Motherboard News & Reviews

Welcome to the Motherboard News & Reviews Database. This is a collection, primarily of reviews, dedicated to motherboards from across the globe. Looking for something specific? Use the search utility, tags, or just explore through using the drop-down menu. From there, you can select your preferred motherboard manufacturer to find a listing of motherboards by chipset that have reviews available. If it’s been reviewed recently, you’ll find it. All reviews that are not natively in English will have translated links provided where possible.

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ASUS Announces ProART B550-CREATOR w/Thunderbolt 4

March 2, 2021 by Stephen

Designed for professionals and creatives who need ultra-fast USB and Thunderbolt connectivity alongside stable and reliable operation. The B550-Creator is a great choice for those building a Ryzen based system with Ryzen 3000 series or Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. The board Features out-of-the-box UEFI support for both series of processors. The B550 Creator is the first AM4 motherboard with Thunderbolt 4 onboard! In addition, you have dual 2.5Gbps LAN, dual M.2 slots alongside dual heatsinks. It also incorporates the latest ASUS M.2 Q-Latch design for simple and tool-free M.2 drive installation. For the latest generation of chassis, you also have front USB 3.0 connectivity as well as USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type Internal connectivity.

MSI Adds PCIe 4.0 Support to Z490 Motherboards

March 2, 2021 by Stephen

[Taipei, Taiwan] All of the MSI Z490 motherboards will be supporting PCIe 4.0 with the coming Intel 11^th Gen Intel Processors. Through an update to the latest BIOS, MSI Z490 motherboards offer great bandwidth and performance for PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs and graphics cards.

To be PCIe 4.0 compatible, several components on the motherboards are necessary, including PCIe 4.0 ready clock generator, lane switch, redriver, PCIe slots, and M.2 connectors. Thanks to the complete PCIe 4.0 solutions, MSI Z490 motherboards provide the most stable design for PCIe 4.0 and unlock the full performance of PCIe 4.0 devices.

To enjoy the unlocked performance of PICe 4.0, please update the Z490 motherboards with the latest BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0.
MSI Z490 BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0 performance:

Find more details @ MSI

ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II – TechPowerUp

February 28, 2021 by Stephen

While AMD has done a great job of maintaining motherboard compatibility with new generation processors, none of the previous-generation AM4 motherboards featured official PCIe 4.0 support, not even for the storage and PCIe controlled by PCIe 4.0 compatible CPUs. Enter B550, the more value-oriented little brother of X570. While the B550 chipset is PCIe 3.0 only, B550 motherboards support PCIe 4.0 from the CPU to the primary PCIe slot as well as the primary M.2 slot (dependent on a PCIe 4.0 ready CPU). With PCIe 4.0 support also came increased cost. PCIe 4.0 devices are still rare in 2021, so for those on a budget, the tried and true B450 chipset is the way to go. What B450 lacks in cutting-edge features it makes up for in value.

ASRock Z590 Extreme WiFi 6E – TweakTown

February 26, 2021 by Stephen

Z590 brings a sizable refresh to Intel’s enthusiast platform motherboards. Starting with the spotlight feature, PCIe Express Gen4, bringing Intel up to par with AMD on both the storage front allowing for incredibly fast NVMe storage to be deployed and GPUs that extra bandwidth. Additional features include support for Thunderbolt 4, USB4, USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20Gbps), 2.5Gbe as standard equipment, and Intel CNVi for Wi-Fi 6 and 6e. All of this made possible with Intel doubling DMI link bandwidth to the chipset.

ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition – TweakTown

February 25, 2021 by Stephen

Taichi has been the pinnacle of ASRock motherboards platforms for years, and the B550 Taichi in itself is one of the more premium motherboards available on the market within the B550 lineup. For gamers wanting to build on a budget, B550 is fantastic, offering reliable connectivity and, admittedly, limited Gen4 capabilities. Still, enough to get your GPU and NVMe on the latest and greatest motherboard tech has to offer.

ASRock Z490 Taichi: Physical Review – Steve’s Hardware

February 25, 2021 by Stephen

Overall we were quite impressed with the hardware on this motherboard. We like the VRM very much, but what really impressed us is the feature count. For starters, ASRock’s approach to PCI-E 4.0 is more unique than we have seen, with a separate fourth M.2 slot just to be used with next generation CPUs. We also have USB 3.2 2×2 (20Gb/s), 2.5Gbit LAN, and a lot of USB internal and rear IO connectors. The aesthetics of the motherboard are also quite pleasing. Overall, the Z490 Taichi from ASRock once again fulfils the legacy of the product line and would make its predecessors proud.

SuperMicro SuperO C9Z490-PGW / PG: Physical Review – Steve’s Hardware

February 25, 2021 by Stephen

Don’t let its 6+2 phase VRM fool you, the C9Z490-PGW is loaded with high quality parts that are capable of taking your CPU to a very comfortable overclock without much hassle. The level of quality of the motherboard ensures excellent performance as well. The PEX8747 and the 10Gbit NIC are very nice additions, and pretty much make this a mixture between a high-end gaming/enthusiast motherboard and a workstation product.

MSI MEG B550 UNIFY – Overclocking

February 25, 2021 by Stephen

After focusing on several motherboards with X570 chipset and in particular the Crosshair VIII Dark Hero , today we are back with a model from MSI: the MEG B550 Unify. The “Unify” series was launched at the end of 2019 with the excellent MEG X570 Unify that we had the chance to test exclusively. The idea of MSI, with this new series, was to offer a card that goes to the essentials, leaving aside the RGB backlighting, in order to concentrate on the overclocking aspect in particular . As a reminder, we also had the opportunity to review the B550 Tomahawk version built on the same chipset and whose price is below the 200 euros mark.

GIGABYTE Z490 VISION D – TweakTown

February 24, 2021 by Stephen

We kick off motherboard specifications starting with the Intel LGA1200 socket and behind it the Z490 chipset. This platform is compatible with an entire range of processors from 10th Gen Core i3 to Core i9 and even Pentium Gold and Celeron. Memory support includes speeds up to DDR4400 with overclocking and 2933MHz in JEDEC timing mode. Four slots support 32GB DIMMS offering a peak capacity of 128GB.
Audio is next in line with the ALC1220VB Codec supporting 8 channels and DTS:X Ultra. Networking is two part, one being 2.5Gbe powered by the Intel i225 with a second Intel Gbe controller for backup. Wi-Fi 6 is included on this platform with the AX201 from Intel offering Wi-Fi 6 and BT5.1 connectivity.

GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS MASTER: PCB Review – Steve’s Hardware

February 24, 2021 by Stephen

The motherboard has a very neutral aesthetic appeal, with a nice black and gunmetal color theme. Most of the motherboard’s shields are actually made of actual metal instead of the typical plastic we see most of the time. There are eight fan headers located on the motherboard, including two pump headers that probably operate at full speed by default, and a CPU_OPT header. There are also two external temperature sensors circled in green, and there are included temperature probes that you can stick in a GPU or near an exhaust or intake vent in the case.