The new Zen 3 CPU Lineup has hit the shelves, with the Ryzen 9 5900X being arguably the best buy of the four CPUs offered at the launch. What’s great about the 5900X is its superb power optimization. This CPU can work on the majority of AM4 motherboards without issues. If you’re own some other CPU and need motherboard recommendations, do visit our motherboards section, it’s packed with quality buying guides.
All of you who plan on getting the 5900X are probably looking for the best motherboard to pair with your next CPU. Well, here you’ll find the best motherboards for Ryzen 9 5900X. Motherboard models with B550 and X570 chipsets should receive a BIOS update that will make them compatible with Zen 3 CPUs on day one. Now, while we didn’t include B450 boards on this list, some of them should work fine with the 5900X.
5900X owners should definitely visit our guide for the best CPU coolers for Ryzen 9 5900X. We also have a list of the best graphics cards for Ryzen 9 5900X. And if you’re still thinking about which type of case to use, read our full tower vs mid-tower case guide.
1. MSI X570 Tomahawk: Best value X570 motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
While we don’t recommend getting a budget X570 board for the 5900X, the mid-range market has plenty of great choices. Our recommendation for the best value X570 motherboard for the Ryzen 9 5900X goes to the MSI X570 Tomahawk. This is an amazing board with the superb build quality and high-end VRM.
You get support for fast memory, up to DDR4 4600 MT/s, six SATA III ports, and two M.2 slots. When it comes to expansions slots, you have two PCIe x16 slots accompanied by two PCIe x1 ports. When it comes to audio, The X570 Tomahawk features the Realtek ALC 1200 codec, which is a solid mid-range choice.
As for the connectivity options, you get 2.5Gb LAN on the MSI X570 Tomahawk. This is a pretty good deal since most budget and even mid-range X570 motherboards come with 1Gbps LAN chips.
The MSI Tomahawk comes with four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one of which is USB-C), two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a BIOS Flashback button. Not the most richly equipped rear I/O on the market but packed enough for most users.
2. MSI B550-A Pro: Best value B550 motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
When it comes to B550 motherboards, the situation is pretty similar to the one we have on the X570 market. The cheapest boards won’t work with the 5900X, so you have to pay a bit extra for a motherboard that can run the CPU.
The best budget B550 motherboard for the 5900X is the MSI B550-A Pro. This one’s only a bit more expensive than the cheapest B550 options while coming with decent specs and VRM good enough to run an overclocked 5900X without issues.
It can run DDR4 memory up to 4400 MT/s; it has two M.2 slots and six SATA III ports, dual PCIe x16 slots, and two PCIe x1 slots. Remember that B550 boards do come with PCIe 4.0 support, but only the primary PCIe x16 slot and the primary M.2 slot are PCIe 4.0 compatible. In case a B550 motherboard has more than one PCIe x16 and M.2 slot, secondary slots are only PCIe 3.0 compliant.
As for the audio section, it’s powered by the Realtek ALC892 audio codec, which is a pretty basic setup nowadays. Connectivity options include only gigabit LAN. As for the rear I/O, you’ll find two USB 3.2 gen2 ports (one of which is USB-C), two USB 3.2 gen1 ports, as well as four USB 2.0 ports.
Interestingly enough, the rear I/O also includes a flash BIOS button, which is a welcome extra at this price point. Overall, the B550-A Pro is a B550 motherboard with fantastic value. The only downside we can think of is the barebones audio setup.
3. Gigabyte B550 Vision D: Best high-end B550 motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
If you need even more features, the high-end market has lots of excellent choices. Do note that the B550 models listed here are more affordable than the high-end X570 boards.
They offer excellent specs for the price with superb VRMs, but their PCIe 4.0 support is limited. If you want multiple M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots as well as more USB 3.2 gen2 ports, get a high-end X570 motherboard.
We’re starting with the B550 lineup. Our choice for the best high-end B550 motherboard for the 5900X is the Gigabyte B550 Vision D. It looks gorgeous and packs pretty solid specs.
It can run DDR4 5200 MT/s memory and comes with two M.2 slots and four SATA III ports. When it comes to expansion slots, you get three PCIe x16 slots with support for multi GPU setups.
Moving on to the audio, the board packs the Realtek ALC1220 audio codec. Connectivity options include two gigabit LAN ports along with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless card that also includes Bluetooth 5 connectivity.
Finally, the rear I/O features two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, four USB 3.2 gen1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. A great advantage the B550 Vision D has over its peers is the inclusion of not one but two Thunderbolt 3 ports. If you need Thunderbolt 3 support on a B550 motherboard, this is the one to get.
4. ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero: Best high-end X570 motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
As for our high-end X570 picks, these are all expensive motherboards with a ton of extra features and superb VRMs. They are built to run any Ryzen CPU without issues, overclocked or not. Among these, the best high-end X570 board for the 5900X, in our opinion, is the ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero.
The board’s packed with features while selling at not that high a price, at least for a high-end Ryzen motherboard. Memory support goes up to 5100 MT/s DDR4. Storage ports include two M.2 slots and eight SATA III ports, which is just fine for a high-end X570 board.
The board comes with three PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. Out of those, the primary and secondary slots can work in x16 or x8 modes (dual x8 mode in SLI and Crossfire setups), while the tertiary x16 slot works at x8 speed. The Crosshair VIII Hero also packs a single PCIe x1 slot.
The audio section here is as good as it can get. It’s based on the ROG SupremeFX8 audio codec capable of delivering high-end audio. For even better quality, you have a built-in, ESS ES9023P DAC. Connectivity-wise, this motherboard packs dual LAN chips (2.5Gbps coupled with 1Gbps)
The rear I/O is packed to the brim. The board includes eight 10Gbps USB ports, one of which is USB-C. You’ve also got four 5Gbps USB ports. That’s twelve high-speed USB ports in total. Other ports on the rear side include two RJ-45 (LAN) ports, a selection of audio jacks along with an optical out, and the BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons.
The ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero also comes with a POST-code, debug LEDs, and all kinds of ASUS exclusive features. It also looks stunning. Overall, this is everything you need for your Ryzen 9 5900X CPU and more.
5. Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme: Best flagship motherboards for Ryzen 9 5900X
If you want the absolute best board money can buy to pair with the 5900X, there’s the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme. This motherboard has the best absolute best possible specs; it supports ultra-fast DDR4 memory, can host a ton of storage devices, and is great when it comes to connectivity options.
To put things into perspective, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme packs three M.2 slots; it features 10Gb LAN along with the secondary, 1Gbps option. The audio section is based on the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec and backed up with the ESS SABRE9218 DAC. The board has a ton of RGB, three PCIe x16 slots, and ten high-speed USB ports.
There are also extra features such as the BIOS flash button, debug LEDs, POST code, and more. Finally, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme looks like it came from the future. Yes, it’s too expensive, and yes, no one needs something as over-engineered as this motherboard, but if you want the absolute best motherboard for the 5900X, this is the best choice.
6. ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero: Best flagship motherboard for overclocking R9 5900X
The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is our pick for the best 5900X motherboard for overclocking the hell out of this CPU. The new ASUS board comes with a new OC system that allows Ryzen 5000 CPUs to keep their fast single-core boost clocks when playing games while applying all-core overclock during heavy multithreaded loads.
In other words, depending on the workload, your CPU will always adjust to achieve the best possible performance. The Crosshair VIII Dark Hero also comes with the POST code, debug LEDs, and a suite of PCB-mounted buttons for OC purposes such as the safe boot button.
The board looks great, with an all-black PCB, heatsinks, and other components along with nice RGB effects. Memory support goes up to DDR4 5100 MT/s, and the board’s 14+2-phase VRM is good enough to easily run even an extremely OCed R9 5950X.
Storage options include three M.2 slots and eight SATA III ports. you’ve got three PCIe x16 slots for expansion purposes. There’s also a single PCIe x1 slot here, which could be useful to some.
Connectivity options are aplenty. You have a dual gigabit (2.5Gb + 1Gb) LAN, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5. We really like the rear I/O on this board, which comes with eight USB 3.2 gen2 ports (one is USB-C) and four USB 3.2 gen1 ports.
If you need a ton of high-speed USB ports, you know which board to pick. Other than a dozen USB ports, the rear I/O also includes the flash BIOS and clear CMOS buttons. Overall, this is one of the best boards you can get for the 5900X and certainly the best choice for overclockers.
7. MSI B550M Mortar &: Best mATX motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
The X570 mATX offering is pretty slim, consisting of poor-quality boards. If you’re looking for a micro ATX board to pair with the 5900X, your choices are limited to B550 boards.
The best motherboard here is the MSI B550M Mortar. It’s a tightly packed board that supports 4400 MT/s DDR4 memory, comes with two M.2 slots and six SATA III ports, and features two PCIe x16 and two PCIe x1 ports.
The Realtek ALC1200 codec is responsible for audio, which is a solid option. When it comes to connectivity, you have one 2.5Gb LAN port. The rear I/O hosts two USB 3.2 gen2 ports (one is USB-C), two USB 3.2 gen1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports.
8. ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming: Best mini-ITX motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X
Finally, we’ve come to the best Mini-ITX board for the Ryzen 9 3900X, and that award goes to the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming.
This is a beast in a small form factor that has one of the best VRMs seen on a Mini-ITX motherboard. On top of that, you get support for DDR4 4800 MT/s, two M.2 slots, and four SATA III Ports.
The board has a single PCIe x16 port, and it comes with a pretty solid audio section powered by the S1220A audio codec. On the back end, you can find four USB 3.2 gen2 (one is USB-C), four USB 3.2 gen1 ports, and the usual selection of audio jacks. As for the connectivity, this board features gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.
If you need a case for an SFF build with this motherboard at its center, do read our list of the best Mini-ITX cases. We also have a guide for the best 240mm AIO liquid coolers, which should be a perfect pairing for an ITX case and ITX motherboard.
Ryzen 9 5900X motherboard compatibility
AMD made sure that Zen 3 CPUs can be installed on a wide range of AM4-compatible motherboards. For starters, B450 boards should receive their Zen 3 compatibility update sometime in January 2021.
If you want the get the 5900X on launch day, November 5, you have to either buy a B550 or X570 board. If you already have a high-quality B450 board such as the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max, our advice is to wait for the January BIOS update and then get a Zen 3 CPU.
There’s no need to get a new board unless you need PCIe 4.0 or want to get the 5900X on launch day. Finally, while A520 motherboards are technically compatible with Zen 3, you shouldn’t combine an A520 model with the 5900X.
While some A520 boards should run the 5900X without issues, you shouldn’t risk it. If you’re looking for a budget motherboard compatible with the 5900X, get a cheap B550 model.
