8 Best Motherboards to Purchase in 2019 for Intel and AMD Platforms ByVaidyanathan Subramaniam-February 14, 2019 “2/2.1856.png” Motherboards have come a long way in terms of onboard features. To ensure a stable computing platform and optimum operating efficiency of all PC components it is important to select a good motherboard. The PC market is still divided between offerings made by Intel and AMD, and so are motherboards. Each platform offers chipsets to cater for all budgets and therefore you will find corresponding motherboards that incorporate these at different prices. There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when buying a motherboard. Support for your platform of choice is the most important of them. Intel and AMD have different chipsets and sockets for processors so it is important that your board supports your preferred CPU. Another important consideration is the form factor of the Board. Most motherboards come in form factors such as miniITX microATX and ATX. Depending on the physical space you can afford you must select the appropriate form factor for your computer cabinet. Remember that the onboard features depending very much on the form factor you select. You should look at at at least one PCI-E x16 slot a M.2 slot and 2 RAM slots these days however. Here’s a look at the 8 best motherboards of 2019 across Intel and AMD platforms with that information.
“2/2.1857.jpg” Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi) Features: 2x Addressable RGB Headers Pre-installed I / O shield Multiple fan headers Dual M.2 slots Fan Xpert 4 5-way Overclocks Aura Sync RGB 2-way SLI 2/3-way CrossFire Socket: LGA-1151 Form Factor: ATX Dimensions (W x H x D): 12.28 x 14.57 x 4.25 in $338.73 Asus ROG Maxi Form Factor: ATX Dimensions The board comes in a particular Call of Duty theme: Black Ops 4 and is great for RGB enthusiasts and overclockers. Asus offers a 5-way optimization system where almost every aspect of the board can be tweaked. Even for first-time overclockers the gui is easy to understand while pros can dive deep into UEFI settings for more. Overclockers will also appreciate the many refrigeration controls that can accommodate RGB fans or custom water coolers that can be easily managed through FanXpert 4. The Asus ROG Maximum XI Hero is a very expensive board and it should only be looked for if you can take advantage of all the features. One problem is that Asus advertises this as an 8-phase VRM, but in fact it is a 4-phase duplex. That being said, you can still push the Core i9-9900 K on all cores over 5 GHz as long as you’re using a proper cooling setup. Cons: Costly VRMs not branded correctly
2. Aorus Gaming 7 (Wi-Fi) Gigabyte X470
“2/2.1858.jpg”The Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 provides a very robust high-end solution for those looking at an AMD device. The Gaming 7 uses a 10 + 2 VRM step configuration that provides sufficient power to overclock the Ryzen 7 2700X and the direct contact heatpipe ensures that excess heat is transferred from the VRMs away. This board also comes with Intel 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi which provides speeds up to 1.73 Gbps. A good feature of the board is the inclusion of various BIOS security features, such as a rear CMOS clear switch, a swappable BIOS chip, and debug LEDs that indicate if any malfunction has happened. Although the Aorus Gaming 7 is one of Ryzen’s best motherboards, it does have a few weaknesses. The BIOS is not as complete or intuitive as some of the competitive products and some of the inbox applications are buggy as well. Several users have been complaining about QC issues with the onboard audio chip. The Aorus Gaming 7 all said and done is one of the best high-end X470 boards that you can buy. BIOS layout needs to be improved
“2/2.1859.jpg” ASRock B450M-HDV Features: 7-phase VRM design Super Alloy Build 1x M.2 slot ASRock Live update Socket: AM4 Form Factor: MicroATX Dimensions (W x H x D): 8.11 x 9.09 x 1.57 in $76.98 The ASRock B450 M is suitable for those applications. The ASRock B450 M is one of the best available MicroATX AMD motherboards. But don’t let the size fool you as this is an extremely capable solution for PCs with small form factor. That motherboard is based on AMD’s latest B450 chipset. So apart from the Threadrippers it is compatible with most current Ryzen processors. The B450 is not particularly known for overclocking, but the ASRock B450 M provides a 7-phase control system that should be capable of providing steady voltage if you decide to increase the clocks. You also have the most common networking options and can use both ECC and non-ECC RAM modules. And despite the form factor, there are some limitations. You can use only up to two RAM sticks so you might need to plan your upgrade options in advance. There are also some problems regarding the XMP memory profiles that would hopefully be rectified in a future BIOS update. That being said, for those looking at a compact HTPC setup or a mini gaming rig this is easily one of the best buys. Cons: Limited RAM expansion Issues with XMP profile setting
4. ASRock X299 Taichi
“2/2.1860.jpg” Features: Quad-CrossFireX Quad SLI 3x M.2 Quad Channel DDR4 4x PCI-E 3.0 1x PCI-E 2.0 Socket: LGA-2066 Chipset: Intel X299 Form Factor: ATX Dimensions (W x H x D): 9.6 x 12 x 0.1 in
“2/2.1861.jpg” In fact, given its insane core counts and high clock speeds, the Ryzen Threadripper series is by far the most favored HEDT CPU. The Asus ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is based on the X399 platform, making it one of the best Threadripper processor motherboards. It’s expensive but you get characteristics that should justify the price. Because of the Threadripper CPUs ‘ massive PCI-E lane count we see support for 4x PCI-E x16 slots and 3x NVMe slots. More NVMe drives can also be added via an add-on card, if you wish. The Zenith Extreme Alpha also offers a 10 Gigabit LAN, which is optimized for gaming tasks and other intensive network tasks. The BIOS is extremely detailed and offers a wealth of options for overclocking. There is also a status indicator showing the current CPU clock along with diagnostic LEDs indicating if the system has anything wrong. Those who are looking to use extreme cooling solutions like custom waterblocks will be happy to find the required number of headers on board. The backpanel also includes a pre-installed I / O shield that helps with the aesthetics in general. Ultimately, there’s nothing to blame for the ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha and if you can overlook the high demand size, this is one of the Threadripper platform’s best motherboards. Cons: Cosy
6. MSI X470 Gaming Plus
“2/2.1862.jpg” Features: Click BIOS 5 Gaming LAN with LAN Protect AMD CrossFire support Steel Armor PCI-E slots MSI Mystic Light Chemi-con Dual M.2 Socket: AM4 Chipset: AMD X470 Form Factor: ATX Dimensions (W x H x D): 9.6 x 12 x 1 in MSI X470 Gaming Plus is a high end motherboard for the Ryzen platform. The X470 chipset supports advanced features like Precision Boost 2.0 and XFR 2.0 in Ryzen. You can also use the new Athlon processors of the 7th gene A-series, but with the Ryzen 5 and above, the board is best used. The Gaming Plus can support up to and above 3200 MHz and various XMP profiles. Navigating the BIOS in the Gaming Plus is a treat because it offers a good intuitive interface and is easy for both newbies and pros to use. One can use up to two AMD Radeon GPUs in CrossFire mode. To secure the GPUs in place, the PCI-E x16 slots are covered in steel. The MSI X470 Gaming Plus uses chemicon condensers for distortion-free audio as well as built-in enhancements for games and movies lifelike audio. It also supports enough number of fan headers to provide adequate refrigeration whenever needed. This is one of the best under $150 motherboards and offers something for almost every user. Pros: Great usability Sufficient number of fan headers Cons: None as
Form Factor: MicroATX Dimensions (W x H x D): 9.6 x 9.6 x 1.2 in $199.99?$20.00$179.99 The MSI MPG Z390 M is one of the Intel platform’s best microATX motherboards and supports the latest 8th gene and 9th gene CPUs including Core Pentium and Celeron. Despite being a microATX board it offers many high-end features including DDR4 RAM overclock slots up to 4500 MHz 2x M.2 which are Intel Optane read and Turbo Boost USB 3.1 Gen 2. You will also get the Mystic Light RGB LEDs from MSI along with the addressable headers. Other peripherals compatible with Mystic Light are controllable with MSI software. The best part about this board is that despite being such a compact form factor, it’s dual-GPU capable. The MPG Z390 M also features Intel Gigabit Wi-Fi built-in with speeds up to 1.73 Gbps. In order to prevent thermal throttling, VRMs are covered by heatsinks and the onboard audio components do a fine job of delivering good multichannel audio. Overall if you are looking for a good microATX form factor Z390 board the MSI MPG Z390 M should be high on your list. Cons:
8, none as such. Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming
“2/2.1864.jpg” Features: Dual M.2 5-way optimization overclocks FanXpert 4 Gamer’s Guardian Overcurrent protection Pre-assembled I / O shield socket: LGA-1151 Chipset: Intel Z390 Form Factor: MiniITX Dimensions (W x H x D): 7.29 x 8.9 x 3.7 in The Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming offers excellent specs and is a high-end Intel Z390 Form Factor: MiniITX Dimensions (W x H x D): The ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming offers everything a flagship gaming motherboard expects, including good overclocking capabilities. Like many other Asus boards, the Strix Z390-I Gaming offers 5-way optimization based on predictive algorithms and thermal headroom that can overclock the CPU. You can use your own personalized refrigeration system like waterblocks or use FanXpert 4 to power multiple fans. The Z390-I Gaming even uses a pre-mounted I / O shield that adds to the board’s aesthetics and the board supports AuraSync RGB as well. The onboard SupremeFX audio is based on the Realtek S1220A codec, which is tuned to offer a great audio experience in games and movies, particularly when using virtual surround headphones. Pros: Good overclocking options Fail-safe memory overclock Cons: Just one USB 2.0 header So that was our round-up of the best motherboards to buy for both Intel and AMD platforms in 2019. Compared to a few generations ago we see motherboards offering advanced features onboard without additional add-on cards being required. With all the technicalities involved shopping for motherboards can get tricky. Our guide should however help you give an idea of the choices on offer regardless of your platform preferences.