Ryzen 5 3600, Ryzen 7 3700X & the Ryzen 9 3900X

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With the launch of AMD’s Ryzen 3000 processors, the Navi cards and
NVIDIA’s RTX Super line-up, you might be looking to build a new PC.
While choosing the right motherboard for your new AMD powered build,
here are some things to keep in mind:

The most important feature when it comes to a motherboard is its VRM. It is similar to a power supply for your motherboard. But why is it important? A cheap VRM can lead to unusual system crashes, instability, and even cause damage to your CPU. It’s always a good idea to get a motherboard with more number of chokes and solid-state capacitors, especially for overclocking. While the Ryzen 3000 processors are extremely power efficient, being on the safer side won’t hurt
Keep in mind that PCIe 4.0 is only supported on X570 boards. While it isn’t a must-have for a gaming build, an X570 board will have the best upgradability and prolonged support
The B450 boards will suffice most budget to mid-range builds.
One last thing: memory speeds north of 3600MHz won’t make much of a difference in gaming. So if you have the option between a board that supports 4666MHz speeds and one with WiFi and a better VRM, always go for the latter.

Here are our recommendations for a motherboard for your new Ryzen 3000 motherboard:

Best Entry Level Motherboard for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 5 CPUs:

MSI B450M PRO-M2 V2

Recommended for the Ryzen 5 3500, 3600 & 3600X CPUs
Price: Rs. 5,585 (Link)
Form Factor: m-ATX
Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 32GB DDR4 Memory, 2x DIMMs up to 3466+(OC) MHz
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1x Turbo M.2: Running at PCI-E Gen3 x4
2 x USB 3.1 Gen1, 6 x USB 2.0
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A (back panel)

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If you are buying a 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processor, then this is the minimum recommended motherboard to allow your new chip to run without any bottlenecks. With support for upto 32B of DDR4 memory @ 3466MHz, it comes with ample expansion slots and SATA ports to satisfy all your storage requirements and then some.

Best Mid-Range Motherboards for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs:

MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max

Recommended for the Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X CPUs
Price: Rs. 9,399 (Link)
Form Factor: ATX
Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 Memory, 4x DIMMs up to 4133+(OC) MHz
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 4 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1x Turbo M.2: Running at PCI-E Gen3 x4
4 x USB 3.2, 6 x USB 2.0

If you are on a budget but don’t mind springing for a slightly expensive, motherboard, then the B450 Gaming Plus Max from MSI is the ideal board. It comes without the bells and whistles of high-end mobos such as RGB and unnecessary chipset fans, but packs all the essential features you’ll ever need in a build.

MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (Wi-Fi)

Recommended for the Ryzen 7 3700X & 3800X CPUs
Price: Rs. 12,149 (Link)
Form Factor: ATX
Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 Memory, 4x DIMMs up to 3466+(OC) MHz
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
2 x M.2: 2x Running at PCI-E Gen3 x4
3 x USB 3.1, 6 x USB 2.0

The MSI B450 Gaming Carbon Pro is the fancier version of the Max. It gets an additional M.2 slot and of course some fancy RGB lighting, but the memory takes a hit. The memory support tops out at 3466MHz. Although, this should be fine for all the Matisse chips, we’d suggest not buying this board if you’re going with the Ryzen 9 3900X.

Best High-end Motherboards for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 9 Processors:

Asus PRIME X470-PRO

Recommended for the Ryzen 7 3700X, 3800X & Ryzen 9 3900X CPUs
Price: Rs. 14,399 (Link)
Form Factor: ATX
Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 Memory, 4x DIMMs up to 3600+(OC) MHz
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1 x M.2: 2x Running at PCI-E Gen3 x4
8 x USB 3.1, 4 x USB 2.0

If you going with a Ryzen 7 3800X or a 3900X, then I’d suggest buying an X470 motherboard if the newer x570 platform is too pricey for you. With advanced overclocking capabilities and nearly the same feature set as its successor, the ASUS X470 Prime is a beautiful board. The only thing you’re missing out on here is the PCIe 4 standard, but don’t worry it’ll be a while before it actually becomes relevant.

ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus

Recommended for the Ryzen 9 3900X
Price: Rs. 17,100 (Link)
Form Factor: ATX
Supports 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 128GB DDR4 Memory, 4x DIMMs up to 4400+(OC) MHz
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 3 x PCIe 4.0 x1 slots
8 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2
9 x USB 3.2, 4 x USB 2.0

The TUF X570 by ASUS hits a sweet spot in terms of performance and price. It comes in at about ₹17,000 on ITDepot at the time of writing, it is one of the most affordable x570 boards all while making as few compromises as possible to reach that price. It has the best thermals among boards priced similarly from other vendors and is overall a very solid option. I would recommend this motherboard to people building a PC with productivity in mind, and that need to move large files regularly. Pair this with a PCIe 4.0 SSD and a Ryzen 9 3900x.

Best Ultra High-End Motherboard for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 9 CPU:

ASRock X570 TAICHI

Recommended for the Ryzen 9 3900X
Price: Rs. 28,149 (Link)
Form Factor: ATX
Supports 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD^® Ryzen™ Desktop Processors for Socket AM4
Supports up to 128GB DDR4 Memory, 4x DIMMs up to 4666+(OC) MHz
3 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 2 x PCIe 4.0 x1 slots
8 x SATA 6Gb/
3 x M.2 slots
3 x USB 3.2 Gen2, 8 x USB 3.2 Gen1

If you want the absolute best motherboard for your new Ryzen chip, then the ASRock X570 Taichi is the one you should go with. Everything about this board screams premium quality. The RGB lighting, the overclocking capabilities, the VRM, heatsink, even the box are drop-dead gorgeous. It comes with a whopping 11 USB 3.2 ports, 3 M.3 slots and three (not two) PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. You can run memory as fast as 4666MHz on this board (even though the recommended maximum recommended is 3733MHz), so go and figure. All this will cost you a pretty penny. The ASRock x570 Taichi costs almost 30K INR but is worth every buck.

Further reading:

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