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Buying guide

The Best Motherboards in 2026

For most AMD Ryzen builds, Tom’s Hardware’s B850 pick, the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II ($229.99), has all the essentials. Intel Core Ultra builders on a budget should look at the Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi ($199.99). Pick the socket first: AM5 for current Ryzen chips, LGA 1851 for Intel Core Ultra 200S.

By PickedTech Editorial TeamLast updated Prices & specs checked Oct 2026

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How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.

Quick answer

For most AMD Ryzen builds, Tom’s Hardware’s B850 pick, the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II ($229.99), has all the essentials. Intel Core Ultra builders on a budget should look at the Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi ($199.99). Best AMD for most people: MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II, $229.99. Best budget X870E: ASRock X870E Challenger Wifi, $290.

Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026

Key facts at a glance

Key facts (prices checked Oct 2026)
PickProductBest forPrice
Best AMD for most peopleMSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi IImost AMD Ryzen builds$229.99
Best budget X870EASRock X870E Challenger WifiX870E features for lessJust under $290
Best high-end AMDGigabyte X870E Aorus Mastera high-end Ryzen build$440.56
Best Intel Z890ASRock Z890 Taichi Litean upper-midrange Intel build$399.99
Best budget IntelAsus Prime Z890-P WifiIntel builds on a budget$199.99
Best Mini-ITXASRock B850I Lightninga small-form-factor Ryzen PCAbout $200
Best cheap AM5Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX Icethe cheapest solid AM5 board$149.99

Your CPU decides the socket, so choose the processor first (see our best CPUs), then pick a chipset and size that fit your budget and case.

Which should you buy? Our quick picks

Best AMD for most people
MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II
$229.99; Wi-Fi 7, four M.2
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Just under $290; two USB4
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$440.56; PCMag Editors’ Choice
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$399.99; six M.2
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Best budget Intel
Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi
$199.99; Thunderbolt 4
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About $200
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$149.99
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How do they compare?

Motherboards compared (Tom’s Hardware and PCMag; prices checked October 2026)
BoardPrice seenSocket and chipsetSizeBest for
MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II$229.99AM5, B850ATXMost AMD Ryzen builds
ASRock X870E Challenger WifiJust under $290AM5, X870EATXX870E features for less
Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master$440.56AM5, X870E—A high-end Ryzen build
ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite$399.99LGA 1851, Z890ATXAn upper-midrange Intel build
Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi$199.99LGA 1851, Z890ATXIntel builds on a budget
ASRock B850I LightningAbout $200AM5, B850Mini-ITXA small-form-factor Ryzen PC
Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX Ice$149.99AM5, B650ATXThe cheapest solid AM5 board

The picks in detail

Best AMD for most people

1. MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II

Best for: most AMD Ryzen builds

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best ATX B850 motherboard. It has nine rear USB ports including three Type-C (but no 40 Gbps ports), 5 GbE and 5.8 Gbps Wi-Fi 7, four M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0, though one is limited to PCIe 4.0 x2), a quality audio solution, a 64MB BIOS and three full-length PCIe slots. The refresh brought a price bump over the original. Tom’s calls the $229.99 board its pick for anyone building an AM5 system on a budget.

Price (Oct 2026): $229.99 Source

Pros

  • Four M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0)
  • Fast Wi-Fi 7 and 5 GbE
  • EZ DIY and AI features

Cons

  • No USB4 ports
  • One M.2 socket is PCIe 4.0 x2
  • Price bump
Check MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II price (opens in a new tab)
Best budget X870E

2. ASRock X870E Challenger Wifi

Best for: X870E features for less

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best budget X870E board, at a penny under $290. You get robust power delivery, two USB4 Type-C ports among plenty of fast USB, Wi-Fi 7, four M.2 sockets (one PCIe 5.0) and a flagship-class audio codec. It lacks AI and many EZ DIY features, its BIOS still needs a refresh, and its Wi-Fi 7 is the slower 160 MHz kind.

Price (Oct 2026): Just under $290 Source

Pros

  • Two USB4 ports
  • Flagship-class audio codec
  • Robust power delivery

Cons

  • BIOS needs a refresh
  • No AI features
  • Slower 160 MHz Wi-Fi 7
Check ASRock X870E Challenger Wifi price (opens in a new tab)
Best high-end AMD

3. Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master

Best for: a high-end Ryzen build

PCMag’s[2] best high-end AMD AM5 motherboard (Editors’ Choice). PCMag praises a layout that makes building easy, intuitive connections and M.2 covers, an easy-release GPU button, DDR5 support up to 8,600MHz, a responsive BIOS and plenty of USB ports. It’s expensive and has few audio connections. $440.56.

Price (Oct 2026): $440.56 Source

Pros

  • Easy to build in
  • DDR5 up to 8,600MHz
  • Plenty of USB ports

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Few audio connections
Check Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master price (opens in a new tab)
Best Intel Z890

4. ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite

Best for: an upper-midrange Intel build

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best ATX Z890 board, priced at $399.99. It has six M.2 sockets, dual LAN ports and high-quality audio. Only one M.2 is PCIe 5.0, it has fewer user-friendly features than rivals and no RGB. PCMag’s[2] high-end Intel pick is the full ASRock Z890 Taichi (Editors’ Choice, $399.99).

Price (Oct 2026): $399.99 Source

Pros

  • Six M.2 sockets
  • Dual LAN
  • High-quality audio

Cons

  • Only one PCIe 5.0 M.2
  • No RGB
Check ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite price (opens in a new tab)
Best budget Intel

5. Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi

Best for: Intel builds on a budget

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best budget Z890 board, now $199.99, down from an original $229.99. It has a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, Wi-Fi 7 (2.9 Gbps), four full-length PCIe slots, plenty of storage, no lane sharing, and Asus’ AI and EZ DIY features. There are only eight USB ports on the rear, one of them Type-C.

Price (Oct 2026): $199.99 Source

Pros

  • Thunderbolt 4
  • Four full-length PCIe slots
  • No lane sharing

Cons

  • Only eight rear USB ports
  • Slower 2.9 Gbps Wi-Fi 7
Check Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi price (opens in a new tab)
Best Mini-ITX

6. ASRock B850I Lightning

Best for: a small-form-factor Ryzen PC

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] best Mini-ITX B850 board, priced at about $200. It has capable power delivery, good all-around performance and a 20 Gbps USB-C port. It has no USB4, “only” Wi-Fi 6E and a last-gen audio solution.

Price (Oct 2026): About $200 Source

Pros

  • Good price
  • Capable power delivery
  • 20 Gbps USB-C

Cons

  • No USB4
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Last-gen audio
Check ASRock B850I Lightning price (opens in a new tab)
Best cheap AM5

7. Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX Ice

Best for: the cheapest solid AM5 board

Tom’s Hardware’s[1] previous-generation B650 pick, a white version of the B650 Aorus Elite AX. It skips Wi-Fi 7 and has no PCIe 5.0 slot and a budget audio codec, but you get three M.2 sockets, four SATA ports, fast memory support and 12 rear USB ports. Tom’s says it’s a solid buy now its price has dropped to $149.99.

Price (Oct 2026): $149.99 Source

Pros

  • 12 rear USB ports
  • Three M.2 sockets
  • Low price

Cons

  • No PCIe 5.0 slot
  • Budget audio codec
  • No Wi-Fi 7
Check Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX Ice price (opens in a new tab)

Also considered

Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial: Tom’s best high-end X870E: seven M.2 sockets, dual 10 GbE, dual USB4 and a 5-inch LCD, at a steep price.

ASRock X870E Taichi: Tom’s best X870E: $50 less than its direct competition, with 12 rear USB ports; E-ATX may be too large for some cases.

MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk Wifi: Tom’s best B860 board ($227): Wi-Fi 7, 5 GbE and Thunderbolt 4.

Gigabyte X870 Aorus Stealth: Tom’s best rear-connect board; needs a compatible BTF/rear-connect case.

MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi: PCMag’s[2] best midrange Intel LGA 1851 board ($369.99).

Asus TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi: PCMag’s best midrange AM5 board ($237).

Which chipset?

On AMD, X870E boards add more USB4, PCIe 5.0 and premium features; B850 covers what most gamers need; older B650 boards are the cheapest way onto AM5. On Intel, Z890 boards let you overclock unlocked Core Ultra chips, while B860 is the budget alternative. Match the board size to your case: see our best PC cases.

The rest of the build

Pair the board with memory from our best RAM guide, a PSU from our best power supplies, an NVMe drive from our best internal SSDs and a GPU from our best graphics cards. Or skip the build with a prebuilt gaming PC.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best motherboard for gaming?
For most AMD Ryzen builds, Tom’s Hardware[1] recommends the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk Wifi II ($229.99). For Intel, its ATX Z890 pick is the ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite ($399.99), and its budget Z890 pick is the Asus Prime Z890-P Wifi ($199.99).
Do I need an X870E motherboard?
Not usually. X870E adds features such as USB4 and more PCIe 5.0, but a B850 board like the Tomahawk Wifi II covers most gaming builds for less.
What is the best Mini-ITX motherboard?
For AMD, Tom’s Hardware[1] picks the ASRock B850I Lightning, priced at about $200.

Sources

Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.

  1. Tom’s Hardware: Best motherboards 2026 (last updated October 5, 2026) (tomshardware.com)
  2. PCMag: The best motherboards (updated June 21, 2026) (pcmag.com)
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The Best Thermal Paste in 2026

Tom’s Hardware calls Thermal Grizzly’s Duronaut the best-performing thermal paste it has tested. For a budget pick, ID-Cooling’s Frost X45 ($6.99) topped its air-cooling tests. Liquid metal is faster still but electrically conductive and hard to apply.

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The Best CPU Coolers in 2026

Most builds only need the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE: a $36 air cooler Tom’s Hardware says can cool 200W while staying extremely quiet. For the hottest CPUs, Tom’s strongest AIO is the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 ($125 MSRP).

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The Best CPUs for Gaming in 2026

Both Tom’s Hardware and PC Gamer name the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (about $444 to $479) the best gaming CPU. For mid-range builds, both like Intel’s Core Ultra 5 250K Plus ($219), and the Ryzen 5 7600X ($139) is Tom’s Hardware’s budget pick.

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The Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2026

Tom’s Hardware ranks the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti first and AMD’s RX 9070 XT second, but memory shortages mean most cards sell far above MSRP. On October 26 the 5070 Ti’s best US price was $1,229 against a $749 MSRP.

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The Best Gaming PCs in 2026

Tom’s Hardware’s best gaming PC is the Corsair Vengeance a7500 (Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti). PC Gamer and Tom’s Guide both pick the iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro, and the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme is the budget pick for 1080p.

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The Best Internal SSDs in 2026

Tom’s Hardware’s best overall SSD is the Samsung 990 Pro. It’s the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive the site has tested and has a five-year warranty. For a PCIe 5.0 desktop, look at the Corsair MP700 Pro XT or the WD Black SN8100, PCMag’s best PCIe 5.0 drive. For laptops, Tom’s Hardware picks the WD Black SN7100.

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The Best RAM for Gaming in 2026

Tom’s Hardware’s best 32GB DDR5 kit for performance is the G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C30. But memory prices have soared: Tom’s reported in July 2026 that you can’t buy 32GB of DDR5 for less than $379, so check prices before you plan a build.

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The Best Power Supplies in 2026

For a mainstream gaming PC, Tom’s Hardware’s picks start with the be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W (about $100). Running a big graphics card? The Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V3 ($109.99) is the value 850W choice, and the Corsair SF750 (2024) is for small builds.

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The Best PC Cases in 2026

Tom’s Hardware’s best-looking case, the Fractal Design North ($139.99), also has exceptional thermals. On a budget, the Montech TG3 ($56.90) comes with four fans; for a big showpiece build, the NZXT H9 Flow (2025) fits the largest GPUs.