The best gaming motherboards
When it comes to gaming, it
pays to be picky about motherboards. Shortcomings that otherwise go
unnoticed in office applications can crash the party in action or racing
games, and keep you off leaderboards like a case of shaky hands. Make
sure those pricey drives, graphics cards and overclocked CPUs live up to
their potential by giving them a loving home with a good motherboard.
We've looked into dozens of them to find the best at a variety of prices
and form-factors.
New Broadwell-E CPUs were launched last month, but did not bring along a new platform chipset from Intel. Instead, they're fully compatible with existing X99 motherboards. Our tests also determined that if you're gaming on X99, going with Haswell-E is still the better choice for gaming.
Skylake CPUs demand a new family of chipsets, which finally pave the lanes wide for serious I/O performance. We've put together a separate guide on the best Z170 motherboard for enthusiasts, while this guide covered all the bases. The 170 chipset blurs the lines between Intel’s extreme and standard platforms with plenty of positive results for gamers and enthusiasts, although X99’s higher prices have rubbed off a little, too.
New Broadwell-E CPUs were launched last month, but did not bring along a new platform chipset from Intel. Instead, they're fully compatible with existing X99 motherboards. Our tests also determined that if you're gaming on X99, going with Haswell-E is still the better choice for gaming.
Skylake CPUs demand a new family of chipsets, which finally pave the lanes wide for serious I/O performance. We've put together a separate guide on the best Z170 motherboard for enthusiasts, while this guide covered all the bases. The 170 chipset blurs the lines between Intel’s extreme and standard platforms with plenty of positive results for gamers and enthusiasts, although X99’s higher prices have rubbed off a little, too.
The best all-around Skylake motherboard (LGA 1151)
Excellent overall performance
Solid BIOS
No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
Few gaming-specific features
If you’re tired of waiting while ASUS sorts out the Pro Gaming series or gun-shy about going with MSI, ASUS offers the Z170-Pro.
This non-gaming focused alternative features better VRM hardware than
either of those midrange boards along with ALC 1150 audio, Intel v219
Ethernet, subdued white/silver looks, and ASUS’s signature-series BIOS, a
package that provides the best overall experience on LGA1151 today.
Skipping
past the beta-board waiting line will cost you a bit though, as the
Z170-Pro is only available at its hefty initial list price of $195,
making it costly for a general recommendation but the best fit for the
vast $200 gap in between Z170 mid-range and newfound $300+ high-end
frontier. These are early days for Skylake however, so expect $150-170
street prices before long, once the new-car aroma wears off and the
discounts begin.
Looks are sharp for a mainstream motherboard. The
white plastic shroud and silver heat spreaders that ASUS signature
boards share appear sedate at firstbut match all components
equally. In a nod towards MSI’s Mystic Light, a miniature color and
pulse adjustable LED light show lives under the chipset logo shield,
adding some flash right where the side window on most cases resides and
providing a welcome touch of character, one of the Z170-Pro’s few
deficiencies.
ASUS
includes modes that allows the LEDs to react to sound inputs such as
music or to change with system heat levels, although a proper numerical
temperature display on the boot code readout would be appreciated
nonetheless. That said, ASUS have come a long way from the dowdy look of
motherboards past. The signature series is downright sexy for a
non-niche product.
While Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and exotic extras like
handheld overclocking consoles are absent, bread and butter options such
as USB 3.1 connectors, a full-speed 4-lane M.2 slot, and memory support
up to 3866 MHz are present and accounted for. XMP modes are stable and
worked fine with the various DRAM sticks used for testing in the lab.
Runners up to the Z170-Pro
include ASUS’s own ROG-branded Maximus VIII Hero, which offers largely
the same package with more red and black street cred for the expected
extra dollars, amounting to around $25-50 currently. You also get ROG’s
upgraded BIOS, although that can be a mixed blessing depending on the
revision since, due to volume, ASUS signature series products are
generally more stable than their ROG counterparts.
If you’re tired of waiting while ASUS sorts out the Pro Gaming series or gun-shy about going with MSI, ASUS offers the Z170-Pro.
This non-gaming focused alternative features better VRM hardware than
either of those midrange boards along with ALC 1150 audio, Intel v219
Ethernet, subdued white/silver looks, and ASUS’s signature-series BIOS, a
package that provides the best overall experience on LGA1151 today.
Skipping past the beta-board waiting line will cost you a bit though, as the Z170-Pro is only available at its hefty initial list price of $195, making it costly for a general recommendation but the best fit for the vast $200 gap in between Z170 mid-range and newfound $300+ high-end frontier. These are early days for Skylake however, so expect $150-170 street prices before long, once the new-car aroma wears off and the discounts begin.
Looks are sharp for a mainstream motherboard. The white plastic shroud and silver heat spreaders that ASUS signature boards share appear sedate at firstbut match all components equally. In a nod towards MSI’s Mystic Light, a miniature color and pulse adjustable LED light show lives under the chipset logo shield, adding some flash right where the side window on most cases resides and providing a welcome touch of character, one of the Z170-Pro’s few deficiencies.
ASUS includes modes that allows the LEDs to react to sound inputs such as music or to change with system heat levels, although a proper numerical temperature display on the boot code readout would be appreciated nonetheless. That said, ASUS have come a long way from the dowdy look of motherboards past. The signature series is downright sexy for a non-niche product.
While Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and exotic extras like handheld overclocking consoles are absent, bread and butter options such as USB 3.1 connectors, a full-speed 4-lane M.2 slot, and memory support up to 3866 MHz are present and accounted for. XMP modes are stable and worked fine with the various DRAM sticks used for testing in the lab.
Runners up to the Z170-Pro
include ASUS’s own ROG-branded Maximus VIII Hero, which offers largely
the same package with more red and black street cred for the expected
extra dollars, amounting to around $25-50 currently. You also get ROG’s
upgraded BIOS, although that can be a mixed blessing depending on the
revision since, due to volume, ASUS signature series products are
generally more stable than their ROG counterparts.
Skipping past the beta-board waiting line will cost you a bit though, as the Z170-Pro is only available at its hefty initial list price of $195, making it costly for a general recommendation but the best fit for the vast $200 gap in between Z170 mid-range and newfound $300+ high-end frontier. These are early days for Skylake however, so expect $150-170 street prices before long, once the new-car aroma wears off and the discounts begin.
Looks are sharp for a mainstream motherboard. The white plastic shroud and silver heat spreaders that ASUS signature boards share appear sedate at firstbut match all components equally. In a nod towards MSI’s Mystic Light, a miniature color and pulse adjustable LED light show lives under the chipset logo shield, adding some flash right where the side window on most cases resides and providing a welcome touch of character, one of the Z170-Pro’s few deficiencies.
ASUS includes modes that allows the LEDs to react to sound inputs such as music or to change with system heat levels, although a proper numerical temperature display on the boot code readout would be appreciated nonetheless. That said, ASUS have come a long way from the dowdy look of motherboards past. The signature series is downright sexy for a non-niche product.
While Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and exotic extras like handheld overclocking consoles are absent, bread and butter options such as USB 3.1 connectors, a full-speed 4-lane M.2 slot, and memory support up to 3866 MHz are present and accounted for. XMP modes are stable and worked fine with the various DRAM sticks used for testing in the lab.
Runners up to the Z170-Pro
include ASUS’s own ROG-branded Maximus VIII Hero, which offers largely
the same package with more red and black street cred for the expected
extra dollars, amounting to around $25-50 currently. You also get ROG’s
upgraded BIOS, although that can be a mixed blessing depending on the
revision since, due to volume, ASUS signature series products are
generally more stable than their ROG counterparts.
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