The Best Budget Motherboards for Gaming

Building a new PC can be an expensive task, but thankfully there are a few budget components out there that can help you keep the costs down. From picking an older generation CPU socket to keeping only the features you need from a motherboard, there are plenty of budget motherboards for you to choose from.

Even if you’re looking to build an AM5 or Intel 13th Gen setup, there are motherboards to suit your requirements, rocking the latest sockets at a much more reasonable price.

Here are the best budget motherboards available today.

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1. MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4

9.00

/ 10

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With so many gamers obsessed with flashy RGB lighting in their setups, it can be hard to find a solid motherboard that forgoes the latest RGB trends. Well, that’s exactly what MSI did with the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk.

While the lack of RGB might be offputting to some, to others, it’s exactly what the PC doctor ordered. And of course, without RGB, the cost of the motherboard goes down, letting you focus less on aesthetics, and more on performance.

In terms of performance, the MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk sits among some of the best in the Z690 range. It boasts quad M.2 slots for ample ultra-fast storage, all of which are covered with MSI’s signature Shield Frozr cooling, as well as built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.

Key Features

Numerous M.2 slots
Wi-Fi 6E
12th Gen Intel Core compatible
DDR5 support
Audio Boost 5
Bluetooth 5.2

Specifications

Brand: MSI
CPU Included: No
Graphics Card Interface: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x16
Integrated Graphics: No
Memory Slots: 4
Memory Type: DDR4
Form Factor: ATX
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6
USB Ports: 1x USB3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 2.0
RBG Support: Yes
M.2 NVMe Connector: 3x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x PCIe 3.0 x4
CPU Support: Intel 12th/23th Gen
Chipset: Intel Z690
Socket: LGA1700

Pros

Supports DDR5 up to 5,600MHz (OC)
Super fast Wi-Fi 6 support
Incredible value for money
Four M.2 sockets
Stylish all-black design

Cons

No built-in RGB

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MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4

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Editors choice

2. GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite

8.60

/ 10

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Just because you are looking for the best budget gaming motherboard, doesn’t mean you have to pick one that is light on features. The GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite comes at an extremely reasonable price, while still offering tons of great features.

With quad NVMe M.2 slots, the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite is perfect not only for housing multiple SSDs, but also running the latest next-gen games at lightning speeds, with little loading time. That’s not the only thing that will be fast, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 enabled, you can connect multiple devices and run online games at super speed.

The only downside to the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite gaming motherboard is the lack of DDR5 support. But if you’re looking to save some money, picking up DDR4 RAM is much cheaper than DDR5 right now.

Key Features

12th Gen Intel Core processor compatible
Tantalum Polymer Capacitors
PCIe 5.0
Quad NVMe
RGB Fusion 2.0
M.2 thermal guards
Q-Flash Plus

Specifications

Brand: GIGABYTE
CPU Included: No
Graphics Card Interface: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x16
Integrated Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
Memory Slots: 4
Memory Type: DDR5
Form Factor: ATX
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6
USB Ports: 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
RBG Support: Yes
M.2 NVMe Connector: 4x PCIe 4.0 x4
CPU Support: Intel 12th/13th Gen
Chipset: Intel Z690
Socket: LGA1700

Pros

Stunning design
Incredible value for money
Four M.2 slots
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth built-in

Cons

No DDR5 support

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GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite

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Best value

3. ASUS Prime H510M-E

9.20

/ 10

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The ASUS Prime H510M-E might not be the flashiest gaming motherboard on the market. Similarly, it doesn’t have the latest and greatest features, but it is perfect for those looking for a low to mid-range gaming motherboard on a tight budget.

With its Micro-ATX form factor, the ASUS Prime H510M-E is perfect for those looking to make a smaller gaming PC. With a built-in M.2 slot, you can still leverage faster storage, but you’ll need to pay out more on a single M.2 NVMe drive with plenty of capacity rather than smaller storage options.

This budget motherboard is great if you need something that isn’t going to break the bank but does offer DDR4 compatibility. There’s no support for 12th or 13th Gen CPUs, and even some of the higher-end 11th Gen CPUs may throttle with this motherboard, but for casual gaming and basic productivity, it’s incredibly affordable.

Key Features

Aluminum heatsink design
Japanese audio capacitors
Overvoltage protection
Realtek ALC897/887 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC

Specifications

Brand: ASUS
CPU Included: No
Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 4.0
Integrated Graphics: Not Provided
Memory Slots: 5
Memory Type: DDR4
Form Factor: Micro-ATX
Wi-Fi: Not Provided
USB Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, 2x USB 2.0 header
M.2 NVMe Connector: 1x PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
CPU Support: Intel 10th/11th Gen
Chipset: Intel H510
Socket: LGA1200

Pros

Very affordable price
Perfect for smaller cases
Includes one M.2 slot

Cons

Supports older 10th/11th gen CPUs
Not enough USB ports

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ASUS Prime H510M-E

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4. ASUS Prime Z690-P

8.80

/ 10

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This DDR5 motherboard is a great choice if you don’t want to splash out too much money on a 12th Gen option. It’s very reasonably priced, and the ASUS Prime Z690-P boasts plenty of M.2 slots, PCIe options, and is straightforward to use.

If you’re looking to overclock the ASUS Prime Z690-P, the likelihood is you’ll need to update the BIOS beforehand. And, while it does offer simplicity in terms of its design and ease of use, it certainly doesn’t feel as much like a gaming motherboard as it should.

The built-in Wi-Fi doesn’t work without the driver being downloaded, so you’ll need to either load the driver onto a USB or plug the ASUS Prime Z690-P into an Ethernet cable first.

Key Features

Windows 11 ready
Supports PCIe 5.0 and DDR5
VRM heatsink
ASUS OptiMem II

Specifications

Brand: ASUS Prime
CPU Included: No
Graphics Card Interface: Not Provided
Integrated Graphics: Not Provided
Memory Slots: 7
Memory Type: DDR5
Form Factor: ATX
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6
USB Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB 2.0
M.2 NVMe Connector: PCIe 4.0 x4
CPU Support: Intel 12th/13th Gen
Chipset: Intel Z690
Socket: LGA1700

Pros

Thunderbolt 4 header support
Addressable RGB headers and Aura RGB headers
Plenty of PCIe support and multiple M.2 slots

Cons

No RGBs
BIOS update required most likely for overclocking

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ASUS Prime Z690-P

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5. ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4

9.00

/ 10

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The ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 is a budget-friendly gaming motherboard that offers the basics you’ll need for most types of gaming. B550 motherboards tend to offer decent performance and good value for money, without ditching too many features.

Wi-Fi is not built into the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4, however, the M.2 Wi-Fi slot does allow for an M.2 Wi-Fi 6 network card to be installed. There’s only one PCIe x16 slot, too, but for this price, you can’t expect to house multiple GPUs.

Overall, the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 is a really decent motherboard for a very good price. It’s not covered in fancy RGBs, and there are no M.2 heatsinks, but it’s definitely got the potential to be upgraded.

Key Features

ALC1200 audio codec
M.2 Wi-Fi slot
XMP support

Specifications

Brand: ASRock
CPU Included: No
Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 3.0
Integrated Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega Series Graphics
Memory Slots: 8
Memory Type: DDR4
Form Factor: ATX
Wi-Fi: Not Provided
USB Ports: 6x USB 3.2 Gen1
M.2 NVMe Connector: PCIe Gen4x4
CPU Support: Ryzen 3000, 4000, 5000 series
Chipset: AMD B550
Socket: AM4

Pros

Very affordable
Easy to access fan headers
Decent on-board sound

Cons

No M.2 heatsinks
DDR4 only

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ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4

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6. Gigabyte B660M DS3H

9.00

/ 10

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If you’re looking for a great deal on a motherboard, then the Gigabyte B660M DS3H is going to be extremely exciting. This budget-friendly motherboard is perfect for 12th and 13th Gen Intel processors, especially when you consider it comes with XMP profile supports, 2x M.2 slots, and onboard Wi-Fi.

While it isn’t covered in fancy RGBs or insane cooling, it actually works great as a gaming motherboard. At a low cost, it would be easy to pair the Gigabyte B660M DS3H with an affordable CPU, decent DDR4 RAM, and multiple M.2 drives.

Granted, you might not be able to play all the latest AAA titles on ultra settings without a little bottlenecking, but there’s certainly a lot of power underneath the hood here.

Key Features