Best motherboard for gaming in 2024, from AMD to Intel
If you're building a brand-new PC, you may be looking for the best motherboard for gaming. As much as we tend to think otherwise, it's hard to say there is a more important piece of hardware in a gaming PC than the motherboard. It's the biggest internal component, to which all other parts are connected.
For many reasons, having the right motherboard is one of the most crucial parts of a PC build - so here are our choices for the best motherboards for gaming in 2024.
How we picked the best gaming motherboards
Motherboards essentially tie your build together, with all the main components such as your GPU and CPU, along with parts like RAM, NVMe storage, and fans all being wired in or attached to it.
As such a core part of a PC, your motherboard is important, so when looking at the best options, we considered the main features, compatibility, slots for hardware, and pricing.
Best gaming motherboard on a budget
Asus ROG Strix B550-F
Click to enlargeWhile it does have some caveats in 2024, the Asus ROG Strix B550-F is still an excellent motherboard that will serve you perfectly in pretty much every gaming scenario.
The main thing you have to consider is that it only supports AM4 compatible CPUs, meaning the latest generation of AMD 7000 series chips will not work on this board. However, processors like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D are still extremely capable with even the most powerful GPUs and gaming loads, so you won't have too much of a problem.
You're still getting PCIe 4.0 on both the graphics card slot and the main M.2 space, alongside an additional PCIe 3.0 lane and two M.2 slots for all that extra gaming storage.
You are capped at DDR4 on the four RAM slots too, but that won't prove too much of an issue with the 5800X3D - and for just $169.99 you really can't complain. It's even got a healthy dose of RGB too!
Best AM5 gaming motherboard
GIGABYTE B650 AORUS Elite AX ICE
Click to enlargeFor anyone looking to jump straight into AM5, then the GIGABYTE B650 AORUS Elite is the perfect option.
Not only do you have support for all of the latest and greatest AMD CPUs, but you also have plenty of future-proofing when it comes to DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0 and more.
One of the most appealing aspects for me is the main PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 slot, as you can achieve absolutely ridiculous read and write speeds to make your PC and games load as fast as possible. We have seen drive speeds be much more effective in recent years of gaming, so there's no better way to ensure top performance than with this.
Furthermore, the board also features a gorgeous silver and white design that would fit into any of the outstanding white PC builds out there - so if that's something you've got in mind then you'd be silly to pass this board up.
Best LGA 1700 gaming motherboard
GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Elite AX
Click to enlargeThe GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Elite will be absolutely ideal if you prefer to move on the Intel side of things, providing top performance and support for all of the best CPUs in one sleek package.
If it's any of the top Raptor Lake processors like the i9 14900 or i7 14700 that you're after then you'll not need to sweat when using this board, as it supports them perfectly and offers much-needed heat dissipation at the top.
Furthermore, this motherboard boasts an impressive quadruple M.2 setup, meaning that you'll never be lacking in storage if you like to hoard files without sacrificing anything when it comes to speed.
Best high-end gaming motherboard
GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master
Click to enlargeThere's nothing better than sacrificing nothing when it comes to performance, and you can absolutely achieve that by picking up the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master - the top of the range when it comes to high-end gaming motherboards.
It has everything that you'd expect from a quality motherboard, including support for the best AMD CPUs, full DDR5 RAM support up to 192GB, WiFi 6E, and a 2.5GbE LAN chip. You're also getting two super speedy PCIe NVMe M.2 slots alongside another two PCIe 4.0 slots for maximum storage speeds, and a rear IO that is packed to the brim with compatibility.
What really sets the AORUS Master apart though is its top-of-the-range thermal performance, with world-beating VRM design and numerous features that ensure that your parts are staying as cool as possible.
While this will set you back $449.99, it is more than worth the price if you want the best of the best - and is definitely a worthwhile investment if you have the best CPU or graphics card to pair with this.
Best Mini-ATX motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I
Click to enlargeSmall form factor gaming PC builds have become dramatically more popular over the past couple of years as the case options have improved, so the demand for Mini-ITX motherboards has risen accordingly.
In my eyes, you can't get much better than the ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I when it comes to this size, giving you the maximum amount of performance and proving that size really doesn't matter.
It really is amazing how much ASUS have packed onto this board, with two M.2 NVMe slots (across both PCIe 5.0 and 4.0), alongside a positively huge VRM cooling array.
Keeping your CPU temps as low as possible is more important than ever in a build this size, as so much heat is cramped into a tiny space - so features like this are invaluable and more than worth the money you'll invest.
While it might initially seem silly to stick a top-end CPU onto a motherboard this small, the ROG Strix B650E-I proves to be more than capable, leaving you with no compromises in your tiny build.
Check out our hardware homepage for more lists like this. Alternatively, check out the best M.2 SSDs, the best 1440p gaming monitors, the best gaming desks, the best budget CPUs, and the best Razer keyboards.
GGRecon uses affiliate links. If you purchase any products from our links, we may earn a commission.
