The Best Motherboards for Heavy Workloads

It is the most expandable board here. On M.2 slot count it leads this guide at 7, ahead of the Z790 Tomahawk MAX (5). No other pick in this guide offers 18+2+1+2 power stages; compare the Z790 Tomahawk MAX, which has 16+1+1 power stages.

No other pick in this guide offers an LGA1851 socket; compare the X870 AORUS Elite, which has an AM5 socket. You get a Z890 chipset here, which sets it apart from the TUF X870-PLUS and its an X870 chipset. It also comes with AI overclocking, cooling and networking 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. Only the Strix Z790-E came close to it on price at the time of writing; it cost the most of the 5 picks.

It is the most complete Z790 board for its price here. On M.2 slot count it ties with the Strix Z790-E at 5. 16+1+1 power stages is unique to it among these picks, while the TUF X870-PLUS uses 16+2+1 power stages.

It shares an LGA1700 socket with the Strix Z790-E; the Strix Z890-E goes with an LGA1851 socket. It also comes with Bluetooth 5.4 alongside Wi-Fi 7 and a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot. 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.

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 cheapest of the group when we checked; the X870 AORUS Elite was the next step up.

It is the premium LGA1700 board here. It matches the Z790 Tomahawk MAX on M.2 slot count (5). No other pick in this guide offers a wi-Fi 6E; compare the X870 AORUS Elite, which has a wi-Fi 7.

No other pick in this guide offers 18+1 power stages; compare the Z790 Tomahawk MAX, which has 16+1+1 power stages. Like the Z790 Tomahawk MAX, it has an LGA1700 socket, while the TUF X870-PLUS uses an AM5 socket. It also offers a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot and a front-panel USB 3.2 port.

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. It was priced above the TUF X870-PLUS and below the Strix Z890-E at the time of writing.

It is the X870 board with the longest cover here. It matches the TUF X870-PLUS on M.2 slot count (4). Like the TUF X870-PLUS, it has an AM5 socket, while the Strix Z790-E uses an LGA1700 socket.

It also offers EZ-Latch for tool-free card removal 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. 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 Z790 Tomahawk MAX cost less, and the TUF X870-PLUS cost more.

It is the sturdiest X870 board here below $230. On M.2 slot count it ties with the X870 AORUS Elite at 4. 16+2+1 power stages is unique to it among these picks, while the Z790 Tomahawk MAX uses 16+1+1 power stages.

It shares an AM5 socket with the X870 AORUS Elite; the Z790 Tomahawk MAX goes with an LGA1700 socket. It also comes with a rear USB 20Gbps Type-C port. 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. Its price falls between the X870 AORUS Elite and the Strix Z790-E, based on our last check.