With Ryzen 5000 series hitting store shelves in early November 2020, and a new generation of GPUs from AMD and nVidia, it’s never been a better time to build a new gaming or a workstation PC. With it’s amazing backwards compatibility AM4 socket offers existing Ryzen users a drop in upgrade to the latest Ryzen 5000 series (check your motherboard’s compatibility with its manufacturer). If you’re building yourself a fresh system, these are our top picks for best am4 motherboards!
One of the more important things we had to mention is that only motherboards with 500 series chipsets support PCIe gen 4 support. Although 400 series will support Ryzen 5000 CPUs with a BIOS update, your GPU and M.2 SSD’s will work on PCIe gen 3 speeds.
Looking for mini-ITX boards? Check out our reviews of top rated AM4 ITX motherboards.
Top Rated AM4 X570 & B550 Motherboards on the Market
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Before You Buy an AM4 Motherboard
The main thing to consider before buying an AMD AM4 motherboard is its price. If you’re going to use a midrange CPU it’s not wise to overspend on your motherboard. That being said, that doesn’t mean that you should go ahead and buy the cheapest board out there. Consider which features are a must have and which ones you can go without. If you plan to overclock the CPU. Make sure to get a board with better VRM’s.
Features to Consider When Buying AM4 Motherboards
Like we mentioned in previous paragraph, consider what you need and what you can go without. Here we will be covering some of the main features you should take into consideration when deciding which motherboard will be housing your brand-new Ryzen processor.
Form Factor
There are several form factors that you can choose from. ATX (standard size motherboards), m-ATX, mini-ITX and e-ATX
Given that multi-GPU systems are no longer a thing, going with an m-ATX board is really common. These motherboards are just a few slots shorter than your standard ATX boards and they offer the majority of the same features while usually being more affordable.
The other two form factors are usually reserved for more experienced and/or demanding users.
Socket
All of these motherboards feature the same exact socket, the AM4. All the way from first generation of Ryzen until Ryzen 5000, the socket hasn’t changed. That’s one of the benefits of this platform. If you decided to upgrade your PC with a new CPU two or three years down the line, you could do so with just a simple BIOS update.
Chipsets
The main chipsets you should be considering right now are X570, B550 and if you are on the budget B450.
With X570 you will get more bandwidth for all your add-in cards and rear I/O. This chipset supports PCIe 4.0 on all of the board’s PCIe slots and M.2 connectors.
B550 is only limited to one PCIe and one M.2 slots supporting the gen 4 standard. The rest of these slots are using the older gen 3 standard.
Memory
For memory support the main thing we can suggest is to check out the manufacturers site. Memory support varies because of many different factors so just to make sure your memory will be supported, check the boards memory support. The main thing we can suggest is to go with the memory at or above 3200 MHz and choose a four-slot board if possible. Four slots will let you simply just add more memory in the future if you don’t populate all four slots when you build your PC.
PCI-e Slots
Given that SLI and Crossfire are no longer a thing, when populating your main one with your GPU, you should have plenty available for expansion cards. Take into consideration if you plan to use capture cards or any other add-in cards before purchasing. Also, on B550 motherboards only your top PCIe X16 slot will support PCI-e gen 4.
Fan Headers
This is probably the easiest feature to overlook when buying a motherboard. Make sure that your board has enough fan headers spread around the board to accommodate your case fans. Many of these new boards also feature RGB headers for your LED fans. If you don’t know which fans are the best choice for you check out our Best RGB Fans buyer’s guide!
External Ports
There are a few things to consider in this category. For example, front panel usb-c connector which is a handy feature to have. Also, 2.5 Gb/s ethernet ports can be really hand if you plan to use your wired network for transferring large files besides just using it for internet. Consider that X570 motherboards will usually have more and faster I/O than its counterparts. That’s just one of the benefits of going with a higher tier chipset.
Tips for Buying and Using AM4 Motherboards
It’s really easy to overspend on an important PC component such as a motherboard. This certainly doesn’t mean you should get the cheapest one either. It’s crucial to find the balance between the two.
Your motherboard while mostly just houses all your hardware, doesn’t affect your PC’s performance (in most cases). It can affect your performance if its VRM’s are overheating which is causing your CPU to downclock. This can happen if you use a cheap board with a high-end CPU that you possibly even overclocked. Also, not utilizing your SSD’s full speeds because of your board not supporting the latest generation of PCI-e.
The three main things to consider and that you should be looking out for are:
- Memory support
- VRM setup
- Connectivity
Our Top Picks in November 2022
These are our top picks for some of the best am4 motherboards on the market today. Each of these boards has great customer reviews online and you won’t go wrong picking any of them given that it fits your use case scenario.
Pros:
- Good value
- Great VRM cooling
- Integrated I/O shield
- Wi-Fi & Bluetooth included
Cons:
- No front panel USB-C
GIGABYTE motherboards based on the AMD X570 Chipset provide full support 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Processors. These processors offer high-end features and outstanding performance.
Features:
- AMD StoreMI Technology
Gigabyte X570 motherboards are known to optimize your PC’s performance with the AMD StoreMI technology. It will accelerate the storage devices to reduce boot time and enhance overall performance. For more betterment, the utility combines the speed of SSDs with HDDs, so it enhances the read/write capacity.
- Powerful Design
The design capability of this Motherboard is more remarkable than others in the same range. Its robust design consists of both a digital PWM Controller and DrMOS. This 100% of digital controllers offer incredible power to the Motherboard’s most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components. Additionally, it allows gamers to get the absolute maximum performance as a complimentary service.
- PCle 4.0 Ready
GIGABYTE’s exclusive 2X copper PCIe 4.0-ready PCBs design provides enough power to handle greater than normal power loads and remove heat from the CPU. This is essential to ensure the motherboard can handle the increased power loading that is necessary when overclocking.
- Thermal Design
This Motherboard supports the efficient working of a computer system for X570 motherboards to adopt a high-quality ball-bearing fan to keep it cool during work overload.
Verdict
We will say that the X570 Aorus Elite is a pocket-friendly board for experiencing AMD’s latest platform update. Also, the way it handles overclocking, its performance is really good.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Debug LEDs
- USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
- Wi-Fi & Bluetooth included
Cons:
- No front panel USB 3.1 Gen2 port
It has all the essential elements of AMD processors and combines them with game-ready features and excellent durability.
Features:
- Design
The rugged design of TUF Gaming X570-Plus is equipped with 12+2 Dr. MOS power stages that combine high-side and low-side MOSFETs and drivers into a single package, which also delivers the power and efficiency that AMD’s processors demand.
- Cooling Component
This Motherboard keeps in mind the heating factor, which reduces the efficiency of performance. So, to avoid it, X570 features an active PCH heatsink, VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers, and Fan Xpert 4.
- PCle 4.0 M.2 Slots
Performance boost up is taken care of with PCle 4.0 slots along with the M.2 ones. Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots support type 22110 and provide NVMe SSD RAID for better and enhanced performance.
- Protected Care
Asus Safeslot & TUF LANGuard provide military-grade protection for your PCIe slot and LAN.
Verdict
Amongst all of the Motherboard of the same range, install it under the heatsink as fast as the drive turns hot; it can throttle in heavy use scenarios.
Pros:
- Very aesthetically pleasing design
- Good power efficiency
- 3x NVMe slots
- Great memory support
- Impressive onboard audio solution
Cons:
- Still using USB 2.0 on the rear IO
- FCH fan doesn’t turn off fully
GIGABYTE X570 motherboards offer a rich list of features such as support for PCIe 4.0 and USB Type-C interfaces on select boards, refined audio, high Ethernet speed, and the latest standard of WIFI design – to fulfill users’ performance, audio, and data transfer needs.
Features:
- 14 Direct Phase VRM
When it comes to running the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Processors, you can trust X570 AORUS Master for it uses the latest generation Infineon multiphase PWM controller and a total of 14 phases for vCore and SOC, which provide not only reliability but an excellent gaming experience.
- DDR4 XMP Support
AORUS offers a tested and proven platform that ensures proper compatibility with profiles up to 4400MHz and beyond. All users need to do to attain this performance boost is to ensure that their memory module is XMP capable and that the XMP function is activated and enabled on their AORUS motherboard.
- PCle 4.0 Ready
It features PCIe 4.0 Design, including PCIe 4.0 slots, PCIe 4.0 M.2 connectors, PCIe 4.0 B-clock Tuning IC, which ensures delivery of highly optimized performance.
- High-Speed Networks
X570 AORUS Master offers high-speed connectivity with Intel WIFI 6 802.11ax. It can be tilted at different angles to get maximum speed.
- Smart Fan 5
To avoid heating the environment, it uses a smart fan 5 to build up efficiency and cool it down if the workload is more.
Verdict
The Ryzen’s 3000 builders who are expecting an additional slot and an onboard storage facility can opt for it anytime.
Pros:
- Capable 13-Phase 60A Power Delivery
- Dual Ethernet (1/2.5 Gb)
- High-power fan/pump headers
Cons:
- Only six USB ports on Rear IO
- Other boards have a better audio codec
- No integrated Wi-Fi
This motherboard offers an amazing balance of features and an affordable price. That’s the main reason why Tomahawk boards are so popular with PC builders that are on a budget.
Features:
- 2 Shield Frozer
It can prevent thermal throttling with a heatsink that is expanding across the Motherboard. It also can sustain maximum M.2 SSD data transfer with an M.2 shield frozer.
- Mystic Light
It has some dynamic LED effects and RGB lightning effects that may splash some colors in the environment.
- 2.5G & 1G LAN
MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK features a 2.5Gbps Ethernet LAN and Gigabyte LAN for gamers who demand high bandwidth and low latency networks.
- PC steel Armor
MSI PCI Express Steel Armour slots are secured on the Motherboard with extra solder points and support the weight of heavy graphics cards.
- Gen 4 solution
It can attach with it PCle devices to expand the bandwidth up to 64Gb/s. It helps in the transfer of unidirectional bandwidth.
Verdict
This Motherboard named MSI MAG B550-F is one of the best models as MSI gives a feel that it shifted more of marketing than going from a solid entry-level model to a premium offering.
Pros:
- Excellent aesthetic
- The abundance of USB 3.2 at your disposal
- Wi-Fi 6
- 2.5G LAN
- Strong onboard audio solution
Cons:
- Steps on the toes of X570 boards with pricing
- No front USB 3.2
With the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F, you will experience next-level performance and connectivity. It also features PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet. Robust power and effective cooling make the ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (Wi-Fi 6) the perfect partner for 5000 series AMD Ryzen CPUs.
Features:
- PCle 4.0 Ready
ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi has two M.2 slots, which also includes the latest PCIe 4.0. It provides maximum storage flexibility and the fastest data speeds available via the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen platform. Both M.2 slots support up to the type 22110 socket and NVM Express RAID for a performance boost.
- Connectivity
It offers excellent connectivity with Wi-Fi 6( 802.11AX). It benefits gamers who love exceptional bandwidth with a wireless connection. A 2.5G Ethernet is also supported to enhance performance up to 2.5X.
- Noise Cancelling Microphone
It comes with noise-canceling software that supports USB and Bluetooth devices. It is this feature why gamers prefer to buy it. The noise-canceling software does provide not only an optimum gaming experience but also a peaceful gaming zone. It cancels out all extra noises around you and allows you to engulf the gaming arena in you altogether. Additionally, it doesn’t put the CPU load, so the gaming performance naturally boosts up.
Pros:
- Clean layout and design
- Build quality is excellent
- Value-oriented B550 ATX option
- Excellent UEFI design
- Excellent back panel I/O
- 2.5GbE LAN
Cons:
- The audio solution could be a bit better
- Quad SATA ports
Features:
- Performance
To fully support the latest 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors, B550 AORUS motherboards are equipped with the ultimate power solution: straightforward, digital, and multiple phases. After many experiments and testing, GIGABYTE presents B550 AORUS motherboards for enthusiasts. They offer No Compromise to the players. GIGABYTE realize that customer won’t stop chasing a better computing performance.
- Memory
Protective and optimized memory trace enhance the performance. Faster read and write are needed to save time and improve efficiency. We offer plenty of M.2 storage with thermal guards to ensure unthrottled read and write.
- PCle 4.0 Ready
In advance, adopting PCIe 4.0 ready components get the B550 motherboards easier to upgrade.
Verdict
The GIGABYTE B550 Aorus Elite is a more modest offering that keeps some of the styles of the more premium Aorus models but cuts back on some features, including Wi-Fi and a second M.2 heatsink.
Advantages of Owning an AM4 Motherboard
The main advantage going with AMD and their AM4 platform besides its more up to date feature set is backwards compatibility. If you are someone who has a Ryzen 2000 series and using a 400 series board you are just a BIOS update away from just dropping in the latest 5000 series processors and not worrying about getting a new board to go with it.
The main advantages are:
- More CPU cores on a desktop platform
- PCIe gen 4
- Backwards compatibility
FAQs About Your New AM4 Motherboard
Whether you plan to buy an AM4 motherboard or you already bought one, you probably have a few questions on your mind. Here are one of the more common questions answered:
Which AM4 Motherboards Support Overclocking?
Unlike Intel, AMD offers overclocking on all their processors and most of their motherboards.
It would be easier to tell you which AM4 motherboards don’t support it. All AM4 motherboards support overclocking besides the ones using an A chip like A320.
Is AM4 Future Proof in 2021?
While we don’t like using a word like future proof, your X570 or B550 motherboard should have everything you need from a motherboard in 2021.
Do AM4 Motherboards Support AM3+?
While AM4 is regarded as a backwards compatible platform, it doesn’t apply for older CPU’s using a different socket.
Conclusion
When it comes to AMD-based systems, the AM4 motherboards are the future. They’re the only boards able to host the new Ryzen CPUs, and purchasing one of these chipsets is of crucial importance if you’d like to have a powerful rig that will easily handle the newest games and productivity tasks.
We’ve tried to cover all of the most popular AM4 boards currently on the market, showing you their features, advantages, and flaws. This should make your life a little bit easier for choosing one of the main components for your future gaming rig or workstation.
Disclosure: We make a small commission when you do purchase products following our links (at no cost to you). This will never affect our evaluation of products. You can find full disclosure here.