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The Ryzen 5 3600 is the best budget gaming CPU you can get right now. Ryzen 5000 CPUs are quite pricier, although they feature much better gaming performance. On the other hand, the 3600 is still great for games, even high-end gaming, and pretty solid for productivity tasks. The R5 3600 doesn’t require an expensive motherboard to work to its limits. Any quality board will do just fine. If you want to find out more about motherboards, do visit our motherboards section. It features articles that answer many motherboard-related questions.
The CPU is rated at 65 W TDP. This means you don’t have to worry about top-of-the-line VRM (voltage regulating module) or a bunch of extra features when buying a board to couple with the Ryzen 5 3600. But that doesn’t mean getting the first board on the search queue. There are plenty of quality boards out there that don’t cost a fortune. Today, we found the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600 you can get right now. You have budget choices, but we also included a couple of sorta high-end choices.
What we didn’t do, was including ultra-expensive X570 boards. If you want an expensive X570 board to couple with the Ryzen 5 3600, then you should check our list of the best X570 motherboards. If you want a B550 motherboard, visit our guide for the best B550 motherboards. Finally, here’s a list of the best air coolers for Ryzen CPUs.
1. Gigabyte B450M DS3H: Best budget mATX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
The Gigabyte B450M DS3H is a dirt-cheap motherboard that won’t have any trouble running Ryzen 5 3600. Just don’t think about overclocking. Overall, this is the best mATX board for the R5 3600 on the budget market.
You get 4 DIMM slots supporting memory up to 3600 MT/s, which is pretty good. The board features two PCIe x16 slots, but only one of those runs at x16. Yes, there’s the official support for AMD Crossfire. The only issue is that Crossfire won’t work in full.
The board also has gigabit LAN, one M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs, 4 SATA III connectors, and support for 7.1 audio. You also get support for RGB Fusion LED strips, and two video connectors for integrated graphics, allowing for a multi-monitor setup.
2. MSI B450 Tomahawk Max: Best budget motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
The MSI B450 Tomahawk Max is the best value motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600. It’s noticeably more expensive than the Gigabyte B450M DS3H, but it does come with many advantages. First of all, it supports 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs out of the box. Next, its VRM is excellent for the price. You can replace the Ryzen 3 3600 with anything below the Ryzen 9 3950X.
This board also looks pretty nice. Black and grey colors without any flashy details are a perfect combo. When it comes to memory and storage, there’s a lot – support for up to 4133 MT/s DDR4 memory, 6 SATAIII connectors, and one M.2 slot. The back panel hosts DVI and HDMI connectors for multimonitor setup in case you use integrated GPU.
There’s also a gigabit LAN by Realtek and a solid audio compartment powered by Realtek ALC892 Codec. It comes with native 7.1 surround sound support. One PCIe 3.0 slot supports full, x16 speed, and the other, which is a PCIe 2.0 x16, supports x4 speed. Other than that, there are also 3 PCIe 2.0 x1 slots for expansion cards. Finally, there are four 4-pin fan connectors, which we always like to see.
3. Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro WiFi: Best budget WiFi motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
If you need an alternative for the B450 Tomahawk because you want a Wi-Fi module, check out the Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro WiFi. It has a solid VRM that can host any six-core or eight-core CPU. Next, this one looks better than the Tomahawk Max. Brushed metal and black details with lots of lights and AORUS branding are slick and very attractive.
DDR4 memory can run up to 3600 MT/s. Six SATA III connectors and 2 M.2 slots mean lots of storage. The back panel comes with 7.1 audio, thanks to the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec. One PCIe slot runs at full x16 speed. The second and third PCIe slots are working at x4 and x1 speed. Finally, there’s one PCIe x1 slot.
The board comes with Bluetooth 4.2 module and Wi-Fi support, along with an Intel gigabit LAN chip. Overall, this is a solid board for the price. It’s about 15 percent more expensive than the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max. While it does offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, its VRM is a bit weaker than on the MSI model.
4. MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon: Best high-end X470 motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
The MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon is based on the last-gen flagship chipset, but it still packs serious power. The VRM unit is enough for any 3rd gen Ryzen CPU on the market. Memory support goes to 3466 MT/s. Storage-wise, you get 2 M.2 slots (one supporting PCIe 3.0 and one PCIe 2.0) and 8 SATAIII ports.
The audio is pretty good. 7.1 surround sound powered by Realtek ALC1220 Codec. Next, we have the Intel Gigabit LAN controller along with one HDMI and one DisplayPort on the back for a multimonitor setup with iGPU.
There are two PCIe x 16 slots, which can work in x8/x8 mode. There’s one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot working in x4 mode. You also get 2xPCIe x1 slots. The board supports 3-way AMD Crossfire and 2-way SLI. Finally, the design is pretty good – lots of RGB lighting, black and silver coloring, and lots of heatsinks.
5. ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus: Best X570 motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
If you want an X570 board, the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus is the best X570 mobo for the R5 3600 on the market right now. The VRM (12+2 phases) unit is taken from much more expensive models and can run any 3rd gen Ryzen CPU, along with overclocking and all. The design is excellent. Black, yellow, and gray with a couple of LEDs look minimalistic but very attractive.
The board supports DDR4 memory up to 4400 MT/s. Next, you have 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots along with 8 SATAIII connectors. Expansion slots include 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 4.0 x16 working in x4 mode, and two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots. There’s also gigabit LAN. The board supports AMD Crossfire. The Wi-Fi version of this board comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 modules, but it costs noticeably more.
The audio section is excellent. 7.1 surround sound powered by Realtek ALC S1200A 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC provides studio-like sound quality. The board supports the ASUS Aura RGB platform.
Overall, this board is a steal at this price. You won’t find a better board from ASUS unless you look for models costing 50 percent more. A perfect motherboard for users who want to upgrade to a Ryzen 9 3900X or 3950X in a couple of years from now.
6. Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite WiFi: Best WiFi motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
The best motherboard for the Ryzen 5 3600 that’s packing Wi-Fi support is the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite WiFi. The VRM is a 12+2 phases unit that shouldn’t have a problem running the most powerful 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs. DDR4 memory speed can go up to 4000 MT/s.
You get 2 M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots accompanied by 6 SATA III connectors. The board hosts 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and one PCIe 4.0 x16 running at x4. There are also 2 PCIe x1 slots supporting PCIe 4.0. The board supports AMD Crossfire. When it comes to connectivity, there’s Intel Gigabit LAN, Wi-FI module, and Bluetooth 4.2 module.
It’s worth noting that this board comes with only two fan headers (most other models shown here come with four fan headers) and an HDMI port. So, there’s no multi-monitor option in case you use iGPU. The design is excellent. AORUS branding, dark grey color along with orange details and subtle LED light looks very nice.
7. MSI B450M Gaming Plus: Best micro-ATX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
If you plan on getting a Ryzen 5 3600 and don’t want to spend lots of money on the board, just get the Gigabyte B450M DS3H and be done with it. But, if you plan on upgrading the CPU down the line and need an affordable yet quality Micro ATX board, check out the MSI B450M Gaming Plus motherboard. This is the best overall mATX board for the R5 3600.
Its VRM isn’t great, but it should run Ryzen 7 CPUs, let alone the 3600, without issues. Storage options are pretty solid. One M.2 slot coupled with 4 SATA III connectors. The board features one PCIe x16 slot along with 2 PCIe x1 slots. Enough for the price. Realtek ALC887 Codec is responsible for the sound, which comes with 7.1 surround support.
Next, we have the Realtek Gigabit LAN controller along with DMI and HDMI ports on the back for multimonitor support when running integrated graphics. Design is the same as other MSI gaming plus boards. That means aggressive, with lots of red coloring. Okay, but nothing to write home about.
8. MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC: Best Mini-ITX motherboard for Ryzen 5 3600
If you want a Mini-ITX board for your new Ryzen 5 3600, the MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is hands down the best ITX motherboard for the 3600. There are other quality mITX boards out there for 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs, but they are much, much more expensive and aren’t worth the investment. They only make sense if you go with high-end Ryzen CPU models.
Anyway, this board has a solid VRM for a mini-ITX model. It can support Ryzen 7 models, but we won’t go that far and advise you to run Ryzen 9 CPUs on this board. There are only 2 DIMM slots here. In other words, the usual story for an mITX board. DDR4 memory can run at 3466 MT/s, fast enough for 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs.
Storage slots include one M.2 slot along with 4 SATA III connectors. The board hosts one PCIe x16 slot, and that’s about it when it comes to expansion slots. The audio department is solid. 7.1 audio powered by Realtek ALC887 Codec.
Next, we have Realtek Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2 module. You have one HDMI, and one DisplayPort on the back for multimonitor support in case you use iGPU and the board features just one fan header. The design is a bit aggressive, but the board’s far from being unattractive.
Picking the right motherboard
The main new technology offered on X570 boards is PCIe 4.0. The thing is, you don’t need it right now. SSDs utilizing PCIe don’t have an advantage over regular PCIe 3.0 and SATA SSDs. Next, even the most powerful video card at the moment, the RTX 2080 Ti, doesn’t utilize PCIe 3.0 bandwidth to its limit. And games certainly won’t run faster if you have PCIe 4.0 support.
On the other hand, PCIe 4.0 might come in handy in the future. While RTX 3xxx and Radeon Navi 20 cards should pack much more power than the current offerings, they shouldn’t be limited with PCIe 3.0. But cards showing up in 2021 and later could utilize the extra bandwidth that comes with PCIe 4.0.
Also, while current SSDs don’t benefit from PCIe 4.0, future models might. After all, both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 utilize high-speed SSDs so PC gaming could also benefit from extra speed. But, again, that won’t happen until 2021.
Most B450 and X470 boards don’t support 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs out of the box. You need to update their BIOS before being able to use 3rd gen processors. And to update BIOS, you have to hook the board with the 1st or 2nd gen Ryzen CPU and start the system.
Some models support USB BIOS Flashback, allowing users to update BIOS without the CPU. But, in most cases, that’s not an option. So, if you decide to get a B450 or X470 board, ask the seller to update the board BIOS for you. Don’t forget that.
If you need a basic board there are a couple of great choices out there. They’re affordable but don’t provide a bunch of features. Also, if you pick a basic board you’ll be left with limited upgrade options.
You’ll be able to replace your Ryzen 5 3600 with an 8-core CPU, but that’s it. On the other hand, for just a couple of dozen bucks more, you have some great choices that can support even 12 core CPUs.
