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Even though performance is the most important aspect of every PC component, RGB adds something unique to your gaming experience. Not long ago, gamers used to manually install this to their PC cases. Today, motherboards are designed to support this flashy feature. Sure, it doesn’t add to your PC’s core functionality, but it looks cool!
Today, we’ve gathered the best RGB motherboards for Intel and AMD CPUs. These boards only pack current chipsets. We have a selection of Z490, X570, B550, and one B460 board. We also have picks ranging from budget to high-end categories. Finally, we’ve covered all three major form factors (ATX, mAXT, ITX) with at least one board.
Before we begin, let’s make it clear that this is a piece about the best RGB boards, not about the best boards when it comes to VRM or specs. Bear that in mind since we have a couple of picks that don’t have the best hardware. If you like RGB, you can check out our guides for the best RGB case fans and best RGB cases. We also have the guide for the best white graphics cards. Check it out since white GPUs look great when combined with a ton of RGB.
ASRock Z490 Extreme4: Best budget Z490 RGB motherboard
The ASRock Z490 Extreme4 has a solid VRM and specs, but it also has amazing RGB effects. The board is at the moment placed a bit above the most affordable Z490 models. If you want the best value Z490 RGB motherboard, this is the one to get.
The Z490 Extreme4 is filled with RGB LEDs which you can find on the backplate, below the chipset heatsink, and on top of the rear panel shroud. Together, they create a light show that’s quite flashy.
When it comes to specs, the Z490 Extreme4 isn’t that bad. It features a solid (10+1 phase) VRM unit that should be able to run something like the 10600K without issues. With that said, we wouldn’t recommend running the Core i9-10900K on this board, maybe on stock clocks and with MCE disabled.
Other than the okayish VRM, this board has support for up to 4266 MT/s DDR4 memory, and it packs two M.2 and six SATA III ports. You also get 2 PCIe x16 slots and three PCIe x1 slots along with support for Crossfire. When it comes to connectivity, you have 2.5Gb LAN along with a dedicated M.2 slot for a Wi-Fi card.
The rear panel hosts only four USB 3.2 ports along with two USB 2.0 ports. Overall, this board’s not great when it comes to the hardware, but that RGB light show looks amazing.
MSI MEG Z490 Ace: Best mid-range Z490 RGB motherboard
Mid-Range Z490 offering is quite rich, and the best RGB board here is the MSI MEG Z490 Ace. On the Ace, you have RGB LEDs installed on the chipset heat-sink and rear panel armor. No preinstalled LED strips, but you can install those later.
Hardware-wise, the Z490 Ace is a beast. This is a board for overclockers, and it shows. The VRM is beastly and won’t break a sweat even if you try pushing the 10900K to its limits. Memory support goes up to 4800 MT/s, and the board packs three M.2 slots (all have heatsinks) along with six SATA III ports.
You can also find three PCIe x16 slots along with 2 PCIe x1 slots with full support for SLI and Crossfire. The audio section features the ALC1220 Codec from Realtek coupled with the ESS SABRE9018Q2C combo DAC. This setup should provide crystal clear audio with the best possible sound quality.
When it comes to connectivity, the Z490 Ace doesn’t disappoint. Dual Gigabit LAN (1Gb+2.5Gb) is coupled with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. Finally, the rear panel, aside from the two LAN ports, hosts six USB 3.2 ports (one is USB-C) along with two USB 2.0 ports.
Since MSI designed this board for overclocking the hell out of the 10900K, the Z490 ACE packs a lot of OC-friendly features. You have the BIOS Flashback and clear CMOS buttons on the rear panel. You also have a POST code on the bottom of the board with power and reset buttons placed next to it. Finally, the Ace also packs multicolored debug LEDs.
MSI MEG Z490 Godlike: Best high-end Z490 RGB motherboard
The high-end segment of the Z490 motherboard market has a couple of extremely nice motherboards. There’s the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme and Apex, both of which have solid RGB effects. But the winner of the best high-end Z490 RGB motherboard price is the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike.
This is the ultimate board when it comes to the specs and features, as well as when it comes to RGB effects. You have a huge dragon found on the rear panel shroud accompanied by the Godlike logo on the chipset heat-sink. Finally, the board also has an OLED screen that replaces the POST code and debug LEDs that can also show various RGB effects.
When it comes to hardware, you get the best of the best with the Z490 Godlike. The VRM can run any 10th gen Intel CPU, and you can overclock the hell out of it. The memory support goes up to 5000 Mt/s DDR4. The board packs three M.2 slots, six SATA III ports, along with three PCIe x16 and one PCIe x1 slot with support for both SLI and Crossfire.
Connectivity options are plentiful. You have dual gigabit LAN (10Gb+2.5Gb) combined with a Wi-Fi 6 card that also includes Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. The audio section includes both the Realtek ALC1220 codec and ESS E9018 combo DAC.
Again, you should get crystal clear audio on this board. Finally, the rear panel is packed to the brim. There are six USB 3.2 ports, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a BIOS Flashback, and a clear CMOS button.
ASRock B450 Steel Legend: Best budget RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs
Over in the AMD camp, we have a selection of boards featuring the X570 and B550 chipsets. As was the case with Intel, we’ve picked the best RGB boards in the budget, mid-range, and high-end segments. We’ve also included one mATX and Mini-ITX pick.
The B450 Steel Legend is far from being the best budget board with the AM4 socket, but it is the best budget RGB motherboard. It features two RGB arrays found on the chipset heatsink and the rear panel armor. They aren’t the biggest LED arrays out there but are quite bright and filled with colorful LEDs.
When it comes to specs, B450 Steel Legend’s VRM (4+2 phase design) is enough only for something like the Ryzen 7 3700X. We would skip this board in case we were to get the 3900X or something like that. Aside from the mediocre VRM, the board’s specs aren’t that bad.
It supports DDR4 memory of up to 3533 MT/s, and comes with two M.2 slots and six SATA III ports. The board includes two PCIe x16 slots along with four PCIe x1 slots and Crossfire support.
You have 1Gb LAN along with the Realtek ALC892 audio-coded powering the audio section. Not great, but not quite terrible. Last but not least, we have the rear panel that hosts six USB 3.1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. Overall, this is a cheap and attractive board but do not pair it with anything more powerful than the 3700X.
ASRock B550 Extreme4: Best mid-range RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs
The mid-range segment of the Ryzen mobo market offers some nice RGB boards, with the winner being made by ASRock. The B550 Extreme4 features a ton of RGB LEDs. You can spot these on the chipset shroud and rear panel armor, and they offer excellent light shows.
When it comes to the hardware, the B550 Extreme4 isn’t that bad. It comes with an excellent VRM (12+2 phase design). You shouldn’t have any issues running any Ryzen CPU on it.
Other features include support for up to 4733 MT/s DDR4 memory, two M.2 slots, and six SATA III ports. You have two PCIe x15 slots and two PCIe x1 slots, along with support for AMD Crossfire.
Connectivity options include 2.5Gb LAN and a dedicated M.2 slot for Wi-Fi cards. The Realtek ALC1220 audio codec is responsible for the sound quality. This is a pretty good solution for a mid-range motherboard.
The rear panel hosts four USB 3.2 ports and four USB 2.0 ports. Finally, the B550 Extreme4 also comes with POST code and power and reset buttons installed directly on the PCB.
Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme: Best high-end RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs
While we’ve picked the absolute best X570 motherboard on the market as the best RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs, there’s a ton of excellent high-end AM4 boards that sport nice RGB LED arrays. However, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme is better than every other Ryzen board that features RGB LEDs.
This board is expensive as hell, and it packs everything you might need in a motherboard. First of all, we have two excellent RGB arrays placed over the chipset heat-sink and on top of the rear panel armor. They aren’t too big but have bright lights and look excellent.
The third RGB array is a small screen installed next to the board’s audio section. You get an excellent light show from the get-go. In case you want a brighter light-show you can install additional LED strips to further improve the RGB experience.
Hardware specs are top-notch, as expected. First of all, you have a high-end VRM capable of running any Ryzen CPU, overclocked or not. Next, the board has support for up to 4400 MT/s DDR4 memory; it packs three M.2 slots and six SATA III ports. You also have three PCIe x16 slots with support for SLI and Crossfire.
Connectivity options are as rich as they can be. There’s a 10Gb LAN port coupled with a second, 1Gb LAN port and a Wi-Fi 6 module that also includes Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The rear panel hosts eight USB 3.2 ports (one is USB-C) and four USB 2.0 ports. Sadly, there’s no Thunderbolt 3 here.
The audio section is flawless. The Realtek ALC1220-VB codec is at the helm. Next to it is the ESS SABRE9218 DAC chip. These two guarantee a super audio experience. Finally, the board has every OC-friendly feature. On the rear panel, you can find BIOS Flashback and clear CMOS buttons. Next, there’s the POST code along with the power and restart buttons. And, of course, you have debug LEDs.
ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming: Best Mini-ITX RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs
Last but not least is the best Mini-ITX RGB motherboard for Ryzen CPUs. The choice falls on the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming. The board features an attractive but rather small RGB LED array on the M.2 heatsink along with an RGB strip on the backplate. Overall, it all looks rather nice and gives a subtle RGB experience.
Hardware specs are great for an M-ITX board. You have a solid VRM (8+2 phase design) that should be enough to run any Ryzen CPU on stock clocks. Just watch about thermals. Next, the board supports DDR4 4800 MT/s and offers two M.2 slots (one is on the back of the board) along with four SATA III ports.
You also have one PCIe x16 slot, Intel gigabit (1Gb) LAN, and a Wi-Fi 6 card that includes Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The audio is powered by the SupremeFX S1220A audio codec. Finally, the rear panel hosts eight USB 3.2 ports, one of which is USB-C.
MSI MPG Z690 Edge: Best Z690 RGB motherboard for most users
The Z690 motherboard lineup includes a wide assortment of motherboards featuring RGB. If you’re looking for the best high-end RGB Z690 board that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, look no further than the Z690 Edge from MSI.
The RGB here won’t blow your mind. With that said, the large dragon combined with a second LED array just under the massive heat armor covering the chipset and M.2 slots should be bright enough to complement any RGB-heavy build.
The good news is that this board supports DDR4, so you won’t have to scour the scalping market for DDR5 sticks. The support includes DDR4 up to 5200 MT/s, way higher than the current Gear 1 (lower latencies and better performance) DDR4 limit of around 4000 MT/s.
The Z690 Edge comes with sixteen 75A CPU power phases. In other words, feel free to pair it with any Alder Lake CPU; you won’t encounter any thermal issues. Storage support includes four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots along with six SATA III ports. The board features four expansion slots in total: one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots working at x4, and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.
As for the connectivity options, you have a 2.5Gbps LAN support joined by Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The Realtek ALC 4080 powers the audio section. This is a pretty good solution that’s in line with other mid-range Z690 motherboards.
The rear I/O hosts eight USB ports in total (1xUSB-C 20Gbps; 5xUSB 10Gbps; 2xUSB 2.0), Wi-Fi antennas, RJ-45 port (LAN), HDMI + DisplayPort combo, and a selection of five audio jacks plus an optical out. As for the extra features, you have a BIOS flashback button on the rear I/O and four debug LEDs on the PCB.
Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master: Best high-end Z690 RGB motherboard
If you ask us, the best-looking Z690 motherboard in terms of RGB implementation is the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial. The close second is the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Xtreme. The issue here is that the first one costs as much as a solid used car, while the second one will knock almost four-figure worth of USD off your pocket.
If you don’t want to go broke after buying a motherboard but still want a high-end Z690 board with a ton of features, get the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master. This model has two large RGB LED arrays that together create an excellent light show. Not the best on the market but the best at a reasonable price.
Being a high-end Z690 model, the board supports DDR5, up to 6400 MT/s. The Z690 Aorus Master also comes with a complete overkill of a VRM with nineteen 105A CPU power phases. You could probably run two overclocked 12900K CPUs simultaneously on this board without staying below the thermal throttle limit.
If you plan to pair this board with the 12900K, make sure also to get an adequate cooling solution. Moving on to storage, you have five M.2 slots in total. Four of those are PCIe 4.0 with one PCIe 3.0 slot. The board also hosts six SATA III ports.
The Z690 Aorus Master is the cheapest motherboard to feature 10Gbps LAN. You also have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The audio section is based on the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec augmented with the ESS ES9118 DAC. Overall, a proper, high-end audio solution.
On the rear, you can find 11 USB ports (1xUSB-C 20Gbps;1xUSB-C 10Gbps; 5xUSB 10Gbps; 4xUSB 5Gbps), an RJ-45 slot, DisplayPort, Wi-Fi antennas, a BIOS flashback button, a clear CMOS button, and a selection of five audio jacks along with a S/PDIF (optical) out. When it comes to extra features, this board includes POST code and a power button on the PCB.
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