The Best ASUS Motherboards

It suits a 12- or 16-core Ryzen on B850. It matches the TUF B650E-PLUS and the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 on M.2 slot count (3). It matches the Strix Z890-A, the TUF B650E-PLUS and the Strix B850-I on wired network speed (2.5Gbps).

It also offers a front USB 10Gbps Type-C header. It uses AMD's AM5 socket, so it takes Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 chips; a board built before a CPU's launch may need a BIOS update first, so check whether it supports BIOS Flashback. Check the manual for which M.2 slots share lanes with SATA ports or the second PCIe slot before filling them all. It was priced above the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 and below the Strix Z890-A at the time of writing.

It suits storage-heavy Core Ultra builds. On M.2 slot count it ties with the Strix X870E-E at 5. On wired network speed it ties with the TUF B850-PLUS, the TUF B650E-PLUS and the Strix B850-I at 2.5Gbps.

You get 16+2+1+2 power stages here, which sets it apart from the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 and its 14+1 power stages. An LGA1851 socket is unique to it among these picks, while the Strix X870E-E uses an AM5 socket. No other pick in this guide offers a Z890 chipset; compare the TUF B650E-PLUS, which has a B650E chipset.

You also get AI overclocking tools. It uses Intel's LGA1851 socket for Core Ultra 200S processors, not older 12th to 14th Gen chips. Check the manual for which M.2 slots share lanes with SATA ports or the second PCIe slot before filling them all. On price it sat fourth of 6, between the cheaper TUF B850-PLUS and the pricier Strix B850-I, at the time of writing.

It is ASUS's high-end AM5 board here. On M.2 slot count it ties with the Strix Z890-A at 5. You get 18+2+2 power stages here, which sets it apart from the TUF B650E-PLUS and its 12+2+1 power stages.

It also comes with a rear USB 20Gbps port alongside USB4. It uses AMD's AM5 socket, so it takes Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 chips; a board built before a CPU's launch may need a BIOS update first, so check whether it supports BIOS Flashback. Check the manual for which M.2 slots share lanes with SATA ports or the second PCIe slot before filling them all. It was the highest-priced of the 6 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the Strix B850-I and the rest.

It is a sturdy pick for a 12- or 16-core Ryzen on a budget. On M.2 slot count it ties with the TUF B850-PLUS and the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 at 3. On wired network speed it ties with the TUF B850-PLUS, the Strix Z890-A and the Strix B850-I at 2.5Gbps.

A wi-Fi 6E is unique to it among these picks, while the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 uses a wi-Fi 7. You get 12+2+1 power stages here, which sets it apart from the TUF B850-PLUS and its 14+2+1 power stages. No other pick in this guide offers a B650E chipset; compare the Strix Z890-A, which has a Z890 chipset.

It uses AMD's AM5 socket, so it takes Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 chips; a board built before a CPU's launch may need a BIOS update first, so check whether it supports BIOS Flashback. It undercut the Z790 Gaming WIFI7 and every other pick on price at the time of writing.

It suits wireless desks. On M.2 slot count it ties with the TUF B850-PLUS and the TUF B650E-PLUS at 3. On wired network speed it trails the group at 1Gbps, while the TUF B850-PLUS offers 2.5Gbps.

14+1 power stages is unique to it among these picks, while the Strix B850-I uses 10+2+1 power stages. You get an LGA1700 socket here, which sets it apart from the Strix B850-I and its an AM5 socket. It is the only pick here with a Z790 chipset; the Strix Z890-A has a Z890 chipset instead.

It also offers a rear USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port and a front USB-C header. It uses Intel's LGA1700 socket for 12th, 13th and 14th Gen Core processors; check the CPU support list for the BIOS version your chip needs, since early boards shipped before 14th Gen launched. Its price falls between the TUF B650E-PLUS and the TUF B850-PLUS, based on our last check.

Its 2 M.2 slot count is the fewest in this group; the Strix Z890-A leads at 5. It matches the TUF B850-PLUS, the Strix Z890-A and the TUF B650E-PLUS on wired network speed (2.5Gbps). It is the only pick here with 10+2+1 power stages; the Strix Z890-A has 16+2+1+2 power stages instead.

It also offers a rear USB 20Gbps port and a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot. It uses AMD's AM5 socket, so it takes Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 chips; a board built before a CPU's launch may need a BIOS update first, so check whether it supports BIOS Flashback. As a Mini-ITX board it has one PCIe x16 slot and two memory slots, so plan for a two-stick memory kit and check the case's cooler and GPU limits. When we checked, only the Strix Z890-A and cheaper picks cost less, and the Strix X870E-E cost more.