While a little late to the party, NZXT is back! What we have here is a premium X870E motherboard for AMD Ryzen CPUs that offers a unique aesthetic with an interesting approach to fan control. But amongst stiff competition in the price bracket, can it keep up?
A halo tier flagship motherboard should be drooled-over by many and owned by few. There's no doubt that this is one of the most extreme X870E options on the market, featuring unique approaches to expansion and support for sub-ambient overclocking. But does it do enough justify the price tag?
With Intel dishing out price cuts and performance boosts left and right, Arrow Lake is starting to look attractive, at least at certain price points. If you want an overclocking motherboard with solid specifications and attractive aesthetics, then ASRock might just have the product for you.
With a solid EFI, overclocking support, plenty of SSD and VRM cooling and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports for less than $300, does this attractive white board have what's needed to offer a premium home for your Arrow Lake CPU?
MSI is going all-out with Mini-ITX support for mid and high-end chipsets from both AMD and Intel. We're starting with the B860 model, in dazzling titanium attire featuring Thunderbolt 4, but can it edge out some stiff competition at $220?
If you want the benefits of X870E on AMD's Socket AM5 platform, then the MSI X870E Tomahawk is one of the cheapest options around. But what does it offer over X870 and B850 boards, especially those that cost a fair bit less?
If you want a capable Socket AM5 motherboard and have a $200 budget, some features inevitably get culled, so the question is whether what's left is enough for your average PC user. Thankfully, you won't find much better than the Steel Legend in terms of balancing price and features.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is dripping with features and an edgy, head-turning design, but for once the fault lays not with the board or manufacturer, but with the lack of attractive CPU options, although as usual this high-end ASUS board is still prohibitively expensive for most.
At $165, this is one of the cheapest LGA1851 motherboards and it includes a surprisingly decent specification with USB4, PCIe Gen 5, and Wi-Fi 7. The Ultra V20 handled a Core Ultra 9 285K just fine too. But has Colorful done enough to compete with better-known manufacturers overall?
With the Taichi Lite, ASRock aims to offer a cost-optimized, RGB-less, trimmed version of the popular X870E Taichi. The result is a price that's $50 lower than the big Taichi. Is it a no-brainer if you want the same basic package, or did ASRock cut away too much?
The ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF is built for extreme overclockers and aspiring enthusiasts, with physical controls for precise tweaking. Also included are dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and five M.2 SSD slots, with excellent cooling and tool-free operation.
The ASUS Prime X870-P Wi-Fi supports both USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, at a highly attractive price point of just slightly over $200. PCIe Gen 5 support for GPU and SSD is onboard, too, but what has ASUS had to cut in other areas to get there and are similarly-priced B850 offerings better value?
If you want to jump on the Socket AM5 bandwagon for as little cash as possible without skimping on important features, then ASRock has hit the nail on the head and even managed to beat far more expensive boards when it comes to temperatures.
With three B860 Mini-ITX motherboards available for around $220, ASRock has its work cut out to stand out from the crowd. What can it offer to appeal to small form factor fans, especially in an overclocking-free environment on the B860 chipset?
Arguably one of the best-looking motherboards out there, but what does the latest ProArt motherboard for AMD Ryzen CPUs bring to the table considering its high price tag? Is it worth it compared to the competition, even for creators?
With a sub $200 price tag, the latest MSI B860 Tomahawk aims to give your Intel Core Ultra processor an affordable home while still offering cutting edge features. The Tomahawk has a solid reputation but can it deliver on B860 or should you point your wallet at the Z890 version?
The Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro is a great option if you need the extra bandwidth perks of X870E as well as an impressive set of features, without breaking the bank. At $360, the board is considerably less expensive than some competing offers.
If you want the latest Wi-Fi standard, PCIe Gen 5 and decent VRM cooling for less than $250 then there's a decent amount of choice out there. MSI's Tomahawk boards have been solid choices in the past but has MSI cut too many features this time?
If you're looking for a home for that shiny new Ryzen 7 9800X3D could this be the best sub $300 board for you? It looks fantastic, but what do you lose by dropping down to X870 from X870E and has Gigabyte had to cut any other corners to get here?
If recent graphics card launches have persuaded you to consider a new CPU, the Z890 MSI Tomahawk Wi-Fi has the advantage of being able to tap into the overclocking potential of the latest Intel Core Ultra series 2 processors for less than $250.
ASRock's B860 Steel Legend Wi-Fi comes at highly competitive pricing of just $200. You get a white color scheme, great cooling for the VRMs and M.2 SSD, and even Thunderbolt 4. But has ASRock had to cut back in other areas to hit this affordable price point?
The ASRock Phantom B850I Lightning is a good choice if you want a Mini-ITX board for around $200. Compared to most of its B650 predecessors it has two additional power phases. In our testing it handled a 16-core Ryzen CPU just fine, making it a good value choice for any compact AMD system.
If you don't need all the bells and whistles of X870E and have a bit more than $300 to spend on a motherboard that still includes USB4, Wi-Fi 7 and PCIe Gen 5 support then the ASUS ROG STRIX X870-A Gaming Wi-Fi this could be the board for you. Even better is that it comes in white.
Intel's B860 chipset is here and offers Wi-Fi 7, CUDIMM memory support, PCIe Gen 5 and USB4, at lower pricing than Z890. But does this white motherboard have enough to tempt upgraders, especially considering Intel's Core Ultra processors' poor reception.
AMD's B850 chipset is here and the first board we're looking at costs $300, but still includes PCIe Gen 5 support for SSDs and graphics cards while maintaining great VRM cooling and plenty of features. However, how does it stack up against cheaper B650 or slightly pricier X870 options?
