX | Memory support: 4x DIMM, up to 128GB, DDR4-4700 | Expansion slots: 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (or x8/x8), 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 | Video ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports on extension card (DP1.4) | Rear USB: 10x USB 3.2, 2x USB 2.0 | Storage: 2x M.2, 2x M.2 (DIMM.2 board), 8x SATA 6Gbps | Network: 1x 10Gb Marvell ethernet, 1x Intel ethernet, Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless. How much should you spend on your motherboard? It is also the most expensive of the three but for modern gaming this is the motherboard you want. It’s just a shame we had to wait almost a year to get a good MSI X570 board that won't cost over $300. The best future-proof gaming motherboard for AMD is the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi). Mini-ITX motherboards have to cut corners, almost literally, so that means that most of them don’t offer multiple PCIe card slots for multi-GPU setups (though multi-GPU setups are rarely worth it for the average gamer, so this shouldn’t be too big a concern.) Please read our full Gigabyte A520 Aorus Elite review. Are you resolutely tying yourself to the mast of the good ship Intel as it plows on through the roughest waters it's known? Try buying from established and reliable companies such as ASUS, GIGABYTE, ASRock, or MSI . There’s no PCIe 4.0, but then no Intel systems have it either, not until Rocket Lake next year. EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Wireless Gaming Earbuds review. The best Intel gaming motherboard overall. AMD's A520 motherboard chipset might not make for the sexiest of PC components, that’s for sure. $155.14 (32 used & new offers) … For more, Best Universal Remote 2021: Take Control of Your Smart Home, Best Computer Speakers 2021: Go Loud With These Desktop PC Speakers, Best Streaming Device 2021: The Best Media Streaming Boxes and Sticks, Best CPU Coolers 2021: Air and Liquid Coolers for Your PC, Where to Buy RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 Gaming PCs (Updated), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: The Final Preview, Godzilla vs. Kong Funko POP Figures Revealed, Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla Cast Announced, Netflix's Shadow and Bone: First Look Images Released Ahead of April Premiere, Hitman 3 Proves IO Interactive Is Ready for Its 007 Licence, Things Ghost of Tsushima Doesn't Tell You. UEFI has largely replaced the older BIOS standard. Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Master. If you’re on a budget, this Gigabyte A520 Aorus Elite is well worth a look. The motherboard is the most essential component of the computer. Speaking of Intel Rocket Lake: Compatible Z590 motherboards were announced over at CES 2021 for this upcoming CPU generation, expected in March. Good for 1080p gaming, compatible with VR headsets Nvidia RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2070, RTX 2060 Super, RTX 2060; AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, RX 5700. For a typical gaming system, you probably do not need an incredibly high performance motherboard with all the bells and whistles. The MSI MPG X570 represents an amalgamation of bleeding-edge motherboard tech, built to get the most out of AMD's 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs. From its flashing Aura Sync RGB lighting to its immersive 8 channel HD audio, this motherboard … It is, as the name suggests, extreme, packing in a variety of luxurious and convenient extras (a frickin' screwdriver with interchangeable heads for one), and it's also one of the highest performing Z490 boards we've tested. 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