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Both Intel and AMD have put their new CPUs out into the world. With these new releases, a lot of new best motherboards options are available. There are many familiar faces from previous generations, including DDR5 and PCIe Gen 5 technology.
The CPU, memory, cooler, storage, and graphics card all depend so much on the motherboard that you probably won’t want to upgrade for at least a few years after you’ve screwed the best motherboards into your case and installed Windows.
Think of the best motherboards as the base for your future PC. Your PC’s motherboard controls what you can and can’t do with it. It also tells you what parts to buy, since not all PC parts work with all motherboards.
Best Motherboards
Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
Specifications
Dimensions | 14.6 x 12.2 x 4.5 inches |
Weight | 9.15 pounds |
Manufacturer | ASUS |
Memory Speed | 7000 MHz |
The Asus ROG Z790 is one of the best options on the market if you want a high-end best motherboards for your Intel 13th-generation CPU. The Intel i9 13900K is a great match for this because it has two 20+1 power stages that provide more than enough performance.
There are a lot of M.2 drive slots—three on the motherboard and two more on an included ROG M.2 PCIe card. Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5Gb networking, and more “heatsinks” than you can count are also great features.
Pros
- It’s great for both gamers and people who make content.
- Excellent input/output, M.2 drive options, and USB ports
- It has a nice look and is well made.
Cons
- It would be great to have 10GbE networking.
Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Ultra
Specifications
Dimensions | 13.18 x 10.62 x 3.14 inches |
Brand | Gigabyte |
Weight | 1 pounds |
Voltage | 12 Volts |
It looks industrial with its dark grey and silver finish, which is a change from the Z590 model that came before it. The best motherboards can handle up to 128GB of DDR5 6200 memory, and the main PCIe x16 slot comes with PCIe gen 5, making it future-proof.
There are also a total of four M.2 slots and six SATA ports, so there is a lot of storage space on the inside. There are also 105A Renesas SPS MOSFETs and finned heatsinks for the VRM, as well as two large heatsinks for the top and bottom M.2 sockets.
Pros
- Four slots for M.2 drives
- Lots of USB ports on the back
- Power delivery that is strong and VRMs
- PCIe Gen 5 support
Cons
- No Wi-Fi 6e
- Industrial design not suitable for all
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
Specifications
CPU support | Intel 12th and 13th Gen |
Size | ATX |
Memory support | 4x DIMM, Up to 128GB, DDR5-7200+(OC) |
Storage | 4x M.2, 7x SATA |
Network | Intel 2.5G LAN, Intel Wi-Fi 6E |
Most of the time, MSI’s Tomahawk best motherboards get high marks. They tend to focus on a core set of features rather than the high-end features that are common on boards that cost a lot more.
If you don’t care about bells and whistles but still want something that can run a demanding Core i9 13900K CPU, you might be interested in Tomahawk models. The MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi, as the name suggests, is part of MSI’s second-tier sub-brand MAG.
Pros
- Excellent VRM
- Seven SATA ports
Cons
- No PCIe 5.0 M.2
Asus TUF Gaming H670-PRO WIFI D4
Specifications
CPU Socket | LGA1700 |
Chipset | H670 |
Memory Support | 4 x DDR4 5,333MHz 128GB |
M.2 Slots | 4 x M.2 slot PCIe 4.0 x 4 |
Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 |
The Asus TUF Gaming H670-PRO WIFI D4 is best motherboards with a reasonable price that speeds up your system. It has the LGA1700 socket and the H670 chipset, so it works with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors.
Also, it has a PCIe 5.0 slot, which is twice as fast as a PCIe 4.0 slot, so it will be great for the newest GPUs. The four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, which offer incredible performance potential and fast transfers, also support NVMe SSDs.
Pros
- incredible performance
- excellent option
Cons
- Pricey
NZXT N7 B550
Specifications
Socket | AM4 |
Chipset | AMD B550 |
Form Factor | ATX |
Power | 12+4 power stages |
Warranty | 3 years |
The B550 chipset replaced AMD’s old B450 chipsets on the market with improvements like PCIe 4.0 for GPUs and SSDs, dual-GPU configurations, and more. We recommend the B550 motherboards for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money to get the premium features of the X570, and the NZXT N7 B550 is our pick in this case.
The N7 B550 motherboard for AMD CPUs was made by NZXT and ASRock. It’s one of the best-looking and cleanest best motherboards you’ll find. Its design was inspired by NZXT’s signature line of PC cases.
Pros
- Not too expensive
- Two USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps ports
- 2.5Gbps LAN
Cons
- No Wi-Fi built in
Asrock X299 Taichi CLX
Specifications
Weight | 2.2 pounds |
Dimensions | 12.5 x 15 x 5 inches |
Manufacturer | ASRock |
RAM | DDR4 |
Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
Extra-large heatsink made of aluminium alloy and heatpipe that work well to remove heat from the MOSFET so that the whole system works more steadily. The best motherboards cover made of aluminium alloy that works well to improve heat dissipation.
It has three gaming-required M 2 key M sockets under its solid, strong cover. Your unique rig will give you amazing performance and great looks. The Polychrome Sync-certified accessories can work together to sync the built-in ARGB LEDs or the devices that are connected.
Pros
- Stable running
- Having a good look
- Well-put-together BIOS
Cons
- No button to flash the BIOS
MSI MAG B660M Mortar WIFI DDR4
Specifications
Socket | LGA 1700 |
Chipset | Intel B660 |
Warranty | 3 years |
Voltage Regulator | 14 Phase |
Form Factor | mATX |
As long as you don’t plan to overclock your CPU or use PCIe 5.0 devices before your next upgrade, the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WIFI DDR4 and its best motherboards is a great way to get into Alder Lake without spending a lot of money on your build.
It doesn’t look as nice or have as much RGB lighting as more expensive boards, but it comes with everything you need to get the most out of an Alder Lake CPU that is running at its stock speed. The Mortar has two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 sockets, six SATA ports.
Pros
- Affordable
- Did a good job.
- Six SATA ports
Cons
- DDR4 has a small drop in performance.
FAQs
What motherboard has the best quality?
Because of this, we think the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master is the best Intel motherboard right now. It is the best because of its price, features, and how well it works. The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master has four DIMM slots that can hold a total of 128GB of RAM.
Why do good motherboards cost a lot?
For this reason, more expensive motherboards will have more phases of power delivery and better cooling for the VRMs on the board that control the voltage to the CPU. As a result, motherboards that cost more are better for people who want the best performance from their parts.
Which mother board is the hardest?
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, says that the “HGX” is the most complicated motherboard in the world. It can hold eight of the company’s “A100” GPU chips, which are shown here as eight huge heat sinks.