Top 5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 2700X in 2023:
- ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero
- MSI Performance B450 Gaming Pro Carbon
- ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming LGA1151
- ASRock AB350M PRO4 MicroATX Motherboard
When AMD announced its new processor named Ryzen 7 2700X, the gaming community got psyched. The processor was intended to push the boundaries of modern configurations, usher the new age of next-gen games and do all that at a moderately affordable price.
These promises were, to a large, fulfilled, and two years later, Ryzen 7 2700X has become a common staple of modern gaming configurations.
On the other hand, as every PC gamer knows, great power comes with great power consumption, and this processor earned certain notoriety for sucking the life from the machine it is attached to.
Still, this problem is not something that can’t be solved with a decent motherboard that will be able to handle the power of Ryzen 7 2700X while still managing other components of your PC. So, let us go through some of the most popular products you can find in the nearby PC store and try to find the best motherboard for Ryzen 7 2700X.
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5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 2700X In 2023: Detailed Reviews
1. ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard – Best Motherboard Overall
Ever since Asus announced Strix B450-F, there was not even the slightest of doubt that the motherboard will be positioned as a mid-ranger – strong focus on gaming, a couple of cut corners. You know what – we can live with this proposal, especially in the mid-range price segment.
Fortunately for Asus ROG Strix B450-F does deliver some stellar gaming. But let’s start with the basics.
Asus ROG Strix B450-F is an ATX motherboard packed with all the essential components you can expect from the product of this class. You get your PCI Express x1, support for up to 64 Gigabytes of DDR4, 8-channel audio (no need for a separate card), and M.2 Key-M 22110 slot.
For the most part, all these things are well-organized and evenly spread. However, even though the motherboard features excellent PCI Express x16 bandwidth, using some components (M.2, for instance) can easily cut it in half. Keep this in mind when selecting extensions.
Rear I/O is pretty solid as well. Everything looks good, easy to navigate, and you do get multiple connectivity options (three Type-A ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 2, etc.).
The same can be said about Bios here presented by the functional EZ Mode interface that allows you to easily tweak critical system settings like RAM distribution. Overclocking is as easy as it gets.
Overall, a sensible evolution of the already solid series.
Pros
- Effortless overclocking
- Great IO panel
- Solid layout
- High-end audio
Cons
- No Wi-Fi
- Using M.2 slot destroys bandwidth
2. MSI Performance B450 Gaming Pro Carbon – Best Affordable Motherboard
MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon is an excellent example of what capable engineers can, even when working on a modest budget. Sure, there are some compromises along the way, but the overall experience is rock-solid.
You can get this impression even by taking a look at B450’s specs – it’s a sufficiently sized ATX board that packs four expansion slots (one of them being 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot), has a built-in HDMI port, a whole slew of USB slots of different generations, built-in Wi-Fi antenna, six SATA ports, and even two M.2 ports.
All these things run smoothly and don’t overlap each other neither in the organizational sense nor performance-wise. Of course, since the board features an AM4 socket, you won’t have any trouble fitting your Ryzen 7 2700X into the mix.
And what would modern gaming be without stacked RAM? The expansion options you get here are quite satisfying as well – with the opportunity to slide in a whole 64 Gigabytes of dual-channel DDR4 memory, you will be able to play latest-gen games in years to come.
What about the drawbacks? Well, there are some. For instance, heat sinks are poorly designed, so the choice of the available coolers is minimal. Also, the software is pretty rough around the edges. The latest BIOS update may even cause some unpleasant crashes and resource mismanagements.
But, they are not exactly deal-breakers.
Pros
- Great expansion options
- Bunch of IO slots
- Solid layout
- Very affordable
Cons
- Poor software
- Limited cooling options
3. ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero – Best Premium Motherboard
The entire lineup of ROG products has known to be very gamer-friendly. If this is the reason you are buying Ryzen 7 2700X, you will be glad to know that Asus once again managed to live up to the expectations that come with the “Republic of Gaming” branding.
In a nutshell, Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero is a motherboard stacked with quality components and expansion options. Let’s quickly go through some of the most important – 12 USB ports of various types, Wi-Fi 6 integration, support for up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM, two M.2 slots, and a couple of mandatory PCIe slots with built-in EMI slot protection.
PC enthusiasts will also greatly appreciate the features like power and reset buttons in the top-right corner, small two-character POST display for easy issue diagnosis, and a couple of buttons for slow mode, retrying the system during overclocking, etc.
What you get when you put all these things together is a motherboard that easily outpaces most of the other similar units in terms of benchmarking, but also asks that you invest a hefty sum of money into your new configuration.
In this case, though, the high price is more than warranted.
In terms of drawbacks, we are more concerned with the fact that the chipset fan sits directly below under the GPU and its exhaust, which can cause some problems in the long run.
Pros
- Bunch of tweaking options
- Built for enthusiasts
- Reliable performance
- All the components and slots you can imagine
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Slight layout problems
4. ASRock AB350M PRO4 MicroATX Motherboard – Best MicroATX Motherboard
And now that we got an opportunity to take a look at three pretty awesome ATX boards, let us see what can be found in other corners of the market. First, we will take a look at one pretty capable MicroATX unit that tires best to offer a premium experience in this often overlooked product range.
The reason we said tries its best is because the motherboard definitely has some noticeable flaws. For example, the unit has a nasty habit of causing occasional freezes after a couple of weeks of use. We tested the product on different configurations, and the problems were definitely motherboard-based.
The other thing we are not entirely swayed with are the limited overclocking options. You do get a couple of tweaks to play with, but in this day and age, all these settings could be best described as lackluster.
But, if you can live with these two limiting factors, you will be glad to know that ASRock AB350M packs all the essentials that make satisfying gaming and multimedia experience. You get your two PCI-Express 3.0 slots, support for up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, four SATA3 ports, and an excellent integrated audio system.
What’s also important to underline is that when the board runs smooth (and it does most of the time), performance is fast, crisp, and reliable.
Pros
- Great specs
- All the essential for a good gaming experience
- The integrated sound system is very solid
- You can slide in 64GB of RAM
Cons
- Expensive
- Occasional freezes
5. ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming LGA1151 – Best Mini-ITX Motherboard
Last but not least, let’s see what can be found in the Mini-ITX corner of the motherboard landscape. To be quite honest, limiting form factor makes putting together a decent chipset with all bells and whistles an incredibly tricky task.
But, if there is someone who can deliver this, that would be the Republic of Gamers. And ROG indeed delivers again.
Strix Z390-I may be minute, but it compromises very little in terms of design and performance. The list of slots and components is also pretty long, so we will focus only on the essentials. And with built-in Wi-Fi antenna (yeah, you do get one), dual PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots, a bunch of USB slots on the rear end, the total memory capacity of 64GB of DDR4 RAM, there is very little to be desired.
If we had to sum all these components up, we could easily say that what Strix Z390-I lacks in sheer quantity it more than delivers in terms of quality.
But, that’s not all – true to the reputation Asus has earned in the gaming circles over the last couple of years, this motherboard offers a bunch of overclocking options that can push your PC configuration way out of its comfort zone.
The only serious complaint we have with this product is that the screw that’s giving access to the central NVME disk is pretty atrocious and brittle. Be extremely careful when you use it.
Pros
- Reliable performance
- Solid expansion options
- Reasonably affordable
- Built-in Wi-Fi
Cons
- Poor NVME screws
Things You Should Consider To Find The Best Motherboard For Ryzen 7 2700X
And those were the top five units striving to be the best motherboard for Ryzen 7 2700X the money can currently buy. As you can see from the reviews, all of them threw a decent punch and excelled in one area or another. But which one is the best?
Well, we have our opinion you will get an opportunity to read further down below. What works best for you, though, will depend entirely on your personal preferences, gaming needs, and, of course, the budget.
That is why we have put together a short buying guide that will allow you to quickly go through some of the most motherboard features and specs and create your own wish list.
So, without further ado, here are the things you should consider to find the best motherboard for the beast that is Ryzen 7 2700X.
1. Form Factor
The form factor is a term that refers to the size and layout of the motherboard. The three options, sorted from the biggest and best-laid out to the smallest and most cramped are: ATX (also known as Standard ATX), MicroATX, and Mini-ITX.
Obviously, Standard ATX makes the best choice since it leaves more expansion slots and room for upgrade. This is also the option that is present in most of the contemporary mid-tower or larger PC cases.
So, if you can’t fit one into your case, we say that buying a new case would be a worthwhile investment.
2. Chipset
The chipset can be roughly described as the network of silicone pathways between the motherboard sockets and various subcomponents. And, whenever a manufacturer like AMD or Intel releases a new lineup of processors, you always see a whole slew of motherboards designed for that specific family of units.
Ryzen processors are no different. So, obviously, you should aim for motherboards with AMD chipsets after the release of Ryzen 7 2700X. But, if you are working on a budget, a previous, lesser featured gen of the same family released before mid-2018 will work too.
3. Random Access Memory
If you have any experience in gaming, you know that RAM or Random Access Memory is the workhorse that drags your Fallen Orders, Metal Gears, and other demanding games along. And the math is pretty simple here, to more RAM you manage to squeeze into your configuration, the better.
Keeping in mind the contemporary gaming scene and taking into consideration what may be brewing on the horizon, you should look for a motherboard that will allow you to slide in at least 16 GB of RAM.
4. PCI Slots
The PCI slot is an outlet that allows you to attach various expansion cards to your PC. Also, in this day and age, they are the standard form of PC expansion. Some of the cards that can be attached to these standardized slots include sound cards, Wi-Fi adapters, and similar expansions.
But, since you are buying Ryzen 7 2700X, we will assume that gaming is your focus. In this case, you should buy the unit with at least one full-speed PCI express X16 slot that will allow you to utilize the power of modern graphic cards.
5. CPU Sockets
A CPU socket is a square receptacle that hosts the PC main CPU. As you can guess, these outlets are not standardized, and you can find a couple of different alternatives in the market.
Since you are purchasing a motherboard for a particular CPU, we will skip the usual breakdowns, and tell you this – the socket type you should be looking for is AM4.
6. Features
When we say features, we are primarily talking about built-in functionalities that will save you some money on the often expensive expansion cards – things like a sound card, built-in Wi-Fi, etc. All these things are not essential for seamless gaming, and if the built-in features are good enough, you can skip expansions and rely on them.
The other feature you should look for is overclocking. If you are unfamiliar with the term, overclocking stands for tweaking the system fundamentals to squeeze out a faster performance. Good overclocking, on the other hand, is produced by easy setup (through BIOS) and structure that supports these tweaks with integrity and cooling.
Final Thoughts And Recommendations
And finally, the time has come to tell you what is the best motherboard for Ryzen 7 2700X the money can currently buy. Before we go to our top three picks, we would like to point out that all these cards performed great. Well, for the most part.
The point is that whether you are going to agree with us or not will largely depend on your personal preferences. So, check the buying guide we gave you above.
With that behind us, here are the top three motherboards for Ryzen 7 2700X.
Best motherboard overall: ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard
- This motherboard may be mid-range, but it packs a killer price-value ratio. Sure, you will miss some things like built-in Wi-Fi and similar features. What’s most important is that all the building blocks necessary for stellar gaming experience are there. And you get incredibly satisfying overclocking. Great purchase overall.
Best premium motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero
- Asus seems like a company poised to completely corner the motherboard market. And, honestly, with products like ROG Crosshair VII Hero under their belt, that shouldn’t be that big of a problem. The unit uses all the elements that make the ROG family great and pushes them on the whole other level. Yes, the price may be a bit spicy, but it’s at least well-warranted.
Best affordable motherboard: MSI Performance B450 Gaming Pro Carbon
- MSI B450 is a motherboard that obviously aims at gamers that don’t want to spend too much money on their configuration. But, don’t let this lucrative price deceive you – the good people from MSI have made sure to provide you with all the essentials without sacrificing anything important. Your games will hardly even notice the difference.
