Choosing a CPU or a Graphics card for a system isn’t much of an issue since it is very clear from the start which platform will you be comfortable with i.e. AMD or Intel. Same with GPUs a little bit of research will help you buy the best bang for buck GPU which will give you a good price to performance ratio. But choosing a motherboard might be a little tough considering what you actually want to do with the board. If your requirements are minimal, any basic A520 motherboard will do, but if you want to go into overclocking then you will be needing a B550 or an X570 motherboard.
Almost all Ryzen processors support overclocking so if you want to overclock properly, a good B550/X570 motherboard is very much recommended. So I listed down the top 5 motherboards for AMD just under Rs.20000.
Asrock B550 Steel Legend
The B550 Steel Legend motherboard from ASRock.
The Steel Legend model promises the durability and reliability that the ASrock Motherboards offers with a steel design on the SSD Slots, Chipset & Graphics Card Slot. The Steel legend offers high-end features at a price point of around 17k. The motherboard supports both Zen 2+ & Zen 3 processors. It also has 4 RAM slots which support frequencies of up to 4733Mhz. The power is transferred over 14 Phase VRM. The top slot for graphics card is an x16 Slot with PCI-E 4.0. The storage options includes 6 SATA Ports and 2 M.2 Slots which is Gen4 ready.
- Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 3000, 4000 G-Series and 5000 Series Desktop Processors*
- 14 Power Phase Design, Digi Power, Dr. MOS
- Supports DDR4 4733+ (OC)
- 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1, 1 M.2 Key E for WiFi
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
- AMD CrossFireX™
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio
- 6 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x2 & SATA3)
- 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 (Rear Type A+C), 5 USB 3.2 Gen1 (2 Front, 2 Rear, 1 Front Type-C)
- Dragon 2.5G LAN
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
One of the best B550 boards in the market. Hands down. The Asus ROG Strix B550F Gaming motherboard supports the latest Ryzen processors. The board also supports RAMs of frequency up to 4400Mhz when overclocked.
A total of 128GB RAM can be supported but you will be needing four 32GB sticks. There are USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports (10Gb) on the back of the motherboard. The two other Gen2 ports present on them are USB Type-A and USB Type C. The power is trasferred over 12+2 Power Stages followed by an 8+4 EPS connectors. There is a single PCIe Gen4 x16 slot with other slots for expansion. The M.2 Storage is also PCIe Gen4 interface. The LAN is an Intel 2.5GB Ethernet with ASUS LanGuard. And for personalisation, ASUS is the best in terms of RGB. The ASUS Aura RGB is exceptionally good and makes this motherboard aesthetically good.
- Chipset: AMD B550
- Memory :4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 4400(O.C)/4133(O.C.)/4000(O.C.)/3866(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3200/3000/2800/2666 /2400/2133 MHz
- Graphic: Integrated Graphics Processor
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x HDMI 2.1(4K@60HZ) - Multi-GPU Support: Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX Technology
- Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 mode)
AMD B550 Chipset
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode) *
3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 - Storage: Total supports 2 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1 x M.2_1 socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support(SATA & PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
AMD B550 Chipset :
1 x M.2_2 socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)*
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)
Support Raid 0, 1, 10 - LAN: Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet ASUS LANGuard
- AudioROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220A
– Dual OP Amplifiers
– Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
– Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
– High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input
– Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback *
Audio Feature :
– SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
– Gold-plated jacks
– Optical S/PDIF in port(s) at the back panel
– Audio Shielding
– Premium Japanese audio capacitors
– Audio Cover
* Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-Bit/192kHz is not supported for 8-Channel audio. - USB Ports:
Rear USB Port ( Total 8 )
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s)(1 x Type-A +1 x USB Type-C®)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)(4 x Type-A)
2 x USB 2.0 port(s)
Front USB Port ( Total 6 )
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
4 x USB 2.0 port(s) - Back I/O Ports
1 x Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1 x Type-A+1 x USB Type-C®)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
2 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x BIOS FlashBack™ Button(s)
5 x Gold-plated audio jacks
ASUS Wi-Fi module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v5.0) - Internal I/O Ports1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x AIO_PUMP connector
1 x AAFP connector
2 x Aura RGB Strip Header(s)
1 x Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x M.2 Socket 1 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support(SATA & PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
1 x M.2 Socket 2 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x System panel(s)
1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
Asus TUF Gaming X570 PLUS
The TUF X570 Plus Gaming Motherboard from ASUS is an entry-level X570 from the brand itself and supposed to be the only X570 in this list. Priced just below Rs.20000, the X570 board Gaming Plus board supports the latest generation Ryzen processors. The RAM goes up to 4400Mhz when overclocked. For the power delivery, it is transferred over the 12+2 power stages followed by the 6 layers of PCB and fully Military-Grade TUF components. This board also features the Realtek L8200A Gigabit LAN with ASUS LANGuard & Turbo LAN Technology for internet Connectivity. The board is well built with some tasty ASUS Aura RGB all over.
| Specifications | |
| Socket | CPU | Socket 1331 | AMD AM4 3rd, 2nd & 1st Gen AMD Ryzen with VEGA Graphics |
| Chipset | AMD X570 |
| Memory Support | 4xDIMM DDR4 2133 – DDR4 4400(O.C.) (Dependent on CPU generation) |
| Storage | 8x SATA 6Gbps, 2x M.2 x4 ( PCIE 4.0 x4 2x 22110) |
| Audio | ALC S1200A |
| Expansion Slots | 2x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 CPU & x4 chipset), 3 x PCIe 4.0 x1 (x1 Electrical) |
| Connectivity | Gigabit Lan – Realtek L8200A |
| Rear Panel I/O | 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (C), 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 (A) |
| Total Fan Headers | 6x 4-pin (PWM/Voltage) |
| Power Connectors | 1x 24-pin EATX, 1x 8-pin 12V, 1x 4-pin 12V |
| Form Factor | ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm |
GIGABYTE B550M AORUS PRO
The B550M Aorus Pro Gaming Motherboard from Gigabyte is a Micro-ATX board and is the only m-ATX board in the list. First of all the size, it can be used both in ATX and small compact PC builds. This motherboard features a 10+3 Phase Power Delivery with an advanced thermal design and an enlarged Heatsink. This four slot supports RAM of upto 4000Mhz when overclocked (STABLE). The GPU slot is reinforced with steel so there should be minimum to no GPU sag. The motherboard also Supports Gigabyte RGB Fusion.
MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk
The final choice of our top 5 AMD Gaming Motherboards is the MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk. The Tomahawk is the best motherboard in this list. It incorporates some of the best features like the RAM speeds can hit up to 4866Mhz Overclocked. With the latest generation processors, both the M.2 and the PCIe features the Lightning Gen4 for faster data transfers. Dual Gigabit 2.5G LAN makes sure you have the best online experience and best gaming experience. The Thermal solution includes a large heat sink with a choke pad & copper PCB for the best cooling. The MSI Mystic Light provides the best of colors in your system. It also supports both RGB,ARGB and 16.8 million colors can be controlled with just one click! Priced Rs.130 more than the budget we mentioned but its well worth it!
Specifications
| Socket | AM4 |
|---|---|
| Chipset | B550 |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Voltage Regulator | 13 Phase (10+2+1) (60A MOSFETs) |
| Video Ports | HDMI, DisplayPort |
| USB Ports | (2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A and Type-C (10 Gbps), (2) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (5 Gbps), (2) USB 2.0, Type-A |
| Network Jacks | (1) 2.5 GbE, (1) 1 GbE |
| Audio Jacks | (5) Analog + SPDIF |
| Legacy Ports/Jacks | PS/2 |
| PCIe x16 | (1) v4.0 (x16), (1) v3.0 (x4) |
| PCIe x1 | (2) v3.0 (x4) |
| CrossFire/SLI | 2-Way CrossFire |
| DIMM slots | (4) DDR4 5100+(OC), 128GB Capacity |
| M.2 slots | (1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA + PCIe, (1) PCIe 3.0 x4 / PCIe Only |
| SATA Ports | (6) SATA3 6 Gbps |
| USB Headers | (1) USB v3.2 Gen 1, (2) USB v2.0 |
| Fan/Pump Headers | (8) 4-Pin |
| RGB Headers | (2) aRGB (3-pin), (2) RGB (4-pin) |
| Other Interfaces | FP-Audio, TPM |
| Diagnostics Panel | Yes (4 LEDs) |
| Internal Button/Switch | LED On/Off |
| Ethernet Controller(s) | Realtek 8125B (2.5 GbE), Realtek 8111H (1 GbE) |
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek ALC1200 |
So these are my picks for the Top 5 Gaming Motherboards for just under Rs.20000.
Thats all folks!
A 30-year-old avid gamer by choice dabbles in all things tech. Whether spending hours in single-player narrative-based games or going through the latest innovation in technology and chip manufacturing, he prefers to stay on top of things. At the other times, you’ll find him tucked away drumming and headbanging to Rock and Roll Classics.