Buying guide for Intel and AMD CPUs

The motherboard is the central pillar On which every PC is built, a well-deserved title, because we have to connect such important components as the processor, RAM, graphics card and memory unit.

In fact, the motherboard acts as Link of the various PC componentseither in whole or in part. For example, fans are not installed directly on the motherboard, but connected to it to obtain the required performance. The same applies to storage drives in 2.5 and 3.5 inch formats.

We must not forget that it is the motherboard that determines Which components and which peripheral devices can we connect to our devices? We could notice small nuances, since adding sound cards or graphics cards can overcome some of the restrictions that a particular motherboard imposes, but ultimately this is the measure of compatibility.

Its meaning is beyond doubt. Make a mistake when choosing a motherboard can completely ruin the assembly of a PC, A problem that can arise from multiple sides, including a very large motherboard that doesn't fit into a particular chassis or doesn't support a particular CPU, and that can also form a functional but "crippled" bracket.

We'll understand it better with an example: a computer with an H370 motherboard and a Core i9 9900K processor. it will work without problems, but it will be "disabled" Why We will not be able to use the unlocked multiplier the processor and overclock it. For this we need a motherboard with a Z370 chipset, the price of which is higher than that of the models with the H370 chipset.

As we can see, there are many things to consider when choosing a motherboard, and that's what it does in the end a very complicated decision. For this reason, we have decided to update our motherboard buying guide, an article that our readers liked a lot and you wished to renew for a few months. Here you have it, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I write it.

Which motherboard should I choose? First steps

Budget is key when choosing a motherboard, there is no doubt about it. If you have a reduced budget, you have to Search for cheaper models. This means that you have to do without a number of certain features and accept less careful aesthetics and inferior build quality.

However, it is important to be clear even if your budget is small It should be enough to buy a motherboard that meets the requirements of the team you want to assemble, and this involves several things that need to be set in stone. The first is that you need to be prepared to get the most out of all the components you want to install. For example, if we want to use Ryzen processors, we have to look for one AM4 motherboard, and if we want to use Core 9000 processors, we have to get a motherboard LGA1151 socket and chipset of the 300 series.

Second, we should Pay attention to the size. If we use a case that only supports the Micro ATX format and buy an ATX motherboard, we have a problem. If, on the other hand, we want to put together a very small team, we have to get a mini ITX motherboard. Then I will leave you with a summary of the most commonly used formats and their different sizes so that you have an accurate reference.

• ATX: It is the size that is the standard in the general consumer market and remains the most popular. It has dimensions of 305 x 244 mm.
• Micro ATX: Its popularity has increased significantly as it enables compact but powerful devices to be assembled. It has dimensions of 244 x 244 mm.
• Mini-ITX: Enables very small teams to be assembled without having to compromise on performance. It has dimensions of 170 x 170 mm.

There is no doubt that the motherboard is a very important investment and as such we have to give it the value it deserves. However, we have to be very clear when choosing the budget we started with and the goals of the assembly that we will carry out as this will affect our decision.

If you want to choose a processor with unlocked multiplier and upload their frequencies you need to select a motherboard that has The chipset had to be able to overclock. With AMD the chipsets B350, X370, B450, X470 and X570 can be overclocked without any problems, while with Intel only the chipsets of the «Z» series enable overclocking. For example, a Core i9 9900K processor should be accompanied by a Z370 chipset motherboard, while a Core i9 10900K should be mounted on a Z490 motherboard.

You don't have to buy a motherboard for 300 or 400 euros to have a good experience, although there is also no universal rule that allows us to define the budget that we have to allocate to this component in an absolute way. All in all, I like to use a fairly simple and interesting rule that hardly ever fails and that I want to share with you: in most cases, the most advisable is to invest at least a third in the motherboard, and at most half what the processor we will be using will cost us.

For example, imagine driving a Ryzen 7 3700X, the price of which is 299.85 euros. Also, You should not allocate more than 100-150 euros to the motherboard. With a GIGABYTE B450 Aorus Elite we would have more than enough (it costs 101.89 euros), although we want to ensure full compatibility with the Ryzen 3900X and Ryzen 9 3950X processors as well as with the future Ryzen 4000 and enjoy the advantages that it offers As a PCIE Gen4 standard with a reasonable investment, we could opt for the GIGABYTE X570 UD, which costs € 149.89.

Exactly the same thing happens with inexpensive processors. It makes no sense to buy a processor for 50 to 100 euros and mount it on a 200-euro motherboard, unless you plan to use this configuration temporarily, that is, as a temporary platform until you have a processor according to this motherboard can mount. 200 euros. Some users use this type of assembly "in phases". This is not ideal as we lose money in multiple purchases of components in a relatively short amount of time. However, this is an option that needs to be considered.

What things directly depend on choosing a motherboard?

Good many, the truthso many that we can easily understand why we said that it is so important to take care of the choice of this component.

I share below with you a simplified but fairly comprehensive breakdown, with all the buttons you need to have clear when choosing your new motherboard:

• The socket and processors that we can use. LGA socket motherboards in their various versions support Intel CPUs, while AM4 socket motherboards support AMD processors and APUs.
• The amount of RAM supported, the available slots, the type and the speed. A motherboard with four RAM slots is more versatile when planning future expansions.
• The connections for storage units (SATA III, M.2 etc.) and for accessories. If we mount an M.2 PCIE SSD and want to select a motherboard without such a connector, we have a problem.
• The number of PCIE slots available, as well as their type and speed. This is not a controversial problem because at least one PCIE 3.0 x16 connector is installed on all current motherboards.
• Supports advanced functions, Usage and security options. In this section you will find interesting functions such as the dual BIOS and the temperature sensors.
• The quality of the power supply system (VRM), Cooling and optimal support of certain components. Not all motherboards can optimally power the most powerful processors, and they don't have the same cooling systems that apply to elements as important as the VRM or chipset.
• Compatibility with processors that support overclocking. We have to take this into account, since mounting a processor that supports overclocking on a motherboard that cannot use this function is a serious error.
• Other important aspectss, such as integrated connectivity, network and sound options. The most advanced motherboards offer superior sound solutions and enable the use of advanced optimization and management tools. The same applies to network options.

Please note that not all of these elements are equally important. If we have a tight budget We have to give priority to the overall quality of the plateand make sure it has the connectors and slots that we need. There is no point in buying a very cool motherboard with LEDs if, for example, its power supply system cannot cope with the processor you want to mount.

In terms of connectivity, most current motherboards have everything we may need, including connectors USB Type C. and a generous number of ports USB type A.With the exception of very specific cases, you have no problem in this regard.

A look at Intel chipsets

Although some generations of processors associated with certain chipsets have already been discontinued, we still find a variety of motherboards that use versions that we can consider "old". Processors based on the Skylake architecture (Core 6000) require, for example, a motherboard 100 or 200 series chipsetThe same applies to the Kaby Lake processors (Core 7000). You can enlarge the tables by clicking on them.

The latest processors based on Coffee Lake and Coffee Lake Refresh (Core 8000 and 9000 respectively) use motherboards 300 series chipsetand the newly released Comet Lake (Core 10000) require motherboards 400 series chipset. All except the Core 10 series, which are installed in the new one LGA1200 socketUse the LGA1151 socket but you will need a different chipset as we see.

• Base level– There are H110 and H310 chipsets here. They do not support MultiGPU configurations and have a low configuration of PCIE (x6) lines, which is also type 2.0 in the H110 series. This can affect the performance of M.2 NVME SSDs. However, they are a good option for cheap devices because of the graphics card uses all 16 processor lines. They do not support Intel Optane technology.
• Intermediate: Here we find a large number of chipsets, such as the B250, H170, H270 and H370 series. In general, they improve the number of available PCIE lines, the maximum number of available USB ports and the integrated SATA ports, and offer support for advanced functions such as Intel Optane and others Intel Rapid Storage technology, amongst other things.
• High level– Chipsets from the Z170, Z270, Z370, Z390 and Z490 series are grouped here. They support multi-GPU configurations, increase the number of PCIE lines as well as USB ports and SATA ports, have advanced technologies and also support overclocking. Indispensable to use processors overclock.

Remember that along with these consumer platforms, we have the Intel HEDT platform that uses the socket LGA2066 and the X299 chipset. It is a common foundation that applies to all motherboards currently in existence because they all support overclocking and have common specifications, with the processor having important differences on important issues such as the total number of PCIE lines.

A look at AMD chipsets

The motherboards currently sold by AMD cover a fairly wide range of solutions that are compatible with almost all Ryzen APUs and processors as long as the current BIOS available.

Ryzen 1000 processors came alongside cards of the 300 series with AM4 socket, but B350 and X370 motherboards have been updated to support the new Ryzen 3000The same applies to the motherboards B450 and X470, which were delivered with the Ryzen 2000, but work without any problems with the Ryzen 3000.

Please note that the Ryzen 9 3900X and the Ryzen 9 3950X need a pretty solid VRMand that they don't have to work well on all 300 and 400 series motherboards, although they're theoretically compatible. Be very careful with it.

• Basic level: It matches the A320 chipset used in AMD's cheapest motherboards with an AM4 socket. Does not support overclockingHowever, it enables problem-free use of graphics cards in the PCIE x16 configuration and of M.2 SSD drives with NVME PCIE x4 interface.
• Medium level: Here you position the B350 and B450 chipsets. Both enable overclocking, support multi-GPU configurations (albeit to a limited extent) and offer practically the same main functions. The only big differences are that the latter supports advanced features like Precision Boost Overdrive and Store MI. B550 chipset models will be available soon and support the PCIE Gen4 standard.
• High level: The X370, X470 and X570 chipsets are included in this position. They support overclocking and multi-GPU configurations. We have identified more important differences that are no longer limited to the Precision Boost Overdrive and Store MI support found in the X470 and X570 cards, but also extend to support for the PCIE Gen4 standard, which has only since then present in the X570 motherboards Disabled on compatible X470 models.

As in the case of Intel, I remind you that there is an AMD HEDT platform that consists of the Threadripper series of processors that use and have the sTR4 and sTRX4 sockets as well as the X399 chipset a common level of performance. The first socket is used by first and second generation Threadripper processors and the second by third generation Threadripper processors. They have important differences that affect the PCIE lines and the number of USB ports and ports.

Which motherboard should I choose? Model recommendations that are a good choice

Each guide should contain a number of specific, clear and concise recommendations. We already have a number of important terms with which we can clarify the most important points when choosing a motherboard. At the end of this article we will introduce you to a number of models that are good value for money a good buy.

Intel motherboards

MSI H310M PRO-VD Plus for 61.86 euros

• LGA1151 socket.
• H310 chipset, compatible with Core 8000 and Core 9000 processors.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Up to 32 GB DDR4 with 2.666 MHz in two slots.
• Micro ATX format.

GIGABYTE Z390 UD for 115.91 euros

• LGA1151 socket.
• Z390 chipset, compatible with Core 8000 and Core 9000 processors.
• It enables overclocking and SLI CrossFire.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Up to 64 GB DDR4 at 4,266 MHz in four slots.
• ATX format.

MSI Mag Z390 Tomahawk for € 164.90

• LGA1151 socket.
• Z390 chipset, compatible with Core 8000 and Core 9000 processors.
• It enables overclocking and SLI CrossFire.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Up to 64 GB DDR4 at 4,400 MHz in four slots.
• ATX format.

MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS for 189.90 euros

• LGA1200 socket.
• Z490 chipset, compatible with Core 10000 processors.
• It allows overclocking and CrossFire.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Up to 128 GB DDR4 at 4,800 MHz in four slots.
• ATX format.

MSI X299 PRO for 327.99 euros

• LGA2066 socket.
• X299 chipset, compatible with Core 7000 Extreme, Core 9000 Extreme and Core 10000 Extreme (HEDT) processors.
• It enables overclocking and SLI CrossFire.
• PCIE slots with metal protection.
• Up to 256 GB DDR4 with 4,200 MHz in eight slots.
• ATX format.

AMD motherboards

GIGABYTE B450 Aorus Elite for 101.89 euros

• Socket AM4, compatible with Ryzen 1000, 2000 and 3000 processors.
• B450 chipset, supports overclocking.
• Up to 64 GB DDR4 with 3,600 MHz in four slots.
• Support for MultiGPU configurations in CrossFire.
• ATX format.

GIGABYTE X570 UD for 149.89 euros

• Socket AM4, compatible with Ryzen 2000 and 3000 processors (Zen + and Zen 2).
• X570 chipset, supports overclocking.
• Up to 128 GB DDR4 at 4,000 MHz in four slots.
• Support for MultiGPU configurations in CrossFire.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Supports PCIE Gen4.
• ATX format.

ASUS Prime X570-P for 196.70 euros

• AM4 socket, compatible with Ryzen 2000 and 3000 processors (Zen + and Zen 2) and first generation Ryzen APUs.
• X570 chipset, supports overclocking.
• Up to 128 GB DDR4 with 4,400 MHz in four slots.
• Support for MultiGPU configurations in CrossFire.
• PCIE slot with metal protection.
• Supports PCIE Gen4.
• ATX format.

ASUS Rog Strix X399-E games from 381.90 euros

• STR4 socket, compatible with Threadripper 1000 and 2000 processors.
• X399 chipset, supports overclocking.
• Up to 128 GB DDR4 with 3,600 MHz in eight slots.
• PCIE slots with metal protection.
• MultiGPU configuration support with up to three graphics cards (NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire).
• ATX format.

ASUS ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming (refurbished) for 412.55 euros

• STRX4 socket, compatible with Threadripper 3000 processors.
• X399 chipset, supports overclocking.
• Up to 256 GB DDR4 with 4,600 MHz in eight slots.
• PCIE slots with metal protection.
• MultiGPU configuration support with up to two graphics cards (NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire).
• Supports PCIE Gen4.
• ATX format.