A Guide on How to Choose Your Gaming Motherboard?

If you are a gamer and not satisfied with the performance of your computer then your processor must be missing important features that should be in a gaming motherboard. You can either build your computer with all the perfect gaming motherboard specifications or hunt a processor in the market with specifications that favor gamers.

You don’t have to worry if you have no idea what should you consider while buying a gaming motherboard or how to choose your gaming motherboard because in this guide I will provide every piece of information that will help you in choosing the right motherboard for games. So are you ready?

A Guide on How to Choose Your Gaming Motherboard

The most important part of a computer is its motherboard because it connects the hardware with the processor, supplies power, defines memory, storage, etc. This is why not all motherboards are best for gaming purposes. So here’s what you should consider while choosing a gaming motherboard.

CPU Compatibility

First of all, you need to make sure whatever motherboard you choose should complement other parts of the computer. For this, you need to consider the socket type as it’s the main connection between the processor and motherboard.

If you are building a computer on your own then I would suggest you go for AM4 with AMD and for intel processors, LGA 1151 and 1200 are a great combination. Moreover, these are sockets used by the company so you can’t go wrong with them.

RAM Compatibility

Another component you should consider before buying a motherboard for gaming is its compatibility with the RAM of the processor. Make sure the motherboard you choose supports your processor’s RAM type, speed, and capacity.

And if you are building a computer then DDR4 RAM is a perfect choice for gaming purposes. But before you fix everything make sure your motherboard is supporting DDR4 RAM. Plus have a detailed analysis of your motherboard so you only buy the components that are supported by the gaming motherboard e-g the RAM type, speed, etc.

Also, for gaming, always try to get a motherboard that supports maximum RAM capacity if you don’t want your computer to run slow or experience system lagging.

Chipset

Chipset is the way of communication between CPUs and other connected devices. Keep in mind, specific computer generations need a different kind of chipset. Moreover, the chipsets of your motherboard will determine how many additional devices can be connected to your computer. Gamers particularly need a chipset that lets them use numerous graphic cards, sound cards, hard drives, USBs, etc. at once.

If you have no idea which chipset is best for gaming motherboards then go for the most trusted chipsets i-e Intel and AMD. As per my experience, these chipsets are the best for gaming motherboards. As it allows the users to have extra space for the additional drives and connections without slowing down the computer processing.

Size of the Motherboard

The form factor or the size of the motherboard is mainly of four types which include ATX, mATX, mini ITX, and extended ATX. ATX motherboards are for mid or full-tower CPUs. Moreover, these motherboards offer plenty of features. If you are low on budget you can go for mATX. The expansion slots and RAM slots in mATX are less than ATX but are not a deal breaker. It offers enough features for gaming purposes and won’t take up a lot of space.

If you are building a CPU for the first time then don’t go for mini ITX as they are tricky and are not compatible with all CPU cases. Therefore, play safe and go for mATX. The largest ones are Extended ATX but this only fits dual CPUs and Quad GPUs so choose accordingly. To me, for gaming purposes, nothing beats mATX and experts say so too. I have explained every form factor briefly. The choice is yours now.

PCIe Expansion Slots

Graphics are everything for gamers and no gamer compromises on the visual quality of the games. Therefore, you should choose a motherboard with multiple PCIe expansion slots as it makes games more fun by letting you install extra graphic cards, sound cards, network adapters, etc.

Brand

Apart from collecting and assembling core components for your motherboard, you can also give preference to some reliable brands to choose a gaming motherboard. The most trusted brands for gaming motherboards are Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock. I find these brand’s motherboards not only reliable but also have superb quality.

Because today we are focusing on motherboards for gaming rigs you should give one of these brands a try. I am sure you will neither be disappointed nor regret investing your money in these brands.

Price

Last but not least, price is something that should not be ignored when choosing a motherboard for gaming. Don’t go crazy over a costly motherboard thinking it will be perfect because it is not always true. First of all, set up your budget and look for the motherboards under that range.

According to my experience, a mid-range motherboard offers all the necessary features that you might need in a gaming motherboard. Moreover, it also depends on the type of CPU you are building. If you are building your motherboard with a powerful CPU like Intel i9 or AMD Ryzen 9, expensive boards will be a good match for these processors’ commendable performance.

FAQs

How to choose a motherboard for gaming?

There are certain features that you should consider in a gaming motherboard; these include platform, form factor, storage memory, GPU support, RAM, expansion options, price, etc.

How do I choose the right motherboard?

Before you invest in a motherboard you should compare its specifications with your CPU. You can check the documentation of your CPU and decide whether it will go with the chosen motherboard or not. Most importantly check the sockets as they vary with the generation, performance, and other components of the computer.

Do I need a good motherboard for gaming?

For gaming, a better-performing motherboard is all you need. You can choose a motherboard that fulfills your requirements. But you don’t necessarily need a gaming motherboard as a few good quality classic motherboards offer more or less the same performance.

How much RAM for gaming?

16GB RAM is good for playing any type of game whether it is heavy or not. Moreover, it offers better performance as compared to 8GB RAM processors. It provides extra storage and fast processing memory which is why many gamers prefer 16 GB RAM over all other options.

What are the 3 types of motherboards?

There are three main types of motherboards depending on their size. These include ATX, micro ATX, and mini ITX. ATX is the largest while mini ITX is the smallest of all types.

What is the best motherboard size?

Typically every computer has an ATX motherboard because it offers all the necessary features and is about 305x244mm in size. Moreover, it has space for four RAM slots. This is why it is considered the best motherboard size out of all options.

Is Micro ATX better than ATX?

Micro ATX and ATX are very much similar to each other in terms of features and performance. No doubt ATX offers more features as compared to mATX but mATX is more budget-friendly and offers all the necessary features except a few high-end ones. The main difference between these two is that ATX is more aesthetic, has more PCIe slots, and does not overclock much. Apart from these features mATX and ATX are exact copies of each other.

Wrapping Up

Many people think expensive motherboards are game changers but the reality is a lot different from this, especially in the gaming world. Focus on the checklist discussed in this article while choosing a gaming motherboard. It is a much better approach than just focusing on high-end motherboards.

In this article, I have tried to compile everything about what you should be considering while choosing a gaming motherboard. I hope this article helps you in choosing the best gaming motherboard.  Thank you for reading.