Best motherboards for gaming in 2023

The motherboard is an important part of any PC, especially a system geared towards gaming. There are various factors to consider such as the socket, chipset, storage interfaces, headers/ports, and RAM support. The more money spent on the motherboard, the better the feature set and overclocking capabilities. The processor, be it AMD or Intel, is then able to interface with the motherboard and play all your favorite PC games. Here are our recommendations for the best gaming motherboard.

Our top gaming motherboard picks for 2023

This motherboard from ASUS does it all for gaming PC builds. The ASUS ROG Strix X670-E Gaming is quite the board, supporting AMD Ryzen 7000 processors and DDR5 RAM. Then there’s PCIe 5.0 support for expansion and storage, so you can connect the fastest SSDs and most powerful graphics cards. To make all the magic happen with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, ASUS implemented its tried and tested 18+2 stage power design for exceptional reliability, even when the system is under intense loads. You can install up to 128GB of DDR5-6400 RAM. There are two x16 slots that are capable of running up to PCIe 5.0 and both are armored for even the heaviest of graphics cards.

M.2 storage is a mix of PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 and there are four slots in total, allowing you to completely switch to rapid NVMe SSDs for not only the OS but all your favorite PC games. And because we’re talking gamer-centric components, ASUS made sure this Republic of Gamers product looks the part with a sleek dark design and some RGB lighting. Some notable features for system builders include the fan and water cooling headers and an LED code display in the top right-hand corner. There are also more ports on this motherboard than you’ll know what to do with, including Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5G Ethernet.

Source: Gigabyte

Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master

Best Intel gaming motherboard

This is a beastly gaming motherboard for Intel systems

$460 $490 Save $30

There’s very little to dislike about the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master aside from the price. It’s expensive, but you get a lot of features, including solid power delivery, excellent BIOS, and plenty of connections for all your components.

Brand: Gigabyte
Memory Slots: 4
Memory Type: DDR5-8000
Form Factor: ATX
Chipset: Z790
Socket: LGA 1700
Power Phases: 20+1+2
PCI Slots: 3
Storage: 5x M.2, 4x SATA
Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB
Networking: 10GbE, Wi-Fi 6E
Internal I/O: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB-A 2.0
Rear I/O: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2, 7x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x DisplayPort

Pros

Great overclocking support
Excellent performance

Our top pick for the best gaming Intel motherboard is the mighty Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master. It strikes a solid balance between price, features, and performance, just like our top AMD board recommendation. Rocking an LGA 1700 socket, this motherboard is capable of handling 12th and 13th Gen processors, including the incredible Intel Core i9-13900K. Like other Intel and AMD consumer-grade motherboards you’re looking at four DIMM slots (maximum capacity of 128GB) with support for up to DDR5-8000. While Intel does support DDR4 with its 12th and 13th Gen processors, you’ll need to pick another board if you’d like to continue using an existing kit.

One x16 PCIe 5.0 slot is available, which is all you’ll need for a graphics card, but Gigabyte made sure that one of five available M.2 slots shared the same generation. The remaining four PCIe slots for M.2 SSDs are PCIe 4.0, which can still support NVMe storage with ridiculous speeds. Just like other LGA 1700 boards with the Z790 chipset, you’ll get all the usual connectors and headers to connect all your external peripherals including fans, pumps, RGB lights, peripherals, and more.

Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi

Best budget AMD gaming motherboard

Save a little on this very capable AMD platform

The Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi is a motherboard with plenty going for it. It supports DDR5 RAM, PCIe 5.0 SSDs, and manages to cut a few coins by restricting GPU connectivity to just PCIe 4.0.

Brand: Asus
CPU Included: No
Memory Slots: 4
Memory Type: DDR5-6400+
Form Factor: ATX
CPU Support: AMD Ryzen 7000+
Chipset: B650
Socket: AM5
Power Phases: 12+2
PCI Slots: 2x PCIe 4.0 x16, 2x PCIe 4.0 x1
Storage: 4x SATA, 1x PCIe 5.0 M.2, 2x PCIe 4.0 M.2
Audio: Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound
Networking: Realtek 2.5Gb, 2×2 WiFi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Internal I/O: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x Thunderbolt 4 header
Rear I/O: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, 4x USB-A 2.0 ports, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4, 5x Audio jacks

Pros

Good connectivity
Good value

Cons

Limited overclocking support

You don’t need much for a gaming PC build, which is what makes the ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS worth considering for AMD Ryzen 7000 processors. It has an AM5 socket and may be more affordable compared to the X690 chipset, but you will be sacrificing a few PCIe lanes and connectivity options. This will have zero impact on gaming performance. For instance, ASUS only included two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots with no option for PCIe 5.0. There is a single PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs, however. This is joined by a further two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots and a few SATA III ports.

While this motherboard does cut down on a few features you’ll likely not require, the flip side is ASUS allows the installation of up to 128GB of DDR5-6400 RAM. Other handy features of the ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS motherboard include Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gb networking for super fast and reliable connections. Should you wish to save a little on space inside the PC chassis, the ASUS TUF Gaming B650M-PLUS is a smaller micro-ATX motherboard that costs a little less and drops a few features.

Source: ASRock

ASRock B660M Pro RS

Best budget Intel gaming motherboard

A great motherboard at a reasonable price

$115 $150 Save $35

The ASRock B660M Pro RS is a solid B660-based motherboard for budget-centric Alder Lake builds. it supports DDR4 memory modules and comes with all the essential features to power Alder Lake chips.

Memory Slots: 4
Memory Type: DDR4-5333
Form Factor: Micro ATX
Chipset: Intel B660
Socket: LGA 1700
Power Phases: 8
PCI Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x1
Storage: 4x SATA, 1x PCIe 4.0 M.2, 1x PCIe 3.0 M.2
Audio: Realtek ALC897
Networking: Intel I219V 1GbE
Internal I/O: 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen1
Rear I/O: 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen1, 2x USB-A 2.0

Pros

Affordable
Good connectivity

Cons

Limited overclocking support
DDR4 RAM support

The ASRock B660M Pro RS is a considerably more affordable motherboard than our top Intel pick and it shows in the specification list, as well as the overall aesthetic. This chipset launched alongside the 12th Gen Intel processors and would work well with either one of those or the newer 13th Gen successors. Compared to our top Z790 Intel motherboard recommendation, you’re losing out on PCIe 5.0 support altogether with the two x16 slots supporting PCIe 4.0 only. There’s only support for DDR4 RAM here with speeds up to 4800MT/s. That shouldn’t be an issue for gaming, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you want to build a new PC with the very latest hardware.

Even the two M.2 storage slots are only PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0. Again, this is only really going to play a factor when you comfortably reach the transfer speed limit of PCIe 4.0, which won’t likely happen too frequently (if at all) when gaming. The power delivery on this board isn’t going to be great for overclocking a power-hungry CPU, but you’ll be absolutely fine when keeping expectations in check. It’s a little understated in terms of looks, but ASRock does offer a few ways to hook up your favorite LED strips and other lighting accessories for easier management and synchronizing of effects.

Source: ASUS

ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WIFI

Best compact AMD gaming motherboard

For those wanting to build a powerful compact AMD PC

$450 $470 Save $20

This compact ITX ASUS ROG Strix X670E motherboard has everything you’ll need for a powerful PC that can fit inside a smaller form factor chassis.

Brand: Asus
Memory Slots: 2
Memory Type: DDR5-6400
Form Factor: Mini-ITX
Chipset: AMD X670
Socket: AM5
Power Phases: 10+2
PCI Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16
Storage: 2x SATA, 1x PCIe 5.0 M.2, 1x PCIe 4.0 M.2
Audio: ALC4050
Networking: Intel 2.5Gb, Wi-Fi 6E
Internal I/O: 1x USB 3.2-C Gen 2, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
Rear I/O: 2x USB-C 4.0, 5x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 3x USB-A 2.0

Pros

Compact dimensions
Good connectivity

Cons

Limited overclocking support
Single PCI slot

Should you have a compact gaming PC or a case that’s a little on the small side, a Mini-ITX motherboard could be the only option. For AMD builds, we’d recommend the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WIFI. It’s a premium motherboard with some impressive features for its form factor. Despite its size, ASUS managed to include a chunky M.2 thermal guard to help with SSD performance, as well as a multi-layered heatsink design. The 10+2 phase design for power delivery is actually better than many budget ATX motherboards and shows just how capable this tiny board is. Fully supporting AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors, you could get away with installing an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X without much issue, so long as you keep everything in the BIOS relating to CPU overclocking in a stock configuration.

Because we’re going to be playing PC games, it’s important we have a full-size PCI slot and the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming does not disappoint. Only two DIMM slots are available, however reducing the maximum supported capacity to 64GB. This motherboard also supports Wi-Fi 6, making it a future-proof option for those not wanting to deal with Ethernet all the time, but a 2.5Gb connection is available if cables are preferred. As for the ports, the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WIFI offers an HDMI port, two USB-C 4.0 ports, five USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, three USB-A 2.0 ports, the aforementioned Ethernet, and audio jacks. Additionally, there are plenty of I/O connectors on the board for fans, extra USBs, an AIO pump, and more.

Source: ASRock

ASRock Z790M-ITX WiFi

Best compact Intel gaming motherboard

Build an Xbox-inspired Intel gaming PC with this motherboard

This compact ASRock motherboard is brilliant for a small gaming PC. It has the flagship Intel Z790 chipset and the LGA 1700 socket for 12th and 13th Gen processors.

Brand: ASrock
Memory Slots: 2
Memory Type: DDR5-7000
Form Factor: Mini-ITX
Chipset: Intel Z790
Socket: LGA 1700
Power Phases: 7+1+1
PCI Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0
Storage: 2x PCIe 4.0 M.2, 4x SATA
Audio: Realtek ALC897
Networking: 2.5GbE, 1GbE, WiFi 6E
Internal I/O: 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen1
Rear I/O: 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen2, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2, 1x USB-A 2.0

Pros

Compact dimensions
Good connectivity

Cons

Single PCI slot
Limited overclocking support

Our compact motherboard recommendation for Intel processors would be the ASRock Z790M-ITX WiFi. It’s a Mini-ITX motherboard and is considerably smaller than a full-size ATX board, allowing you to install it inside even the more compact PC chassis. It’s small, but a mighty foundation for 12th and 13th Gen Intel processors. ASRock reinforced the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for GPUs, which should help avoid sag and damage to larger cards. The primary M.2 slot is shielded by a heatsink that also doubles up as a channel for heat to dissipate from the M.2 SSD. A second M.2 slot is at hand for completely converting to speedier NVMe storage.

For power delivery, ASRock makes full use of a 7+1+1 phase design. It’s nowhere near the best on the market, but it’s more than powerful enough for even an Intel Core i9-13900K. You may find the two DIMM slots a little limiting by only supporting up to 64GB of DDR5-7000 but even that capacity should be enough for heavier games. Wi-Fi 6 joins 2.5Gb networking and for USB ports, ASRock provides a single USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 port, four USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a single USB-A 2.0 port.

What is the best gaming motherboard?

Gaming can prove to be an intensive task for the processor, graphics card, as well as other components. You need to choose wisely since you’ll need to ensure you can run your GPU at maximum speed, as well as your storage and system memory for the best in-game results. But really, so long as you’re matching components for compatibility, you’ll be good to go. We’d recommend the ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming for AMD processors and Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master for Intel chips.

We’ve compiled a list of more affordable and compact motherboards too, just in case you want to save a little or are tight on internal PC case space. The most important factors to consider are the socket type, chipset, memory support, and connectivity. These are what will affect your PC build the most with socket type and chipset largely determining the processors you should install and use. Our round-up of the best motherboards will prove to be a solid foundation for an excellent gaming PC.

Source: ASUS

Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming

Best AMD gaming motherboard

The Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is a high-end Asus motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0 graphics, three PCIe 5.0 SSDs, and high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs thanks to its large 18+2 stage VRM.

Source: Gigabyte

Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master

Best Intel gaming motherboard

$460 $490 Save $30