Top 32 How Much Should I Spend On A Motherboard 28233 People Liked This Answer

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How expensive should a motherboard be?

Essentially, a motherboard can cost anywhere between $50-$1500. But the average cost of a motherboard in the budget range is about $70-$130. Mid range motherboards can range anywhere from $150-$180. Popular high end motherboard have an average cost of about $200-$250.

Is it worth spending more on a motherboard?

More expensive motherboards usually mean better quality components. Cheap capacitors are a common failure point on inexpensive motherboards. More expensive motherboards may have better power regulation components. The actual PCB may have more layers and more robust construction.

Are cheap motherboards worth it?

The truth is, they do make a difference in performance. The more expensive the Motherboard, the better its parts are and less susceptible to failure or damage. Higher-end motherboards may cost a little more than lower-priced ones, but they are worth it in the end.

What is a good inexpensive motherboard?

Can you go cheap on a motherboard?

It’s easy to go on a site like PCPartPicker, filter by compatibility, sort by the lowest price first and then pick whatever motherboard is cheapest but you have to realize what you’re paying for. Cheaper quality motherboards means less stable power delivery and lesser QC’ed parts.

Which motherboard is good for gaming?

Does motherboard affect FPS?

Does Your Motherboard Affect FPS? Motherboards do not directly influence your gaming performance at all. What your motherboard type will do, is allow your graphics card and processor to perform better (or worse). It’s sort of similar to a Solid State Drive’s impact on FPS.

Does the RAM affect FPS?

If you aren’t aware, FPS or frames per second is a measure of how many full-screen images are shown in a second. Since RAM stores short-term information, having a higher RAM will help in producing more FPS.

Is B550 better than B450?

Many MSI B550 motherboards come equipped with both faster networking capabilities as well as more M. 2 slots compared to their B450 counterparts – making them an ideal choice for professionals who need an upgrade over the best that the B450 platform can offer.

Is DDR5 better than DDR4?

Why are motherboards so expensive right now?

The Chip Shortage

So, the main reason that PC parts are abnormally expensive right now is that there has been a global chip shortage from 2020 to now. (December 2021 when this is being written, though the shortage is likely to continue into 2022.)

Does motherboard affect gaming?

So the immediate answer to the question of whether a motherboard affects computer performance is “no.” If you put a high-end CPU, GPU, and RAM into either a cheap or expensive motherboard, they’ll perform more or less the same.

Is Intel or AMD better for gaming?

If you’re looking for the fastest overall chips on the market, you should look to Intel’s potent new Alder Lake series. Even though AMD clings to the distinction of having the single fastest gaming chip available, Intel’s Alder Lake chips take the gaming crown from AMD in all of the most important price bands.

Are MSI motherboards any good?

The MSI Z690 ACE is a high-quality motherboard from MSI. This board is perfect for those looking to build a premium, high-end motherboard.

How do I choose the right motherboard?

Should motherboard be more expensive than CPU?

So, spending more on a motherboard means that you’ll get the most out of your CPU (if they are not integrated) – and making less expensive motherboards an irrelevant purchase due to the fact that only cheap motherboards perform worse than more expensive ones.

What is the most expensive motherboard?

The Z690 AORUS Xtreme is the most expensive Gigabyte motherboard and is packed with features that make it a great choice for users who are looking for the best performance possible. It has a variety of features that will make your PC run smoother and faster, such as support for the Intel 1700 chipset and multiple M.

Why are motherboard prices going up?

That big price increase is due to what pieces are needed to implement PCIe 5.0. The higher-end Z690 motherboards, like the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, utilize DDR5 RAM, which has an entirely different operating procedure that needs to be brought into play during design.

How Much Should You Actually Spend on A Motherboard? – Appuals.com

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• Summary of article content: Articles about How Much Should You Actually Spend on A Motherboard? – Appuals.com It can be quite complicated to understand why one motherboard costs $600 while the other one costs $60 when both the motherboards support the … …
• Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How Much Should You Actually Spend on A Motherboard? – Appuals.com It can be quite complicated to understand why one motherboard costs $600 while the other one costs $60 when both the motherboards support the … Building a custom gaming PC is a rewarding and engaging experience. Some of the more interesting purchase decisions while building a PC are usually the
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What’s the Difference Between a $50 Motherboard and a $350 Motherboard?

• Article author: www.titancomputers.com
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• Summary of article content: Articles about What’s the Difference Between a $50 Motherboard and a $350 Motherboard? Updating …
• Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for What’s the Difference Between a $50 Motherboard and a $350 Motherboard? Updating The motherboard is a pretty boring component when you think about it. Which is probably why so many people end up buying the cheapest board that will hold their components. But expensive motherboards aren’t expensive for no reason. So let’s look at some of the differences between cheap and pricey gear.$50 Motherboard, $350 Motherboard, ASUS H110M-E/M.2, Asus ROG Maximus Formula, coffe lake workstation computer, i7 coffe lake workstation custom computer
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Motherboard Prices, Why are you getting more Expensive?

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Why are motherboards getting more and more expensive

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Best Budget Motherboards In 2022

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• Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Best Budget Motherboards In 2022 Updating Today we’ll be taking a look at some of the best budget motherboards for gaming in 2021, depending on the form factor and general best price-to-performance value that they provide.
• Table of Contents:

Best Budget Motherboards in 2022

Tips Before You Buy

GIGABYTE Z690 Gaming X DDR4 – Best Value Budget Motherboard

ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming – Best Overall Budget Motherboard

MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI Motherboard – Best Budget ATX Motherboard

ASUS Prime Z590M-PLUS – Best Budget Micro-ATX Motherboard

GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro Wi-Fi – Best Budget Mini-ITX Motherboard

Final Thoughts

How To Choose a Motherboard for Your Build

How Long Do Motherboards Last

Does Motherboard Matter for Gaming

Motherboard Wifi Not Working Try these 8 Easy Fixes

How to Connect Front Panel Connectors to the Motherboard

How to Update BIOS on ASUS Motherboard

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How Much Should I Spend on a Motherboard? Must Read

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• Summary of article content: Articles about How Much Should I Spend on a Motherboard? Must Read If you are building a gaming PC, then having a motherboard that comes with a custom-cooled VRM and a high upgrade path will be eal. Of course, having more … …
• Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How Much Should I Spend on a Motherboard? Must Read If you are building a gaming PC, then having a motherboard that comes with a custom-cooled VRM and a high upgrade path will be eal. Of course, having more … The price of your motherboard will be determined by the components you want in it. Want to know the main components your motherboard should have? Then read inside. How Much Should I Spend on a Motherboard?
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How Much Money Should I Spend On A Motherboard? – icsid.org

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• Summary of article content: Articles about How Much Money Should I Spend On A Motherboard? – icsid.org I’d recommend spending between $100 and $150 on a motherboard, up to $200 at most. A $100- $150 board will give you just about everything … …
• Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How Much Money Should I Spend On A Motherboard? – icsid.org I’d recommend spending between $100 and $150 on a motherboard, up to $200 at most. A $100- $150 board will give you just about everything …
• Table of Contents:

Should I Spend Money On Motherboard

How Much Of A Budget Should Be Spent On CPU

Is It Worth Spending Money On Motherboard

Is It Worth Paying More For A Motherboard

Is It Bad To Cheap Out On Motherboard

Is It Worth Buying A New Motherboard

How Much Of Your Budget Should You Spend On A CPU

How Much Does The Average CPU Cost

How Much Should A Budget PC Cost

Should I Spend More On CPU Or Motherboard

How Much Should I Spend On A Good Motherboard

How Much Does A Motherboard Cost

Is It Worth It To Spend More On A Motherboard

How Much Will It Cost To Replace Motherboard

Is It Worth It To Replace A Motherboard

How Much Does An Average CPU Cost

How Much Should I Spend On A Computer

Are Motherboards Safe To Buy Used

How Much Should I Spend GPU Or CPU

How Much Does A Motherboard Cost For A PC

How Should You Spend A Computer Budget

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How Much Should I Spend On A Motherboard?

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How to choose a motherboard

How much should spend on a motherboard

features of a good motherboard before Purchase

Wrapping up

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How Much Should You Actually Spend on A Motherboard?

Building a custom gaming PC is a rewarding and engaging experience. Some of the more interesting purchase decisions while building a PC are usually the graphics card and the CPU. Enthusiasts mull over these decisions for weeks and months on end, watching benchmark videos and comparing every last detail in reviews, but when it comes to motherboards there is not a whole lot of thought given to that decision. Usually, PC builders tend to focus more on the other components and they just pick whatever motherboard fits their budget and can support their CPU. While this is a fine approach, buying a motherboard can become way more complicated if you want it to be. Some Motherboards Like B450 are way common, while others like Z590 Motherboards have just entered the market, hence expensive. Keep in mind, this is a value guide while buying motherboards – for a more in-depth Advanced Motherboard Guide, head here.

It is common knowledge that motherboards are among the most critical components of your build. Not only is the motherboard responsible for supporting your processor, but it is also the central hub to which all other components connect. Not only that, but the motherboard also takes power directly from the power supply and efficiently distributes it among all the components on the board. Buying a motherboard can be very simple if you want it to be, but it can also become extremely complex if you are a true enthusiast looking for the very best for your build. Similarly, it is quite easy to overspend on a motherboard and not get many benefits in return. While

Striking a Balance

Since motherboards don’t actually contribute directly to the performance numbers that you see in programs like games or in benchmarks, it can be quite easy to overspend on a motherboard. Purchasing a motherboard is one of the trickiest decisions in the process of building your own PC. It can be quite complicated to understand why one motherboard costs $600 while the other one costs $60 when both the motherboards support the same CPUs. Overspending on a motherboard can prevent you from spending money on components that directly influence your performance, such as the CPU and the graphics card.

While one should avoid buying an expensive motherboard simply because it looks good, buying a cheap, barebones motherboard should also be avoided. Most of the cheapest motherboards are very cheaply-made and they are made with cost-cutting in mind. Most of the time, they lack even basic features such as 4 DIMM slots and have terrible power delivery systems. For this reason, one should research beforehand about the features that they need, and only then should you proceed with the process of purchasing a motherboard.

Useful Features

When you are in the market for a new motherboard for your particular build, you will come across a lot of advertised “features” that are clamoring for your attention. Most of these features are actually just marketing jargon that is dressed up in fancy technical language just to make it seem important. Arming yourself with the knowledge of important and useful motherboard features is crucial when you are trying to shop for a motherboard on a fairly tight budget and do not want to waste money on useless gimmicks.

There are several important features that you should definitely look out for when buying a motherboard. Some of which are listed below.

RAM Slots

The number of RAM slots on the board is another consideration. In most desktop motherboards, the standard number of RAM slots is four, but there are also some more affordable boards that include only two RAM slots. Unless you are on a really tight budget, it is best to invest in a board that offers four RAM slots. This will ensure that you can use your current memory kit (usually two sticks) in the board while also preserving an upgrade path further down the line.

RAM compatibility is less of an issue nowadays as most motherboards can support a wide range of memory speeds by enabling XMP/DOCP in the BIOS. However, for peace of mind, it is always best to visit the motherboard’s official product page and check whether your selected memory speed is supported by the motherboard.

Basic Connectivity

Another area that should be considered by everyone while buying a motherboard is the basic connectivity that the motherboard offers. This category includes the USB ports, the fan connectors, M.2 slots, SATA ports, and any other ports or connectors that you might need in the motherboard.

More Motherboard Buying Guides: 5 Best X470 Motherboards

Most product pages list the number of USB ports, Ethernet ports, and SATA ports, etc. quite clearly. It is easy to just go to the product page and find out if your peripherals, fans, storage devices, and other components can be easily connected to the motherboard. WiFi is also a feature that is offered by some motherboards. You should check the motherboard’s product page for WiFi or “AC” if you want to make sure if your selected motherboard has this feature.

Upgrade Path

If you are investing this much time and effort in your purchase decision for the motherboard, it is important that the motherboard lasts for some time and you don’t have to replace it in a while due to a lapse in judgment. The upgrade path is an important consideration in the purchase decision of a motherboard. Many chipsets only support one or two generations of CPUs so it should be researched beforehand that you can put a next-generation CPU in the same motherboard without changing it.

Motherboard Guide: Best X370 Motherboards

Most Intel motherboards offer a very limited upgrade path which usually spans two generations. AMD motherboards, on the other hand, are much more flexible in terms of upgrades and compatibility. A B450 motherboard can support Ryzen 1000 series, Ryzen 2000 series, Ryzen 3000 series, and even the Ryzen 5000 series CPUs all in one motherboard. BIOS updates may be required to ensure compatibility with newer CPUs, but motherboards like this are a good purchase because they tend to last a long time. It is also justified to spend extra on a chipset that would provide a better upgrade path.

Power Delivery and VRMs

The VRMs or Voltage Regulating Modules are the power delivery components that provide clean and stable power to your CPU. It is imperative that the cleaner and more stable the power, the better the CPU will perform especially under stressful conditions. VRMs utilize the power coming in through your power supply and then optimize it for the consumption of the CPU. VRM components are actually some of the most important electrical components in the motherboard, and they are extremely important when overclocking.

When you are overclocking your CPU, the power demands of your CPU increase dramatically. Not only does the CPU demand more power to hit the higher frequencies, but it also requires clean and stable delivery of that power. A strong and robust VRM configuration is crucial for this process as it allows the CPU to reach higher frequencies with low voltages.

You might often hear marketing terms like “14+2 phase VRM design” on motherboard product pages. These refer to the number of power phases that the VRM design of a particular motherboard uses. Generally, higher is better, but there is also a lot of conflicting and misleading marketing out there so it is not always the most reliable measure of VRM quality.

So, how should you judge the quality of a motherboard’s VRM or power delivery? Well, you don’t have to. There are several people in the PC Hardware industry that do great work in this regard. Deep VRM analysis and comparisons are posted by YouTube channels such as Hardware Unboxed, Gamers Nexus, and Buildzoid among many others. Generally, VRM temperature under load is the value that you want to focus on, and the cooler a particular VRM setup stays under load, the better it is for the board as well as the CPU. It is better, therefore, to spend extra on a motherboard with a stronger VRM layout so that you don’t have any problems with power delivery down the line.

Optional Features

The aforementioned features are the ones that you should definitely look out for in a motherboard. It is highly recommended to spend extra money in order to secure a motherboard with the features that are mentioned above. In addition to those features, there are some optional features that might justify a small premium if you really require them. These include the following.

Similar Reads: Best A320 Motherboards

PCIe Gen 4

One of the more exciting new features in modern motherboards is the introduction of PCIe Gen 4. You can read all about it in this article, but the crux of it is that PCIe Gen 4 is a new extremely fast PCIe iteration that is going to be mainstream soon. PCIe Gen 4 capability can allow your motherboard to support extremely fast PCIe Gen 4 SSDs and Gen 4 Graphics Cards, although SSDs show the more prominent speed difference.

As of the time of writing, you need an AMD CPU to be installed in a B550 Motherboard or an X570 motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700x in order to take advantage of PCIe Gen 4. Intel’s Rocket Lake CPUs also support PCIe Gen 4 on Z490 motherboards.

Aesthetics

Granted, a motherboard is just a fancy PCB when all is said and done, but that is no reason to believe that it should look ugly and unsightly in your PC case. In fact, motherboard manufacturers have made impressive improvements lately in the aesthetics of their motherboards as we have departed from the trend of green PCBs. Nowadays, motherboards generally offer color-neutral PCBs like black, with other elements on the board being colored in white, silver, or gray. These colors tend not to clash with the lighting and other colored elements in your case, therefore are the safest bet. Many motherboards also offer built-in lighting which does look quite nice.

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Miscellaneous Headers

At this stage, it would also be a wise step to consider all the different headers you might need that are usually a little less common. Firstly, if your case uses a USB Type-C front panel header, then you should look for a special header on the motherboard that supports this connection. These might be a bit more expensive than comparable boards though.

Another important header is the RGB/aRGB header that is often included in modern motherboards. If you are looking to connect lighting elements such as fans or LED strips to your motherboard, then you should look for the RGB/aRGB headers on the board. The RGB header is a 12V 4-pin header that is a bit older but is generally more easily available on affordable boards, while the aRGB header is a 5V 3-pin header that is often found on slightly more premium boards. These headers are not inter-compatible with each other so you should look at your device’s connector to find out which header it plugs into.

More Motherboard Reviews: Best A520 Motherboards

Gimmicks

Finally, there are the gimmicks. These completely useless “features” are basically just a bunch of marketing jargon aimed at novice PC builders in order to force them to buy a particular product. Gimmicks in motherboards are plentiful, and one need only to look at the backside of any motherboard retail box to find them. Several gimmicks are prevalent in the current motherboard market and should be avoided in general. Following are some of the more common ones.

“GAMING” motherboards

“VR READY” motherboards

“Ultra-Durable” motherboards

Bloatware RGB Software

Aesthetic changes that hurt thermal performance

Audio Boost Branding

Windows Compatible Branding

SLI and CrossFire Branding

Final Words

Buying a motherboard can be a fairly straightforward process, and it can also be an extremely complicated process. It is easy to be convinced by marketing jargon into buying a really expensive motherboard when you don’t really need the features that the motherboard has. It is also very easy to spend less money than you should on a motherboard, simply because the cheaper options also promise the same basic features such as CPU compatibility as the more expensive options.

More like this: Best X399 Motherboards

When buying a motherboard, it is important to do your complete research beforehand. One should be able to separate the useful and required features from the useless features because most motherboards on the market offer a healthy mix of both. While you certainly do not need to spend $800 on a water-cooling motherboard with custom VRM cooling, you should also be wary of ultra-cheap motherboards that do not even have 4 DIMM slots for your memory. Buying a motherboard is essentially a balancing act, and you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want.

Get an idea of 8700k: Best Motherboards for i7 8700K

How Much is a Motherboard?

The cost of motherboard depends upon a lot of factors. Just as is the case with all commercial products out there, there is a vast range of models for motherboards. Therefore, the question, how much is a motherboard, depends upon what category of motherboards you are looking at.

Essentially, a motherboard can cost anywhere between $50-$1500. But the average cost of a motherboard in the budget range is about $70-$130. Mid range motherboards can range anywhere from $150-$180. Popular high end motherboard have an average cost of about $200-$250. Motherboards more expensive than $250 are for extreme builders and enthusiasts.

Again, some motherboards are basic and only suitable for budget-oriented PC builds. Basic motherboard offer the bear minimum specs. The more expensive a motherboard gets, the more additional features it offers.

In the following text I will talk in detail about how much is the average cost of a motherboard in various categories but also talk about factors that affect the price of a motherboard.

So How Much is a Motherboard?

In order to figure out the exact price of a motherboard, I will categorize them based on the chipsets. Since chipsets essentially define the prowess of a motherboard, the price is almost directly related to what chipset the motherboard offers.

Average Price of Budget Motherboards – Intel H510 and H610 Chipset and AMD A520 Chipsets

H510 and H610 are both low end chipsets for Intel motherboards. Motherboard featuring these chipset feature the bear minimum specs such as weaker and fewer VRMs, fewer PCIe lanes, fewer PCIe slots, and slower USB ports.

The H510 chipset is based on the Intel LGA 1200 socket intended for Intel 10th and 11th Gen CPUs.

The H610 chipset is newer and is based on the Intel LGA1700 socket for Intel 12th gen and newer CPUs.

The A520, on the other hand, is a budget chipset for AMD builds featuring the AM4 socket.

As of writing this article, the following are the prices of some of the Intel H and AMD A series motherboards.

Intel H510 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor MSI H510M-A PRO LGA1200 $79 mATX Asus PRIME H510M-E LGA1200 $95 mATX MSI H510I PRO WIFI LGA1200 $128 Mini ITX

Motherboards with Intel H510 chipset are among the cheapest featuring the LGA1200 socket.

Depending upon what features you need, the prices for motherboard featuring H510 varies between $79-$128.

The MSI H510M-A Pro is cheapest as it offers fewer features such as a lower number of PCIe expansion slots and fewer video output ports on the back panel.

Whereas the MSI H510I Pro WiFi is among the more expensive model since it offers a compact mini ITX form factor and also built in WiFi.

Intel H610 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor ASRock H610M-HDV/M.2 LGA1700 $100 mATX Asus PRIME H610M-A D4-CSM LGA1700 $110 mATX

The H610 is the budget motherboard chipset featuring the LGA1700 socket for the Intel 12th Gen CPUs.

The average cost of these motherboard is about a $100.

AMD A520 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor MSI A520M-A PRO AM4 $63 mATX ASRock A520M Pro4 AM4 $85 mATX MSI MAG A520M VECTOR WIFI AM4 $100 mATX ASRock A520M-ITX/ac AM4 $165 Mini ITX

AMD A520 is the currently the cheapest motherboard chipset that features the AM4 socket suitable for AMD Ryzen CPUs from 1000 all the way to 5000 series.

AMD A520 motherboards are generally cheaper than the Intel H510 and H610 chipsets primarily because they conform to the older PCIe 3.0 standard and offer slower USB ports. The Intel H510 and H610 have slots that conform to PCIe 4.0 and also offer faster USB ports.

The average cost of an A520 motherboard is about $85-$90 dollar.

The cheapest A520 motherboard is the MSI A520M-A PRO with the current market price of about $63. Whereas the ASRock A520M-ITX/ac is an outlier with an expensive price tag of $165 primarily due to the fact that it offers a mini-ITX form factor and a built in WiFi. I wouldn’t recommend this motherboard though for this price.

TL;DR, the average price of a budget motherboard is about $85.

Average Price of Mid Range Motherboards – Intel B560 and B660 Chipset and AMD B550 Chipsets

Intel B560, B660 and AMD B550 are mid range chipset often preferred by design and editors on a budget, as well as by gamers.

They offer features such as newer PCIe version, more PCIe lanes, newer and a higher number of USB and M.2 ports, better VRMs, more expansion slots, support for dual graphics card etc

Intel B560 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor MSI B560M-A PRO LGA1200 $90 mATX Asus PRIME B560M-A LGA1200 $110 mATX MSI MAG B560 TORPEDO LGA1200 $150 ATX Asus ROG STRIX B560-A GAMING WIFI LGA1200 $180 ATX MSI MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI LGA1200 $240 Mini ITX

The Intel B550 has the widest range of motherboards ranging from cheap $90 motherboard all the way to the astoundingly expensive MSI MPG B560I Gaming Edge WiFi worth $240, the reason of course being the compact Mini ITX form factor.

But generally the most common price range for B560 motherboards is about $150. Of course, depending upon the bells and whistles you want, the more expensive the motherboard gets even with the mid range chipset.

Intel B660 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor Asus PRIME B660M-A D4 LGA1700 $140 mATX MSI MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 LGA1700 $190 ATX Asus ROG STRIX B660-I GAMING WIFI LGA1700 $220 Mini ITX Asus ROG STRIX B660-A GAMING WIFI D4 LGA1700 $240 ATX

The primary difference between the B560 and B660 is that the latter features the LGA1700 socket intended for the Intel 12th gen sockets.

Naturally, the B660 motherboards are more expensive on average as compared to B560 motherboards.

At the moment, the average price of an Intel B660 motherboard is about $190.

AMD B550 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor ASRock B550M-HDV AM4 $80 mATX Gigabyte B550M DS3H AM4 $96 mATX ASRock B550M/ac AM4 $130 mATX MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS AM4 $160 ATX Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI) AM4 $190 ATX Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING AM4 $218 Mini-ITX Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO AM4 $279 mATX Asus ROG STRIX B550-E GAMING AM4 $360 Mini-ITX

AMD B550 is a very popular chipset for gamers and enthusiasts. At the moment, this chipset has one of the widest variety of motherboards ranging from cheap $80 motherboard all the way to high end $360 ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming motherboard.

While there are budget and expensive outliers here, the most common price bracket for AMD B550 motherboard is between $130-$180 with the most popular B550 motherboards being in the $180 range.

TL;DR, the average price of a mid range motherboard is about $150.

Average Price of High End Motherboards – Intel Z590 and Z690 Chipset and AMD X570 Chipsets

The Intel Z590 for the 10th and 11th gen CPUs, Intel Z660 for Intel 12th CPUs and AMD X570 for Ryzen 1000-5000 series CPUs are high end chipsets found on top of the line motherboards.

They offer the best features such as the highest number of PCIe lanes, newest connectivity standards, the best VRM and phase power design, and of course, the most attractive looks.

Intel Z560 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor ASRock Z590 Pro4 LGA1200 $140 ATX Gigabyte Z590 UD AC LGA1200 $190 ATX Asus TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI LGA1200 $233 ATX Gigabyte Z590 AORUS MASTER LGA1200 $336 ATX Asus ROG Maximus XIII Apex LGA1200 $600 ATX MSI MEG Z590 GODLIKE LGA1200 $850 E-ATX

The cheapest Z590 motherboard is almost as expensive as an average Intel B560 motherboard. Whereas, the most expensive Z590 motherboards are a work of art and of course are not intended for an average user.

Despite the large price range, the average price of the most popular Z590 motherboards is between $200 – $240.

Intel Z660 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor Asus PRIME Z690-P LGA1700 $180 ATX MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 LGA1700 $220 ATX Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 LGA1700 $270 ATX Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 LGA1700 $360 ATX Gigabyte Z690 AORUS XTREME LGA1700 $900 ATX

The Z660 motherboards featuring the LGA1700 socket with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support are more expensive than their Z590 counterpart. The average price of a Z590 motherboard is in the range of $300 however, you can find popular options in the $240 range.

AMD X570 Motherboard Prices

Motherboard Socket Price Form

Factor Asus PRIME X570-P AM4 $145 ATX Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) AM4 $195 ATX Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming AM4 $255 Mini-ITX Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (WI-FI) AM4 $395 ATX Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Extreme AM4 $800 E-ATX

Similar to the Intel high end motherboards, the X series motherboards can be found in a wide price range. The cheapest are worth about $150, whereas, the most expensive can reach $800.

Similar to the Intel Z series, the most popular X570 motherboards are found within the $200-$240 range.

TL;DR, the average price of high end motherboard is easily in the $300 and beyond range, however, since the price range is so vast, the average price of the entire data set can be a bit misleading. The popular models can be found in the $200-$250 range.

Also Read: How Difficult is it to Build a PC?

Factors That Affect the Price of a Motherboard

To determine how much is a motherboard, you have to look at its features. There are lot of factors that determine the price of the motherboard.

This includes:

The Chipset PCIe Lanes PCIe Version CPU Socket Amount of Expansion Slots VRMs Overclocking Support Form Factor USB Ports, their Version and Headers Looks and Design

Also Read: What Makes a Motherboard Good?

1. The Chipset

The chipset is the heart of a motherboard. It basically defines your PC build. The chipset defines what CPU socket your PC will support, the amount of PCIe lanes and their version, the amount of expansion slots etc.

As mentioned earlier, both Intel and AMD have several series of chipsets ranging from budget to high end chipsets.

2. PCIe Lanes

The amount of PCIe lanes the motherboard offers directly relates to how expensive it would be. The amount of PCIe lanes a motherboard can offer depends upon its chipset.

High end chipsets such as the Z690 can offer 28 PCIe lanes, whereas budget chipsets such as the Intel H510 offers 4 PCIe lanes.

Manufacturer Chipset PCIe Lanes Category Intel Z690 28

– 12 x v4.0

– 16 x v3.0 High Performance H670 24

– 12 x v4.0

– 12 x v3.0 High Performance

(Minus overclocking Support) B660 14

– 6 x v4.0

– 8 x v3.0 Mid Range H610 12

– 12 x v3.0 Budget Z590 24 High Performance Z490 24 High Performance B460 16 Mid Range /

Mainstream B560 12 Mid Range /

Mainstream X299 24 Workstation H510 4 Budget AMD X570 16 High Performance B550 10 Mid Range A520 6 Budget TRX40 16 Workstation

Also Read: How to Check How Many PCIe Lanes Do I Have?

3. PCIe Version

The PCIe version of the lanes and the slots also affect the price of the motherboard.

Motherboard featuring the newer PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 are more expensive than the older motherboards.

Having newer PCIe version can drastically improve the performance of the connected devices. With every new PCIe version, the per lane transfer rate of the slots doubles.

This means that you can install newer and more demanding devices in the PCIe slots.

Version x1

(GB/s) x2

(GB/s) x4

(GB/s) x8

(GB/s) x16

(GB/s) 1.0 0.250 0.500 1.000 2.000 4.000 2.0 0.500 1.000 2.000 4.000 8.000 3.0 0.985 1.969 3.938 7.877 15.754 4.0 1.969 3.938 7.877 15.754 31.508 5.0 3.938 7.877 15.754 31.508 63.015 6.0 7.877 15.754 31.508 63.015 126.031

Also Read: What are PCIe Lanes?

4. CPU Socket

Motherboards featuring CPU sockets for newer generation CPU are often expensive.

For instance the motherboards featuring the LGA1700 socket for 12th gen Intel CPUs are generally more expensive than the motherboard featuring the LGA1200 socket for the 10th and 11th gen CPUs.

Also Read: How to Check What CPU is Compatible With My Motherboard?

5. Amount of Expansion Slots

The amount of PCIe and M.2 slots your motherboard has affects it price. It should be noted that M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs are also utilize PCIe lanes.

6. VRMs – Phase Power Design

Also Read in Detail: What are Motherboard Power Phases and VRMs?

VRMs or Voltage Regulator Modules may look trivial at first, but they are among the most important factor for determining the quality of the motherboard.

The quality, size and the amount of VRMs your motherboard has a great influence on its price. VRMs have the purpose of delivering steady power to the CPU and the RAM.

The better the quality, the more stable and clean power the CPU will get delivered.

VRMs are a highly important component for overclockers since the more and higher quality VRMs your motherboard has, the more you will be able to overclock while maintaining stable operations.

When we talk about how does a $50 and a $300 motherboard differ, the VRMs play a huge role in the difference.

7. Overclocking Support

Not all motherboards are capable of overclocking. With Intel, only the Z series motherboards offer overclocking support, whereas, with AMD, the B and X series motherboards offer overclocking support.

Again, the degree to which you can overclock your CPU while maintaining good overall stability is determined by the quality and the amount of VRMs your motherboard has.

8. Form Factor

There three typical form factors for motherboards:

Full ATX – 12 x 9.6 inches (305 x 244 mm)

– 12 x 9.6 inches (305 x 244 mm) Micro ATX – 9.6 x 9.6 inches (244 x 244 mm)

– 9.6 x 9.6 inches (244 x 244 mm) Mini ITX – 6.7 x 6.7 inches (170 x 170 mm)

Mini ITX motherboards, being the smallest are rare and generally intended for specialized portable builds. They are often quite expensive compared to ATX and Micro ATX if you compare the same specs.

ATX, aka Full or Standard ATX, is generally the golden standard for gamers, enthusiasts and professionals. They offer the most expandability.

Micro ATX motherboards are intended for budget PCs.

9. USB and Video Ports, their Version and Headers

The number of USB ports your motherboard has and their version also has significant impact on the price.

A good motherboard offers not only the newer USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports with 20 Gbps transfer rate but will also offer USB headers so that you can connect the front USB ports of your PC case.

A Thunderbolt port or a header can also add further cost to the motherboard.

The USB nomenclature and the version are quite difficult to understand. The following table clarifies this:

USB Version Release

Year Transfer Speed

(Gbps) Interface

Options

Remarks Transfer Mode USB 2.0 2000 0.48 Type A – Introduced 0.48 Gbps Speeds High Speed USB 3.0 2008 5.0 Type A – Introduced 5.0 Gbps speeds SuperSpeed USB 3.1

Gen 1 2013 5.0 Type A

Type C – Same as USB 3.0

SuperSpeed USB 3.1

Gen 2 2013 10.0 Type A

Type C – Introduced 10.0 Gbps speeds SuperSpeed+ USB 3.2

Gen 1×1 2017 5.0 Type A

Type C – Same as USB 3.0 SuperSpeed USB 3.2

Gen 1×2 2017 10.0 Type C – Dual Channel SuperSpeed USB 3.2

Gen 2×1 2017 10.0 Type A

Type C -Same as USB 3.1 Gen 2 SuperSpeed+ USB 3.2

Gen 2×2 2017 20.0 Type C – Dual Channel

– Introduced 20.0 Gbps speeds SuperSpeed++

Also Read: What are USB Headers?

In addition to that the video output ports and their version also determines the quality and in turn, the price of the motherboard.

10. Looks and Design

And finally, the looks of a motherboard, the amount of customization it offers in the shape of RGB headers, fan headers and AIO cooler support affect the price of a motherboard.

Final Words

So how much is a motherboard. Well, TL:DR:

Popular budget motherboards have an average cost of $85

Popular mid range motherboards have an average cost of $150

Popular high end motherboards have an average cost of $200-$250.

However, depending upon the features you are looking for, you can even find motherboards as cheap as $50 and also as expensive as $1500.

What’s the Difference Between a $50 Motherboard and a $350 Motherboard?

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What’s the Difference Between a $50 Motherboard and a $350 Motherboard?

Published: 07-29-2018

The motherboard is a pretty boring component when you think about it. Which is probably why so many people end up buying the cheapest board that will hold their components. But expensive motherboards aren’t expensive for no reason. So let’s look at some of the differences between cheap and pricey gear.

When you look at the specifications for a computer that you’re going to buy, how much time do you spend looking at the motherboard? If you’re like most people the answer is probably “not much” yet there’s a long list of reasons you should care very much what sort of board is used in your build.

The main reason you should care is because skimping on “unsexy” components is one of the main ways companies get prices down or fatten their margin at your expense. Numbers such as RAM totals, core count and GPU specs sell computers. It’s almost impossible to turn the things that make pricier motherboards worthwhile into simple numbers where bigger means better.

So, to illustrate exactly what we mean when we say you get what you pay for, we’ll compare two motherboards in very different price classes with each other.

The first is the ASUS H110M-E/M.2, which retails for a little over fifty bucks. The second is the Asus ROG Maximus Formula. This monster retails for about $350.

Both motherboards support LGA 1151 sockets for the latest 8th-generation Intel CPUs. Both will happily accommodate the latest GPU card, so why would you spend an extra $300 for the Asus? We’re glad you asked!

The Chipsets

One of the biggest factors in the prices of these boards is the motherboard chipsets they use. The motherboard’s chipset is its brain. It manages everything that goes on within the motherboard itself

These days many of the functions that used to be part of the chipset have now moved into the CPU. Specifically the functions that used to be performed by a component known as the “northbridge” wich handled CPU communication and memory controller duties. These days those functions don’t really reside in the motherboard and really only the jobs delegated to the old “southbridge” reside in the motherboard itself. On modern boards the chip that controls this is called the Platform Controller Hub and connects to the CPU-integrated northbridge directly through the DMI or direct controller interface. AMD’s CPUs don’t call it that, but modern APUs also integrate northbridge functions in the CPU itself.

The type of motherboard you pick is very important in terms of the functions that don’t directly relate to the PCIe, RAM and CPU communication buses. In other words, all of the peripheral ports, SSD slots and integrated peripherals depend on the motherboard.

More expensive motherboards will therefore have more USB ports, newer performance standard, more room for drives and so on.

Stability

More expensive motherboards usually mean better quality components. Cheap capacitors are a common failure point on inexpensive motherboards. More expensive motherboards may have better power regulation components. The actual PCB may have more layers and more robust construction.

If you put high performance components that get hot and power hungry into a low end board, you may end up with a system that is unstable. This is particularly infuriating because such systems might work 90% of the time and then fail randomly and for no apparent reason. Not because any one component is faulty, just mismatched.

Expandability

The point of a motherboard is to provide you with a way to connect all the different components that make up a computer so that they work together. The cheaper a motherboard gets, the more it will focus only on the very barebones features needed to make a basic computer.

In the case of our two example motherboards you can immediately tell there’s a difference. The MSI board only has two RAM slots and a single full-length PCIe slot. So 32GB of RAM and one GPU card is where the fun stops. The Asus board doubles the RAM support and triples the number of PCIe slots. Two courtesy of the CPU and one thanks to the Z370 chipset.

Likewise, the MSI board only supports four SATA 6Gbps devices. More than enough for mainstream users, but not for professionals or enthusiasts. The Asus board has six SATA connections and two M.2 ones. Although using the M.2 ports does disable some SATA ports, the overall choice and maximum performance level.

The Asus also has ten USB ports total, vs only four on the MSI board. There really is no comparison.

Overclocking

Overclocking is the act of setting the operating frequency of a processor above what its rated for. For most people this is something you should avoid, especially since modern CPUs are great at pushing themselves to the limit already.

Still, whether you want the best turbo frequencies or want to push the clocks yourself, more expensive motherboards are far better at handling the additional load than something cheap.

More importantly, cheap motherboards are unlikely to have any overclocking support on a firmware level at all. Which means you really have no choice if you want to go down this route.

Features

Pricier motherboards, unsurprisingly, tend to have many more features than bottom-end fare. Diagnostic display screens on the board itself, better cooling hardware, dual-BIOS and so on. While a few of them are just gimmicks, most are useful and relevant to performance enhancement. Although no amount of RGB motherboard lighting is going to make your PC go faster!

You Get What You Pay For

The bottom line here is that, in general, the more a motherboard costs the better your overall experience will be. That doesn’t mean you should spend money on features you will never use. It also doesn’t mean that inexpensive motherboards are bad. What it means is that you should pick a motherboard that will bring out the best in the rest of your system. There’s no point in investing in high-end components and then plugging them into a mainboard designed for office work or light media duties. The motherboard may not be a sexy marketing-worthy component with easy to understand numbers, but it’s worth investing in the right board for you.

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