How to pick the perfect gaming motherboard

If the CPU is the brain of the PC, then the motherboard is like the nervous system, connecting all the other components together, such as the graphics card, memory and drives, enabling them to communicate with one another. While you could use any motherboard in a gaming PC, gaming motherboards tend to have lots of desirable features such as RGB lighting and superior sound quality that make them well worth considering. There are three main physical attributes you need to check when choosing a motherboard - socket, chipset and size.

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Socket

The socket is where the CPU physically connects to the motherboard. As CPUs are available in a large choice of shapes and sizes, it is important to make sure that the socket of the CPU and motherboard is the same.

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Chipset

The chipset determines a lot of the capabilities of the motherboard, such as the number of PCIe slots and USB ports.

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Size

The chipset determines a lot of the capabilities of the motherboard, such as the number of PCIe slots and USB ports.

Just like with any component you need to make sure that you choose a motherboard that is compatible with your chosen CPU

Not sure what to buy?

Read our buyers guides for additional help.

AMD Motherboards


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Motherboards - Intel

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Intel Z690 Socket 1700 ATX & Larger DDR5 Motherboards

The Intel Z690 chipset is the flagship chipset for Intel 12th generation Core processors, codename Alder Lake. It supports up to 16 PCIe 5.0 and four PCI 4.0 lanes and the most USB ports and is required for overclocking. These particular boards support DDR5 memory and are full size ATX designs with maximum expandability.

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Intel Z690 Socket 1700 ATX & Larger DDR4 Motherboards

The Intel Z690 chipset is the flagship chipset for Intel 12th generation Core processors, codename Alder Lake. It supports up to 16 PCIe 5.0 and four PCI 4.0 lanes and the most USB ports and is required for overclocking. These particular boards support DDR4 memory and are full size ATX designs with maximum expandability.

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Intel Z590 Socket 1200 ATX & Larger Motherboards

The Intel Z590 chipset is the flagship chipset for Intel 10th and 11th generation Core processors, codename Comet Lake and Rocket Lake respectively. It supports 24 PCIe lanes, 14 USB ports and is required for overclocking. These particular boards are full size ATX designs with maximum expandability.

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