AMD motherboards are a great choice for gamers looking to boost gaming performance and enjoy powerful multitasking. They offer a strong performance-to-price ratio, are durable and feature a wide array of ports, slots and capabilities. Some offer overclocking capabilities for enhanced performance. Look for a motherboard with a solid build quality, advanced cooling solutions and user-friendly BIOS settings.
The best AMD motherboards are often less expensive than Intel motherboards, and some offer features that aren’t available on Intel boards, such as native Wi-Fi. The AMD platform is also known for supporting advanced device technologies like USB 3.1, PCIe 4.0 and NVMe technology.
Most mainstream AMD motherboards use a CPU socket designed for PGA processors, including the older AM4 and AM3 platforms. However, the new AM5 platform for Ryzen processors and Threadripper on HEDT use an LGA CPU socket design. This means that a board with the right chipset can accommodate different generations of AMD CPUs, which can save you money and hassle down the road.
A good example is the ASRock B650E PG ITX, which supports 2nd-generation Ryzen chips and future generations of PCIe 5.0 graphics cards. It’s priced very reasonably, and if AMD keeps supporting the AM5 platform for years to come, you can easily upgrade your CPU without requiring a new motherboard. In contrast, Intel changes CPU sockets much more frequently, meaning you’ll typically have to upgrade your motherboard to run a newer Intel processor. This makes AMD motherboards a little more “futureproof” than their Intel counterparts, though it’s still a good idea to do your research before making any final decisions. AMD motherbords