Top 15 motherboards

Cooling the power supply network here looks like it was designed by a designer rather than an engineer, but in practice it demonstrates decent efficiency: even with a test fry in the OCCT, the temperature remains at a level that allows one not to think about the need for additional blowing.

Despite the bright gaming look, this motherboard is designed to work on stock hardware and is suited for overclocking by convention: the BIOS does not control either the base frequency or the CPU frequency multiplying factor. But for some reason, PLL OC is prone to overstate in auto mode, which leads to a useless increase in the processor temperature - having assembled a computer, it is better to manually fix it in the BIOS, the corresponding setting is available.

4 slots for DDR4 is the norm, but also with a surprise: the board does not allow setting the frequency above 2400. Yes, overclocking should be immediately forgotten. Although the stock "hardware", supported by the board, will be enough for many.

A serious disadvantage of the board is the built-in sound: no matter how the Nichicon capacitors sparkle with gold cases, the tracks are crooked, there is no analog opamp at all, and as a result the noise level here is too high if you make any demands on the audio quality.

Without a doubt, the H110 chipset is now the most popular platform for building even most home gaming stations, not to mention office PCs. Motherboards on this chipset are the best option for sixth generation Intel Core i3 processors, and their main disadvantage is the presence of only two slots for RAM. Considering that the latter works in dual channel mode, it will not work to increase the amount of RAM simply by purchasing a pair of suitable slats. All MSI offers are distinguished by the solid potential of the power subsystem. Even in budget motherboards, to which the H110M PRO-VD applies, it is built on a six-phase scheme.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer decided to save on cooling radiators for VRM, although the load is quite adequate for it. The ability to bring USB connectors to the front panel is relatively rare for state employees. Here it is, and we are talking about the standard USB 3.0. For office machines, a PRO-VH motherboard with an HDMI connector may be the best. There are no other differences between these motherboards.

This motherboard is the closest competitor to the ASUS PRIME Z390-A. It is assembled on the same top-end chipset, supports all current processors on the LGA 1151-v2 socket, and the power subsystem is even more powerful due to the use of 13 phases (but more on that below) and an additional four-pin connector for connecting to the power supply. That is, in theory, it is already possible to safely “drive” on it and 9900K. However, radiators cause certain concerns - there is a lot of metal in them, but the total area doesn’t inspire much. It looks like there are already eight 4-pin connectors for cooling fans and two connectors for SVO pumps on the board for good reason - you should think about at least forced blowing VRM during serious overclocking experiments.

If you look closely at the motherboard, you can understand that marketers still had a hand in the circuitry: the phases of power supply of the processor cores are in fact parallely connected. That is, the same efficiency would have had a 6 + 1 phase with two parallel mosfets for processor cores on each, and it is this scheme that the ISL69138 controller installed here supports. But “13 Phases” sounds much prettier, right? And the temperatures in the tests really prove the insufficient efficiency of the radiators without forced cooling: even at runoff frequencies, the i9-9900K heats the radiators up to 75 degrees, while overclocking, the temperature exceeds a hundred. So the replacement of radiators on the water-blocks of SVO in this case is definitely needed.

4 reinforced memory slots allow you to install up to 64 GB on four bars, the maximum officially supported frequency is 4133 MHz, that is, Gigabyte can overclock the memory at least a little, but less than Asus.

As a result, we still put Gigabyte in second place in the ranking of the best motherboards: Asus is more interesting to use "as is". But for the assembly of custom systems on water cooling, we would choose Gigabyte, and having waited for the second revision of the board for comparison.

If the system is assembled on a not very powerful processor with an K index, but I want to get more from it, then the choice of a not so expensive motherboard based on the Z370 chipset will be an interesting option. It will allow the processor to overclock normally, and the memory supports frequencies up to 4 GHz, and it can also fit in a compact package.

Not the most powerful VRM is sufficient, however, for overclocking Intel's “younger” and “medium” Coffee Lake processors. Moreover, in the latest BIOS F10 version for today, there is support for 9th generation processors, although, of course, the presence of the Core i9-9900K in the support list looks curious.

Two slots for M.2 drives will allow you to install fast SSDs, which will probably affect the system performance even more noticeably: NVMe SSDs are good not only and not a lot of high speed, as the lack of “crutches” of the AHCI protocol and support for parallelization of calls. SATA SSD cannot be implemented.

Our rating continues to be the best full-size ATX motherboard for building systems that do not need to squeeze the last drops of potential: no matter what, the maximum supported memory frequency is 2666 MHz. And the support for CrossFire X stated in it looks like “to be” only - the second slot x16 has only 4 lines. Initially, the board supported only the eighth generation of Intel processors, but by updating the BIOS to version 0904, you will be able to install at least the i9-9900K.

Taking into account the “non-overclocking” of the chipset, the six-phase power subsystem is quite modest, but on processors with a regular TDP of 95 W it copes with its tasks, and the temperature of the radiators is kept at an acceptable level.

The sound is compiled, albeit with Nichicon capacitors and competent wiring of tracks, but on the ALC887 codec - its capabilities will suit you if the insidious disease “audiophilia” has not yet clung to you with its nosy legs. It is inconvenient to connect multi-channel acoustics, but for a standard set of two speakers and a subwoofer there is enough connectors.

But not everyone needs top “stoves” as processors and extreme overclocking? Then we take the motherboard easier: the “non-convertible” B-series chipset and fewer VRM phases clearly hint at the limited capabilities of the MSI B360. And the maximum supported memory frequency is only 2666 MHz. Another thing is that for systems assembled on boards from this price range, faster memory still falls out of the assembly budget, and does not provide much benefit.

The main connector for video cards is the top: of two x16 slots, only it is connected directly to the processor, the bottom one is tied to the chipset and physically has only 4 lines. But, again, there is hardly anyone who will use two video cards on this board.

For the rest of the hardware, the motherboard is also a typical middling, but its price is perhaps even too high: there are competitors for similar money, but already on the Z370 chipset. Therefore, we will definitely lower the rating.

This motherboard is also assembled on the latest AMD chipset, but its price has let it down: the gap with ASUS is decent. Is he justified by the possibilities?

To be honest, there is a feeling that first of all they want extra money from us mainly for the “prettiness” like radiators in the form of gears. Yes, of course, there are as many as 12 + 4 power phases, and in addition to the 8-pin power connector, another 4-pin power supply is installed, but the problem is that neither Zen nor Zen + assume such levels of overclocking, for which such theoretical power of VRM. Moreover, the phases are traditionally assembled on doublers, the controller supports only 8 phases according to the 6 + 2 scheme. And, what is the saddest thing, the VRM heats up quite significantly - under the stress test, the temperature reaches 80 degrees.

The audio path is compiled on Realtek ALC1220, but with very mediocre screening. Here, Asus looks preferable. Defects of screening are especially unpleasant given that the board has built-in Wi-Fi and as many as two network controllers, that is, the level of interference on the “built-in” is serious.

If we add to this a vague and obviously raw UEFI interface in terms of overclocking, we would still prefer a more affordable and more thoughtful Asus.

This motherboard is quite interesting for assembling a computer in a low package and on one video card: the “fresh” AMD B450 chipset, memory support with a frequency of up to 3533 MHz in overclocking, two M.2 slots. A ten-phase high-quality cooling (alas, again with doublers for the CPU SoC) power subsystems will definitely not be superfluous, but the manufacturer’s special protection against static electricity of important circuits and the use of military grade components is a good bonus to reliability.

Unfortunately, the compact format of the board will require more attention to the choice of a CPU cooler, especially if the memory is already purchased with high radiators. But this is a common problem for most microATX boards.

Note the traditional Asus sound quality on the Realtek S1200A.The only pity is that there is no optical output.

The overclocking capabilities here are lower than those expected from the motherboard on the B450 chipset - the manufacturer claims support for memory frequencies up to 3,200 MHz. Given how well Zen and Zen + respond to an increase in the working frequency of the RAM, this somewhat worsens the impression of the board.

If your chosen SSD M.2 gets very hot with active use, then the Gigabyte solution to complete the board with a heatsink with advanced fins will definitely go to advantage. But it would be worth it at the same time to make the board wider - the standard mounting points of the right side in the case do not reach it, and the edge “hangs” in the air. Given the rather thin PCB, this will require caution when connecting 24-pin and SATA connectors. The 8-pin connector for powering the processor is clamped in a narrow place between the casing and the radiators, it is inconvenient to connect the power supply, as well as to wrap a screw near it.

In general, the fee, of course, is quite attractive for a new build, and only the errors described above do not allow us to raise its rating points.

For more or less low-end assemblies, this motherboard is quite good: its assets include the current chipset with Zen + support, and sufficient cooling. True, an empty space on the board made me sore: in theory, there should have been a slot for SSD M.2, but instead you can only see a CMOS battery. The upper M.2 slot is above PCIe x16 on the same line with PCIe x1, which limits the maximum possible drive length. The manufacturer does not offer a radiator for it.

In general, the motherboard, although it corresponds to the price, and gives quite good opportunities, but the feeling of some “unfinishedness” does not allow it to raise its rating. Yes, and the sagging right edge of the board, taking into account the thin PCB, spoils the impression.