20 X570 motherboards for AMD Ryzen processors tested

With the third-generation Ryzen processors, AMD currently has the most interesting processors on the market with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 2600. To get the most out of it, you need one of the new motherboards with X570 chipset. We put twenty motherboards on the rack and selected the best ones for you.

Before we delve into the X570 motherboards, it's important to consider whether you need a relatively expensive X570 motherboard. The differences between the new X570 and the older X470 and B450 chipsets, with which the new Ryzen processors are also compatible, are not very big. The X570 chipset offers more fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, formerly USB 3.1, which is especially useful for lots of fast external storage. It is also the first chipset that supports PCI Express 4.0, although there are still few PCI-e 4.0 devices, with the exception of even faster SSDs.

These relatively expensive AMD X570 motherboards are therefore especially interesting for a mid- or high-end system, or if you are considering adding a high-end video card in the coming years. For simpler needs, B450 and X470 boards are a great choice.

There are still four major manufacturers that make motherboards

What should you really pay attention to?

There are only four major manufacturers left when it comes to motherboards: ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI. They buy AMD's X570 chipset and each build their own product around it, with different specifications and price points. Things like the bios, the software and the power supply vary greatly per brand. That's why we first discuss the inherent advantages and disadvantages of each manufacturer, before we highlight the real outliers.

It is especially important to map out your own subjective wishes. How many m.2 SSDs or SATA drives are you going to use, how many fans or RGB accessories do you want to connect, how many RGB headers do you need, which (USB) connections does your housing have, how many USB ports do you want on the back and what are your requirements in terms of wifi or faster networks? We appreciate motherboards that offer a lot for their price, but put your own requirements next to our table before you take the plunge.

This is how we test

Our test setup consists of an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3600 MHz 16 GB (2x 8 GB), Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W power supply and Samsung 970 Evo Plus SSD. We test motherboards by equalizing all settings for the cpu and the memory, in this way we prevent 'handy tricks' (or cheating) on ​​a motherboard from pushing the processor beyond its official specifications.

Performance between motherboards sometimes differs by a few percent per sample of the same board. It is therefore unlikely that small differences in the results in the table (1-3 percent) will actually lead to significantly different results for the end user. Test results therefore serve primarily to discover structural problems.

ASUS

Especially when it comes to bios and associated software, ASUS has a clear lead over the competition. And because the performance differences between the twenty tested motherboards at the same settings are negligible, such an advantage provides a major advantage in practice.

The downside is that ASUS seems aware of that advantage and sells motherboards that are otherwise functionally equivalent for a higher price. This is especially noticeable at the lower end of the market, because both the Prime X570-P (199 euros, not tested) and the Prime X570-PRO (279 euros) offer relatively few connections compared to direct counterparts. For example, these boards have a limited number of internal USB headers for your housing.

ASUS is traditionally strong in terms of power supply (VRM) and the construction of its X570 boards is spacious enough, from the Prime X570-PRO even very good. That also makes the motherboards suitable for AMD's 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X, which will be released later this year. As a result, all ASUS boards provide a good experience objectively, as long as the features offered meet your requirements. The appearance also gives these motherboards something extra.

ASUS really takes off in the more luxurious segment, where the manufacturer has added some more complex features. Overclockers, tweakers, and custom water cooling enthusiasts seek the best motherboard for their purposes, and price is secondary. The ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (429 euros) has many fan headers, special headers for your water cooling, extra buttons for (extreme) overclocking, an excellent power supply to push every CPU to the limit and that is supported by the most extensive bios on the market. As long as the price is not an issue, this is the X570 board for enthusiasts. Do you want to use water cooling and are you unsure about the even more expensive ROG Crosshair VIII Formula (599 euros)? The addition of an EC water block on the same basis as the Hero sounds nice, but offers too little objective added value to justify the 170 euros higher price.

The ROG Strix X570-E (335 euros) may be interesting as the cheapest motherboard with a fast 2.5 Gbit/s network connection.

Gigabyte

Gigabyte has arguably the strongest X570 offering. We prefer to ignore its entry-level, the X570 Gaming X (189 euros), in view of the clear savings, but from the X570 Aorus Elite (209 euros) we see all solid, attractive boards with a reliable power supply and a collection of connections that is wider than the competition at virtually every price point. If your motherboard needs to control combinations of RGB-illuminated components, ASUS is preferable. But once that's not a consideration, Gigabyte takes the lead at every price point.

In fact, the X570 Aorus Elite is so complete that we see no reason for most users to spend more. You get a decent power supply, a 10 Gbit/s network connection, more than enough rgb and argb headers, ten USB ports on the back and enough internal headers for housings with four USB ports in the front or even USB-C, something no competitor can do. at this price point.

Overclockers should consider the slightly more expensive X570 Aorus Pro ($269) for its problem diagnosis functions, additional fan headers and slightly better power, and the X570 Aorus Ultra ($319) is one of the more affordable options with three m.2 slots. .

The X570 Aorus Master (389 euros) in the high-end segment is of a completely different order: it has one of the best VRMs on the market, 2.5 Gbit/s network connection, WiFi 6 (or 802.11ax) and a third m.2 lock on top of the already good combination of possibilities. That makes it a strong competitor to the ASUS Hero, MSI Ace, and ASRock Phantom Gaming X. That is, if you consider the best boards on the market.

Objectively speaking, you could actually call the X570 Aorus Xtreme the best board on the market. But because a price of 699 euros for a motherboard is difficult to defend, we mainly call it a showpiece with which Gigabyte shows what it is capable of. It is impressive, with its extreme 16-phase VRM, the abundance of connections and the presence of an extra external controller to which you can connect another eight fans, rgb or argb accessories. In addition, the entire motherboard acts as a heatsink for all components, making it the only board without an active fan. Is there a money tree in your yard? Then look no further.

The Aorus X570 I Pro WiFi (239 euros) is interesting, because it is currently the only mini-itx motherboard on the market. In addition, this model is very solid and not exorbitantly priced for an X570 board. The only serious objection is the total of only six USB ports.

Active fans?

With the exception of the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme, every X570 motherboard has a fan mounted on the chipset to cool it. The noise production of these fans is minimal, so you don't have to worry about noise pollution. Gigabyte and MSI do offer the option to stop the fan until it is really needed. In theory, we consider this an advantage, because we estimate the risk of wear and tear in the long term to be lower.

MSIA

MSI has the smallest X570 offering, but that's not a drawback. Instead of trying to fill every price point with an option that may or may not be interesting, MSI focuses on somewhat clearer target groups. The target audience of the cheapest board in our test, the MSI X570-A PRO (179 euros), is easy to guess: if you want to spend as little as possible, this is a serious option.

On the total cost of your PC, the savings compared to the better and more extensive X570 Aorus Elite on all fronts is difficult to defend, but if every tenner is dear to you and the basic possibilities are sufficient, the X570-A Pro is worth considering . Unfortunately, we cannot say that about the MSI X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi (279 euros): it is a bit too frugal with connections for this price point. Wifi 6 (or 802.11ax) is admittedly a nice extra in this segment, but you can also add it separately for about 20 euros to many cheaper boards.

MSI's high-end MEG X570 ACE (389 euros) is objectively an excellent motherboard. Like its direct competition, it is very complete, very solid, it has an excellent power supply and, of course, the necessary visual bells and whistles are also present. We only find the number of USB ports on the back on the meager side for this price level.

Although MSI also offers the almost 800 euro X570 Godlike, our eye fell on the hefty (eatx) Prestige X570 Creation. At 499 euros, it's far from cheap, but it has more USB ports than you'll find on any other X570 board. Thanks to an included plug-in card, it also offers four m.2 locks: a record. This is also the most affordable board with a 10 Gbit/s network connection, which makes the Prestige X570 Creation a real high-end workstation board for the demanding professional who knows how to earn back the extra cost with his or her work.

ASRock

ASRock is normally known for its good value for money. Its RGB Software, if you care, is a dragon compared to ASUS's. But if you're just looking for good hardware for a reasonable price, ASRock has been positive for years.

With many strong options on the market, it's not easy to set yourself apart. The X570 Extreme4 (189 euros) and the X570 Steel Legend (224 euros) offer a balanced set of features for their price, but like all other boards under 250 euros, they can hardly compete with the strong Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite. They mainly rely on some extra fan headers and the fact that ASRock has prepared its boards for a WiFi extension. If you wish, you can add Wi-Fi 6 (or 802.11ax) to these boards for about two bucks with the Intel AX200 chip. The Steel Legend is also the most affordable board with eight SATA ports for the real data eater.

The X570 Taichi (325 euros) does offer something unique at its price point with physical buttons: nice if you frequently work with your motherboard without a housing. That comes on top of an excellent overall picture with, among other things, good VRMs, WiFi 6, three m.2 locks and again those eight SATA ports. Still, you may wonder whether cheaper options are not enough. Or maybe you want something more luxurious, for example a board with a faster network connection.

That's where the X570 Phantom Gaming X (379 euros) comes into play. In fact, this is the same motherboard as the Taichi, but with a slightly different coat of paint and a 2.5 Gbit/s network port. The Phantom Gaming X also consists of excellent components, although the total list of connections is again a few points behind, among others, the Aorus Master. That puts him in a difficult position. If you want more SATA ports, ASRock has the advantage. But additional storage options alone are a tough selling point at this price point. ASRock therefore seems to rely partly on enthusiasts of the brand and partly on its designs, which differ slightly from the competition.

Conclusion

Where cheap X470 boards or (Intel) Z390 motherboards were sometimes objectively bad, that does not apply to any X570 motherboard. Even the cheapest options offer such high-quality components that AMD's announced 16-core processor can be used on these boards without any problems.

This makes it crucial to list your own requirements, depending on, among other things, your purposes, housing or desired storage. Will the cheapest but simple MSI X570-A Pro do? Then it is no problem. Our editorial tip, however, goes out to the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite. Because of the quality, but especially because of the very wide selection of connections that amply satisfy most purposes, from gaming to creative tasks.

Among the high-end boards with fast network connection, WiFi 6 and an even wider selection of connections, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master, MSI MEG X570 ACE and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero compete for the win. The ASUS takes the win for overclockers, custom water loops, and hobbyists, thanks to some specific benefits for those purposes. Although it is again Gigabyte that offers the most hardware in that segment for a slightly better price. Together they are the best boards of this generation.

And then there's a second board that deserves our tip, because the MSI Prestige X570 Creation offers more USB ports and m.2 storage than any competitor. Combined with its 10 Gbit/s network connection, this is our choice for a professional workstation where money is no object.

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