Best AMD Motherboards: May 2022

Right here’s the newest replace to our record of really useful AMD motherboards in our sequence of motherboard consumers guides. All numbers within the textual content are up to date to mirror pricing on the time of writing.

Finest AMD Motherboards: Could 2022

In what seems to be a remaining swan tune for AMD’s long-lived AM4 platform, AMD introduced seven new Ryzen processors again in March, together with the extremely anticipated Ryzen 7 5800X3D which options AMD’s newest 3D V-Cache. Though the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is primarily designed for players with its 3D stacked L3 cache (96MB!), we have taken a have a look at a variety of completely different AM4 boards over the previous few years that caters to customers of all ranges, with the newest chipsets together with each B550 and X570S catering primarily to the Ryzen 5000 sequence of processors.

With various ranges of motherboards obtainable, from the extra inexpensive B450 chipset to the flagship X570 chipset and newest X570S fashions, there’s one thing obtainable for customers on every kind of budgets. Listed here are our AMD-based picks for Could 2022 in our newest motherboard consumers information.

In search of our greatest Intel motherboard decisions? Head on over to our Intel Motherboard Patrons Information as a substitute!

Our suggestions for motherboards are based mostly fully on my private {and professional} opinion. 

For our Could 2022 picks, we have thought of up to date pricing in addition to availability within the US. A few of these fashions are barely adjusting in inventory ranges and value, so we have adjusted our information to accommodate this. It is also price noting that B550 is mostly thought of the finances AM4 platform, however competitively it usually has the extra enticing pricing when in comparison with X570. One other component is that many distributors have launched ‘X570S’ motherboards onto the market up to now yr, with new options and passively cooled chipsets. These fashions have been factored into the choice, however the advantages versus B550 in some instances do not at all times equate to higher worth, which is in the end thought of in ALL however our ‘cash no object’ decide.

For customers searching for different choices, we have additionally gone over a number of chipset households as nicely within the hyperlinks beneath.

Candy Spot For Gaming

ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi ($210 at Amazon/$210 at Newegg)

In our Finest Candy Spot, we have opted for a board with loads of performance and options whereas additionally enabling PCIe 4.0 from the CPU. Boards based mostly on the B550 chipset supply PCIe 4.0 help, with a single full-length PCIe x16 slot and a PCIe x4 M.2 slot at PCIe 4.0 speeds. Among the best B550 boards we have now reviewed so far is the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WIFI, a higher-end B550 board that acquired our Really helpful by AnandTech award.

You may learn our full evaluate right here:

The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi Motherboard Overview: Premium Worth

What makes it our decide over the opposite 500-series is the degree of strong high quality and nice efficiency provided at a really aggressive value level. It contains two PCIe M.2 slots, with the highest slot working at PCIe 4.0 x4 and the second slot at PCIe 3.0 x4. The ASUS mannequin additionally has a stacked rear panel with two USB 3.2 G2 ports (Sort A+C), DisplayPort, and HDMI video outputs (to be used with APUs) and the aptitude to put in as much as six followers.

The ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi contains an Intel-based networking pairing, with a premium 2.5 GbE Ethernet controller and Wi-Fi 6 interface. The onboard audio can also be premium, with ASUS’s tweaked SupremeFX S1200A HD audio codec caring for enterprise. There are additionally 4 reminiscence slots with help for as much as DDR4-5100 with a most capability of 128 GB. For a mid-range mannequin, this can be a stack of options, and contemplating equally priced X570 fashions (sub-$250) that embrace an analogous controller set are non-existent, it places the ASUS mannequin in good standing. 

The ASUS B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi is at present available for purchase for $210 at each Amazon and Newegg, which can also be the board’s MSRP. The ASUS Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi appears to be like to be the finest ATX-sized AM4 possibility within the sub $200 value vary. The MSI B550 Gaming Carbon is dearer with an analogous function set at $220, whereas the GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Professional AC might be had for round $190 to $210, however this mannequin is barely lighter on options. There’s additionally the ASUS X570 TUF Gaming, which is round a $220 value level. Once we had the ASUS B550-F mannequin on our check bench, we noticed good efficiency in out-of-the-box DPC latency, aggressive CPU, and gaming efficiency. Zen 3, we examined the thermals of its effectively designed energy supply, which units the ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi as our mid-range decide.

Although we did not have points with the unit in our evaluate, feedback in our November 2021 information instructed that the earliest manufacturing runs of the B550-F might have intermittent points with the wired ethernet. In case your native retailer can verify one thing above the bottom rev 1.0 customary, then it might look like good to go. We’ve not any knowledge to verify the difficulty, however needed to cross on the feedback from our earlier guides.

The Worth Possibility

ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC ($100 at Amazon/$100 at Newegg)

In earlier guides, the worth choices have principally been B450 fashions, attributable to B550 being dearer, and typically a bit an excessive amount of for true ‘worth.’ Nevertheless, the B450 vary appears to be decreasing in inventory, inflicting costs to extend. So we have chosen the B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC, which represents ASRock’s entry-level gaming sequence in addition to PCIe 4.0. 

Although it is among the most cost-effective B550 boards, ASRock’s B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC affords a aggressive entry-level function set. The board comes with a PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot and augments that with 4 SATA ports, which is loads of capability for recreation storage. The highest full-length PCIe 4.0 slot operates at x16, whereas the underside slot is locked to PCIe 3.0 x4, which is managed by the chipset, together with two extra PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. For networking it’s utilizing a typical Realtek based mostly Gigabit Ethernet controller, together with an Intel Wi-Fi 5 interface. That is fairly customary for an entry-level mannequin that focuses extra on total help than including further price on the expense of premium controllers. The B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC can also be utilizing a Realtek ALC1200 HD audio codec however with simply three 3.5 mm audio jacks on the rear panel and a primary 8-phase energy supply.

The ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC is at present obtainable for an extremely good value at each Amazon and Newegg for $100, which marks the bottom value we have ever seen this mannequin. This makes it the most effective worth AM4 fashions at present in the marketplace when it comes to options, specification, and value. Wanting on the greater image, many of the PG4/AC’s competitors comes from the cheaper choice of A520 boards with the vast majority of these based mostly on the smaller micro-ATX type issue, with restricted enlargement choices. In the meantime, the largest competitors from the X570 product stack is arguably ASRock’s personal X570 Phantom Gaming 4S mannequin, which is at present obtainable at Newegg for $140. This affords higher future-proofing and eight SATA ports, however it additionally contains solely a single M.2 slot and does not have any wi-fi capabilities, so the B550 model will get our vote on value alone.

The pricing on this mannequin at each Newegg and Amazon is fluctuating between $110 and $125 month by month, and it is at present at its lowest value on Amazon and Newegg for $100, so seize one when you can earlier than it both runs out of inventory or goes again up in value.

Mini-ITX Alternative To Take into account

GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX ($210 at Amazon/$210 at Newegg)

There are a formidable array of Mini-ITX AMD boards to select from. Our decide for the perfect mini-ITX motherboard at current stays unchanged, and that’s GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX. The Aorus Professional AX represents a strong premium providing, with official PCIe 4.0 help, two M.2 slots, a Realtek 2.5 G Ethernet controller, and an Intel Wi-Fi 6 interface, all at a strong value level. 

You may learn our full evaluate right here: 

The GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX Motherboard Overview: All The Small Issues

The GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX has 4 perpendicular SATA ports, one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, and a further PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot with a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. When it comes to energy, the GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX has a direct 8-phase energy supply with eight premium Intersil ISL99390 90 An influence phases and is managed by an ISL229004 PWM controller. That is spectacular not just for a mini-ITX motherboard however one designed for the ‘finances’ B550 chipset. 

Specializing in connectivity, this board has twin HDMI 2.0 outputs in addition to DisplayPort 1.4, a single Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE managed Ethernet port, and an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 interface. There are additionally loads of USB ports to utilize, with one USB 3.2 G2 Sort-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Sort-A, and 4 USB 3.2 G1 Sort-A ports, in addition to a handily situated Q-Flash firmware replace button. In an improve to supported reminiscence for B550, the B550I Aorus Professional AX additionally helps as much as DDR4-5300 reminiscence.

The GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX has an MSRP of $200 and each Amazon/Newegg are at present itemizing it at the next value of $210. Though the pricing on this mannequin fluctuates week by week, we take into account this board to signify good worth for cash between the $190 and $225 value mark, with stern competitors from ASRock’s $200 premium B550 ITX board or ASUS’s also-$200 B550 mini-ITX providing. Out of all the AM4 mini-ITX fashions in the marketplace, some X570 fashions embrace Thunderbolt 3 – notably the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 – however it does price extra with an MSRP of $240. Total the GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX is our prime mini-ITX select of all of the AMD AM4 fashions when taking high quality, function set, and pricing into consideration.

Cash Is No Object

EVGA X570 Darkish ($600 at Amazon/$600 at Newegg)

In relation to my cash no object decide from all of AMD’s obtainable motherboards, I’ve usually gone for flagships with oodles of options. Regardless of the distinct lack of ‘worth’ in these picks, I’ve opted for a barely completely different strategy this time and gone for what I imagine is the perfect efficiency X570 motherboard obtainable at retail, and that is one of many newest, the EVGA X570 Darkish. Not solely did we not too long ago evaluate this board, however it utterly exceeded our expectations in efficiency.

So what makes the EVGA X570 Darkish so particular? Effectively as we noticed in our evaluate, it breathes new life into the AMD Ryzen 5000 and X570 platform. Not solely is it EVGA’s first AMD-based motherboard for a really very long time, however it did it in model with probably the most well-equipped fashions designed for pure efficiency. Concerning efficiency, it’s totally closely geared as much as excessive overclocking, with a transposed AM4 socket, a formidable overclocking toolkit, and a big 17-phase energy supply working at 14+2+1. 

You may learn our full evaluate right here:

The EVGA X570 Darkish Motherboard Overview: A Darkish Beast For Ryzen

Reminiscence help is attention-grabbing as EVGA is utilizing simply two slots which some customers might discover odd on an E-ATX sized motherboard. That is to reinforce reminiscence overclocking potential and efficiency, with shorter traces to the CPU socket for a theoretical discount in latencies. The EVGA X570 Darkish helps DDR4-4800 out of the field, with a mixed capability of as much as 64 GB; greater than most customers will want for any desktop system.

Different options for everybody to profit from contains twin Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controllers and an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi, which affords each wi-fi and BT 5.2 connectivity. The board additionally has loads of help for PCIe 4.0 gadgets with two full-length PCIe 4.0 slots working at x16 and x8/x8, with a half-length PCIe 4.0 x4 slot. Storage choices embrace two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with eight SATA ports, six of which help AMD RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. Onboard audio can also be premium with a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec doing the laborious work, with an EVGA NU SV3H615 headphone amplifier including an additional component of high quality to a person’s auditory expertise.

rear panel connectivity, the EVGA X570 Darkish has a modest choice of enter and output, together with one USB 3.2 G2 Sort-C, 4 USB 3.2 G2 Sort-A, and two USB 3.2 G1 Sort-A ports. EVGA does embrace entrance panel headers if the rear panel choices aren’t sufficient, with one USB 3.2 G2 Sort-C header (one port), two USB 3.2 G1 Sort-A headers (4 ports), and one USB 2.0 header (two ports). 

The EVGA X570 Darkish is offered direct from EVGA’s web site for $690, however it may be had at each Amazon and Newegg for $600 which is a superb value contemplating the efficiency of the board in our check suite, in addition to all of that untapped potential obtainable through overclocking. The X570 Darkish managed to push our testbed Ryzen 7 3700X processor to 4.4 GHz all-cores, which is the one AM4 mannequin we have reviewed that is managed to realize this pretty comfortably.

One factor about this mannequin is inventory ranges fluctuate on a weekly foundation, and for customers seeking to create a Ryzen 5000 sequence system with a give attention to most efficiency, the EVGA X570 Darkish is the perfect in its class. It is even obtainable at the perfect value we have seen it on supply at Amazon for $600 and Newegg for $600, so when you’re fortunate sufficient to see one in inventory and have the money helpful (as it’s on the time of writing), seize it, as EVGA does not usually mass-produce its fashions as different distributors do.

Current AMD Motherboard Evaluations at AnandTech