Best Budget Motherboards 2021

The motherboard is basically the backbone of your computer, while it may not be as critical to the performance of your computer as the CPU or graphics card is, it can certainly have a performance impact. The motherboard is the platform through which all of your other components communicate. Strong motherboards will offer lots of connectivity and the latest specs such as PCIe 4.0. These things tend to cost more though, and will be sacrificed to some degree to reduce costs for budget models.

When buying a motherboard, it’s important to be aware of the type of CPU you have. The CPU must have the same socket type as the motherboard otherwise it can’t fit. Importantly, the motherboard chipset must also be compatible with the CPU. Make sure to do your research before you buy to ensure your components are compatible.

The Gigabyte B550M DS3H is a solid Micro ATX motherboard that supports the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs. It also supports PCIe 4.0 speeds to both an x16 GPU slot and an x4 M.2 slot for the best graphics and storage bandwidth.

While the USB connectivity is pretty good with 6 USB 3.1 ports, there is no USB Type-C connector, which is a little disappointing. The second of the two M.2 slots is limited to PCIe 3.0 speeds. While it has onboard gigabit ethernet, there isn’t any onboard Wi-Fi. One nice advantage though is that the fan headers can provide enough power to run a pump so water-cooling is an option.

The ASRock B460M PRO4 is an Intel motherboard designed to support 10^th Gen Core CPUs with the LGA1200 socket. One of the main downsides of this generation of Intel CPUs is that the new socket means that motherboards can’t be backward compatible with older CPUs unfortunately it also doesn’t advertise compatibility with 11^th gen CPUs.

There are 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, of which one has a Type-C connector. There are dual M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots for fast storage options but no PCIe 4.0 support is a shame for those hoping to upgrade to an 11^th Gen CPU that also isn’t supported. While there is an onboard slot for a Wi-Fi card, it doesn’t come filled, a fact that isn’t particularly well advertised and may confuse some unwary buyers.

The Asus TUF B450M-Pro Gaming is an AMD motherboard with the AM4 socket that supports Ryzen CPUs from gen 1, 2, and 3. It comes in the micro ATX form factor and uses the B450 chipset. There is plenty of USB connectivity with 5 USB 3.2 gen 1 ports, including one Type-C. There is also a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 port that offers twice the speed and 6 USB Gen 2.0 ports.

There are two M.2 slots that use PCIe gen 3 lanes. One of them uses the traditional 4 lanes, however, the other can only use two lanes, which means it can only offer half the bandwidth which will limit most M.2 SSDs. The three-year warranty is great for peace of mind though.

The Gigabyte B365M DS3H is an Intel motherboard that uses the LGA1151 socket and the B365 chipset meaning it supports 8^th and 9^th Gen Core CPUs. These CPUs may be hard to come across now but should also come at a discount as they are a few generations old. The dual BIOS is a nice touch that adds a layer of protection when performing a BIOS update.

While there are 6 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, which is a decent number there is no Type-C connector. There’s also no built-in Wi-Fi. There is an M.2 slot running at PCIe 3.0 speeds but no second slot. The fan headers support pumps and so can be used for water-cooling. A three-year warranty indicates solid build quality.

The ASRock H570 Phantom Gaming 4 is an Intel Motherboard featuring the LGA1200 socket and H570 chipset. It supports 10^th and 11^th gen CPUs. there are three M.2 slots, one of which only works with 11^th Gen CPUs at PCIe 4.0 speeds while the other two run at PCIe 3.0 speeds.

There are plenty of high-speed USB ports, including two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports one with a Type-A and one with a Type-C connector. There’s also a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port for even faster transfer speeds. There is a Wi-Fi adaptor port however, no module is included. Given the tech on this motherboard, it is reasonably priced, however, it is pretty pricy for a budget motherboard.

That was our roundup of the best budget motherboards in 2021. Have you recently bought a budget motherboard? Which model did you go for and what sold you on it?