Motherboards aren’t often the primary part that involves thoughts after I consider what actually wows me within the visible division. However I will be damned if the ASRock B860 Metal Legend Wi-Fi does not hit me sq. within the aesthetics cortex (proper subsequent to the amygdala), and I will be much more damned if I do not gush a bit of over how cool it retains SSDs.
We already had the B850 Metal Legend Wi-Fi as our decide for a midrange AMD AM5 motherboard, and now we have its sibling, the B860 Metal Legend Wi-Fi, as our decide for the most effective funds Intel LGA1851 motherboard (for Core Extremely 200S processors). I do know, I do know, B850 for AMD and B860 for Intel—motherboard naming schemes are atrocious.
The brand new addition to our information provides a ton of options for a downright affordable price ticket, and the great white-and-steel aesthetic is simply the icing on the cake, actually. The cherry on prime of that icing is the cool embrace of the board’s M.2 dual-sided cooling (for the primary M.2 SSD, at the least—the opposite two which have heatsinks are simply single-sided). This cooling retains PCIe 5.0 drives chilly sufficient to be truly usable, which is a minor miracle.
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And with the Core Extremely 265K dropping under $300 as of late, $500-ish for that and this B860 is not half a nasty shout for a brand new construct, I reckon. The Core Extremely 200S collection hasn’t blown us away, nevertheless it’s succesful and, importantly, rather more power-efficient in gaming than Intel’s last-gen CPUs.
Now that we have got this B860 listed, our motherboard suggestions cowl the entire gamut of present and previous-gen AMD and Intel chips and sockets (sure, even again to AM4).
The fast checklist
Greatest gaming motherboard 2025
All our present suggestions
The most effective motherboards for gaming
Greatest AMD (AM5)
1. MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk Wifi
The most effective AMD AM5
With as much as 21 USB ports, excellent construct high quality, and glorious thermal and energy dealing with chops, this MSI board is the Zen 5-supported X870 board we might go for proper now. It is nonetheless a good amount of money in comparison with some, however an excellent all-rounder.
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Greatest funds AM5
2. Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi
The most effective funds AM5
Whereas it is a bit of on the dear facet for a B650 motherboard, you will not really feel short-changed with this Asus TUF Gaming mannequin. Three M.2 slots for SSDs, plenty of USB ports, and glorious assist for high-power Ryzen collection processors make this a very strong purchase.
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Greatest midrange AM5
3. ASRock B850 Metal Legend WiFi
The most effective midrange AM5
Inexpensive and fairly fairly, this motherboard has tonnes of USB ports, WiFi 7 assist and is PCIe 5.0 M.2 and GPU appropriate. It lacks some extra premium options and has a fairly fundamental EFI, however does quite a bit for the cash.
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Greatest AM4
4. Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming
The most effective AMD AM4
That is the easiest AMD B550 motherboard you should buy. Interval. It isn’t even tremendous costly, regardless of its complete characteristic set. For those who’re constructing a funds AM4 gaming PC, then this will probably be good for it.
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Greatest Intel (LGA1851)
5. Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
The most effective Intel LGA1851
If a motherboard in your new Arrow Lake Intel chip is what you need, it’s totally tough to discover a board with extra options, ports, slots and total choices than this. It is darn close to good, however the price ticket is significantly hefty because of this.
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Greatest funds LGA1851
6. ASRock B860 Metal Legend Wi-Fi
The most effective funds LGA1851
That is the most effective bang in your buck in the event you’re on the lookout for a motherboard to sit down underneath your Intel Core Extremely 200S CPU. It is obtained a ton of ports, it retains itself and its M.2 SSDs cool, and it even seems to be fairly dashing due to its white-and-steel aesthetic.
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Greatest Intel (LGA1700)
7. MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
The most effective Intel LGA1700
Contemplating the massive variety of slots for SSDs and ports for USB units, you’d anticipate this premium Z790 board to be actually costly. But it surely’s not and it’s miles cheaper than different fashions which provide little extra. It isn’t the most effective for critical overclocking options, although.
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Greatest funds LGA1700
8. Asrock B760M PG Sonic WiFi
The most effective funds LGA1700
The delightfully retro ASRock B760M PG Sonic WiFi is a superb selection for a consumer after a value-for-money board with out dropping an excessive amount of in the best way of options. It’s going to fortunately energy an i9 CPU and it is usually cheaper now than it was on the time we reviewed it a 12 months or so again.
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