It’s been a busy year for motherboard vendors, thanks to new AMD’s AM5 socket chipsets and an all-new platform (LGA1851 and Z890) from Intel. In many cases, brands simply took an older design and tweaked it for 2024, but some took advantage of all sorts of aspects, such as the BIOS interface and PCIe and M. Array2 slot locks.
Since the Intel Core Ultra 200S processor series is underwhelming in terms of gaming capabilities, the latest generation Raptor Lake chips are still very popular, but which motherboard do you deserve to choose?Well, the lighting of the ASRock B760I deserves to be seriously considered, despite its small size. It can support any 14th generation Core processor and highly overclocked RAM. However, it is a bit missing the rear I/O ports.
For AMD enthusiasts, you can use a next-gen chipset or anything with the newer X870. For the former, the Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi is an exceptional motherboard, packed with USB ports and Gen5 slots for graphics cards and SSDs. However, the value is high and that is where the new MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi comes into play.
It’s much less expensive than the Asus board and has more USB ports than you’d ever want. There are also plenty of M. 2 slots, the available configurations are confusing to say the least.
From everything tested this year, these models are the nominees for the gaming motherboards of 2024. Now we just have to wait until New Year’s Eve to see which will be the winner!
ASRock B760I LightningAlthough Intel launched a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), the latest generation Raptor Lake chips are still the best option for gaming if you want an Intel configuration. But you don’t want to spend a fortune to get a smart motherboard that works with your 14th generation Core chip.
The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in length (mini-ITX), small in value (under $200), but big on functionality and support for Raptor Lake. Do you need to install a Core i9 14900K on a small PC?This ASRock will face smoothly and allow you to use lightning-fast DDR5.
Naturally, everything has to give to succeed at this price point and in this case, it’s the USB ports, with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its small dimensions, you also get only one PCIe and M. 2 slot. . But those are small criticisms while the rest is excellent.
Read our full ASRock B760I Lightning review.
Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFiYes, it’s ‘merely’ a mini-ITX motherboard and it costs over $400, though you can pick one for less during sales. But if you’re going to build a small but potent gaming PC, then this board is going to be the star of the show.
In terms of connectivity and slots, the small size does limit matters somewhat (just one PCIe and two M.2 slots, for example) but Asus has made up for this by ensuring the ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi can cope with any Ryzen processor, even one heavily overclocked, and stuck dual USB4 ports for good measure.
It uses smart lifts to expand connectivity and user options, without taking up valuable space, which is important when it comes to a mini-ITX size. There’s no denying that this is an expensive motherboard, but you get more features than other models on the market that are equally expensive.
Read our full review on the Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi.
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi AMD’s new X870 chipset probably doesn’t look much better than its previous version.
In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.
You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.
It’s a little pricey, but MSI has built in plenty of “quality of life” features to remove devices, replace settings, and keep everything cool and fresh.
Read our full MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi feature.
The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for Best Gaming Motherboard on New Year’s Eve. Three other tables can still be winners.
Nick, gaming and computers first collided in 1981, with a love story that began with a Sinclair ZX81 in kit form and an e-book on ZX Basic. He ended up becoming a professor of physics and computer science, but in the late 1990s it was time to start writing for a long-defunct British tech site. He then did the same at Madonion, helping write the support files for 3DMark and PCMark. After a brief stint at Beyond3D. com, Nick joined Futuremark (rebranded as MadOnion) full-time, as Editor-in-Chief of their gaming and hardware section, YouGamers. After the site closed, he became a professor of engineering and computer science for many years, but he had no taste for writing. Think back to 4 years at TechSpot. com and over a hundred long articles on any topic. He freely admits to being overly obsessed with GPUs and open-world RPGs, but who’s rarely very into those days?
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