Not only does the release of Ryzen 7000 CPUs inaugurate another generation of AMD chips but also the very first wave of motherboards that use AMD's brand new AM5 socket. Aside from supporting the new Ryzen 7000 series, AM5 motherboards also carry support for DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0, and USB4. All of these features are going to be important for enabling the best GPUs, best SSDs, and other cutting-edge peripherals you might want to plug into a motherboard.

Since AM5 is so new, there aren't exactly a ton of boards to choose from, and although that would usually make it more simple to pick one, things aren't so simple this generation. AMD has an unprecedented four chipsets to cover the midrange to high-end, which is slightly overkill. However, we've combed through these chipsets and boards to determine which ones are worth your consideration.

Best X670E motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wi-Fi

The Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is one of the best motherboards you can buy for Ryzen 7000. For starters, it comes with a plethora of PCIe x16 and M.2 slots, But what sets this board apart from the rest is that most of these run at PCIe 5.0 speeds (two of the x16 and three of the M.2 slots). That's a ton of PCIe 5.0 even for an X670E, most of which offer just two PCIe 5.0 M.2 ports for SSDs. The Strix also has an 18+2 stage design for its VRMs, which is more than enough even for the highest-end Ryzen 9 7950X, and support for DDR5-6600.

This board doesn't skimp out on the boring stuff either. The Strix has eight fan headers, an error code display, SSD heatsinks, and an obscene amount of front-facing USB ports. The rear I/O also has a ton of USB ports: 12 USB 3.2 Gen 2 and one 3.2 Gen 2x2. The Ethernet on the Strix is Intel's 2.5 gigabit, which isn't the fastest, but it's still a good amount for gamers and even content creators, not to mention that Intel's Ethernet NICs are usually the best. The five audio jacks plus optical audio might also be appealing if you're into that sort of thing.

Even if you don't care too much about the technical specs, there's one thing to appreciate: this board looks great. The Strix has that classic dark black plus RGB aesthetic and doesn't come with an obnoxious amount of branding. The Strix's design lends itself to fitting in with a wide variety of themes.

Best alternative X670E motherboard: ASRock X670E Taichi

ASRock has been a long-time challenger to Asus, and its X670E Taichi does have some advantages over the Strix X670E-E. For starters, it has a much larger VRM configuration at 24+2 stages, which is significantly more than the Strix's 18+2. The rear panel I/O includes two USB4 ports, something the Strix has zero of. It also matches Asus on DDR5 support, dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, Intel 2.5 gigabit Ethernet, and also comes with eight SATA ports instead of four (though that's of questionable value).

The Taichi falls a little behind in some other aspects, however. It only has one M.2 slot running at PCIe 5.0, with the other three at PCIe 4.0. There are fewer USB ports on the rear panel I/O and some of them run at 3.2 Gen 1 speeds rather than 3.2 Gen 2. That the Taichi is EATX sized rather than ATX also might also pose a problem for chassis compatibility. Finally, the aesthetic of the Taichi is similar to the Strix but has a few questionable spots; the gold accent on the left side of the board might clash with some colors, and you'll have to decide whether you like the stylistic gears.

Overall, the Taichi is a worthwhile alternative to the Strix, even if it falls short in a few areas. But for overclocking, it is theoretically the superior choice given its larger VRM, so if you plan on overclocking your Ryzen 7000 for fun or to get a serious boost in performance, the Taichi might be the better choice.

Best X670 motherboard: Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX

Moving down to the X670 chipset, we find lots of motherboards that are about 80% of the way to being X670E grade but cut out features that aren't crucial for gaming. Gigabyte does a good job finding a good balance with its X670 Aorus Elite AX thanks to its 16+2 stage VRM (that we should note is actually two 8 stages, but should be fine) and support for DDR5-6666 memory. There are also three M.2 slots, one of which runs at PCIe 5.0 and the two others at 4.0. The x16 slot, unfortunately, runs at PCIe 4.0, not 5.0, but it's forgivable since there aren't even any PCIe 5.0 GPUs out yet.

Connectivity is a bit of a weak spot for this board. At 13 USB ports, there's plenty in terms of quantity, but four of these run at slow 2.0 speeds. The Aorus Elite AX has 2.5 gigabit Ethernet, but it uses a Realtek NIC, not an Intel one, and while Realtek is fine, Intel is undeniably more reliable. The built-in Wi-Fi is also not Intel but MediaTek. One other feature this board is missing is an error code display; for its caliber, there should probably be one on here. As for appearance, the Aorus Elite AX is a little plain and basic, but it'll fit in well with many themes thanks to its dark colors with silver accents.

The X670 Aorus Elite AX is a good all-rounder for gaming and productivity without costing a ton of money like most X670E boards. It can handle high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs and modern PCIe 5.0 SSDs, and those are the most important characteristics for many users.

Best B650E motherboard: ASRock B650E Steel Legend

The B650E is a bit of a weird chipset. It's guaranteed to come with PCIe 5.0 support for GPUs and SSDs but is supposed to be lower tier than X670, which doesn't guarantee PCIe 5.0 for graphics. Consequently, ASRock's B650E Steel Legend is better than many X670 boards thanks to its PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. It also has one M.2 slot at PCIe 5.0 and two at 4.0, on par with the X670 Aorus Elite AX. It even has a true 16+2 stage VRM and support for DDR4-6400, making it oddly high-end for its chipset.

The Steel Legend's rear I/O is pretty decent, with eight USB ports — only two are USB 2.0, with the rest ranging from 3.2 Gen 1 to 3.2 Gen 2x2. It also has a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port, but it's Realtek, not Intel. There is no error code display on the board (not unexpected since it's supposed to be midrange) but it does have six fan headers and heatsinks for all of its three M.2 SSD slots.

The B650E Steel Legend and other B650E boards are in a weird spot. They're guaranteed to have PCIe 5.0 for GPUs and SSDs, a distinct advantage over B650 and X670. However, everything else about them is pretty midrange, while the price is about the same as X670 boards. If you value PCIe 5.0 support on the x16 slot but also have a price limit, B650E might appeal to you.

Best B650 motherboard: ASRock B650 PG Lightning

B650 motherboards have just the gaming and productivity essentials but can still have features that are about on par with higher-end boards with better chipsets. ASRock's B650 PG Lightning is one of the more robust models. It has three M.2 slots, one of which is PCIe 5.0, another 4.0, and the last running at 4.0 but with two lanes, which is effectively PCIe 3.0. The PG Lightning can even accommodate a high-end Ryzen 7000 CPU thanks to its support for DDR5-6400, usage of dual 8-pin plugs for CPU power (unlike other B650 boards), and 14+2 stage VRM, which isn't ideal but should be sufficient.

Other features on this board are surprisingly decent. The board's rear I/O features 12 USB ports, including seven running at 3.2 Gen 1 speeds and one running at the fast 3.2 Gen2x2 spec. The PG Lighting uses 2.5 gigabit Ethernet from Realtek, which is acceptable given the board's relatively low price. The board's six fan headers should be more than enough for a midrange PC. The design is mostly black but also black and white stripes on the PCB, which looks mostly fine.

The only disappointing thing about the PG Lightning is the price. At the time of writing, it goes for about $200, and that's not unusual for B650 boards right now. It's well above the typical $100-150 you'd usually spend for a motherboard that's supposed to be midrange. But among B650 boards, the PG Lightning has some of the best features and characteristics, so if you're buying B650, this motherboard should be a strong contender.

Best budget X670E motherboard: ASRock X670E PG Lightning

Although X670E is supposed to be the top-end chipset for Ryzen 7000 CPUs, ASRock's X670E PG Lightning (not to be confused with the B650 model) is priced like a B650E or X670 board. This model has the core features of the chipset: PCIe 5.0 on the x16 slot and the primary M.2 slot and support for DDR5-6600. In terms of value, the X670E PG Lightning is unrivaled by other boards using the same chipset.

How did ASRock offer such a high-end chipset for such a low price? Well, lots of other features had to be cut out. The VRM only has 14+2 stages and the CPU power is limited to 8+4 pins, which limits CPU performance. The secondary M.2 slots also have reduced speed, with only one running at PCIe 4.0 at full speed; of the last two, one runs at PCIe 3.0 and the other at PCIe 4.0 but half the lanes, so effectively PCIe 3.0. The rear I/O has a mix of USB 2.0 ports and faster USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2 ports, plus a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port (which is, of course, Realtek).

Overall, the X670E PG Lightning is basically the B650 PG Lightning but with PCIe 5.0 on the x16 slot, which puts the board in a somewhat awkward position due to the existence of the B650E chipset. ASRock's own B650E Steel Legend is potentially a superior motherboard while costing about the same and having a theoretically worse chipset. X670E has more PCIe lanes, but they're not coming into full use on the X670E PG Lightning. Still, of all the X670E boards, this one is the cheapest while being good enough, and that's worth something.

Best mini-ITX motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B650E-I

AM5 is young and ITX boards are few and far between, but it seems Asus's ROG Strix B650E-I is already a strong contender. As a B650E board, it of course has PCIe 5.0 on both the x16 slot and the primary M.2 slot. Plus, it also has a 10+2 stage VRM, and while that is pretty low, ITX machines tend to run lower-wattage CPUs anyway, especially since this board only has an 8-pin plug for CPU power. Support for DDR5-6400 will at least help the CPU perform the best it can.

As for downsides, this board is pretty good for ITX. Perhaps its eight USB ports aren't quite enough, but five of them run at 3.2 Gen 2 speeds and one of them has the superfast 3.2 Gen 2x2 spec. The 2.5 gigabit Ethernet is powered by an Intel NIC, which is a big plus. Like other ROG motherboards, this one's color scheme is black with silver accents but doesn't have any RGB.

There are other ITX boards available. Asus has the even higher-end ROG Strix X670E-I, but the only things it brings to the table are two USB4 ports and a convenient front panel add-in card. ASRock's competing B650E PG-ITX is also very similar to the Strix B650E-I while costing less, but has slightly worse rear I/O as it uses more USB 2.0 ports. Overall, the ROG Strix B650E-I has the best balance between price and features.

Best workstation motherboard: Asus ProArt X670E-Creator

Although AMD's Threadripper CPUs are made for productivity and usage in workstations, there's nothing stopping you from using a Ryzen CPU instead, and unless you need lots of RAM, AM5 can be a great platform for a workstation PC. If you're building a PC for work, we recommend Asus's ProArt X670E-Creator, which is a no-compromises board.

This motherboard has it all: two PCIe x16 slots running at 5.0 (if both are populated, they drop to half lanes, which is effectively PCIe 4.0 speeds), four M.2 slots with two running at PCIe 5.0 and the others at 4.0, and support for DDR5-6400 and DDR5-4800 ECC RAM. The VRM uses 16+2 stages, which is lower than many other X670E boards but still sufficient for high-end CPUs. Each M.2 SSD slot comes with a heatsink. The rear I/O is extremely impressive with its 10 gigabit and 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB4 ports, plus nine other USB ports.

The ProArt X670E-Creator is essentially unrivaled for workstation use, particularly thanks to its ECC memory support. However, if you aren't going to be using ECC memory, ASRock's X670E Taichi Carrara might be a viable alternative. It has a larger 24+2 stage VRM, more SATA ports, and the same amount of M.2 and USB4 slots but lacks 10 gigabit Ethernet and support for ECC RAM.

Final thoughts

Ryzen 7000 and AM5 are, on one hand, packed full of brand-new technology, but on the other hand, are significantly more expensive than usual. It's especially concerning that supposed midrange B650 boards are selling for much more than last-generation B550 motherboards, but perhaps things will change with time. At least these motherboards come with plenty of high-speed PCIe lanes, even if you won't be using all of them.

If you're building a modern PC with all the bells and whistles, AM5 is one of the best platforms to do it on. If you're creating a totally new gaming or working setup, then we'd also recommend you check out our guides on the best monitors, best keyboards, and best webcams for your PC.