Thursday, October 29, 2020
While NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070 GPU works just fine with PCIe 3.0 slots, it's best to grab a motherboard with a PCIe 4.0 slot to make the most of its graphical prowess. We've rounded up the best motherboards with PCIe 4.0 slots for both AMD and Intel processors.
Best AMD motherboards for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Premium X570
Editor's Pick
ASUS ROG Strix X570-E
The X570 is the go-to chipset for AMD processors if you want PCIe 4.0 support, and all other bells and whistles board vendors can throw into the feature list. This fine example from ASUS has it all, including Wi-Fi 6, M.2 slots, excellent power delivery for overclocking the latest AMD CPUs, as well as a dedicated water-pump header for custom loops.
Budget B550
ASRock B550M Steel Legend
The B550 is a little less advanced than the X570 chipset, but you still get PCI 4.0 support. The ASRock B550M Steel Legend also comes with a 10-phase power delivery design, which is pretty good for the price, as well as support for super-fast RAM and an M.2 slot for installing your favorite OS.
Entry X570
ASUS Prime X570-P
You don't have to spend so much on an X570 motherboard. ASUS also has the Prime X570-P, which is considerably more affordable than our top pick but still comes with PCIe 4.0 support, metal heatsinks for the VRMs, high-quality components, and more highlights for a stable, powerful AMD PC.
Enthusiast Build
ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Formula
The previous recommendation was to save a little, but this motherboard goes all out in terms of features and cost. We're talking enthusiast-grade here. This motherboard from ASUS has a solid power delivery design, M.2 slots, 5Gb LAN support, and even water-cooling support for its VRMs. You can create one amazing machine with this foundation.
Best Intel motherboards for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Intel doesn't officially support PCIe 4.0 yet but will offer the said functionality to match AMD with the launch of Rocket Lake processors. That hasn't stopped motherboard makers from preemptively adding PCIe 4.0 support into certain motherboards right now. So, while you can technically buy PCIe 4.0-ready motherboards for Intel CPUs, you'll be stuck on PCIe 3.0 until the new CPUs launch.
We'd recommend against buying an Intel motherboard right now for PCIe 4.0 support. Not until Intel launches its new Rocket Lake processors. If you absolutely must buy a new motherboard today for a 10th Gen Intel CPU, we've rounded up a few of our current favorites.
Best Overall
Staff Pick
ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming
The Z490 is the chipset for Intel-based PCs right now, and this motherboard from ASUS has it all at a solid price. You've got plenty of features, including 2.5Gb LAN and Wi-Fi 6, as well as a great power delivery setup for a reliable overclock-friendly PC build. Other ports include DisplayPort, HDMI, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 (three USB-A and one USB-C), two USB 3.2 Gen 1, and four USB 2.0.
Runner-up
MSI MEG Z490 Unify
Like our top ASUS pick, this MSI motherboard comes rocking the same Z490 chipset, making it a perfect match for 10th Gen Intel CPUs. This motherboard has plenty going for it, including a solid price, reliable 16 phase power delivery, plenty of VRM cooling, expansion, and more. On the rear, you'll find PS/2 ports, 2.5G LAN, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port.
Value Pick
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus
This Z490 still rocks a killer chipset for Intel processors but comes at a more affordable price. You get excellent power delivery, cooled VRMs with some beefy heatsinks, as well as plenty of ports: PS/2, one USD 3.2 Gen 2 port, 2.5Gb LAN, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, Optical S/PDIF, and finally two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.
For Enthusiasts
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490
This is an insane motherboard with plenty of high-end, premium features. You've got amazing overclocking support with stable power delivery and enough cooling for all the crucial components. There's also 5Gb LAN (as well as a 1Gb port), HDMI, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Optical S/PDIF, and even Wi-Fi.
Compact Builds
ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I Gaming
If you want to build a compact PC, you'll need an ITX motherboard. This small little package has a lot going for it, including the same Z490 chipset in the larger motherboards here. Not only is it small, but you get a full PCIe slot for a GPU, as well as 2.5Gb LAN, DisplayPort, HDMI, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one being a Type-C), two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a Wi-Fi 6 module.
Choosing the best motherboard for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070
If you want to build an entirely new system right now and must have PCIe 4.0, we'd recommend AMD since its Ryzen 3000 series processors already support the feature on X570 and B550 chipset motherboards. The ASUS ROG Strix X570-E is overall a brilliant motherboard with everything you need for a capable PC.
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