If you are a gamer, you must often feel the need to upgrade your PC and be reliable with your hardware. A few specifications you might want to be aware of before looking for new motherboards should be the size of your PC, RAM, USB port, and SSD specifications if you are going forth with high-end processors for the purpose of future usage. For this, you must also look into the form factor, memory support and chipset in the designated features.
Here’s a comprehensive list of the best gaming motherboards:
1. ASUS AMD X570 ATX
ASUS brings to you its AMD X570 ATX gaming motherboard, which comes with PCIe 4.0, 2.5 Gbps and Intel Gigabit LAN. Along with that, it has Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 16 power stages, dual M.2 with heatsinks, SATA 6Gb/s/. In addition, it is adept to USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB lighting.
Some of its best features are listed below:
- The AM4 socket makes it ready for 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors to maximise connectivity and speed with up to two M.2 drives, USB 3.2 Gen2 and AMD store.
- It provides an Optimal Power Solution with 12+4 power stages, a ProCool II power connector, alloy chokes and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors.
- The gaming connectivity is strong: It supports PCIe 4.0, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.2 and features dual M.2 and USB 3.2 Type-A and Type-C connectors.
- It has high fidelity audio with SupremeFX S1220A, DTS Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III to draw you deeper into the action.
- The price is ₹34,645.
2. ASUS ROG Strix B550-F WiFi
ASUS’s B500 series provides you a higher-end ROG Strix X570 Gaming series, which includes the latest PCIe® 4.0. With robust power delivery and effective cooling, ROG Strix B550 Gaming is efficient and compatible with 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ CPUs. Boasting futuristic aesthetics and intuitive ROG software, ROG Strix B550-F Gaming comes with the following features:
- It has ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi). It features two M.2 slots, one of which supports the latest PCIe 4.0 standard to provide maximum storage flexibility and the fastest data speeds available via the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen platform.
- It has AI noise-cancelling microphone software exclusively featured on ROG Strix motherboards and supports 3.5 mm, USB, or Bluetooth headsets with only little load on your CPU.
- The ROG Strix B550 series features the most comprehensive cooling options ever configurable via Fan Xpert 4 or the UEFI BIOS. It has: 1) CPU Fan Header 2) AIO Pump Fan Header 3) M.2 Heatsink 4) 4-pin PWM/DC Fan Header 5) VRM Heatsink 6) Thermal Pad
- The proprietary ROG GameFirst VI utility is designed to help all users — beginners, experts, and all; to optimise network settings to ensure smooth online gameplay.
3. MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi
With advanced RGB lighting control and synchronisation, the MPG series is here to give you advanced time notifications for an ultra amazing gaming experience! It comes with a digital PWM, which is a high quality digital power IC for your gaming comfort. With its premium hardware design, it is a high performance motherboard with extended PWM heatsink.
It has the following features:
- It is powered by the 3rd Gen AMD 3000 series AM4 processors.
- It has an Extended Heatsink Design, 7W/mK level thermal and choke pad with 2oz thickened copper to help your PC remain cool, high performing and reliable.
- A larger aluminium cover improves VRM heat dissipation and ensures the power delivery system can sustain even high-end processors running at full load.
- Its ‘Mystic Light’ provides a complete function to control the RGB light all around the system, supporting both RGB and RAINBOW LED strips with 16.8 million colours / 29 effects
4. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula Z490
ROG Maximus XII series comes with CrossChill EK III VRM block, co-developed with EK Water Blocks, to align with higher VRM loads associated with Intel Comet Lake CPUs. Along with AI cooling, it comes with AI Networking with GameFirst VI optimising network bandwidth, effectively reducing jitter and diminishing spike lag to ensure smooth online gameplay.
Here are a few features of the product:
- This motherboard features 16 Infineon power stages with a maximum handling capacity of 70 amps, high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors to provide a powerful performance boosting your CPU.
- It also comes with a hybrid cooling system with CrossChill EK III VRM block and extra-large heatsinks for chipset and M. 2 slots. Along with this, you will find a solid steel backplate, which is very efficient for your gaming motherboard and set-up.
- It is compatible with Intel WiFi 6 AX201 (802. 11 ax) processor.
- It also has a dual ethernet option for connectivity and is applicable for Intel 2.5GB Ethernet with LANGuard technology.
6. MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE
The ‘Master the Game’ (MEG) series innovative technology and higher efficiency is stacked with 7W/mk and Frozr heatsink design. It also comes with an easy to enable XMP profile with auto power settings to get the best memory speed and stability. It has 10G Super LAN plus 2.5G LAN for power users with incredible data transfer speed and lower latency.
Some of its specifications include:
- It has a high-bandwidth and low-latency onboard 10G Super LAN plus 2.5G LAN for power users
- It is compatible with 10th Generation Intel Core
- It has a PCI Express graphics card.
- It comes with an LGA 1200 socket and DDR4 RAM.
6. GIGABYTE B450 Gaming X
The Gigabyte gaming motherboard is compatible with AMD Ryzen™ 4000, 3000, 2000 and 1000 series processors with AMD StoreMI. There is a high speed of SSDs and HDDs combined into a single drive, which highlights functioning power and bolsters data performance for incredible value.
The specifications for the product are:
- It supports the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 processors and is compatible with AMD Ryzen 2000 and 1000 processors.
- It has a 64 GB memory storage capacity.
- It comes with fast onboard storage with NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 110mm M.2 (Up to 32 Gb/s).
- Its Realtek 8118 Gaming LAN creates a seamless VR experience.
- It has RGB Fusion 2.0 with digital LEDs support.
7. ASROCK MB ASROCK MB X570 Phantom Gaming X
You will find the Intel Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax adapter with 2.4 Gbps speed in the AMD Ryzen 3000 series. It boosts networking performance up to 2.5X the bandwidth compared to the standard gigabit ethernet, and has the censor to automatically track gaming traffic. Along with this, the motherboard is capable of supporting DDR4 ECC un-buffered memory modules.
It has the following features:
- With 64 GB memory and 2666 MHz processor speed, it is built for DDR4 SDRAM type.
- It has an AMD Premium X570 chipset.
- It supports multiple GPUs NVIDIA NVLink, Quad SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX
- With the PCI Interface graphics card, it has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
- It is a Mini ITX form factor with an AM4 socket.
8. AORUS GIGABYTE AMD B450 AORUS Elite
The AORUS B40 Series gaming motherboard also comes with the StoreMI technology and uses Hybrid Digital PWM + Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs design to support the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ processors. The Realtek 8118 LAN comes with automatic bandwidth allocation. There is also RGB Fusion 2, supporting upto 300 LED lights. It could be your next big purchase.
It comes with the following features:
- It supports AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen/ 1st Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics
- It has Ultra Durable Armour for PCIe/ memory slots.
- It is USB Type-C friendly, which is a big bonus.
- It also has Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- For display, you can count on its HDMI, and DVI-D Ports for multiple display
- What is interesting is that it has dual Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe Gen3 M.2 (x4, x2) with One Thermal Guard
- It also has GIGABYTE Exclusive 8118 Gaming LAN with bandwidth management.
Best value for money
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming, which comes with AMD AM4 Socket and PCIe 4, is the best value for money. It has 12+2 DrMOS power stages with high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors to provide reliable power for the latest high-core-count AMD CPUs. It has a booster for cooling with fanless VRM and chipset heatsinks with ASUS Stack Cool 3+ design. You will also expect high-speed gaming with onboard Wi-Fi 6 (802. 11ax), Bluetooth V5. 1 and 2. 5 GB LAN with ASUS LANGuard.
Best overall
Our suggestion for the best overall gaming motherboard would be the Asus AMD X570 ATX. With the AM4 socket, it is charged for 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors. You will find ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and addressable Gen 2 GRB headers. The cooling solution is also commendable in this motherboard, with 12+4 power stages with ProCool II power connector, alloy chokes and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors. For sound, check if it comes with SupremeFX S1220A, DTS Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III for your best gaming experience. It also has ROG GameFirst software that offers multi-gate teaming.
How to find the perfect gaming motherboard?
Gaming motherboards are different in shape, size and details, and your choice should be towards finding a suitable one for specific CPUs - Intel or AMD. There are three sizes for gaming motherboards – ATX, Mini-ATX, and Micro-ATX.
ATX is the largest gaming motherboard size, while Mini-ATX is the smallest. Both Mini-ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards are compatible with smaller computers and CPUs, while with ATX motherboards, you would get dual slots and an option for upgrading your RAM while also focusing on chips. Nowadays, USB Type C is in use if you might want to look for the same for your gaming motherboards. You would also need to focus on upgrading your connection from Wi-Fi to high speed ethernet, depending on your gaming requirements.
While gaming motherboards come with standard short PCIe x1 and longer PCIe x16 expansion slots, you might want to choose the right one between them. You can also look at the cooling specifications, in case you are looking for an upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which type of motherboard is the best for gaming?
In India, primarily Asus and Intel motherboards dominate the market and claim to be the best for gaming purposes. However, you can also go overboard and select the best gaming motherboard if you are a pro-gamer or as per your requirements.
2. How long does a gaming PC last ideally?
Ideally, one gaming PC lasts for 6-7 years. We also have to note how rapidly high-end technology changes with upgrades and needs.
3. Does a motherboard matter a lot for gaming purposes?
A valuable part of gaming purposes and holistic computer experience, motherboards are essential for your CPU and GPU. If you are a passionate gamer and want to update the motherboard, you can consider getting a gaming motherboard. It must be efficient in high-functioning cooling services and have a graphics card.
4. Will a better motherboard increase the FPS?
A better motherboard will certainly not increase the FPS (Frames Per Second). But if the new board has a different speed RAM or if you change your CPU and GPU, it will impact the FPS.
5. What makes a motherboard good for gaming?
With high specifications and added features, motherboards gain upper hand in quality. If you upgrade your RAM or processor, levelling up the motherboard becomes very important.
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