4 Best Motherboards For PC Gaming
The best PC gaming setups (like the ones we found on gaming tutorials) usually prioritize three things: CPU, graphics card, and RAM. And while all three of these are important for your computer’s performance and speed, there is one more component that you need to connect all of these together: the motherboard or the main printed circuit board (PCB). If you are unfamiliar with what a PCB is, a post by circuit design platform Altium informs readers about how it is an electronic circuit commonly found in consumer technology devices like smartphones and laptops. Motherboard is a type of PCB, although more complex, that is integrated with more components and pins to make PCs run more efficiently. This part of the material is essential for creating the desired specifications.
But that’s also why you can’t buy just any motherboard. You need it with the right ports for your cables and one that is powerful enough to use your components to their full potential. Therefore, it is very important to check the available devices which you can apply to a particular motherboard. In addition to this, you should pay attention to the stable construction of the whole PC, which includes other equipment like power supply, hard drive, etc. With that said, here are some of the best motherboards PC gamers should look for.
Best overall motherboard: GIGABYTE Z490 Gaming X
“Z490” is the 10th generation serial number from Intel Comet Lake S processors. According to the technical experts at Levvvel, any PCB with the code Z490 is compatible with it. The Comet Lake S uses the PCI Express 4.0 interface – the latest version of functionality that allows readers, cards and peripherals to connect instantly.
In addition to Comet Lake S compatibility, the $ 450 Z490 Gaming X has six SATA ports and four DDR4-4600 memory slots, so it’s the first choice for gamers who want to add more storage and RAM. to their configuration. It’s arguably the best motherboard you can get, except for the fact that it doesn’t have USB Type-C ports. Fortunately, a few adapters can solve this problem.
Asus’ ROG line has created some of the best gaming accessories and components you can buy on the market – and the ROG Maximus XII Extreme is no different. The “extreme” in its name isn’t an exaggeration, as this $ 750 card is one of the most feature-rich Intel Comet Lake S devices available today. And between DIMM.2 risers, M.2 sockets, bulky heat sinks, the number fan connectors, and other features, it will give you the best PC gaming experience possible.
This option is perfect for people who want more than just playing. You can install the best graphics and processors available in the market today, which will give you maximized speed and amazing performance, which can be especially important for video editing software, 3D modeling, etc.
However, the Maximus XII Extreme is only needed if you have such powerful components as the Core i9 K-series processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card. Otherwise, all that “extreme” power will not be harnessed at all. A common mistake is when people decide to invest a lot in one or more components, not realizing that you can only have the functionality you want when the whole build is well balanced.
Best Mid-Range Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi
MSI specializes in mid-to-high-end equipment like GS75 Stealth laptops and Optix MAG monitors. The PCBline MPG is pretty much the same. It’s priced under $ 300, but at no cost for its overall performance – provided your other peripherals are also mid-to-high-end like processors below an i9. It also supports Intel up to 10th generation, Wi-Fi 6, and even the latest DIMMs.
It’s just not a very good motherboard for overclocking due to its limited functionality and small size. However, since this is a Z490 version, this will be more than enough to run an Intel Comet Lake processor at baseline performance. In this case, this option is good enough for the newer games, and some of them can even play at the highest quality, while still maintaining proper performance and gameplay at the same time.
Best budget motherboard: ASRock B460 Steel Legend
If you want the most affordable gaming motherboard on the market, your best bet is the ASRock B460 Steel Legend. ASRock products aren’t the prettiest or most feature-rich available (like their PCs), but they’re really good for entry-level versions. The B460 Steel Legend is a prime example. At $ 150, you already get a front USB Type-C header, a pair of M.2 slots, and a dongle slot if you want to install a second Wi-Fi card.
It also includes a 9 + 1 phase VRM. If you didn’t already know, an article on Make technology easier highlights how VRM delivers constant voltage to your processor and graphics card. Poor VRM can really decrease the performance of a gaming PC, making the B460 Steel Legend a truly valuable find. Its only downside is that there is no option to overclock it. As for the newer titles, you should have no problem running any of them. However, you should be aware that this will likely cause some inconvenience if you are trying to play with the highest resolution and detail.
Final words
Each major component of the gaming PC is its motherboard. Consider what components you will be using and what kind of gaming experience you expect from them, as there is a PCB for every need.
Therefore, you should determine your budget when buying a PC and consider investing more in a suitable motherboard before purchasing a graphics card and processor. They can be crucial for performance, but you can only connect them with a compatible motherboard.
Also, building a PC on your own is a much better option as you can create much better stability between components than when you choose a pre-packaged PC case, which in most cases businesses can trying to attract customers with several good features, when overall the capabilities could be much lower. On top of that, building a PC case on your own is also a cheaper solution.
For more gaming articles and other tech articles, visit Richannel’s games page.