HardwareMotherboardsPC Gamer Hardware Awards: The best gaming motherboard of 2024When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareMotherboardsPC Gamer Hardware Awards: The best gaming motherboard of 2024When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
Gear of the Year(Image credit: Future)Check out more of the year’s best tech in ourPC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024coverage.
Gear of the Year
(Image credit: Future)Check out more of the year’s best tech in ourPC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024coverage.
(Image credit: Future)
Check out more of the year’s best tech in ourPC Gamer Hardware Awards 2024coverage.
It’s been a busy year for motherboard vendors, thanks to new AM5 socket chipsets from AMD and a completely new platform (LGA1851 and Z890) from Intel. In many cases, manufacturers just took a previous design and tweaked it for 2024, but some took the opportunity to improve all kinds of different aspects such as the BIOS interface, and PCIe and M.2 slot latches.
With Intel’s Core Ultra 200S series of processors being rather underwhelming in terms of gaming chops, last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still very popular but what motherboard to pick? Well, theASRock B760I Lightingshould be seriously considered, despite its diminutive size. It’ll handle any 14th Gen Core processor and highly overclocked RAM. It’s a bit short on rear IO ports, though.
For AMD enthusiasts, you could choose a last-gen chipset or something with the latest X870. For the former, theAsus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFiis an exceptional motherboard, jammed with USB ports and Gen5 slots for graphics cards and SSDs. The price tag is steep though and that’s where the newerMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFicome in.
It’s a good deal cheaper than theAsusboard and sports more USB ports than you could ever possibly want. There are plenty of M.2 slots too, though the available configurations are complicated, to say the least.
Out of everything we’ve tested this year, these models are the ones we’ve nominated for gaming motherboards of 2024. Now you just have to wait until New Year’s Eve to see which one is the winner!
Best gaming motherboard 2024: the nominees
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
ASRock B760I LightningDespite Intel launching a new CPU socket, motherboard chipset, and a full range of processors (Core Ultra 200S), last-gen Raptor Lake chips are still the best choice for gaming if you want an Intel setup. But you needn’t spend a fortune on getting a good motherboard to go with your 14th Gen Core chip.
The ASRock B760I Lighting is small in size (mini-ITX), small in price (under $200), but big in performance and Raptor Lake support. Want to fit a Core i9 14900K in a tiny PC? This ASRock will cope without fuss and let you use ultra-fast DDR5.
Naturally, something has to give in order to reach this price point and in this instance, it’s USB ports with just six in total on the rear IO panel. Due to its diminutive dimensions, you only get one PCIe and M.2 slots, too. But they’re minor quibbles when the rest is all top-notch.
Read our fullASRock B760I Lightning review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFiYes, it’s ‘merely’ a mini-ITX motherboard and it costs over $400, though you can pick one for less during sales. But if you’re going to build a small but potent gaming PC, then this board is going to be the star of the show.
It uses clever riser boards to expand connectivity and user options, without taking up valuable space—vital when it’s a mini-ITX size. There’s no denying it’s an expensive motherboard but you’re getting more features than other models on the market that are just as pricey.
Read our fullAsus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nomineeMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
Best gaming motherboard 2024 nominee
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFiAMD’s new X870 chipset might not seem to be vastly better than its previous X670, but you do get way more PCIe 5.0 lanes—which results in more connectivity options for vendors to play around with.
In the case of the MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi, MSI went to town with USB ports: 12 on the rear IO panel (including two USB4) and support for a further nine via headers.
You also get four PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets for SSDs, but the surfeit of USB ports means that they’re not all equal, and the speeds you get depend heavily on what you have plugged into each one. It’s a complicated affair, that’s for sure.
It’s a little on the pricey side but MSI has fitted lots of ‘quality-of-life’ features to make it easy to remove devices, change settings, and keep things all nice and cool.
Read our fullMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi review.
The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best gaming motherboard on New Year’s Eve. Three different boards but only one can be a winner.
Today’s best ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI, ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi and MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi dealsASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all pricesASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all pricesMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI, ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi and MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi dealsASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all pricesASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all pricesMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI, ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi and MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi dealsASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all pricesASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all pricesMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI, ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi and MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi deals
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all pricesASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all pricesMSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all prices
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all prices
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI$469.99ViewSee all prices
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING WIFI
$469.99View
$469.99
$469.99
See all prices
ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all prices
ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi$269.32ViewSee all prices
ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi
ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi
$269.32View
$269.32
$269.32
See all prices
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all prices
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi$499.78$337.49ViewSee all prices
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi
MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi
$499.78$337.49View
$499.78$337.49
$337.49
See all prices
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