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The Ryzen 9 3900X is the penultimate 3rd gen Ryzen CPU from AMD, topped only by the 16-core/32-thread Ryzen 9 3950X. Now, AMD rates the Ryzen 9 3900X at 105 watts. This means you’ll need a quality board for this CPU. The good news is that there are several budget models with quality enough VRM that can support this CPU. If you’re not interested in the best motherboards for the 3900X but still want to learn more about them, visit our motherboards section. It contains a great number of informative articles about mobos.
Of course, there’s a bunch of mobo models that fit the bill, so we sifted through the offering and included the best picks on this list. We also found a quality mATX board and a couple of excellent Mini-ITX motherboards. Just remember that, ultimately, it all comes down to VRM and features. Let’s check out which boards have found their way into our list of the best motherboards for Ryzen 9 3900X.
The 3900X demands a quality cooling setup. After you’re done looking for motherboards, check out the guide for the best air cooler for Ryzen CPUs. If you want more budget-friendly motherboard options for the 3900X, we have a list of the best B550 motherboards for you to enjoy.
MSI B450 Tomahawk Max: Best budget B450 motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
If you don’t need a bunch of M.2 and SATA slots, if you’re fine with heatsinks covering only the VRM and chipset, and if you don’t care about Crossfire and SLI, check out MSI B450 Tomahawk Max. This is the best budget B450 motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X.
The board has a fantastic VRM for the price and comes with a nice set of features. Also, it’s pretty affordable. It will run 3900X fine on default clocks. Overclock the CPU only if you have a good airflow inside your case.
The B450 Tomahawk Max looks rather nice, without unnecessary details and with a couple of heatsinks covering VRM and chipset. DDR4 memory can run up to 4133 MT/s, which is pretty good. Storage-wise, you get one M.2 slot along with 6 SATAIII ports, as expected at this price point. The Realtek Gigabit LAN chip is responsible for networking.
There are two PCIe x16 slots. one of which works in x16 mode and another in x4 mode. The board also hosts 3 PCIe x1 slots for expansion cards. Finally, the audio section is okay. It’s powered by Realtek ALC892 Codec and supports up to 7.1-channel audio.
MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon: Best budget X470 motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
The MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon is a competitively priced X470 board with a VRM section that was ahead of its time, meaning it can host any 3rd gen Ryzen CPU. You should overclock the 3900X without issues. Overall, this is the best budget X470 motherboard you can find.
The board looks pretty attractive – an all-black design with a couple of grey details and subtle RGB effects on heatsinks. Memory support goes up to 3466 MT/s. Not great, but fast enough to get the most out of the 3900X.
There are three PCIe x16 slots in total. The first runs at x16, and the first two can run in x8/x8 mode in an SLI or Crossfire setup. The third x16 PCIe slot runs in x4 mode. There are also two PCIe x1 slots.
The board features two M.2 slots, one of which is armored, along with eight SATAIII ports. The Realtek ALC1220 Codec powers the audio section, and it supports 7.1-channel audio setups. The board has Gigabit LAN by Realtek.
ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus: Best value X570 motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
Check out our piece about the best boards for Ryzen 5 3600 to read why PCIe 4.0 support on X570 boards is mostly a gimmick, at least for now. On the other hand, an X570 board can offer a slew of other handy features for those who want it all. If you need extra features, feel free to get an X570 board. Our pick for the best value X570 motherboard sports a rather competitive price.
The ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus is a great motherboard with an excellent VRM that won’t break the bank. Another positive is that this board supports overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X without issues.
TUF board has support for 4400 MT/s memory, and it comes with two M.2 slots. A heat sink covers one of the slots. The boards also offer eight SATAIII ports and two PCIe x16 slots, one of which works in x16 mode and the other in x4 mode.
Gigabit LAN is powered by Realtek on the ASUS board. You also get a pretty solid audio department with 7.1-channel support. Overall, the TUF Gaming X570-Plus packs a lot for the money and is definitely one of the best X570 motherboards overall.
ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero: Best high-end motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
Now we’ve come to the big guns. Our best high-end 3900X motherboard pick features everything you need to build an overkill gaming rig.
The ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero sells at a noticeably lower price compared to other high-end X570 boards. However, the X570 Crosshair VIII Hero is packed with features and is a good choice as much pricier X570 models.
The VRM on this mobo isn’t designed the same as on the other high-end boards, but it’s still more than enough for the 3900X. OC and all. The board looks very sleek. Large heatsinks cover most of the lower part. Another set of chunky heatsinks are providing armor for the back panel. There are also a couple of RGB effects.
Memory support goes to 4400 MT/s DDR4. The three PCIe 4.0 x16 slots can work in x8/x8 mode when in SLI/Crossfire setup, with the third x16 slot working in x4 mode. There’s also one PCIe 4.0 x1 slot. The board comes with two M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots and eight SATAIII ports. We would’ve liked three M.2 slots at this price.
The ROG SupremeFX High Definition Audio Codec powers the audio section. It provides excellent playback quality and lots of extra features. Dual gigabit LAN is present here as well as a slew of extra features. BIOS flash, Clear CMOS button, lots of diagnostic LEDs, ASUS Aura RGB support, Safe Boot button, and more.
ASRock X570M Pro4: Best micro-ATX motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
There aren’t a lot of mATX boards out there capable of running the 3900X. The ASRock Steel Legend featured in our piece about best motherboards for 3700X and 3800X CPUs doesn’t have the VRM needed to run the 3900X.
The only X570 mATX board, the ASRock X570M Pro4, does fit the bill. It’s not great, but since the X570 mATX market is virtually nonexistent, this is the best X570 Micro-ATX board you can get for the 3900X.
Its VRM is good enough even for overclocking the 3900X. You can run DDR4 memory up to 4200 MT/s, and you also get two M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots. There are eight SATAIII connectors in total. The board also includes a third M.2 slot reserved for a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, which you can install separately.
There are two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The first works in x16 mode and the second in x4 mode. The Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec is responsible for the board’s audio section. The board doesn’t look like much. Simple black and grey design without any standout details. It should be fine for the 3900X.
MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC: Best Mini-ITX motherboard for Ryzen 9 3900X
The best Mini ITX board for the Ryzen 9 3900X is the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming. That board is excellent in all departments: superb VRM, excellent design, and lots of features. But the price it has on Amazon (when it’s available at all) is ludicrous. We cannot recommend it at the current price it sells for.
The second best board is the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact, but that one is also priced too high. Another issue is that the board isn’t actually an mITX model. Its form factor is DTX, which is 30mm longer than regular Mini ITX boards. That means this one won’t fit into most Mini-ITX cases.
Finally, the best bang for the buck choice is the MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC. This board has an amazing VRM for the price and a solid slew of features. But be careful when overclocking. Make sure to have good airflow or one small fan aimed directly at the VRM section.
The MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is an exceptional Mini-ITX board. First of all, it’s extremely affordable. Next, its VRM is so good it’s enough to run the 3900X at the base clock. You can even overclock the CPU if you have good enough airflow or a fan directly aimed at the VRM section of the board to keep it cool.
DDR4 memory can work up to 3466 MT/s. Next, the board has one M.2 slot along with four SATAIII ports. You also get one PCIe x16 slot. The audio section is a bit weak. The Realtek ALC887 Codec is a bit older, but it does support 7.1 channel systems.
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