Finding the right type of motherboard for your gaming PC in 2022 can be a challenge due to the hundreds of motherboards available for purchase. Your first objective should be to narrow down the specifications based on your minimum needs and your long-term goals. You might start by penciling in what you know you need today by looking at the driving factors in selecting a motherboard.
The main factor that drives which motherboard to select is which chipset you want. Other factors include form factor, power requirements, PCIe slots, memory support, USB, and other I/O ports.
The chipset is driven by what processor you select. If you haven’t selected your processor yet, then head over to what-is-a-good-processor-for-gaming-in-2022.
AMD Chipsets
The AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors are the latest family of desktop processors in the AMD brand. The Ryzen 5, 7, and 9 (5000 series) are all supported by the X570, B550 and the A520 chipsets. The X570 chipset is the most advanced chipset for AMD Ryzen processors, the B550 chipset is middle-tier chipset and the A520 is a lower-end chipset with less features. All sockets are AM4 sockets.
X570 Chipset Features
- 36x usable PCIe 4.0 Lanes
- Up to 14 SATA 6Gbps Ports
- Up to 4 USB HiSpeed 480Mbps Ports
- Up to 12 USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports (SuperSpeed 10Gbps)
- Overclocking Support
B550 Chipset Features
- 20x usable PCIe 4.0 lanes
- Up to 10x usable PCIe 3.0 lanes
- Up to 6 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Ports (SuperSpeed 10Gbps)
- Up to 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports
- Up to 6 USB 2.0 Ports
- Up to 8x SATA Ports
- Overclocking Support
A520 Chipset
- 26x usable PCIe 3.0 lanes
- Up to 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Ports (SuperSpeed 10Gbps)
- Up to 2 native USB 3.1 Ports
- Up to 6 native USB 2.0 Ports
- Up to 4x SATA Ports
- No Overclocking Support
The X570 Chipset is the most advanced chipset for AMD Ryzen Processors. The X570 is really the motherboard for those who like to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Motherboards with the X570 chipset generally provide advanced features meant for performance. Outside of the features listed above, you will find that X570 chipset motherboards will feature more VRMS which provide better power conditioning to CPU, memory, and graphics card. They also feature heatsinks over VRMs and more layers to the motherboard (PCB 4-6 layers). Layers help with cooling and power conditioning which can also lead to greater overclocking.
If you’re not into cutting edge but you want overclocking, PCIe 4.0 and other options, then the B550 chipset may be right for you. This chipset provides the greatest variability from high end motherboards to lower end motherboards. It is among the most popular chipset among gamers, replacing the B450M chipset. The B550 is a great middle-of-the-road chipset and still provides for overclocking.
If you don’t care about PCIe 4.0, don’t’ have a need for a ton of ports, and don’t care about overclocking, then you should select the A520 chipset for your motherboard. These are the least expensive motherboard options and will still allow you to get all the needed hardware to play games that require high performance.
Intel Chipsets
Intel is on its 12th generation of desktop processors known as Alder Lake. All Intel 12th generation iSeries sockets are LGA1700. The 12th generation Intel processors run on the 600 series chipsets. These chipsets are denoted as the Z-series, H-series, and B-series. The Z690’s were released in Fall/Winter of 2021, the H690s and B690s are set to be released in January of 2022. The Z690s are Intel’s premium chipset, the H-series is the middle-of-the-road chipset, and the B-series is the lower end chipset.
- Z-Series
- PCIe 3 and 4
- Overclocking support for CPUs with “K” designation
- Maximum of 24 PCIe lanes
- Up to ten USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports
- H-Series – To be determined, but generally considered to have the following features
- No overclocking support
- Maximum of 20 PCIe lanes
- Up to four USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports
- B-Series – To be determined, but generally considered to have the following features
- No overclocking support
- Maximum of 20 PCIe lanes
- Up to four USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports
At the time of this post, only the Z690 chipset has been released by Intel. It is the most advanced Intel chipset for desktop PCs. Motherboards with this chipset will be similar to AMD’s X570 chipset in that it will have a high amount of VRMS, heatsinks, and PCB layers for power conditioning, cooling, and further performance enhancements like overclocking. This chipset is for those PC gamers and enthusiasts who like being on the cutting edge of technology.
Once released and found on mainstream motherboards, the H-series and B-series chipsets will be competitive to the B550 and A520 chipsets from AMD.
Form Factor
There are three form factors for motherboards that are relevant to PC gaming and consumer desktops: Standard-ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ATX. They scale linearly from budget, size, and features with Standard-ATX being most expensive, having most features, and the largest to Mini-ATX being the least expensive, least number of features and smallest in size. Being that Standard-ATX boards have the most features, they are also the most scalable.
Your selection of motherboard will really come down to use case and price. There are several manufacturers out there that sell motherboards.
Motherboard Manufacturers:
- Gigabyte
- MSI
- ASUS
- ASRock
- Biostar
- EVGA
Each manufacturer claims to have their own unique value-adds. All motherboard manufacturers except EVGA are headquartered in Taiwan. EVGA is headquartered in California.
Now that you know the main drivers for selecting a motherboard and the major manufacturers, it’s time to write down your needs and vision of what you want out of your motherboard.
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