9 Best AM4 Motherboard in 2021 Reviews & Buying Guide. What is an am4 motherboard

ASUS X570 TUF Gaming is our favorite mid-range motherboard recommendation, and for good reason. It is a table offering exceptionally good value for money. It is the perfect motherboard for PC builders who prioritize future expansion and build quality.

Are All AM4 Sockets The Same? (Ryzen CPUs & Sockets Explained)

If you’re wondering what motherboard will support the AMD Ryzen processor of your choice, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s article, we’ll go over what’s what and which motherboard will be the best fit for you.

But before we get into that, if you’re wondering “are all AM4 sockets the same?” the short answer to your question is; Yes, all AM4 sockets are physically the same. The main differences between the AM4 motherboards lie elsewhere. The chipset ultimately makes the difference.

We’ve outlined the various sections below to help you find the differences between the various AM4 motherboards so you can find out which selection is right for you. And it’s better to answer the question “Are all AM4 sockets the same?”.

Differences Among AM4 Motherboards

Chipset

The main difference between AM4 motherboards is the chipset. The chipset is a major deciding factor when it comes to the features available, the number of I / O ports and PCI-e lanes available, and most importantly, CPU compatibility.

AMD has so far released 3 generations of motherboards for the AM4 socket, these are the 300, 400 and 500 series. They consist of the following chipsets;

• A320, B350, X370 for 300 series
• B450 and X470 for the 400 series and
• A520, B550 and X570 for the 500 series

The A320 and A520 are entry-level motherboards designed for entry-level or tight-budget systems, although they lack the features that the top end of the product line has.

The B350, B450 and B550 are mid-range motherboards designed for gamers and most average users, with a good price-performance ratio and available features.

The X370, X470 and X570 are high-end motherboards for enthusiasts, editors and content creators with the most features.

Compatibility

Each chipset offers a different CPU compatibility. Some newer 500 series motherboards offer only limited compatibility with older processors, while some older 300 series motherboards may not have the features and support of some newer processors. Below is a chart showing the compatibility of chipsets and different AM4 processors over the generations

AM4 processor compatibility

Some vendors are rolling out beta BIOS versions for older X370 motherboards to support Zen 3 5000-series CPUs in January 2021, along with support for the B450 and X570.

Some B550 and X570 motherboards are compatible with Ryzen 1000 and 2000 CPUs, but not officially, so compatibility is at your own risk if you choose to go this route.

Here are reviews of the top 11 AM4 motherboards at the moment. All 11 of these motherboards are fully compatible with AM4 Ryzen processors.

Input/Output (I/O), PCI-e lanes/revision, and Overclocking Support

Different chipsets have different functions to offer. The main differences are overclocking support, additional PCI-e lines available for data storage, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and the PCI-e version.

Overclocking is only supported on the B and X-series chipsets, and the A320 / A520 is bypassed.

The X570 also has more I / O and PCI-e lines available compared to other chipsets, although motherboard manufacturers have to implement this as they see fit.

The latest 500 series motherboards also come with PCI-e 4.0 support, older motherboards do not. The higher you are in the product stack, the more features you will get.

While a good B550 motherboard should be enough for most users as they are priced very well and offer ample features, the B450 motherboard is recommended for those considering the Ryzen APU.

Form Factor

The last thing to consider is the form factor or size of your motherboard. This will affect the size of the chassis you will need and in some cases it can also affect the ports available.

The ROG STRIX X570-F is one of the most expensive AM4 motherboards in this top guide, but we think it justifies its price. It enters the market with the most modern levels of performance, a newly improved build quality and a multitude of features that have been specially designed for advanced designs.

9 Best AM4 Motherboard in 2021

Best AM4 motherboard	Compatible processors	Chipset type	Memory speed	Buy now
Gigabyte B450M AM4 motherboard	2nd generation AMD Ryzen	AMD B450	3600 MHz	Check on Amazon
ASUS ROG Strix B450-F AM4 motherboard	AMD 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Ryzen	AMD B450	4400 MHz	Check on Amazon
ASUS Prime B450M-A AM4 motherboard	AMD 3rd/2./1 generation Ryzen	AMD B450	2400 MHz	Check on Amazon
MSI AMD X470 AM4 motherboard	AMD 2nd, 3rd generation Ryzen, AMD Athlon	AMD X470	2133 MHz	Check on Amazon
ASUS ROG Strix X570-E AM4 motherboard	3rd generation AMD Ryzen	AMD 570X	2133 MHz	Check on Amazon
MSI Performance Gaming AMD AM4 motherboard	AMD 2nd, 3rd generation Ryzen, AMD Athlon	AMD B450	2133 MHz	Check on Amazon
ASUS TUF B450M-Plus AM4 motherboard	2nd generation AMD Ryzen	AMD B450	2400 MHz	Check on Amazon
GIGABYTE B450M AM4 motherboard	AMD 2nd, 3rd generation Ryzen, AMD Athlon	AMD B450	3600 MHz	Check on Amazon
ASRock X399 TAICHI AM4 motherboard	AMD TR4 Socket Ryzen Threadripper Series processors	2400 MHz	Check on Amazon

1. Gigabyte B450M AM4 Motherboard

If you’re looking for a budget option for an AM4 motherboard, it would be wise to look at the following option from Gigabyte.

The Gigabyte B450M DS3H AM4 motherboard is our first choice for the best AM4 motherboards as it offers a great set of specs for the price. The Gigabyte B450M DS3H supports AMD Ryzen 1st and 2nd Generation processors, including iGPU variants with embedded graphics support. It is a Micro ATX motherboard that has 4 slots for dual-channel DDR4 RAM, where up to 16 GB of 3600 MHz RAM can be installed per slot.

If you don’t want to install the GPU right away, you can use the built-in HDMI and DVI-D ports for image display. When it comes to storage support, it has PCIe Gen 3 NVMe M.2 slots that can accommodate the fastest M.2 SSDs you can find. For external connectivity, 6 USB 3.1 and 8 USB 2.0 ports can be used, so you can use high-speed data ports for data transfer and regular ports for USB-powered devices. Even though it is a micro ATX board, it allows you to personalize your system with RGB lighting with RGB Fusion technology.

The best features

• Chipset type AMD B450
• Micro ATX motherboard for compact designs
• Supports AMD 2nd Generation Ryzen
• It allows up to 64 GB of RAM with a clock of 3600 MHz
• Comes with 3 PCIe expansion slots
• HDMI and DVI-D display ports available
• 6 USB 3.1 and 8 USB 2.0 ports available
• Works with PCIe x16 graphics processors
• PCIe Gen 3 storage interface
• 3-year warranty

Buying Guide For The Best AM4 Motherboard

At the moment, it’s quite difficult to get hold of the latest generation of hardware, whether it’s a new series of AMD processors or a next-gen graphics card. That’s why many users who are eagerly waiting to build a completely new system are turning to AM4 motherboards. With an AMD AM4 motherboard, you can build a decent system now and still have room for future updates.

Several of the best AM4 motherboards also offer full support for the latest Ryzen 5000 series processors, which are the best AMD has to offer right now. If you are already excited to get your build with an AM4 motherboard, check out our guide to buying the best AM4 motherboards below. Here we will introduce you to the most important features of the AM4 motherboard and propose the best possible option for your application.

Form Factor

The aspect ratio of the motherboard does not affect its performance, but its application. The most powerful motherboards can be found in micro ATX format, which can be installed into a compact, ultra-efficient gaming platform. However, different sizes of motherboards are designed for different case sizes and cannot be implemented in themselves. For example, you can install a micro ATX motherboard in the top tower case, but that would be a waste of space. On the other hand, it is impossible to fit an ATX motherboard into a micro ATX capable case due to its large size.

Socket Type

Your motherboard’s socket type determines what type of processor you can install on it. Today, most AMD motherboards have an AM4 socket that can support 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, and even 5th Gen Ryzen processors. The socket type also allows you to upgrade the processor to a newer one after the release. For example, owners of premium AM4 motherboards can upgrade to the new 5th Gen Ryzen processors, while the budget options are limited to 4th Gen Ryzen processors. Before purchasing, please carefully check the socket type and the list of CPUs supported by your motherboard.

Chipset

AMD offers a versatile chipset on all of its motherboards that includes compatibility between processors and motherboards. Put simply, a Ryzen processor can be installed on a wide variety of motherboards that have a compatible socket. But the motherboard chipset model makes a slight difference to your system’s upgradeability and compatibility. There are inexpensive A and B series available, as well as high-quality and performance-driven motherboards with the X-series chipset. The X-Series options are also superior in terms of overclocking performance.

Memory Slots

Ryzen processors require large amounts of RAM as well as faster memory in the RAM module to run optimally. High-capacity RAM is extremely important for gaming-intensive or multitasking. But it can only be installed on a motherboard that allows the mentioned RAM capacity. The number of RAM slots is also important as more slots will allow more RAM modules of the same capacity to be installed in the event of a large amount of memory installation. Even with 4 DIMM DDR4 RAM slots, some motherboards support up to 64GB of RAM, while some motherboards support up to 128GB of RAM.

PCIe Expansion Slots

PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, which is the interface standard for motherboards and is used to determine the compatibility of external devices connected to the motherboard. At the moment, the latest version of graphics cards and mass storage drives support the PCIe express Gen 4 storage interface, which allows them to run at astonishing speeds of up to 16 GT / s with high-end components. But even PCIe express Gen 3 motherboards are suitable for gaming and basic applications considering you have enough expansion slots available to add a GPU and other necessary components.

The voltage regulator heatsinks are somewhat revolutionary, with a direct touch heatpipe and a fin design that increases the heat dissipation area by 300%.

Best AM4 Motherboards: First Look

ASUS ROG STRIX X570-F Gaming Motherboard

The ASUS ROG STRIX X570-F gaming motherboard is arguably the best motherboard in this guide. It is about shelves that offer everything you need to build a high-class PC of the highest standard.

The ROG STRIX X570-F is one of the most expensive AM4 motherboards in this top guide, but we think it justifies its price. It enters the market with the most modern levels of performance, a newly improved build quality and a multitude of features that have been specially designed for advanced designs.

GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master

The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master was aimed at enthusiasts and it did not disappoint in our performance tests. High-quality features like powerful VRMS, PCIe support, and overclocking support are just some of the features you’ll find in this board.

It’s by far the cheapest premium X570 motherboard we looked at in this guide, but don’t be put off by its high price. This board comes to the table with a fantastic feature set that will please gamers and enthusiasts alike.

ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI)

ASUS X570 TUF Gaming is our favorite mid-range motherboard recommendation, and for good reason. It is a table offering exceptionally good value for money. It is the perfect motherboard for PC builders who prioritize future expansion and build quality.

The first thing that struck me when viewing the ASUS TUF X570-PLUS was its striking appearance. Most (sane) people probably have features and performance as their top priorities, however we just couldn’t ignore how good it looks at the heart of the AMD build.

However, it seems the performance levels of this board are extremely high thanks to the 12 + 2 Phase IR Digital PWM design. Overclocking was clearly a highlight on ASUS ‘agenda during the development of this product as the potential is impressive.

This motherboard has a whole bunch of cool features that we’ll cover in more detail later, but ultimately comes second and is another great product from ASUS.

ASUS Prime X570-P

The Asus Prime X570-P is truly the best of both worlds, with great levels of performance and features at an affordable price. This is what every consumer wants. It comes with the hallmark Asus build quality and overclocking potential.

This is one of Asus’s many entries in our best of guide, and it’s hard to argue with its position in this guide. It’s about shelves priced under $ 150 – we think the price is incredibly good for the price. The X570 series is not in its ranks characteristic of many budget boards. That said, this one certainly presents excellent value for money at a reasonable price.

If you’re looking for a high-performance motherboard that hits the store shelf, packed with good features, great build quality, and affordable, look no further.

Different chipsets

It’s a great way to take a look at the variety that AMD consumers have to play with, and it also helps cover not only premium motherboards but budget boards as well.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you will have a thorough understanding of what differences you can find between the different boards and which best suit your specific needs. Like our best article on the Z390, we’ve tried to categorize the boards to showcase their specific strengths.

All AM4 motherboards on this list were selected manually for some reason. First, we did a thorough search to discover which motherboards gamers prefer, trying to balance the ones with the highest reviews against the ones with the lowest prices.

Reviews from various manufacturers were taken into account, as well as reviews from other manufacturers in the video game industry.

We then get our hands on as many of our recommendations as possible so that we can see the build quality up close.

RGB lighting is more subtle than some, on the left side of the heat sink for the voltage regulator and the audio section, although it does have a few headers if you want to add more.

Compact ITX : GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro Wi-Fi

This compact motherboard supports AMD Ryzen 3000 series processors and is a compact platform for smaller PC manufacturers. The ITX motherboard can fit into smaller PC chassis, which allows you to build more unique desktops. But it’s not a hump. You have two DIMM RAM slots, an 8-phase digital voltage regulation module, Wi-Fi, two M.2 slots and PCIe 4.0 support.

Enthusiast Platform : ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero X570

ASUS has the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero X570 which is the absolute monster of the motherboard. It not only beats the high-end AMD chipset, but also some other notable features. You have one excellent VRM setup that allows for serious overclocking, PCIe 4.0 support, all the USB 3.2 ports and M.2 slots you need, and even a 2.5Gb LAN. It is designed for advanced, powerful PCs.

PCIe stands for express connection of peripheral components. This is the standard that allows a computer to communicate with a variety of expansion cards, be it a graphics processor, sound card, Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapters, or even M.2 SSD storage. For lanes x1, x4, x8, or x16, the higher the number, in essence, the more available bandwidth.

Depending on what you need to install on the motherboard, you’ll need to match the PCIe lane numbers. For graphics cards, you have to use x16. A Wi-Fi or Ethernet hub may only require x1 or x4. The more lanes, the larger the socket on the motherboard. Most modern motherboards contain a mix of sockets. The largest (usually one to three) is x16.

Like the number of lanes available, PCIe 4.0 has substantially more bandwidth compared to PCIe 3.0. The good news is that everything is backwards compatible so you can use a PCIe 4.0 GPU on a PCIe 3.0 motherboard or vice versa, although you won’t get all the benefits of the PCIe 4.0 component.

The latest NVIDIA GPUs are PCIe 4.0 certified and as such will perform slightly better on motherboards that also support this standard. These motherboards will be a good match for a modern gaming PC.

Larger motherboards offer more connectors, ports and I / O but generally take up a lot of space, while smaller boards may limit the available connectors but are beneficial for compact designs.

AMD Zen 3 Ready

AMD Ryzen ™ 5000 series desktop processors support the most demanding games and eliminate multi-threaded tasks such as 3D or video rendering and software compilation. With up to 16 cores, 32 threads, accelerated clock speeds up to 4.9 GHz and up to 72MB cache, AMD Ryzen ™ 5000 series processors deliver revolutionary performance.

Processor & Chipset Compatible List

AMD Athlon processors with Radeon graphics Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 1000™ Serial processors Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 2000™ Serial processors with Radeon graphics Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 2000™ Serial processors Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 3000™ Serial processors with Radeon graphics Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 3000™ Serial processors Compatible with	AMD Ryzen 5000™ Serial processors Compatible with
X570	x	x	x	✓	✓	✓	✓
B550	x	x	x	x	x	✓	✓
B450 i X470	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	* Selective Beta BIOS update required

The right motherboard is probably the most important choice you’ll make when building a new computer. You don’t just choose the PCB to which you connect your components: your motherboard’s hardware and software determine the quality of your PC experience throughout its life.

ASUS engineers and designers have developed over 30 AM4 motherboards for the X570, B550 and B450 platforms to give you a wide range of options to choose from. Each model comes with intuitive firmware, best-in-class fan controls and powerful Windows-based software to keep your system running optimally.

ASUS X570 series motherboards are ideal for overclockers and enthusiasts who demand the best of the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Supporting the latest AMD Zen 3 processors and offering PCIe® 4.0 connectivity and tons of ports and slots, X570 series motherboards allow users to create feature-rich builds with a clear upgrade path for the future.

ROG CROSSHAIR VIII DARK HERO

The AMD X570 platform is known to be the preferred choice for computer building enthusiasts. ROG motherboards such as the Crosshair VIII Formula, Hero and Impact take advantage of the extensive I / O capabilities of the X570 chipset to keep even the most discerning user working. The new Crosshair VIII Dark Hero prepares the ground for the latest Zen 3 processors, boasting a fully passive cooling design with 90 amp TI power stages.

ASUS B550 series motherboards provide everything needed for users looking for overclocking control and memory performance from the latest AMD Zen 3 processors. B550 motherboards feature a robust power solution that almost rivals the high-end X570 motherboards, including with the latest PCIe 4.0 connectivity. While it offers fewer slots than the X570, it is a great option for users looking for the latest PCIe 4.0 M.2 connectivity for data and graphics storage.

ROG Strix B550-F Gaming & TUF Gaming B550M-Plus

ROG Strix B550-F Gaming leads the pack with cutting-edge features like powerful VRM cooling, enhanced audio, Intel Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. On the other hand, TUF Gaming B550M-Plus combines gaming-ready features with ultimate reliability . Both motherboards feature an AI noise-canceling microphone that filters out background noises such as keyboard taps, mouse clicks, or ambient sounds to ensure your teammates can clearly hear you.

So, here are our best AM4 motherboards of 2021, now the question is which one best suits your needs? Hope the little category headers help you figure this out. But if not, our detailed reviews will be ready!

What Makes a Good AM4 Motherboard?

Compatibility

Motherboards are all about compatibility. Motherboards have different chipsets, but AMD is much more forgiving than Intel.

You also want to see if it supports RAM and has enough PCIe slots, memory slots, and ports, taking into account any extras you might want to add later.

Finally, think about the case of letters; make sure it really fits your case.

There are 3 main motherboard sizes (or, to put it more technically, form factors): ATX is the largest and most “standard” size, Micro-ATX is smaller and Mini-ITX is the smallest. (I know, you’d think the Micro would be the smallest, but it isn’t).

Generally, the bigger the board, the better; will have more features and more connectors, heat sinks, expansion card slots and RAM slots.

Micro and Mini must inevitably make some pretty big sacrifices, and you’ll never get as good value as an ATX board, so we recommend ATX if you can swing it around.

How We Choose AM4 Motherboards

Features and Performance

While specifications are important, real-world testing is even better. For example, gaming benchmarks, overclocking benchmarks, and performance give a much better picture of performance.

Purpose

We always have the user’s goal in mind, rather than just aiming for the highest specs. You don’t want to overpay for anything.

Value for money

The price has to be reasonable, but more importantly, can you get more for your money elsewhere?

The B350, B450 and B550 are mid-range motherboards designed for gamers and most average users, with a good price-performance ratio and available features.

The Best AM4 Motherboard for You

Motherboard sockets and chipset are two key features when considering compatible processors and RAM units. For system memory, look for a motherboard with the correct DIMM sockets. For fast memory, choose a gigabyte DDR4 motherboard over a board with slots for DDR3 RAM units.

Each motherboard has a socket that fits a specific family of CPUs, and sockets for one or more DDRAM modules. The chipset is the motherboard interface between the CPU, RAM, and connected peripherals. If you go for an Intel Core, Celeron or Pentium processor, you will need a processor with an LGA 1151 socket. This socket is for 6th, 7th and 8th generation processors. However, not every LGA 1151 motherboard will work with chips in these generations. For example, only those with the 300 series chipsets are compatible with Intel 8th generation processors. The most popular socket for AMD processors is the AM4 socket.

Motherboards for High-End PCs

Most high-end computers use the full-size ATX model or the smaller mATX model. There is room for more components in ATX format. For example, some ATX boards have eight RAM slots, while mATX units typically have four. If you’re shopping for gaming and VR motherboards, find ones that support overclocking and have large heat sinks.

For those who build high-end gaming computers, it’s best to look for a motherboard that supports the most powerful processors. If you have an Intel Core X processor, you will need a gaming motherboard with a socket LGA 2066. A motherboard with socket TR4 fits the AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU.

When purchasing motherboards, consider the size and chipset, as well as the available sockets and sockets. Check out the large assortment of motherboards and other desktop components at B&H Photo and Video to find everything you need to build a fast and powerful custom PC.