The Best Mini-ITX Motherboards for AM5

It handles a high-end Ryzen chip in a small case. On wired network speed it ties with the B850I AORUS PRO, the TUF B850I and the B650I Lightning at 2.5Gbps. It shares a wi-Fi 7 with the B850I Edge TI and B850I AORUS PRO; the B650I Lightning goes with a wi-Fi 6E.

You get 10+2+1 power stages here, which sets it apart from the B650I Lightning and its 8+2+1 power stages. 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. It was the highest-priced of the 5 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the B850I AORUS PRO and the rest.

Its white finish suits light-themed small builds. Its 5Gbps wired network speed is the fastest here; the Strix B850-I comes next at 2.5Gbps. Like the Strix B850-I and B850I AORUS PRO, it has a wi-Fi 7, while the TUF B850I uses a wi-Fi 6E.

It also offers 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.

Check the manual for which M.2 slots share lanes with SATA ports or the second PCIe slot before filling them all. When we checked, only the B650I Lightning cost less, and the TUF B850I cost more.

Gigabyte doesn't state its M.2 count. On wired network speed it ties with the Strix B850-I, the TUF B850I and the B650I Lightning at 2.5Gbps. It shares a wi-Fi 7 with the Strix B850-I and B850I Edge TI; the B650I Lightning goes with a wi-Fi 6E.

It shares 8+2+1 power stages with the B650I Lightning; the Strix B850-I goes with 10+2+1 power stages. You also get 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.

On price it sat fourth of 5, between the cheaper TUF B850I and the pricier Strix B850-I, at the time of writing. The maker doesn't give its M.2 slot count; if that figure matters, the Strix B850-I offers 2.

On wired network speed it ties with the Strix B850-I, the B850I AORUS PRO and the B650I Lightning at 2.5Gbps. It shares a wi-Fi 6E with the B650I Lightning; the Strix B850-I goes with a wi-Fi 7. It also comes with 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. 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 third of 5, between the cheaper B850I Edge TI and the pricier B850I AORUS PRO, at the time of writing.

It suits budget small builds with a mid-range CPU. It matches the Strix B850-I, the B850I AORUS PRO and the TUF B850I on wired network speed (2.5Gbps). Like the TUF B850I, it has a wi-Fi 6E, while the Strix B850-I uses a wi-Fi 7.

Like the B850I AORUS PRO, it has 8+2+1 power stages, while the Strix B850-I uses 10+2+1 power stages. 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.

It cost the least of the 5 picks at the time of writing, with the B850I Edge TI the next step up. It gives ground on M.2 slot count, where the Strix B850-I offers 2.