AMD currently has two platforms on the market, AM4 and AM5 – we show you which boards are the best for gamers.
Although AM5 is on the market and is the more current platform with more modern features, AM4 can still be used well for gaming. Last but not least, an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which, as the king of efficiency, works very quickly and comparatively energy-saving, especially in games, is a reason to stay loyal to AM4 for a little longer.
Because one thing is not possible: Use a Ryzen 7000 on AM4 or an older Ryzen with AM5. So before you buy a motherboard, you have to be aware that you are making a commitment. However, AM4 can also be tempting, especially when larger amounts of high-quality DDR4 RAM are available.
In this purchase guide, you will find mainboards for both sockets. Especially if your account dictates a certain budget, it will be tricky to build a value-for-money system with AM5 due to higher board prices and slightly more expensive DDR5 RAM. With AM4, we, therefore, concentrate more on the entry-level and (upper) middle class, with AM5 we go all out.
Although you can also combine boards with the older B350 or B450 chipsets and their X siblings with Ryzen up to the 5000 series, we would still recommend a more up-to-date board with a B550 or X570 when buying a new motherboard. Why do we without useful features like PCIe 4.0?
Price-performance tip in ATX format
Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2
With the B550 Gaming X V2, Gigabyte does without some equipment features of the higher mainboard class, for example, 2.5 Gbit LAN or WiFi6, but otherwise offers a high-quality mainboard. The upper PCIe port supports PCIe 4.0 with 16 lanes, and the lower PCIe 3.0 with 4 lanes – this is the B550 standard. Also standard is the connection of the upper M.2 slot with 4x PCIe 4.0 for fast NVMe SSDs, the second M.2 interface speaks either SATA or NVMe with PCIe 3.0.
The Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 offers a power supply with 10+2 phases and good cooling for the voltage converters for the price range. The use of the large Ryzen 9 CPUs is also possible without any problems and even with OC. However, the onboard sound based on the Realtek ALC887 only belongs to the middle class.
PROS
sensible mid-range equipment
2x M.2, 1x with PCIe 4.0
Good power supply
CONS
Gigabit LAN only
no built-in WiFi
Sound chip only solid middle class
Entry level in Micro-ATX Gigabyte B550 DS3H
The Micro-ATX format of the Gigabyte B550 DS3H is well suited for smaller computers with space-saving cases, but still offers good equipment at a low price. PCIe 4.0 was not available for just under 100 euros for a long time, X570 boards are more expensive and most Intel boards are too – the same applies to AM5 boards.
Regardless of the price, the B550 DS3H offers four RAM slots (the B550 S2H, which is only 10 euros cheaper, only has two of them) for up to 128 gigabytes of DDR4 and two M.2 slots (B550 S2H: 1x M.2). We would invest the surcharge for the additional storage slots alone. M.2, like the upper 16x PCIe slot, is connected to PCIe 4.0. However, there is no 2.5 gigabit LAN, in this price range gigabit LAN still prevails for the time being.
PRO
low price
solid bread-and-butter board
also for smaller cases (mATX)
cons
Gigabit LAN only
no WLAN
low variety of connections
Round equipment: Asus TUF Gaming B550-Plus
At Asus, the TUF series ranks below the boards of the ROG Strix label in terms of price. You have to make small compromises in terms of equipment, but most users will hardly notice them. Asus releases the DDR4 memory of the TUF Gaming B550-Plus for up to 4,800 MHz (per OC), with the ROG Strix B550 Gaming it is up to 5,100 MHz and more RAM clock. The division of the PCIe lanes for the x16 slots, which corresponds to the B550 standard in the TUF Gaming B550-Plus, is also different: the upper slot is connected to PCIe 4.0 16x, the lower to PCIe 3.0 4x. In times of dwindling importance of multi-GPU systems this is rarely a problem.
Fast network: The Realtek LAN chip is capable of transmission at 2.5 gigabits per second, assuming a corresponding switch and suitable remote stations. The ALC1200 sound chip belongs to the onboard upper class. Rare in the AMD camp, the TUF Gaming B550-Plus features a header for a Thunderbolt output.
Pros
good variety of connections
still comparatively cheap
high-quality voltage converters and cooling
2.5 Gbit LAN
cons
no WLAN
Luxury board despite the B550: Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
Two PCIE 16x with PCIe 4.0: If two x16 plug-in cards are installed, the board does not only enable PCIe 4.0 for the top card, as is often the case with B550 boards, but for both. Since Asus can’t do magic either, there are no more lanes available than on other boards – Asus therefore only uses 8 PCIe lanes each. There are no speed advantages compared to PCIe 3.0 x16 – but the possibility of using PCIe 4.0 in SLI or Crossfire, which the B550 supports. If you only install one graphics card, the upper slot runs as usual with PCIe 4.0 x16.
Asus equips the ROG Strix B550-E Gaming with a high-quality power supply with DRMOS voltage converters and a 14+2 phase design. So your Ryzen 9 feels just as comfortable as smaller CPUs. And when it comes to connectivity, there is also the usual upper class with WiFi6 and 2.5 Gbit LAN.
Pro
very good power supply
2.5 Gigabit LAN and WLAN
high-quality onboard sound
cons
maximum memory clock only average
AMD’s Next Generation: Boards for AM5 and Ryzen 7000
With Ryzen 7000, AMD has drastically cut old habits: The new platform only offers DDR5 and is designed for PCIe Gen5 – however, there are still boards with a B650 chipset that only use PCIe Gen4. Exceptions prove the rule…
Since Ryzen 7000 no longer only comes with the GPU in a few special models but makes the RDNA2 graphics output the standard, graphics outputs are of course available on every board. With the rest of the equipment, the boards are based on upscale AM4 boards, unfortunately also in terms of price. At the launch there was no way around expensive X670 mainboards, now there are also slightly cheaper ones with B650. Nevertheless, you have to budget over 200 euros for it and also stock up on DDR5 RAM – in view of the good performance of the Ryzen 7000, it is still worth investing for AMD fans.
Good facilities including WiFi Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX
With the Aorus Elite AX, you get a well-equipped board that also harmonizes easily with Ryzen 9. As usual with well-equipped AM5 boards, Gigabyte uses an M.2 slot with PCIe Gen5, but two more are also very fast with PCIe Gen4. In addition, three M.2 slots offer good expandability with mass storage. Four SATA ports are also available.
2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (Type C) on the back allows you to use high-speed data carriers and other extensions that require high data rates of 20 GBit/s. to connect. The integrated WLAN module is also practical and supports Bluetooth 5.2 in addition to WiFi6E. A wired network is possible with 2.5 GBit/s.
Pro
Good equipment
PCIe Gen5 SSD possible
Current platform with an expected good lifespan
cons
Price
Handy AM5 board with WLAN MSI Pro B650-P WiFi
Although the micro-ATX format offers fewer expansion options, it is also suitable for handier PCs in small cases. Nevertheless, the equipment is not worse than with large ATX boards, as MSI proves with the Pro B650-Plus. So you don’t even have to do without 2x M.2 for PCIe 4.0 SSDs. But then on PCIe Gen5, MSI saves the support for it. But that applies to many B650 boards for less than 300 euros.
Even if Micro-ATX doesn’t look like OC, MSI offers numerous OC options for the CPU and, above all, also advertises fast DDR5 with a clock rate of more than 6,400 MHz. The good power supply with 12+2 phases also helps with the OC. As the name already suggests, WLAN is also on board, and here too the current version WiFi6E + Bluetooth 5.2.
Pro
WiFi6E and BT 5.2
2x M.2 despite mATX
Current platform with an expected good lifespan
cons
PCIe Gen4 SSD only
Price
B650 mid-range in ATX Asus TUF Gaming B650 Plus
At 280 euros, the TUF Gaming B650-Plus is not cheap, but the entry-level prices for the new platform are still generally quite high. Nevertheless, you have to do without PCIe Gen5 for the SSD with the TUF – currently, not a big sacrifice but may be annoying in the future. But DDR5 is mandatory for Ryzen 7000, so Asus can’t fob you off with DDR4 at all. And in general, the manufacturer pushes the RAM up a notch and also allows OC to over 6,400 MHz.
With the Realtec ALC S1200A, the board provides a good sound, which also leaves behind many a plugged-in sound card. For the network, there is the new industry standard of 2.5 GBit/s. For 20 GBit/s. fast USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (whoever comes up with these names: let us help you!) there is a port on the back.
Pro
Lots of storage options
good onboard sound
Current platform with an expected good lifespan
cons
PCIe Gen4 SSD only
Price
High-end motherboard with USB 4 and PCIe Gen5 ASRock X670E Tai Chi
PCIe Gen5 for the graphics card slot with 16 lanes is still rather rare, even with AMD’s new platform. Especially since suitable GPUs are still missing in order to be able to fully exploit the slot. Let alone other expansion cards, because after all the Taichi has two x16 ports with Gen5. The primary M.2 SSD can also use PCIe Gen5, which promises high transfer rates. We would have liked a little more than 2.5 GBit/s for network support, but WiFi 6E is included in the return.
While USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 transfers a maximum of 20 gigabits per second, with USB 4 it is even up to 40 gigabits per second. Video signals can also be transmitted with it, otherwise, there is an HDMI port for potential experiments with the RDNA2 graphics of the Ryzen 7000. If even a Ryzen 7000 is still too slow for you, the board naturally also offers extensive OC options and the possibility of using very fast DDR5 RAM with more than 6,600 MHz.
Pro
Lots of OC options
PCIe Gen5 for GPU and SSD
Current platform with an expected good lifespan
cons
Price
only 2.5 GBit/s LAN
