Best motherboard for gaming in 2023

If you’re building a brand new PC, you might be looking for the best motherboard for gaming. As much as we tend to think otherwise, it’s hard to say that there’s a more important piece of hardware in a gaming PC than the motherboard. It is literally the largest internal component to which all other parts are connected.

For many reasons, the right motherboard is one of the most important parts of a PC build – that’s why here are our picks for the best motherboards for gaming in 2023.

How we chose the best gaming motherboards

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Motherboards essentially tie your build together, with all major components like your GPU and CPU, as well as parts like RAM, NVMe storage, and fans all wired or attached to them.

As a central part of a PC, your motherboard is important. So, when looking for the best options, we considered the following Key features, compatibility, hardware slots and pricing.

Best gaming motherboard on a budget

MSI B760 Gaming Plus

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MSI

Finding the right motherboard for your system doesn’t necessarily mean wasting money on the most expensive options. When it comes to motherboards, you can save a lot of money by getting one that suits a more understated PC build.

That doesn’t mean you have to forego gaming power, quite the opposite. Rather, it’s important to get a suitable motherboard, not one with a lot of bells and whistles that you’ll never use.

For just under $160, the MSI B760 can be operated with modern GPUs PCI Express x16 slot and Intel CPUs with the LGA 1700 socket and also features DDR5 RAM slots and a USB 3.2 Type-C port for up to 10 Gbit/s data transfer.

With the low cost and other features like DDR5 and M.2 SSD supportit’s a great entry-level motherboard.

Best mid-range gaming motherboards

MSI PRO Z790

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Image via MSI

For great performance without breaking your budget, the MSI PRO Z790 is an excellent choice. Your motherboard’s main job is to enable everything else you want to run, and this board is packed with features that will keep you going for years to come.

The LGA 1700 socket supports Intel CPUs up to 13th generation DDR5 RAM Slots ensure ultra-fast storage performance. It even comes with the new one fifth generation of PCI Express This can improve the speed of your graphics card, but provides even better performance when used with an SSD.

All on sale for just over $200, it’s a real bargain. For now this motherboard is great. It will continue to be useful and relevant in the future, making it a good choice as a basis for future upgrades.

Best high-end gaming motherboard

ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero

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ASUS

Okay, so you have a lot of money and you want to rub it in everyone’s face. What you want is the ASUS Republic of Gamers Maximus Z790 Hero. This enthusiast board has all the bells and whistles you can imagine. It has all the promising features of the Gigabyte Z790, but goes even further with premium options.

Not only does this motherboard have a 2.5GB network port, but it also has built-in Bluetooth and WiFi. WiFi 6e, to be precise – the fastest Wi-Fi signal currently available. There are 5 M.2 ports on this motherboard and 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The top specs don’t come without a top price, as the Maximus Z790 will set you back a hefty $625. This option is really only for those who want the absolute best and no compromises.

Best AMD gaming motherboard

ASUS TUF B650 Plus

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ASUS

For the AMD faithful, ASUS also has an excellent motherboard. The ASUS TUF B650 offers a great mix of features and value for money. It doesn’t offer everything you’d expect from a high-end board, but it doesn’t cost that much either.

This board has DDR5 memoryand many of its other features are forward-looking, with high-speed network, VRM cooling, 3 M.2 slotsand plenty of USB ports.

This motherboard is compatible with modern AMD CPUs and GPUs, making it a great core for an AMD-centric PC build, but unfortunately it lacks PCIe 5.0 GPU support.

Best Micro ATX motherboard

MSI MAG B660M Bazooka

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MSI

If your guiding principle when building a PC is size rather than performance or cost, this is where you need to look. Micro ATX motherboards pack the features of their larger siblings into a smaller form factor, which can then become the centerpiece of a compact PC.

However, this does not happen without sacrifice. The MSI MAG B660M Bazooka uses this fourth generation of DDR memory and PCIe. Neither is outdated, but certainly not the direction in which industry standards are moving.

Additionally, only third-generation AMD Ryzen processors are supported. However, if you’re aiming for a more budget-friendly build, this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, it provides an excellent basis for modern gaming hardware 2 M.2 slots for high-speed storage and integrated WiFi. This built-in WiFi could be particularly handy for a compact design, useful if you like to move your machine around.

All of this potential is packed into a tiny package and can be yours for less than $120. There are certainly cheaper options in other sizes, but for this particular form factor you get a lot for your money.

You can find more lists like this on our hardware homepage. Alternatively, check out the best M.2 SSDs, 1440p gaming monitors and Razer keyboards.

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