With the launch of the Ryzen 5000 CPUs, AMD has officially snatched the gaming crown from Intel, offering competitive performance in both the single-threaded and multi-threaded segments. In this post, we’ll be recommending the best motherboards for the Ryzen 5 5600X, Ryzen 7 5800X, and the 5900X.
Best Motherboard for the Ryzen 5 5600X: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
Price: $178.99
| CPU Support | Zen 2 and Zen 3 |
| Chipset | B550 |
| Memory | 4 x DDR4 DIMMs w/ Support for Up to 128GB @ 5,100MT/s |
| PCIe | 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| XFX/SLI | 2 Way XFX |
| Storage | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s Ports, 2 x M.2 Ports |
| WiFi/LAN | N/A /Realtek RTL8125B (+Realtek RTL8111H) |
| USB (Internal+ Rear) | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 x USB 2.0 |
The B550 motherboards bring PCIe 4.0 to the masses at affordable prices. The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk is one of the most well-balanced AM4 boards in the sub-$200 range. It comes with a 10+2+1 Phase VRM which works like a charm with even the highest-end Ryzen 9 chips. The board supports up to 128GB of DDR4 memory at 5GHz+, one PCIe 4.0 slot for a discrete graphics card, another 3.0 slot, six SATA III ports, and two M.2 slots with their respective heatsinks.
If you are looking for a cheaper option for the Ryzen 5 part, the MSI MAG B550M Bazooka is worth looking at, especially if you’re building a small form factor PC. However, I wouldn’t recommend pairing it with a Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X.
Best Motherboard for the Ryzen 7 5800X and Ryzen 9 5900X: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI
Price: $269.67
| CPU Support | Zen 2 and Zen 3 |
| Chipset | X570 |
| Memory | 4 x DDR4 DIMMs w/ Support for Up to 128GB @ 4,600 MHz |
| PCIe | 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots |
| WiFi/LAN | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200|Realtek 8125B |
| Storage | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports, 2 x M.2 Slots |
| USB | 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen2, 6 x USB 2.0 |
If you’re going for a higher-end Zen 3 CPU like the Ryzen 7 5800X or the Ryzen 9 5900X, then the X570 Tomahawk once again is a promising board. You get the option to shove in 128GB of super-fast DDR4 memory, six SATA III drives, and two NVMe drives. You get a multi-phase DrMos Digital VRM which should allow for a decent overclocking potential. If you are looking for a cheaper board, then look no further than the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI.
- What is a Motherboard VRM: Power Phases, Doublers, and Working
Best High-end Motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X and 5950X: MSI MEG X570 ACE Gaming
Price: $399.99
| CPU Support | Zen 2 and Zen 3 |
| Chipset | X570 |
| Memory | 4 x DDR4 DIMMs w/ Support for Up to 128GB @ 4,600 MHz |
| PCIe | 3 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| WiFi/LAN | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200|Realtek RTL8125-CG |
| XFX/SLI | 3 Way/2 Way |
| Storage | 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports, 3 x M.2 |
| USB | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2, 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 6 x USB 2.0 |
MSI’s MEG series has some of the best AMD X570 boards. The ACE is a premium but expensive choice. (Zolpidem) 128GB RAM over four DIMMs @ 4,600MHz, three PCIe 4.0 x16 slots for a triple XFX solution, and three M.2 slots for blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 based SSDs will let you build a monster rig ahead of its time. A more affordable high-end board for the Ryzen 9 lineup is the MSI MPG X570 GAMING PRO CARBON WIFI.
