Micro Center Champions Recommend: Your Next Motherboard

MicroCenterOfficial · August 2022

ASUS X570-E ROG Strix Gaming WiFi II Motherboard by @Shoan041

The ASUS X570-E ROG Strix Gaming Motherboard is an excellent all-around motherboard for gamers or editors alike with a Ryzen AM4 processor. ASUS is known for their high-quality products and this is no exception. I’m frequently recommending this board because of its excellent cooling capabilities. With the onboard M.2 heatsinks, hot running NVMe Drives will be extra cool. The board has a passive chipset heatsink to help with the heat on the south bridge. The VRM heatsink is upgraded with an 8mm heat pipe for extra head dispersion, which is very helpful for overclocking your processor. And beyond that, it’s just an incredibly durable board with alloy chokes, durable capacitors, and steel-plated PCIe 4.0 slots.

The board comes equipped with both a 2.5 Gbps LAN and Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard for super-fast and reliable wired network connections. But if you’re a wireless fan, it also supports WIFI 6E (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO and gateway teaming, so you won’t have to worry about losing connection while gaming. 5-Way Optimization makes automatic system-wide tuning and overclocking really easy, so you can make the most out of your computer. ASUS even made sure to include features to help make the building process easier as well, such as the M.2 Q-Latch, a pre-mounted I/O shield, ASUS SafeSlot and BIOS FlashBack.

The ROG Strix is also pre-equipped with RGB, including RGB headers and Gen 2 addressable headers – all controllable through Aura Sync - to completely personalize your computer lighting setup!

ASUS put together a stellar motherboard with fantastic cooling components, extra durable parts, stellar networking, and way more, like RGB and easy-build features. The ROG Strix is an excellent motherboard for anyone looking to build their new system – or just upgrade! - with an AMD Ryzen processor.

ASUS Z690-F ROG Strix Gaming WiFi DDR5 Intel LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard by @Vaganza

The ASUS Z690-F ROG Strix is an attractive DDR5 motherboard, something well worth investing in if you’re building on the cutting edge. It has a nice upscale look and gives you a PCI-E 5.0 slot and plenty of places to plug things in, minimizing the need to stretch cables so they clutter the front of your PC. With five case fan headers and three ARGB headers to go along with them, you won’t have to worry about running out of connectors or crossing them over each other. It also has built-in Wi-Fi 6E, 10(!) USB ports on the back panel and supports 2.5 GB ethernet. This is a great board for the more advanced builds, where you want all the great looks and features so you can look good while keeping ahead of the curve.

ASUS X570 TUF Gaming Plus (WIFI) AMD AM4 by @phil_lost_zephyr_

My go-to recommendation for anyone looking to build a new computer building or upgrade their current motherboard is the ASUS X570 TUF Gaming Plus with WIFI AMD AM4 ATX, especially if you’re someone who really needs the correct ports. The X570 comes standard with four USB 3.2 Type-A ports that are generation 1, one USB 3.2 Type-C generation 2, and two USB 3.2 Type-A that are generation 2. This motherboard also gives you a DisplayPort 1.2 port and an HDMI 1.4 port as well for a dual monitor setup (if you don’t use a graphics card for the computer). The ASUS X570 gives you traditional 3.5mm audio ports for the microphone, rear speakers and a subwoofer giving you that 5.1 surround sound audio experience.

Of course, ports aren’t everything. The X570 supports up to 32GB of RAM, and it can max out to 4400MHz when overclocked. It also comes with an M.2 socket as well, allowing you to get maximum solid-state drive speeds in storage. It also fully supports WIFI 5 for high-speed gaming and browsing.

The whole board is draped in a gorgeous matte-black aesthetic, making it a perfect fit for any setup. Whether you’re building your first or fiftieth, on a budget or going all out, the ASUS X570 is a motherboard with great versatility and fantastic for everything it offers

MSI Z690 MPG Edge WiFi DDR4 by @Lambdaben

With the release of Intel’s newest processors, many motherboard manufacturers have different options to suit a variety of needs from the causal user to content creators. MSI launched their own lineup, including the new MSI Z690 MPG Edge WiFi DDR4. The design of the board features MSI’s trademark dragon hovering about the IO panel backlit with RGB lighting, but underneath that, it covers the heavy plated heatsink and VRM’s with 16 phase power system and 75A Smart Power Stage. The motherboard also has enlarged heatsinks for the M.2 and chipsets with MSI’s FROZR technology making the motherboard efficiently cooled. With four M.2 slots, the MSI Z690 MPG Edge WiFi also has plenty of storage options available that all include PCIe 4.0 transfer speeds. Speaking of transfer speeds, this motherboard also includes both Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6 wireless connectivity, and a 2.5Gbps LAN. As expected with this new generation of motherboards, this board supports ram overclocked speeds of 5200MHz and up to 128GB of total ram.

MSI MPG X570S Carbon EK X by @w8deywins

You’ve heard of beauty and the beast before, right? Well, let me introduce this beautiful collaboration by EK & MSI’s MPG X570s Carbon motherboard. This motherboard only fits in one category and that’s premium performance. My favorite thing about it is the custom-made water block designed to provide the perfect cooling solution for the CPU and power delivery VRM stages! And it doesn't stop there. The X570S Carbon supports WIFI 6E, extreme memory overclocking, and Multi-Gig ethernet onboard. But what really separates this motherboard from the ordinary is its ability to access your entire GPU’s frame buffer through the PCIe lane. To put it simply, it’s a way of managing processes to give your CPU improved performance. This is called a Resize BAR feature. Beyond that amazing feature, you get 10 USB ports, built-in clear CMOS and BIOS flashback buttons, and double ESD protection. Not sure what all that could mean for your new build? Stop by your local Micro Center and talk to one of our BYO specialists!