Greatest AMD Motherboards: Vacation 2022

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

Greatest AMD Motherboards: Vacation 2022

It has been a busy couple of months for each Intel and AMD, in addition to their associate motherboard producers. The discharge of AMD’s newest Ryzen 7000 sequence processors again in September marked the beginning of a brand new period for AMD and its AM5 platform – though AM4 is not fairly lifeless but.

With the launch of Ryzen 7000 and AM5 comes help for DDR5 reminiscence, which gives advantages to efficiency and will get AMD setup to make use of what’s changing into the present technology of reminiscence for the trade. However not like Intel’s thirteenth and twelfth Gen Core sequence processors, AMD dropped any help for DDR4 reminiscence, opting to totally concentrate on next-generation reminiscence and the long-term prospects of the platform. This has meant that customers seeking to construct a Ryzen 7000 system won’t be able to recycle any DDR4 reminiscence they have already got, and as an alternative might want to purchase DDR5 to work with AM5.

No matter whether or not you are seeking to construct a brand new system or improve an older one, AMD has a variety of processors to cowl all use instances. Its AM4 platform has been a extremely profitable one for AMD, giving us the likes of Ryzen 1000 (Zen), Ryzen 2000 (Zen+), and even Ryzen 3000 (Zen 2) and Ryzen 5000 (Zen 3). With the launch of Ryzen 7000 processors to the market, it has delivered higher efficiency in functions, content material creation, rendering, and gaming than it ever has earlier than. So whereas now not the brand new and glossy factor from AMD, AM4 continues to be a viable platform and can stay so for effectively into 2023.

Provided that AMD is within the midst of this transition, for our newest patrons information now we have opted to separate our picks between AM4 and AM5. Regardless of Ryzen 7000 dominating efficiency charts, there may be nonetheless high quality and worth to be discovered from AM4, particularly on the decrease finish. So with out additional adu, listed below are our picks for AMD motherboards for the 2022 vacation interval.

On the lookout for our greatest Intel motherboard selections? Head on over to our Intel Motherboard Consumers Information as an alternative!

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

For our vacation 2022 picks, we have thought-about 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.

AM4 & AM5 Motherboards: We have Made Picks For Each Platforms

For the reason that launch of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 sequence, it has been famous extensively that there’s little or no when it comes to ‘worth’ to be discovered from the AM5 platform. One of many causes is the extra expense that DDR5 brings to the desk, and in actuality, there are slim pickings on good offers for AM5 motherboards, even from the cheaper B650/B650E sequence fashions.

Due to this, we have determined to incorporate viable picks from AM4 in our information, as there may be rather more worth total to be discovered for customers on a strict funds. The essence of worth from the AM4 platform comes from a mix of DDR4 reminiscence which is cheaper than its newer DDR5 counterparts, in addition to motherboard availability; AM4 has been out for fairly some time now so there are significantly better offers to be discovered on-line.

Nonetheless, now we have made a few AM5-based picks in relation to efficiency/gaming at a very good value, in addition to our money-no-object choice.

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

Candy Spot For Gaming (AM4)

MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI ($200 at Amazon/$200 at Newegg)

For our decide that represents what we expect is the perfect candy spot for players taking into consideration issues like options, DDR4 reminiscence compatibility, and pricing, we have opted to go for a mid-ranged B550 mannequin from MSI. The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI sits just under its premium B550 Gaming Carbon WIFI board however comes with a variety of options corresponding to 2.5 GbE, WI-Fi 6, and a good Realtek ALC1200 HD audio codec.

Taking a look at what makes the B550 Gaming Edge WIFI our decide for August, it has a simplistic black aesthetic with silver accents on the heatsinks, with built-in RGB LEDs inside the chipset heatsink. There’s loads of PCIe growth help with one full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, a full-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. For storage, the B550 Gaming Edge WIFI consists of two M.2 slots with the highest slot working at PCIe 4.0 x4, and the second slot restricted to PCIe 3.0 x4, whereas six SATA ports are current which help RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. MSI consists of help for quick DDR4-5100 reminiscence and permits customers to put in as much as 128 GB of system reminiscence throughout 4 reminiscence slots.

The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wifi has an MSRP of $200 and represents its extra mid-range AM4 sequence aimed toward players. At current, Newegg is promoting this mannequin for $200, whereas it is also at Amazon for $200. MSI has included some premium parts together with a Realtek RTL8125B 2.5 GbE Ethernet controller, with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi providing respectable wi-fi networking compatibility, in addition to help for BT 5.0 units. Total the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WIFI has loads of options to fulfill players, it options overclocking help with Ryzen 5000/3000 processors, and brings sufficient to the desk to make it a stable possibility for players searching for a more cost effective gaming system with help for DDR4 reminiscence.

The Worth Possibility (AM4)

ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC ($130 at Amazon/$95 at Newegg)

In earlier guides, the worth choices have principally been B-series fashions, and nothing has modified right here as there may be a lot worth from AMD’s B550 chipset attributable to its help for options corresponding to overclocking. As we have highlighted all through, there may be nonetheless worth on the decrease finish with processors such because the Ryzen 5800X3D with its distinctive gaming efficiency. With value drops throughout the board on Ryzen 5000 processors in immediately’s present monetary local weather, AM4 continues to be the go-to worth chipset for customers wishing to go for AMD. For that reason, we have chosen the B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC, which represents ASRock’s entry-level gaming sequence in addition to help for PCIe 4.0 units.

Regardless that it is among the least expensive B550 boards, ASRock’s B550 Phantom Gaming 4/AC affords a aggressive entry-level characteristic 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 sport 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 further PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. For networking it’s utilizing an ordinary 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 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 the moment out there for an incredible value at Newegg for $95 which is the bottom we have seen this mannequin.  Amazon additionally shares this mannequin, but it surely’s costlier at a price of $130, so we advocate customers buy this mannequin at Newegg. At $95, this value makes it one of many best-value AM4 fashions at the moment available on the market when it comes to options, specification, and value. Wanting on the larger image, many of the PG4/AC’s competitors comes from the cheaper collection of A520 boards with the vast majority of these based mostly on the smaller micro-ATX type issue, with restricted growth choices. In the meantime, the most important competitors from the X570 product stack is arguably ASRock’s personal X570 Phantom Gaming 4S mannequin, which is at the moment out there at Newegg for $140.

Mini-ITX Selection To Contemplate (AM4)

GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX ($200 at Amazon/$200 at Newegg)

There are a formidable array of Mini-ITX AMD boards to select from, particularly on AM4, however the identical can’t be mentioned for AM5 at current. Because of this, 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 stable 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 stable value level. 

You possibly can learn our full overview right here: 

The GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX Motherboard Evaluate: 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. By way of energy, the GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX has a direct 8-phase energy supply with eight premium Intersil ISL99390 90 An influence levels and is managed by an ISL229004 PWM controller. That is spectacular not just for a mini-ITX motherboard however one designed for the ‘funds’ 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 positioned 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 Newegg has it for $200 at the moment, whereas Amazon has it for a similar value at $200. Though the pricing on this mannequin fluctuates week by week, we think about 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 the entire AM4 mini-ITX fashions available on the market, some X570 fashions embrace Thunderbolt 3 – notably the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 – but it surely does price extra with an MSRP of $240. Total the GIGABYTE B550I Aorus Professional AX is our high mini-ITX select of all of the AMD AM4 fashions when taking high quality, characteristic set, and pricing into consideration.

Efficiency/Gaming Option to Contemplate (AM5)

GIGABYTE X670 Aorus Elite AX ($320 at Amazon/$290 at Newegg)

Transferring onto our AM5-based picks particularly designed for AMD’s Ryzen 7000 sequence of processors, the entire AM5 motherboards from the prime quality X670E down to the ‘funds’ B650 fashions, solely characteristic help for DDR5 reminiscence.

In relation to eager to harness the ability of AMD’s Zen 4 core based mostly on TSMC’s 5nm node, then AM5 and DDR5 are the minimal necessities. With numerous totally different motherboards at the moment on AM5 together with the top-tier X670E with PCIe 5.0 PEG and M.2 slots, all the way down to X670 that makes use of PCIe 4.0 for the PEG slot, however affords one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, there’s so much to select from. For gaming and basic efficiency, we have opted for the moderately priced, but feature-packed GIGABYTE X670 Aorus Elite AX.

Deciding in opposition to the X670E platform with the PCIe 5.0 PEG slot, at current, there aren’t any graphics playing cards that may profit from this further bandwidth; even the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is CPU-bound most often as has been reported by numerous shops. Explaining extra about why I’ve opted to go for the GIGABYTE X670 Aorus Elite AX, it has a reasonably stable characteristic set, with a Realtek-based 2.5 GbE controller and an AMD RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E wi-fi interface providing entry to the 6 GHz band in addition to BT 5.2 connectivity.

By way of connectivity, the X670 Aorus Elite AX has three full-length PCIe slots to make the most of. Going from high to backside, there may be one full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot which advantages from metallic armor reinforcement, whereas the second slot is electronically locked to PCIe 3.0 x4 and the underside slot PCIe 3.0 x2. That is nonetheless plentiful for many add-in playing cards corresponding to streaming units and exterior audio controllers. Pertaining to audio, the GIGABYTE is utilizing a Realtek ALC897 which is kind of outdated, however it’s nonetheless succesful and the growth slots enable customers to make use of extra highly effective and high quality DACs.

For storage, there’s lots for customers to understand, with one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot for the brand new SSDs anticipated within the subsequent couple of months, in addition to three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots and 4 SATA ports. Reminiscence compatibility can be spectacular, with help for as much as DDR5-6666 and a complete of 4 slots able to housing 128 GB. On the rear panel, GIGABYTE consists of one USB 3.2 G2x2 Sort-C, two USB 3.2 G2 Sort-A, six USB 3.2 G1 Sort-A, and 4 USB 2.0 ports, that are plentiful. Because the Ryzen 7000 sequence now consists of built-in graphics, GIGABYTE features a single HDMI video output.

Specializing in pricing, the GIGABYTE X670 Aorus Elite AX has an MSRP of $330, whereas Amazon has it for $320, and Newegg has it for a significantly better value of $290. Making our assessments based mostly on the $290 pricing, the Aorus Elite AX AM5 mannequin has lots going for it when it comes to connectivity, storage help, and reminiscence compatibility. It has every thing wanted to get the efficiency advantages out of Ryzen 7000 with out breaking the financial institution on over-the-top energy deliveries or costly controller units. That brings us to our ultimate decide…

Cash Is No Object Choice (AM5)

MSI MEG X670E Godlike (N/A at Amazon/$1300 at Newegg)

In relation to my money-no-object decide from all of AMD’s out there motherboards, I’ve sometimes gone for flagships with oodles of options. Regardless of the distinct lack of ‘worth’ in these picks, I’ve opted for arguably maybe probably the most premium desktop fashions ever created, the MSI MEG X670E Godlike. Going for such an costly motherboard as this, is not nearly efficiency, as a result of processors and motherboard distributors squeeze the entire efficiency out on the entry-level fashions as of late. Choosing a flagship is concerning the total bundle, extravagant seems to be, extremely premium designs, and top-of-the-range controller units and I/O configurations, and the Godlike definitely delivers a stable premium bundle.

So among the elements that make the MSI MEG X670E Godlike a stable flagship providing embrace a big 24+2 section energy supply with 105 A sensible energy levels, in addition to help for as much as six M.2 drives; some come through the included M.2 XPANDER-Z Gen5 add-in card which permits customers to make use of two PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 SSDs. It additionally encompasses a elegant twin black tone throughout its physique, with MSI M-Imaginative and prescient 4.5 inch touchable LCD panel which provides an additional factor of favor.

Specializing in the options of the Godlike, MSI consists of help for DDR5-6666 reminiscence, with 4 slots out there and supporting as much as 128 GB. Going extra into the storage capabilities, as we talked about, the Godlike can help as much as six M.2 drives. This consists of one built-in PCIe 5.0 x4 slot, three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, and two PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slots out there with the XPANDER-Z Gen5 add-in card included within the equipment bundle. Along with M.2 help, the Godlike has eight SATA ports with help for RAID 0/1/10 arrays.

Onto the controller set and I/O, the X670E Godlike is packing lots for content material creators, players, and fanatics. Regardless of omitting any Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, there are two USB 3.2 G2x2 Sort-C and 7 USB 3.2 G2 Sort-A on the rear panel, with entrance panel headers providing an extra one USB 3.2 G2x2 Sort-C, 4 USB 3.2 G1 Sort-A and 4 USB 2.0 ports.

By way of networking, the Godlike has aplenty with one Marvell AQC113CS-B1-C 10 GbE controller, with a secondary Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller and an AMD Wi-Fi 6E wi-fi interface offering each high-end Wi-Fi and BT 5.2 system help. Onboard audio can be premium with a Realtek ALC4082 HD audio codec taking priority and an ESS Sabre ES9280AQ DAC with help for HPA amplifiers which provides an additional dimension to what most motherboards provide at retail.

Going for a motherboard with a lot when it comes to options, high quality, and pizazz does come at a value, because the MSI MEG X670E Godlike has an eyewatering MSRP of $1300; in order for you essentially the most feature-packed and up-to-date answer, sadly, that is the present pattern with regard to flagship motherboard pricing. After all, if cash is not any object, and the perfect is desired, then, in my view, the Godlike is the ‘god’ of AM5 proper now.

Current AMD Motherboard Opinions at AnandTech