AMD has been making waves of late and with good reason; Its 7950X3D has taken back the performance crown from Intel, and it looks to deliver on the promise the Ryzen 7000 series had when it launched before it was overshadowed by a resurgent Intel 13th generation processor lineup. As we gear up for AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8-Core, 16-Thread processor, all eyes are on AMD as it looks to recreate its success with the 5800X3D with what seems to be, based on AMD's own provided benchmarks a CPU that beats the competition comprehensively with ease while maintaining power efficiency that has never been seen before.

A gaming motherboard should be judged by its performance in multiple metrics including but not limited to:

• Stability While Gaming
• Overclocking Performance
• RAM Compatibility
• Power Delivery options
• Support For Upcoming Processors
• Timely BIOS Updates
• Storage options
• Networking options

To run AMD's highest-end offerings as well as any of the Ryzen 7000 or 7000X3D lineups you would need a motherboard that supports the AM5 socket and sports the AMD 600 series chipset (B650/X670/X670E). But with so many options to choose from, one can easily get confused about what to buy given the plethora of options that often are not quite well-distinguished from each other; This makes choosing the right motherboard for the right job a tad harder. Thankfully the team at GameRant has decided to lend you a hand by highlighting some of the best motherboards for gaming.

All our recommendations are specific to AM5 socket motherboards. That means only AMD Ryzen 7000 series and up processors are compatible with these motherboards.

The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard is in just the right place at the right time for most gamers. It isn't the crazy overkill that the Hero and the Crosshair Extreme are for most users while it delivers substantial value compared to most of the motherboards that directly compete with it, often at sub $500 price points. It is feature-rich and comes with support for PCI-E 5.0 on both the x16 slot and the M2 slot out of the box making it a true long-term investment while the AM5 socket remains in play.

While AMD's X670E motherboards are generally pricier than Intel's more premium end, they are expected to remain relevant far longer than Intel's current crop of 600 and 700 series motherboards. That isn't exactly an excuse for their abysmal pricing at times, but it should make parting with your cash easier knowing you picked up a motherboard that will possibly be a mainstay in your system for multiple generations of processors.

The ASRock X670E PG Lightning Gaming Motherboard is an excellent mid-range X670E-based motherboard that allows users to game and perform productivity-related work with ease thanks to the highest-end AMD chipset on offer coupled with excellent power delivery in tow.

It does sacrifice its Wi-Fi capabilities to manage cost but in return does offer significant amounts of I/O options that are normally found in higher-end motherboards from competitors. As gamers, most users want low-latency gaming, so the capable 2.5G ethernet port should take care of most of your needs as a gamer or content creator, even if the option for wireless connectivity would have been ideal.

The ASRock X670E PG Lightning Gaming Motherboard is a capable performer that delivers on its promise and has a few quirks that can be remedied at a small additional cost such as adding a capable Wi-Fi adapter should the need arise.

The GIGABYTE B650 AORUS Elite AX is a budget B650-based motherboard that stretches the definition of 'budget gaming' as it delivers on pretty much every metric one would use to judge its higher-end siblings. For a motherboard sporting an entry-level chipset from AMD, one would expect a lot less but given the price and the lack of better options in the same price range, it is a no-brainer contender for our pick of the best budget AMD motherboard.

With overclockable DDR5 support along with an extensive networking hardware stack in play that offers Wi-Fi 6E and PCI-E 5.0 support out of the box, the B650-based motherboard also comes with a capable 14+2+1 phase power delivery system that pulls it ahead of its competition. While it is on the high side of where motherboards should cost, we feel this one justifies its price while offering an excellent, future-proof alternative to motherboards that cost a multiple of the same.

The ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING Wi-Fi combines a powerful X670E-based motherboard with the compactness that the M-ITX spec dictates. It remains a credible performer that has multiple overclocking-friendly features in tow as it pushes the boundaries of what is possible from a small form factor PC when paired with processors like the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D or 7950X while throwing in dual USB 4.0 ports into the mix for power users.

It does suffer somewhat from the lack of space as it reduces its DDR5 ram slots to 2 and also offers only 2 M2 slots onboard. It does attempt to compensate for the limited I/O on board by offering more control via the ASUS ROG Strix Hive and the Asus ROG FPS-II card that extend more headers and ports using a vertically mounted approach to remain within M-ITX specifications.

The ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme is a no-holds-barred approach as ASUS pulls out all the stops to make a motherboard that holds up in scrutiny against the best in the business while beating them comprehensively in style and looks. While the latter part of the statement might be opinion based on personal preference, it does feature as arguably one of the best-looking X670E motherboards if not singularly the best.

Featuring one of the best 20+2 phase power designs in play with USB 4.0 ports out of the box, the ROG Crosshair uses both the Anime Matrix LED system as an appearance from its Livedash OLED to essentially polish off a very premium-looking motherboard. At a closer look, we see Wi-Fi 6E support coupled with 10G Ethernet and an additional 2.5G Ethernet port for those who need it. With as many as 5 gen 5 M2 slots (using its Genz.2 module) and support for as many as 22 USB ports, the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme is flexing its extremely potent I/O capabilities (pun intended).

RELATED: The Best Motherboards For AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs

Our only gripe is the cost which is prohibitively high. Until recently, the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme was trading at a premium on most marketplaces which shows that despite the price, it does cater to a certain enthusiast and creator market. However, if you want the best there is when it comes to gaming keyboards and the cost is not an issue, you can not go wrong with the Crosshair X670E Extreme.

The MSI MEG X670E GODLIKE Motherboard is an amalgamation of everything premium you could possibly get from an MSI motherboard condensed into one massive E-ATX-based product offering that should have you covered in terms of IO, networking and overclocking needs for years to come for the AM5 platform.

The MEG X670E GODLIKE is the definition of overkill when it comes to hardware, and it comes with a price to match, taking the not-so-desired crown of the most expensive AM5-based motherboard to date. This is partially due to the extra goodies such as the touchscreen 4.5 Inch M-Vision dashboard and the PCI-E based M2 XPANDER-Z dual slot M2 adapter that enables it to support a total of 6 PCI-E based NVME SSDs.

The lack of USB 4.0 ports however that its rival ASUS does sport in its high-end offerings does put a bit of a damper on MSI's offerings in terms of future-proofing, but otherwise, the MEG is a motherboard that pushes limits in all conceivable ways on the X670E platform while sporting an AM5 socket that we expect to be relevant for years to come.

What's Next After Your Motherboard Purchase?

Already purchased a motherboard or looking to pair it off with a capable processor from the AMD Ryzen 7000 series? Check out our guide on how the latest and greatest AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D compares to the Ryzen 9 7950X and if it is worth shelling out extra for the former. You might also want to consider our recently-updated guide to purchasing memory/RAM for your DDR5-based AMD PC as well as a GPU to pair with it to bolster your gaming/productivity needs this year.

FAQ:

Q: What is the latest AMD motherboard chipset?

A: AMD's 600 series chipsets are the latest. Chipsets start from the budget-oriented B650 and edge towards the performance tier with the X670 while pushing the enthusiast tier with the X670E chipset.

Q: What processors does the B650 or X670/X670E chipset support?

A: All AM5-based processors to date. While all AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors are supported out of the box currently, Ryzen 7000 X3D series processors might need a bios update to function with motherboards that sport older bios versions.