What motherboard for the AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processor?

What motherboard for the AMD Ryzen processor? What to choose for Intel Core? Which models are worth recommending? This question is more complicated than it might seem, because the store shelves contain hundreds of various designs, and sometimes only a few can actually be recommended. There are also issues of equipment, chipset limitations, power limits ... However, indicating at least three best proposals in a given price range should make the search much easier, so ...

What motherboard for the AMD Ryzen processor? What to choose for Intel Core? Which models are worth recommending? This question is more complicated than it might seem, because the store shelves contain hundreds of various designs, and sometimes only a few can actually be recommended. There are also issues of equipment, chipset limitations, power limits ... However, indicating at least three best proposals in a given price range should make the search much easier, which is why this buying guide has been created. Here you will find the most interesting motherboards in the price range up to PLN 400, 800, 1200 and 2000 zlotys, intended for the most popular platforms - AMD AM4 and Intel LGA1200.

The motherboard is the basis of the computer, supporting all the basic components, which is generally an important component, although many users who assemble PCs are looking for savings here. It is a bit reminiscent of the situation with the selection of the power supply, where an unoriented buyer looks only at the declared power of the unit, carelessly ignoring a number of nuances that he regretfully discovers only after the purchase ... separately), this very often determines the possibilities or limits of expanding the set, and yet there are many other elements of this puzzle. When completing parts of the computer, it is good to answer the questions of what specific processor and RAM we will install, whether we are interested in overclocking the processor or replacing components with more powerful ones in the future. This will allow us to avoid disappointments, technical problems and, above all, incurring additional costs if our expectations suddenly fall short of reality.

As the motherboard is a relatively complex component, the proposals selected for this guide had to meet several assumptions, which I discuss in more detail in the following paragraphs. The requirements increase with the amount of money that has to be spent on higher-positioned models, so expectations must be adjusted to the wealth of the portfolio. Of course, below a certain limit, we will not get some solutions, e.g. Intel enables CPU overclocking only on the Z490 / Z590 chipsets, while the change of RAM dividers is very limited on the B460 chipset. The AM4 platform turns out to be much more affordable and flexible here. If you plan to use devices with the PCI-Express 4.0 interface, you must be aware that you will need not only a compatible motherboard, but also a processor with an integrated controller - Ryzen 3000, Ryzen 5000 or Intel Core 11 GEN.

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Chipset - Determines the motherboard's media capabilities, CPU and / or memory overclocking, and compatibility with specific CPU models. Before buying, always make sure that the design supports our processor. For example - models with Intel H410 / B460 chipset do not support Core 11 GEN processors, while AMD B550 / X570 first and / or second generation Ryzen and Athlon CPUs.

Power section - a key component of any motherboard that should be tailored to the CPU, i.e. installing Intel Core i9-10900K on a poor VRM model may result in overheating, throttling, and other problems. Heat sinks in the power section are also welcome. It is also worth knowing that more is not always better and sometimes a more modest VRM built on better components will be more effective than a behemoth tempting with the following phases (which are usually doubled).

Power Limits - Manufacturers can set power limits in line with AMD / Intel guidelines, but may as well do it as they see fit. Too strict PL (Power Limit) results in lowering the processor clock speed after a certain time, which is especially visible on the Intel platform. Fortunately, PL can also be defined independently in UEFI, although for an inexperienced user it can be a difficult endeavor.

Equipment - the motherboard is not only power supply elements, but also the sound system, network systems, additional expansion slots, etc. It is good to choose a design with a heat sink for the M.2 medium, the appropriate number of USB ports on the back panel or a button to clear the BIOS content (useful especially during overclocking). The class of audio or network modules depends of course on the price, although more and more often even devices from the middle segment offer good possibilities here.

The guide covers two leading mainstream platforms - AMD AM4 and Intel LGA1200 - each of which received price ranges up to a maximum of PLN 400, 800, 1200 and 2000 PLN. Of course, finding even more fancy and, consequently, more expensive models is no problem, although at some point the surcharge is not reflected in any noticeable equipment or performance, generating only additional costs. Too much fragmentation would also not make it easier for anyone to make a decision, so in individual chapters you will find the three most interesting suggestions. Each motherboard is described by a number of parameters, which should facilitate direct comparison. However, take into account that some parameters (e.g. support for the maximum memory divider DDR4) may change slightly after flashing a newer BIOS or depend on the processor used.