Saving with Smarts: Efficient Motherboards for Playing Games

Building a computer for gaming isn’t exactly cheap, even if you’re putting together an entry-level rig. Luckily, motherboards can be relatively inexpensive, allowing you to allocate more of your budget towards a better GPU and CPU. And even budget motherboards for gaming feature many of the bells and whistles you need, like the latest Intel and AMD sockets and Gen 5 M.2 slots.

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  MSI

MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard

Best Overall
$179 at Amazon

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  Gigabyte

Gigabyte A620I AX

Best Mini-ITX
$130 at Amazon

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  ASRock

ASRock B760M PG Riptide

Best for Intel
$130 at Newegg

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  ASUS

Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus

Best for AMD
$200 at Amazon

• 
  
  ASRock

ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard

Best RGB
$160 at Amazon

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Best Budget Motherboard for Gaming Overall: MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk

MSI

What’s great about the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk is that it’s not only a well-rounded budget motherboard for gaming, but it lacks major weaknesses. Sure, Gen 5 M.2 sockets would be fantastic, but Gen 4 is still awesome, and you get three sockets to fill, so you’ll never want for space.

The MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk also goes above and beyond with the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for your GPU. With the extra soldering points, the motherboard is more than capable of handling hefty, full-sized GPUs, preventingGPU sag .

And to wrap a bow on everything, the LGA 1700 socket is perfect for budget builds. You can opt for the popular entry-level 12100F and then upgrade to a 14th Gen Intel CPU later down the road when the price is right. All you need is a BIOS update to support it.

MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard

Best Overall

$179$190 Save $11

With a nice selection of ports, including Wi-Fi 6E, the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk is among the most well-rounded budget motherboards. It also has a few nifty features like overclocking your RAM, M.2, and support for 14th Gen Intel CPUs, offering an upgrade path down the road.

Pros

• RAM can be overclocked
• PCIe slot has structural support for heavier GPUs
• Good selection of ports, Wi-Fi 6E, and Ethernet

Cons

• Limited to DDR4
• Lack of RGB

$179 at Amazon $190 at Newegg $190 at Best Buy

Best Budget Mini-ITX Motherboard for Gaming: Gigabyte A620I AX

Gigabyte

What’s better than a budget motherboard? One that you can easily work with, which is especially helpful if you’re new to PC building. TheGigabyte A620I AX fits comfortably in that camp while offering the benefits of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series processors.

Normally, you’d have to slot in a few components, like the CPU, in order to update the BIOS. The Q-Flash Plus lets you sidestep that entirely with just a USB drive, the power support, and the press of a button. Then you have the EZ-latch, which not only gives your GPU a nice, snug fit, but it’ll be easier to eject when you upgrade your rig.

While the Gigabyte A620I AX is limited to PCIe 4.0 GPUs, it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. Most modern GPUs still use PCIe 4.0, like theNVIDIA GeForce 4060 Ti . On the flip side, you can eke out some extra power by overclocking your RAM.

Gigabyte A620I AX

Best Mini-ITX

$130$150 Save $20

Whether you’re aiming for a small AM5 build or you just want an easy mini-ITX board to work with, the Gigabyte A620I AX is the perfect option. Its Q-Flash Plus makes it easy to update the BIOS, and it gets bonus points for ARGB support.

Pros

• Very easy to work with
• RAM can be overclocked
• Form factor works with small builds, too

Cons

• Only one M.2 (and it’s not Gen 5)
• Limited to PCIe 4.0 GPUs

$130 at Amazon $140 at Newegg $140 at Walmart

Best Budget Gaming Motherboard for Intel: ASRock B760M PG Riptide

ASRock

One of the benefits of having a gaming PC is pushing the components to their limits through overclocking. Luckily, theASRock B760M PG Riptide lets you unleash your Intel processor!

While the ASRock B760M PG Riptide supports 14th Gen Intel processors, the ability to overclock shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if your budget is tight. It supports 12th and 13th Gen, too, which means you can easily opt for an entry-level CPU and strap it with proper cooling, like anAIO cooler , to push its performance a few steps ahead.

Another benefit of the ASROCK B760M PG Riptide is its PCIe 5.0 GPU support, and the slot itself has anchor points and a strong latch to hold heavy graphics cards in place. This opens up many upgrade paths down the road, considering PCIe 5.0 is backward compatible.

ASRock B760M PG Riptide

Best for Intel

Equipped with an unlocked LGA 1700 socket, the ASRock B760M BG Riptide has no qualms over pushing Intel CPUs to their limits. As a micro-ATX motherboard, it’s also equally perfect for smaller builds.

Pros

• Supports CPU and RAM overclocking
• Features an ARGB header
• Comes in a variety of form factors

Cons

• Needs a BIOS update before you can use 14th Gen Intel CPUs

$130 at Newegg $130 at Walmart

Best Budget Gaming Motherboard for AMD: ASUS TUF B650-Plus

ASUS

Much in the way the ASRock B760M PG Riptide lets you push Intel processors, over on Team Red, there’s theASUS TUF B650-Plus . With an unlocked AM5 socket, there’s a lot of potential here for overclocking (or undervolting) entry-level and high-end AMD processors alike.

Overclocking doesn’t stop at your processor, though. Support for DDR5 and overclocking is a surefire way of gaining a tidy performance boost, as your processor will have more data to chew through.

Of course, that means you’ll introduce far more heat into your system. Thankfully, the ASUS TUF B650-Plus mitigates the rest of the rig’s heat generation via heatsinks for the VRM and M.2 slots. You’ll still want to consider having anall-in-one cooler , though.

Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus

Best for AMD

$200$220 Save $20

Whether you’ve picked up an entry-level AMD processor or a high-end one, the Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus gives you the power to undervolt or overclock the CPU. It also comes fitted with heatsinks at key locations, like the VRM and M.2 slot, to help regulate heat generation.

Pros

• Three M.2. slots, one of which is Gen 5 speeds
• Nice selection of ports, including Gen 2 Type-C
• Unlocked AM5 socket

Cons

• Limited to PCe 4.0 GPUs

$200 at Amazon $220 at Newegg

Best Budget Motherboard for Gaming With RGB: ASRock B760M Steel Legend Wi-Fi

ASRock

If there’s one aspect of PC building you can’t get with a console, it’s personalization, and you don’t have to inflate your budget to make it work. Pick a budget PC case, combine it with theASRock B760M Steel Legend , and you’ve got yourself the perfect foundation.

For starters, the ASRock B760M Steel Legend features both RGB and ARGB headers, so you can go wild with any of thebest RGB fans to compliment the motherboard’s own lighting. You can also sync up colors using ASRock’s Polychrome Sync software.

The ASRock B760M Steel Legend isn’t just all about style, though. Having an LGA 1700 socket, DDR5, and support for PCIe 5.0 graphics cards, the sky’s the limit. You are limited to Gen 4 M.2 speeds, but you get three slots to populate it with preferably big 1TB SSDs for today’s ever growing video games.

ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard

Best RGB

$160$220 Save $60

The ASRock B760M Steel Legend opens up the door for a variety of personalization thanks to its dedicated ARGB headers. The black and off-white color scheme is also quite stylish, and there’s even RGB along the edges.

Pros

• Supports 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen Intel processors
• Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5G LAN
• Stylish color scheme and RGB

Cons

• Limited to Gen 4 M.2 speeds

$160 at Amazon $160 at Newegg

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between a motherboard and a CPU?

If you’ve ever wondered why a PC doesn’t operate without a processor, it’s because the motherboard can’t complete tasks and processes on its own. The motherboard is there to help facilitate communication between components, like the GPU and CPU, while the CPU carries out the data.

Q: Does the motherboard matter for gaming?

Yes! Your main concern is picking a motherboard that supports all the components you want. For example, if you have an Intel processor on your wishlist, it’ll be incompatible with an AMD socket. If you aren’t sure where to start, we can get you started with thebest way to choose a motherboard .

Q: What other components matter the most for a gaming PC?

Other than a processor and power supply, you need a graphics card, RAM, and storage in the form of an SSD or hard drive. Of course, you’ll also need a case to house everything. Depending on the rig you’re building, you may need additional fans for the case and CPU or opt for an AIO. It’s a lot to take in, so what you can use to keep your compass straight is ourPC buying guide .

Q: Do I need a high-end motherboard for gaming?

No, you don’t have to pick up an expensive motherboard for gaming, even if you’re purchasing top-of-the-line graphics cards and processors.

Q: What are the different motherboard sizes?

If you’re building a PC, the most common form factors you’ll come across, from smallest to largest are: mini-ITX, micro-ATX, ATX, and E-ATX.

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