Best AMD Motherboards For Gaming In 2023

AMD is resurgent in 2023. Its Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU has taken back the gaming performance crown from Intel and decisively so. It delivers on the promise the Ryzen 7000 series made when it launched, and before it was overshadowed by a resurgent Raptor Lake-based Intel 13th generation processor lineup.

As we account for AMD’s newer, gaming-centric Ryzen 7000X3D processor lineup, which currently dominates benchmarks for both gaming and efficiency, we also need to look at motherboards to partner with AMD’s latest and greatest gaming-centric CPUs. For users looking for a better bargain, AMD’s older 7000 series CPUs are often on sale, making them an impressive consideration to make at certain price points for both gaming and productivity.

Finding The Best AMD Gaming Motherboards

While AMD’s AM5 socket-based platforms continue to improve at various price points, they offer considerably better value in the mid-range and entry-level segments compared to the B650 and A620 chipsets. That’s even as it ushers in PCI-E 5.0 and DDR5 memory as standards at the high end, with the latter being a mainstay, even in budget-centric motherboards. A gaming motherboard, however, should be judged by its performance in multiple metrics, including, but not limited to:

• Overclocking Performance: Generally, motherboards with better power delivery tend to allow for better overclocking and pushing past spec thanks to stable and readily available power to support AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) overclocking solutions as well as customized manual overclocking needs.
• RAM Compatibility: While AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series generally works with DDR5 memory clocked at 4800 MHz or higher, better memory modules can overclock to well north of 6000 MHz and do offer performance gains for specific tasks including gaming for some power users.
• Support For Upcoming Processors: Higher-end motherboards and those with larger BIOS chips should have better and more readily available support for newer CPUs if AMD’s socket AM4 is anything to go by. This means users with better chipsets X670/X670E might see better support for newer AM5-based CPUs in the coming days.
• Timely BIOS Updates: While new BIOS updates add features and iron out bugs, they also bring direct optimizations from AMD in the form of AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture (AGESA). Not only does this cover security updates as well as performance enhancements, but it might also add to stability, something that is key to any gamer’s experience.
• Storage & Networking Options: A lot of motherboards skip or offer crippled storage and networking options in 2023. Gamers should not need to look sideways to eliminate bandwidth issues, connectivity, or latency problems or have to swap out entire storage mediums when upgrading due to the lack of storage connectivity slots (M2 & SATA alike). Getting a motherboard that is well-endowed in these departments is often an investment that pays off manifold, both in upgrade costs and convenience down the line.

While AMD’s X670E motherboards are generally pricier than Intel’s premium end, they are expected to remain relevant far longer than Intel’s current crop of 600 and 700-series motherboards. That isn’t exactly an excuse for their abysmal pricing at times. However, it should make parting with your cash easier knowing you picked up a motherboard that will possibly be a mainstay in your system for multiple generations of processors.

To run AMD’s highest-end offerings as well as any of the Ryzen 7000 or 7000X3D lineups, you will need a motherboard that supports the AM5 socket and sports the AMD 600 series chipsets (A620/B650/X670/X670E). But with so many options to choose from, one can easily get confused about what to buy, given the plethora of options that often are not quite distinguished from each other. This makes choosing the right motherboard for the right job a tad harder. Thankfully, the team at GameRant has decided to lend you a hand by highlighting some of the best motherboards for gaming.

All our recommendations are specific to AM5 socket motherboards. That means only AMD Ryzen 7000 series and up processors are compatible with these motherboards.

The GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard is a complete, albeit pricey, gaming-centric motherboard. It offers a massive amount of I/O options, sporting dual PCI-E Gen 5 SSD support in addition to PCI-E 5.0 support on the x16 slot, making it a future-proof offering, unlike its cheaper B650/A620 competitors. While it holds its own exceedingly well versus some of the top-tier models of its competition, as more competitive mid-range offerings from other vendors begin to hit mainstream lineups, the $500 price tag the Aorus Master commands does seem to be stretching its value proposition. Some of its competitors offer similar features in sub-$300 to $400 motherboards.

With solid BIOS support from Gigabyte (eight major updates since launch at the time of writing) and a connector-dense motherboard, there isn’t much that the Aorus Master misses. Given the abysmally steep prices of some of the higher-end X670E-based motherboards from its competition, one might even be willing to let Gigabyte’s excellent offering slide in the pricing department without saying too much for an excellent motherboard that does tick all the boxes for an AMD-based motherboard. That’s even as it trades at a 10% discount over MSRP at multiple retailers.

The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard is in just the right place at the right time for most gamers. It isn’t the crazy overkill that the Hero and the Crosshair Extreme are for most users, while it delivers substantial value compared to most of the motherboards that directly compete with it, often at sub $500 price points. It is feature-rich and comes with support for PCI-E 5.0 on both the x16 slot and the M2 slot out of the box, making it a true long-term investment while the AM5 socket remains in play.

ASUS’s ROG Strix X670E-based lineup has generally been pricier than the competition, which often has contenders at the sub-$250 to $300 mark. That’s even as it was engulfed in controversy a few months ago about how it was handling RMAs based on the flawed handling of CPU overvolting, which could result in damage to both the motherboard and CPU. ASUS has since rallied well, rolling back its controversial stance on RMAs for affected motherboards and multiple BIOS updates that do not exhibit the same issues that earlier versions had.

While it does come packed to the brim with additional features and value than some of its competition, ASUS’s offering also benefits from a 10% price cut lately. It offers 2.5G Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and decent power delivery. Given that ASUS’s new BIOS resolves most of the issues faced by users in the past, it makes for a formidable alternative, though at a premium compared to the competition.

The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara is a statement in white from ASRock to match its black-themed X670E Taichi motherboard that also trades at a $100 discount over its sibling. It throws in a free 120mm fan to compensate as well as Carrara marble as part of its design. This makes for a much more premium appearance than some of its alternatives.

The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara, however, is more than just a good-looking motherboard. It houses one of the best power delivery mechanisms on offer for any AM5-based motherboard coupled with excellent memory overclocking credentials. With Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 support in addition to 2.5 GB ethernet support with Killer networking controllers allowing for excellent, low-latency gaming, it offers some of the best networking money can buy on an X670E motherboard.

It also offers quad M2 slots, including one with PCI-E 5.0 support, in addition to dual PCI-E 5.0 x16 slots, making it a future-proof purchase for a next-generation GPU upgrade down the line. All in all, while the Taichi Carrara might compare unfavorably in terms of value versus its cheaper edition in black, it boils down to whether users are willing to part with that $100 for aesthetics and a Carrara-themed fan. For many, the answer might be yes for the aesthetic appeal alone.

The ASRock X670E PG Lightning Gaming Motherboard is an excellent mid-range X670E-based motherboard that allows users to game and perform productivity-related work with ease. That’s thanks to the highest-end AMD chipset coupled with excellent power delivery.

It does sacrifice its Wi-Fi capabilities to manage cost, but in return, it does offer significant amounts of I/O options that are normally found on higher-end motherboards. As gamers, most users want low-latency gaming. The capable 2.5G Ethernet port should take care of most gamers’ needs, even if the option for wireless connectivity would be ideal.

The ASRock X670E PG Lightning Gaming Motherboard is a capable performer that delivers on its promise. It has a few quirks that can be remedied at a small additional cost such as adding a capable Wi-Fi adapter should the need arise.

The ASRock X670E PG Lightning Gaming Motherboard remains one of the most cost-effective ways to get an X670E chipset-based AM5 motherboard. Despite no changes in pricing since Game Rant last looked, it seems to be a safe bet to make if gaming on a budget. ASRock does ship a more capable, but pricey Steel Legend SKU that offers better aesthetics and Wi-Fi 6E built-in if users can shell out the extra $40 required to get it.

The GIGABYTE B650 AORUS Elite AX is a budget B650-based motherboard that stretches the definition of “budget gaming” as it delivers on pretty much every metric one would use to judge its higher-end siblings. For a motherboard sporting an entry-level chipset from AMD, one would expect a lot less, but given the price and the lack of better options in the same price range, it is a no-brainer contender for the best budget AMD motherboard.

With overclockable DDR5 support along with an extensive networking hardware stack in play that offers Wi-Fi 6E and PCI-E 5.0 support out of the box, the B650-based motherboard also comes with a capable 14+2+1 phase power delivery system that pulls it ahead of its competition. While it is on the high side of where motherboards should cost, we feel this one justifies its price while offering an excellent, future-proof alternative to motherboards that cost a multiple of the same.

The GIGABYTE B650 AORUS Elite AX is a capable mid-ranger motherboard that does everything it says on the label, and while we aren’t fans of the price point it currently trades at, it does offer an excellent mid-range motherboard experience that can also be considered a budget take at AM5 motherboards given the high median prices for the newer chipset-based motherboards from AMD. It currently is available at its MSRP of just above $200 on Amazon and Newegg.

The ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING Wi-Fi combines a powerful X670E-based motherboard with the compactness that the M-ITX spec dictates. It remains a credible performer that has multiple overclocking-friendly features in tow as it pushes the boundaries of what is possible from a small form factor PC when paired with processors like the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D or 7950X while throwing in dual USB 4.0 ports into the mix for power users.

It does suffer somewhat from the lack of space, as it reduces its DDR5 RAM slots to two and also offers only two M2 slots onboard. It does attempt to compensate for the limited I/O on board by offering more control via the ASUS ROG Strix Hive and the Asus ROG FPS-II card that extend more headers and ports using a vertically mounted approach to remain within M-ITX specifications.

With limited alternatives in the market for an ITX-based AM5 motherboard, the ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING Wi-Fi motherboard remains the best choice for many users looking to get a smaller form factor without sacrificing performance or PCI-E lanes on their high-end PC. As a result, however, prices have moved sideways with both major retailers we track for this particular motherboard, making it an expensive affair to go ITX with an X670E chipset, especially if you want to go the ASUS ROG Strix route.

RELATED: The Best Motherboards For AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs

The MSI MEG X670E GODLIKE Motherboard is an amalgamation of everything premium users can get from an MSI motherboard condensed into one massive E-ATX-based product offering. It should have users covered in terms of IO, networking, and overclocking needs for years to come for the AM5 platform.

The MEG X670E GODLIKE is the definition of overkill when it comes to hardware, and it comes with a price to match. In fact, it has the not-so-desired crown of the most expensive AM5-based motherboard to date. This is partially due to the extra goodies, such as the touchscreen 4.5-inch M-Vision dashboard and the PCI-E based M2 XPANDER-Z dual slot M2 adapter, that enables it to support a total of six PCI-Express-based NVME SSDs.

However, the lack of USB 4.0 ports that its rival ASUS sports in its high-end offerings does put a bit of a damper on MSI’s offerings in terms of future-proofing. Otherwise, the MEG is a motherboard that pushes limits in all conceivable ways on the X670E platform while sporting an AM5 socket that we expect to be relevant for years to come.

The MSI MEG X670E GODLIKE Motherboard has seen no major price movements, trading at $1200 or higher at multiple retailers. It currently looks to take up the space ceded by the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme as a great, overclocking-friendly premium motherboard alternative. It remains one of the priciest X670E-based investments buyers can make for gaming, productivity, or overclocking needs, but it now seems to be more viable simply because of higher prices in play for some of its direct competitors.

What’s Next After A Motherboard Purchase?

Already purchased a motherboard or are looking to pair it off with a capable processor from the AMD Ryzen 7000 series? Check out Game Rant’s guide on the latest and greatest AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X and if it is worth shelling out extra for the former. You might also want to consider Game Rant’s recently updated guide to purchasing memory/RAM for a DDR5-based AMD PC as well as a GPU to pair with it to bolster gaming/productivity needs.

FAQ

Q: What is the latest AMD motherboard chipset?

AMD’s 600 series chipsets are the latest. Chipsets start from the budget-oriented B650 and edge towards the performance tier with the X670 while pushing the enthusiast tier with the X670E chipset.

Q: What processors do the B650 or X670/X670E chipset support?

All AM5-based processors to date. While all AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors are supported out of the box currently, Ryzen 7000 X3D series processors might need a BIOS update to function with motherboards that sport older BIOS versions.