The Best Motherboards For AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 2023
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If you’ve decided that your next system will use one of the ever-impressive AMD Ryzen processors, we don’t blame you. The value for money and level of performance found in AMD processors makes them some of the most appealing on the market.
If you’re making the jump from an Intel-based system, one of the main things to remember is that you’ll need a different type of motherboard to house your Ryzen 7 3700X processor. This is due to AMD processors using different socket types than their Intel counterparts, mainly the AM4 socket.
If you are planning on running an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor, although old now, you’ll need a compatible motherboard with an AM4 socket type. Alternatively, Intel processors use LGA 1151 for their 9th-generation chips and LGA 1200 for their 10th-generation chips.
Although the 3700X is a few generations old now, it still has plenty to offer. You’ll especially feel the kick of the 3700X if you’re upgrading from a lesser CPU generation, like the 2000 series from AMD.
We’ve put together this guide to make your choice as simple as possible. We’ve picked four of the best Ryzen 7 3700X motherboards and even included a short review on each. If you aren’t too sure about the specifics, we’ll also go through some of the key things to consider when looking at a new motherboard. This includes items such as socket type, chipset, expansion options, and size.
With that being said, let’s take a quick look at the motherboards we’ve picked out today.
Our Top Picks
Things To Consider
What Budget Should I Set For A Ryzen 7 3700X Motherboard
Depending on the features you’re looking for in your motherboard, you may be surprised at just how much some can cost. Generally speaking, many B450 motherboards will set you back between $200 to $400. If you want a lot of features or even an X570 motherboard, you’ll start to notice prices creep up.
More expensive motherboards will typically offer more ports, PCIe lanes, M.2 slots, and even cosmetic features such as RGB lighting. These boards will also come with an impressive list of ports and can even include some of the more niche ports you may need.
Form Factor
Different motherboards come in different sizes. This makes it especially important to consider just what will and won’t fit inside your case before buying. Depending on the room you have available, you may need to shop for a certain size of the motherboard.
Here’s a handy list of the most common form factors currently used:
- Mini-ITX – 6.7” x 6.7”
- Mini-ATX – 5.9” x 5.9”
- microATX – 9.6” x 9.6”
- ATX – 12” x 9.6”
- eATX – 12” x 13”
With a range of different sizes available, you’re sure to find something to fit your build. It’s good to be aware that some of these smaller motherboards will have fewer slots for components. Larger options such as eATX motherboards will generally be top of the line and will offer a wide range of features, slots, and ports.
Socket Type
As we’ve mentioned previously, different motherboards will have different socket types which will determine the type of processor that can be used. To make things a little more complicated, both Intel and AMD use different sockets for their processors, with Intel even using different sockets between generations.
AMD processors will generally require an AM4 socket in order to work, which will be found in all of the motherboards we’ll cover today. Intel, on the other hand, will use sockets such as LGA 1200 for its 10th generation of processors and LGA 1151 sockets for its 9th generation of processors. It’s always worth triple checking the socket type before checking out your purchase.
Chipset
You’ll also notice that each motherboard will have its own chipset. This mainly determines how many devices can be connected to the motherboard and the types of features it offers.
There are a number of different chipsets that the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor will support, but generally, you’ll be looking for motherboards with the B450 or X570 chipsets. These will have a great range of features that you’ll be able to utilize in your system.
Ports
One of the most frustrating parts of owning a PC can be finding out that you don’t have enough ports for all of your devices. When choosing a motherboard, you’ll want to make sure that there is a wide variety of ports on both the front and the back of the board.
Also, be on the lookout for motherboards with ports for new or emerging technology such as USB Type-C. While you may not have many devices that currently need this, it’s great to add a bit of futureproofing to your build.
A common list of ports to be on the lookout for include:
- USB 3.1 Gen2
- USB 3 / USB 3.1 Gen1
- USB Type-C
- DisplayPort
- HDMI
- Thunderbolt 3
- Audio Ports
- PS/2 Ports
Expandability
It’s always important to be able to fit your desired components into the motherboard you choose. Every motherboard will have a couple of expansion slots that will hold hardware such as a graphics card, sound card, Wi-Fi module, hard drive, and solid-state drives.
If you know that you have specific goals in mind, such as running multiple GPUs or even a couple of M.2 drives, you’ll need a motherboard that has a decent level of expandability. Bear in mind, a smaller motherboard will often have fewer slots than a larger board and more expensive boards tend to have more expandability options.
The
In-depth Review
- M.2 heatsinks included
- 12 USB ports
- Expensive
While the first motherboard on the list was a fairly affordable board, this one from Asus is on the higher-end of the pricing scale. At around double the cost, the Asus Crosshair VIII Hero is one for those with the cash to splash.
This motherboard is ideal for those who are interested in extreme overclocking with Zen 2 processors. If you’re interested in pushing this board to the limit, you’ll find the additional heatsinks come in handy to keep everything cool.
For those working with a multitude of devices or peripherals, this motherboard boasts a huge number of USB ports – 12 to be exact. Eight of these are USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports so you should have no issue here with plugging everything in. Also onboard is a 2.5G LAN port, eight SATA ports, integrated Wi-Fi 6 and two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots. Two of the three full-length PCIe slots also have built-in reinforcement to protect the board from heavy GPUs.
Another feature worth looking at is the dual BIOS switch which allows you to easily flick between BIOS depending on your current tasks and the PC’s workload.
- Two M.2 slots
- PCIe 4.0 support
- Only one M.2 heatsink
This motherboard has an interesting design at first glance, full of sharp edges and RGB lighting which isn’t too over the top. The simple RGB lighting on the side can be controlled by MSI’s Mystic Light software which offers 16.8 million color combinations.
This board also has a wide range of ports available. The rear panel comes with a pre-installed I/O shield, five audio jacks, and an S/PDIF optical output powered by a Realtek ALC1220 HD codec. There are also three USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, and two USB 2.0 ports.
One of the prime features of this board is the built-in Wi-Fi which is taken care of by Intel’s dual-band wireless-AC 3168 adapters. This supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with speeds of up to 433 Mbps. There is also a single Realtek 8111H Gigabit LAN controller if you’d prefer a wired connection.
For storage, there are four SATA 6Gb/s ports and two M.2 slots, one of which supports the PCIe 4.0 standard and is housed underneath a heatsink.
- Great for overclocking
- No M.2 heatsinks
- High power consumption even when idle
- No Wi-fi
The Asus ROG Strix B450-F Gaming motherboard is designed with gaming lovers in mind and with a fairly low price, it’s ideal for those on a budget.
This is classed as a mid-range board but the aesthetics make it look much more expensive than it is. With a matte black finish and black stenciling across the PCI and chipsets, this is a great understated-looking board with some tasteful RGB lighting as highlights.
On the ports and slots side of things, there are six SATA ports, three full-length PCIe slots, two M.2 slots for SSDs, a good number of USB ports, and four slots to support DDR4 RAM.
For this price, there are a couple of downsides to factor into your decision. First off, there’s no Wi-Fi so you’ll have to install that yourself – luckily there is an M.2 Key E slot for a Wi-Fi module. There’s also no M.2 heatsinks to speak of so you may want to think about getting aftermarket heatsinks to keep the drives cool if you plan to overclock.
- Generously priced
- Well laid out
- Not a lot of fan headers or USB support
This motherboard is a great example of an X570 board that has a great set of features, without a huge price tag. The Gigabyte X570 Gaming X can be picked up for as little as $170 and has impressive additions such as an M.2 heatsink and an I/O shroud.
The I/O shroud and exposed chipset fan also contribute pretty nicely to the look of this motherboard. The all-black design has gray highlights and some pretty interesting shaped decals used throughout. There’s also no RGB lighting to speak of, so if you’re looking to spice up this monotone board, you’ll have to run with some RGB light strips instead – there are several RGB LED headers for these.
The layout of this board is also worth noting, nothing feels too cramped and there aren’t any awkwardly placed fan-headers to worry about – although you do only get four fan headers in total which is a bit of a shame.
You may also want to have a think about the number of devices you’ll be looking to connect to this motherboard. There are only six USB ports at the rear and none of these are USB 3.1 Gen2 or Type-C. There are also only three audio jacks and the motherboard relies on Realtek’s ALC887 codec which might be a turn-off for any audiophiles.
Final Word
We hope this buyer’s guide on the best motherboards has helped you narrow down your choice a bit or learn more about shopping for motherboards. We couldn’t list them all, unfortunately, so if you can think of another one that should have made the list, let us know in the comments below.
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