The Best Motherboards For Ryzen 5 3600 In 2023

Top 5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 5 3600 in 2023:

1. MSI TRX40 PRO 10G Motherboard
2. Asus ROG Strix TRX40-E
3. MSI B450 TOMAHAWK
4. MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge AC LGA1151
5. Asus Prime B450M-A/CSM AMD AM4

In one of our previous articles, we got a good opportunity to look back at Ryzen 7 2700X, AMD’s blockbuster CPU that while remaining reasonably affordable managed to introduce next-gen gaming to millions of homes across the globe.

But, the things are as they are and, for most of us, reasonably affordable is simply not good enough. And the good people from AMD have heard the message.

This year also gave us AMD Ryzen 5 3600 that somehow managed to offer excellent gaming experience while selling for a whole $100 less than its more powerful cousin. If you want to build your next PC configuration around this bad boy – we say go for it.

But, be warned – the efficiency of CPU and other extensions will largely depend on the motherboard they are mounted on.

So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular offers you can find in the stores and try to see what is the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600 you can currently buy.

Related:

• The Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 2700X
• The Best Motherboards For Ryzen 5 2600 / 2600X

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5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 5 3600 In 2023: Detailed Reviews

1. MSI TRX40 PRO 10G Motherboard – Best Motherboard Overall

MSI is a very interesting company. It always seems to be on the verge of greatness only to see the glory snatched by fierce competitors. But it’s hard to deny MSI scored some genuine hits that kept them in the game.

MSI TRX40 PRO 10G is one of those products that showcase the Taiwanese giant can still throw a knockout punch when it wants to.

This board is simply good throughout. For a start, the components, slots, and ports are laid out in a very smart and visually appealing manner. Nothing stands in the way even when you stack the motherboard with extensions.

And stack the motherboard you will. With 4x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, 2 x Lightning Gen4 M.2 slots, 8 x SATA 6Gb/s, and a whole slew of USB ports located on the I/O panel you will be able to fulfill even your wildest gaming dreams.

The other thing we really dig is the effort the manufacturer has put in the small features that make gaming more comfortable. The whole unit supports massive bandwidth, features rock-solid cooling, unmatched memory performance, and numerous overclocking options that allow you to take advantage of this setup.

Be warned, however, that the board can have some compatibility issues when it comes to RAM, and you could definitely benefit from built-in RGB lights, but these are all minor complaints.

2. Asus ROG Strix TRX40-E – Best Premium Motherboard

Asus and its fabled ROG lineup have earned quite a rep in the gaming community over the last couple of years. No wonder, all products with this branding managed to offer genuine quality and premium gaming experience.

Although Strix TRX40-E is far from the best effort we have seen from this manufacturer, we are happy to report that all the essentials that made this series great are still present.

Why did we put this asterisk in the introduction? Well, for a start, TRX40-E tends to be quite noisy when in full gear, which can be very irritating. Also, heat management is not really the best on the market.

And then there is the subjective opinion that the motherboard is simply too expensive for the players who are buying a budget CPU like Ryzen 5 3600.

But, if you can live with these small drawbacks, you will buy yourself for pure gaming heaven. How else could you sum up massive connectivity options (the total number of 18 USB ports), 8 SATA 6Gbps ports, ultrafast networking (Wi-Fi module easily hits 2.4 Gbps), and triple M.2 slots?

In essence, Strix TRX40-E is a stubborn workhorse that won’t flail no matter what kind of burden you put on its back.

And don’t even get us started about the overclocking options. Surely you can forgive some noise to get all these goodies.

3. MSI B450 TOMAHAWK – Best Affordable Motherboard

Even though often and up bruised by Asus in higher price segments, we can’t deny that the Taiwanese manufacturer has more than solid footing in mid-range and entry-level market segments. True to this reputation, B450 Tomahawk is an excellent example of all good things that can be achieved even on a limited production budget.

As a matter of fact, in some segments, Tomahawk even outpaces some cards that are way more expensive.

For instance, the product features excellent heat management, high-quality HD audio setup, optimized power design that pushes the CPU to its maximum, and even a convenient BIOS recovery button. A fine example of convenience if there ever was one.

And then, there are the things we came to expect from modern gaming motherboards like support for up to 64GB of RAM, excellent expansion and connectivity options, and even some tweaks aimed at loyal MSI customers (the separate port for MSI gaming equipment).

Overall, a very competent product that comes packed with a very lucrative price tag.

Still, keep in mind that this is a budget unit, so you can expect a couple of compromises along the way. We are primarily talking about the build quality that is, honestly, sub-par. Be very careful when sliding in the expansion, or you may break something.

Also, the BIOS and overclocking could definitely be improved in some of the future iterations.

4. MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge AC LGA1151 – Best Entry-Level MicroATX Motherboard

We really took some time to praise how impressive the ROG lineup of products is in this roundup. But, what do you know – MSI managed to sneak as much as three of their motherboards in our top 5. Not bad at all.

So, what MSI cooked for us this time? Well, one very decent entry-level MicroATX unit that does its best to rise above this bottom-of-the-barrel price segment and, for the most part, succeeds.

You see,  Z390M falls to the same pits as all other motherboards of this type – the build quality is compromised, heat management not all that great, and there are numerous compatibility issues, so you will need to cherry-pick your future expansions.

But, all these drawbacks are more than counterbalanced with reliable gaming performance, support for up to 64GB of RAM, pretty decent audio output, built-in Wi-Fi module, 4 x PCI-Express Gen3, and much, much more.

Even if you decide to settle with this small-sized form factor, you will miss very little connectivity or expansion options. We would also like to give a special shout-out to small refinements like extended heatsink design, DDR4 boost, and PCI-E steel armor that showcase the apparent effort to make this unit as good as it gets.

Bottom line – MSI MPG Z390M is definitely a child of compromise, but it’s worth your money.

5. Asus Prime B450M-A/CSM AMD AM4 – Best MicroATX Motherboard

Asus Prime B450M-A features almost identical specs and virtually the same price as the motherboard we have just reviewed above. That means only one thing – determining a winner of this small two-way competition will be very hard.

But hey – the more, the merrier. We are more than happy to see such a healthy competition in this often overlooked product range.

So, let us first cover a couple of things we are not entirely exhilarated with. First and foremost, when you mount the board into the case, the GPU will sit at its very bottom, which means the fans will pick up all sorts of particles and even some cables. This could’ve been easily avoided with a better layout.

The second issue we would like to point out is that some of the ports you can find on the rear I/O panel are very flimsy and tend to lose connection very easily (e.g., microphone port).

But, if we move past these couple of complaints, everything else Prime B450M-A has to offer is painted with trademark Asus quality and versatility.

The unit scores reliable DDR4 support, virtually all expansion options necessary for modern gaming (PCI Express x16 and SATA 3.0), offers quiet fast and secure performance and excellent component protection that makes sure you will be able to use your PC in many years to come.

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Features You Should Consider To Find The Best Motherboard For Ryzen 5 3600

Those were the top five products competing for the illustrious title of the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600. We hope you got some general idea where they stand in the grand hierarchy of the PC components. But, how to tell which one of them should find a way into your home?

Well, that is something that depends entirely on what you want to turn your PC into. Do you want to have a snappy and productive computer for your work, or are you more focused on gaming? What are your multimedia preferences? Are you using Wi-Fi or not?

Yeah, building the perfect PC is a complicated chore, and you need to take a lot of different factors into consideration. In the following passages, we will present you with a short buying guide that will help you compile your motherboard wish-list much faster.

1. Form Factor

Motherboards have a lot of different features. The form factor has to be one of the most important. So, what are we talking about here? It’s simple – the size and the size and the layout of the motherboard.

Most of the contemporary motherboards come in three sizes: ATX (the biggest), MicroATX, and Mini-ITX (smallest). If you are building an entirely new PC, we say go with ATX. But, if you are trying to fit the board into the existing case, pay close attention to these inscriptions.

2. Chipset

Essentially, the chipset is the network of silicon pathways that connect different slots, components, and ports of one motherboard. Since different manufacturers use different standards when building their CPUs, motherboard chipsets are usually designed to accommodate these CPU standards.

So, your job here shouldn’t be too hard. Your future motherboard should feature an AMD chipset graced with an AM4 socket that will accommodate your future CPU.

3. PCI Slots

PCI slots is the umbrella term that refers to various ports and interfaces spread throughout the motherboard you use to hook up various extensions to it. By extensions, we mean graphic cards, sound cards, etc.

The good news is that most of the currently available units have all the essentials covered. In other words, you won’t come into position to have to tear out some essential component to squeeze in another.

But, it is worth mentioning that the latest-gen graphic cards use PCI Express x16 slots, so it is in your best interest to find the motherboard equipped with this interface.

4. Overclocking

A long time ago, messing with system fundamentals to squeeze out a better performance was reserved only for PC enthusiasts. You did it at your own risk. Modern gaming, however, is built around overclocking, and contemporary motherboards are built with fail-safe features that allow you to perform this tuning without putting your PC in danger.

Therefore, your ideal motherboard should be capable of pushing the components out of their comfort zone, and allow you to quickly access various system settings through its pre-installed BIOS.

5. Rear I/O Panel

I/O panel is the small board located at the rear end of the motherboard that allows you to connect various peripheral devices to your PC. A modern unit designated for gaming and multimedia consumption should feature an abundance of USB ports of various generations, a couple of HDMI ports, and, of course, standard audio setup.

6. Built-in Features

Although one of the greatest advantages of owning a PC is the opportunity to stack the poor machine with various extensions, we have to point out that this is not always the smartest thing to do. Too many extensions can make your PC crowded, cripple internal cooling, ramp up energy consumption, and destroy bandwidth.

So, if you can, buy yourself a board that will have some of these features out of the box. The Built-in Wi-Fi module and a decent audio system are a great place to start.

7. Random Access Memory

Random Access Memory is the memory type your PC uses to store data that is currently being processed. As you can probably guess, newer games use an enormous amount of this memory (that grass won’t shake if you don’t make it some room).

If you want to get any semi-decent gaming experience in years to come, you should buy the board that allows you to mount at least 16GB of DDR4 RAM.

8. SATA Ports

Last but not least, we have to mention SATA ports you use to hook up optical drives and HDDs. Well, optical drives are pretty much dead these years, but hard drives are alive, kicking, and growing in speed and capacity with each passing day.

To make most of these super-fast units currently circling the PC stores, you will need a board that features at least one port that complies with SATA 6 gigabytes standard (also known as SATA 3.0)

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Final Thoughts And Recommendations

And now it’s time to proclaim the winner of this small roundup and tell you what is, in our honest opinion, best motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600. Boy, did we have a good time with these units? Seriously, and excuse to get yourself in the chair and get massacred in a couple of online matches is a good one.

But, the time for fun is over, and we have to roll up the sleeves now. Here are the top three motherboards you should take into consideration.

Best motherboard overall: MSI TRX40 PRO 10G Motherboard

• MSI TRX40 PRO 10G is a motherboard that does a lot of things right while keeping the list of drawbacks surprisingly short. Although we have seen a couple of better performers out there, the price-price value ratio MSI has managed to squeeze in this package simply can’t be ignored.

Best premium motherboard: Asus ROG Strix TRX40-E

• You can call us subjective as much as you want, but when it comes to premium products, ASUS can’t be touched by anyone. ROG Strix TRX40-E is a perfect example of this. Sure, the unit packs a couple of drawbacks that keep it from the number one spot, but the level of performance on display here is truly unprecedented.

Best affordable motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK

• MSI B450 TOMAHAWK is a genuine example that high-end gaming doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. As long as the compromises are made in the right places, your overall experience will be intact. This is precisely what MSI managed to accomplish with this unit.