Find out how to Select a Motherboard for Gaming (2024 Up to date)

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Selecting a Suitable Motherboard for Your Gaming PC Construct (Purchaser’s Information + FAQ)

Final Up to date: August 18, 2024

Motherboards are notoriously complicated items of labor, and would possibly simply be the trickiest part to pick out when constructing your individual pc. However worry not, as within the traditional beginner-friendly vogue of the guides on this website, we’ll go away the complicated jargon apart and break down how to decide on a motherboard on your gaming PC construct together with how to make sure it is appropriate along with your different elements, which options to find out about and what they imply, plus solutions to a bunch of frequent newbie questions. If you’d like particular motherboard mannequin suggestions, additionally see the most recent gaming PC builds information for prime worth picks in each value class.

What Is a Motherboard? (& Anatomy Diagram)

As at all times, we’ll begin at floor zero so no beginner will get left behind. Should you consider your CPU because the brains of your pc that is accountable for all of the real-time calculations wanted to run purposes and video games, the motherboard is the center and central nervous system of your PC. Your motherboard (typically additionally referred to as a mainboard) is the place all the opposite elements of your pc connects to and interconnects/communicates with each other.

For instance, motherboards have a CPU socket the place the CPU connects , PCIe slots (additionally referred to as enlargement slots) the place add-on playing cards like video, community, or sound playing cards join, and reminiscence slots (technically DIMM slots) the place RAM modules are linked. Motherboards additionally include all the assorted ports and different options of your system akin to USB, video output (for built-in graphics), storage connections, and the record goes on. Put merely, when putting in any PC part, it might want to both join straight on or to the motherboard.

Let’s shortly have a look at the principle places on a motherboard to be accustomed to. Motherboards are most undoubtedly too cool for biology faculty, however here is the “anatomy” of a motherboard if you’ll:

Should you’re constructing your first PC and maybe slightly overwhelmed by the references above to varied levels of the set up course of, don’t fret as once you observe a whole step-by-step tutorial on constructing a PC, you may be steadily taken by way of every step separately within the appropriate order (so that you just will not get misplaced). Anyway, let’s get again to choosing the proper motherboard on your PC.

Is the Motherboard Essential for a Gaming PC?

Do motherboards have an effect on efficiency? No, motherboards haven’t got a direct affect on the efficiency of your pc. Nevertheless, the significance of a pc part does not rely solely on the way it impacts system or gaming efficiency. Motherboards play an important position in any PC, and the kind you purchase will decide the general performance and reliability of your new pc, amongst different issues.

As you’ll be able to see from the diagram earlier, each part in your system connects to your motherboard indirectly, so it is not arduous to think about that it performs a key position. Your selection of motherboard will dictate the options you could have entry to, which elements you’ll be able to join (and what number of), what forms of future upgrades you can also make, and different particulars akin to what pace sure elements can run at (akin to your RAM, M.2 SSDs, and even your graphics card).

Skimping in your motherboard buy by merely deciding on the most affordable board you’ll find might come again to chew you later, because it might have lacking options that you just wanted on your PC construct (or for a future improve in case you are planning on doing one in a couple of months or years). Nevertheless, whereas the motherboard is necessary, that does not imply you should (nor ought to) spend too a lot of your total funds on the motherboard.

How A lot Ought to You Spend on a Motherboard?

As talked about, the motherboard will not straight change what body fee you get whereas gaming, nevertheless it does decide the options of your PC, which different elements you should use, and the general reliability of your PC. There’s such a factor as overkill when shopping for a motherboard although, so do not assume you want an costly board to do a superb job. A standard beginner mistake when constructing a PC is definitely overspending on the motherboard, and consequently reducing your self slightly quick in your different elements.

Selecting how a lot to spend on a motherboard is a balancing act relying in your different elements, and what you may be doing along with your PC (now and in future). A basic rule of thumb to go by is that the dearer your PC construct total, the extra necessary your motherboard selection turns into. Particularly your selection of gaming CPU – the very last thing you need to do is pair a robust high-end CPU with an affordable board that will not be capable of deal with it. Even when the 2 are appropriate on paper, does not essentially imply it is a good pairing within the real-world.

And if you propose to overclock your CPU (not typically suggest if that is your first construct although), the significance of your motherboard choice will increase even additional, as the warmer a CPU runs the extra it depends on not simply the CPU cooler however the high quality of the motherboard as nicely (particularly the VRM and heatsink/s of the board; coated within the FAQ on the finish if ).

However for most individuals constructing a mid-range sort system (or an affordable one on a good funds), you do not require an excessive amount of from a motherboard until you want sure superior options for no matter purpose. As a real-world instance, should you’re say shopping for the at present uber-popular Ryzen 5 3600 CPU which is nicely below $200 US, there’s simply no must spend any greater than $100 to $140 in your motherboard (typically talking) until you need to for issues like overclocking, higher aesthetics (appears to be like/design), or another function (akin to PCIe 4.0 assist if investing in high-end next-gen SSDs for demanding modifying purposes and so forth).

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, should you’re constructing with a super-powerful Intel i9 9900K or 10900K (or Ryzen 9) processor as an illustration, pairing both with a motherboard across the similar value (below $150 and so forth) is asking for bother. Sure; even should you’re not overclocking, as motherboard VRMs (defined in our FAQ on the finish however basically refers back to the space of a board that delivers energy to the CPU) are necessary even for merely operating a CPU at inventory speeds. When paired with a robust processor, a motherboard with a weak VRM can truly throttle (decrease) efficiency of a CPU when below load (or worse, akin to overheating the system or straight-up shutting it down).

Find out how to Examine Motherboard and CPU Compatibility

Let’s get into selecting a appropriate motherboard on your construct, beginning with CPU and motherboard compatibility. Fortunately, to know in case your motherboard is appropriate along with your CPU, all you should do is be sure that the chipset of your motherboard (akin to AMD’s “B550” chipset) makes use of the identical socket sort as your CPU (such because the “AM4” socket which is utilized by many AMD CPUs). On this instance, the B550 chipset makes use of the AM4 socket, so in case your CPU is AM4 you then’re good. To examine this stuff, merely have a look at the product itemizing of your CPU and motherboard. Learn on for extra clarification on motherboard and CPU compatibility.

What’s the CPU Socket Kind?

CPUs are differentiated by their socket sort, which is solely their bodily make-up/structure. All CPUs inside the similar household/sequence use the identical socket sort. For instance, the AMD Ryzen 3000 and 5000 sequence makes use of the AM4 socket sort (so do all of the earlier Ryzen sequence). However the newest Ryzen 7000 sequence makes use of the brand new AM5 socket. Present Intel socket sorts are LGA 1151 (for Intel ninth gen), LGA 1200 (for Intel tenth gen and eleventh gen), and LGA 1700 (for Intel twelfth gen and thirteenth gen). When selecting a motherboard, you will need to select one which has the identical socket sort as your CPU.

Matching the Socket Kind With a Suitable Motherboard

To match a CPU with a motherboard, all you need to do is make word of your CPU’s socket sort. So for AMD, that may seemingly be both AM4 or the newer AM5. You then select a motherboard that helps the AM4 socket sort (akin to B450, X470, B550, or X570, all of which use the AM4 socket) or the AM5 socket sort (B650 or X670) The supported socket sort of a motherboard will at all times be listed within the specs someplace.

Let’s get into appropriate chipsets for AMD and Intel CPUs, protecting in thoughts these usually are not full lists of ALL appropriate chipsets and solely the most recent ones which might be really helpful for a selected CPU sequence when constructing a brand new system.

Suitable Motherboards for AMD RYZEN 7000 (Socket AM5)

• X670 (for energy customers)
• B650 (greatest worth)

Suitable Motherboards for AMD RYZEN 5000 (Socket AM4)

• X570 (for energy customers)
• B550 (greatest worth)
• X470 (might require BIOS replace)
• B450 (might require BIOS replace)

Suitable Motherboards for AMD RYZEN 3000 (Socket AM4)

• X570
• B550 **
• A520 **
• X470
• B450

** Not appropriate with Ryzen 3000 APUs (3200G and 3400G)

Suitable Motherboards for INTEL 13TH GEN (Socket LGA 1700)

• Z790 (greatest)
• Z690 (greatest, may have BIOS replace)
• B760* (funds)
• B660* (funds, may have BOIS replace)

Suitable Motherboards for INTEL 12TH GEN (Socket LGA 1700)

• Z690 (greatest)
• B660* (funds)

Suitable Motherboards for INTEL 11TH GEN (Socket LGA 1200)

Suitable Motherboards for INTEL 10TH GEN (Socket LGA 1200)

• Z590
• B560*
• H570*
• H510*
• Z490
• B460*
• H470*
• H410*

* Does not assist CPU overclocking

See Additionally: Find out how to Select a CPU

Motherboard Sizes Defined (Compatibility With Case)

To know in case your motherboard shall be appropriate and slot in your PC case, you will need to examine the specs of your case to verify it helps your motherboard’s dimension. Technically, the dimensions of a motherboard is known as its kind issue, and there are 4 fundamental sizes to select from when constructing a desktop pc:

Not completely to scale ‘trigger such as you, I am human (largely). Should you want particular measurements for no matter purpose go right here

ATX (Full/Normal Measurement)

We’ll begin with ATX (2nd from the left within the picture above) because it’s the most typical motherboard dimension utilized in a contemporary gaming PC construct (Micro ATX is probably going not far behind although). ATX motherboards slot in any mid tower or full tower case, and might provide a full vary of options as a result of their full dimension.

Micro ATX (Smaller)

Micro-ATX, generally referred to easily as mATX, are slightly shorter than normal ATX motherboards and are good selections if you are constructing in a smaller case and/or should you’re on a good funds (mATX boards are usually a bit cheaper than ATX ones). The tradeoff is you get a couple of much less options, most notably much less enlargement (PCIe) slots, however typically much less RAM slots too (2 as an alternative of the 4 discovered on any fashionable ATX board).

Nevertheless there are many mATX motherboards with 4 RAM slots, and by way of enlargement slots, for many builds you would not want them anyway as most gaming builds solely want to make use of 1 PCIe slot (for a graphics card) and perhaps 2 most should you’re throwing in a WiFi card (in case your motherboard does not have onboard WiFi however you need WiFi). Simply be sure that the case you utilize particularly lists assist for mATX motherboards. Oh, and yet one more factor about mATX motherboards is typically they will make your construct look slightly “emptier” when you have a see-through aspect window in your case (not an enormous concern although however price mentioning).

Mini ITX (Smallest)

Brief for Mini ITX, these are the smallest motherboards however will solely match sure instances which might be additionally of the mITX kind issue. Mini ITX computer systems is usually a little trickier to construct, so shopping for a mITX motherboard isn’t typically really helpful for first-time builders (it makes issues like cable administration and optimizing airflow tougher).

Prolonged ATX (Additional Giant)

Hardly ever utilized by mere mortals, Prolonged-ATX (referred to generally as EATX) motherboards are the most important shopper desktop motherboards you should purchase, utilized in excessive “my CPU prices greater than your PC” setups for otherworldly issues like twin CPUs or quad GPUs. They’re the identical top as ATX boards, however slightly wider. Naturally, EATX boards will solely slot in giant instances that explicitly record assist for EATX. For most individuals, it is secure to say you’ll be able to simply ignore EATX altogether.

Find out how to Examine Motherboard and RAM Compatibility

When selecting a motherboard on your gaming pc you additionally want to verify it is going to be appropriate with the RAM modules that you just select. To know in case your motherboard and RAM are appropriate, merely examine the next:

• Motherboard Should Help RAM Kind (DDR4 or DDR5) – By this I imply the overall sort of RAM. The present normal is DDR4, the earlier was DDR3, and the next-gen is DDR5 which has just lately launched with the most recent Intel and AMD motherboards. Motherboards will solely assist one sort of RAM (DDR4 or DDR5 – by no means each).

• Motherboard Should Help RAM Velocity – Additionally examine your motherboard will assist your RAM pace. Shopping for 3200MHz modules? Examine that 3200MHz is formally acknowledged within the motherboard’s record of supported RAM speeds. Should you see “OC” listed after the pace, it merely means you should manually set the pace within the motherboard BIOS (software program) to be able to run the module at that pace (useless straightforward to do as defined in our BIOS setup information).

• RAM Should Not Exceed Motherboard’s Most RAM Capability – It is also good to know the utmost quantity of reminiscence your board can tackle, significantly should you’re constructing an excessive system with a ton of reminiscence, or should you’re planning on upgrading later. This should not be an issue for many builds because it’s uncommon to make the most of the higher limits of what a board helps (any first rate fashionable board will assist a wholesome quantity of 32, 64 or 128 GB and so forth).

• Motherboard Should Have Sufficient RAM Slots – Full-sized ATX motherboards may have 4 RAM slots, however Micro ATX and/or Mini ITX motherboards would possibly solely have 2. Clearly, should you get a board with solely 2 slots, do not buy 4 RAM modules. However you at all times need to get 2 modules and by no means 1, as with 2 modules put in your RAM will run in what’s referred to as “twin channel” mode that may improve efficiency barely (not a lot, nevertheless it undoubtedly makes a distinction).

Should you examine the above issues, you’ll be good to go 9 instances out of 10. However it’s price mentioning there are specific cases (should you get unfortunate) the place a selected set of RAM sticks won’t be appropriate with a sure motherboard, even when the entire above specs match up. Why? It simply occurs sadly, and is why motherboard producers present what’s referred to as a QVL (Certified Vendor Checklist) for his or her motherboards, which lists the RAM modules they’ve formally examined to work with that board.

Associated: DDR4 vs DDR5 Variations

However the factor is, it is not possible for producers to check and record each single mannequin of RAM on the market for all their boards, so many modules will nonetheless work fantastic even when they are not on the QVL record. Fashionable {hardware} is nice like that; it normally simply works. So on the whole, as a result of low potential for compatibility points with regards to motherboard and RAM (particularly should you follow extra frequent RAM manufacturers), the overall consensus inside the DIY neighborhood is that it is secure to disregard the QVL and simply purchase whichever RAM you need.

Superior: What’s the QVL? Does it Matter?

Does Motherboard Model Matter? (Finest Producers)

In the case of selecting a motherboard, there are solely so many producers (manufacturers) on the market. To make sure most reliability and high quality, you need to follow the large 4 names within the motherboard recreation that are Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and ASRock (in no specific order). 

There are different corporations on the market who produce some motherboards (like Biostar and EVGA), however until you could have a superb purpose and precisely what you are doing, we do not suggest veering away from the large 4. However after all, not all particular fashions are created equal, so simply because a board is created by one among these producers, it does not essentially imply it is a good purchase.

All the time do your analysis. As for which motherboard producer is the perfect between Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock – there isn’t a clear single winner who stands above the remaining. As talked about, it comes right down to evaluating particular fashions, and likewise private desire as when you begin utilizing a bunch of various boards over your DIY life chances are you’ll discover a sure producer’s boards and/or software program (just like the BIOS) to be simpler and/or extra enjoyable to make use of.

For particular, present suggestions on the perfect motherboards for gaming PCs proper now, take a look at the repeatedly up to date Really useful Gaming PC Builds and try the included boards in every construct for a stable instance of fine worth motherboards to contemplate shopping for in numerous value tiers. Do not simply take our phrase for it although and do not blindly choose the primary motherboard you see; at all times do your homework to verify the actual mannequin you go together with has all of the options that you really want, particularly when you have additional necessities in comparison with the common PC person. 

Motherboard Options FAQ

Right here we’ll cowl sure different particular elements of selecting a motherboard. Not all of this stuff apply to everybody, however a few of them could also be necessary to know relying in your construct.

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Indie dev at present engaged on my first public launch after tinkering as a programmer and recreation designer through the years with passion initiatives. Writing and updating the articles on this website helps slightly with self-funding the sport, and I hope the positioning helps prevent cash or frustration when constructing a brand new PC. If you wish to assist the work I do, sharing an article on socials or Reddit does assist out, and is far appreciated. I additionally settle for ideas, however please don’t tip until this website has helped you considerably.

My fav video games of all time are OOT, Excellent Darkish, MGS1, MGS2, GE007, DKC2, THPS3, Halo, HL1, and HL2, with the newest addition to my record of immortals being the VR masterpiece Alyx. For anybody who owns a VR headset, you’ll find out about my upcoming recreation right here the place I shall be sharing the upcoming announcement trailer as quickly as I am pleased with the extent of high quality of the sport to have the ability to share it with the world.