The Ryzen 7 3700X is a high-end processor and thus, is best paired with a powerful motherboard that can handle the power draw of the 3700X. Checking the compatibility is the first step, which can be achieved using our motherboard compatibility guide. Especially when overclocked, the Ryzen 7 3700X requires a clean, stable current from the motherboard’s VRM for it to hit high clock speeds in a stable fashion. This means that the motherboard choice for the 3700X matters a lot and should be considered carefully if you are building a new gaming PC with the Ryzen 7 3700X in 2022. There are many contenders for this title, some of which are common with our choices for the motherboards for Ryzen 5000 series, but we have to filter them according to our shopping tips and buying guide. Robust VRM design is our priority for the 3700X, but we are also looking for high-end features such as multiple M.2 slots, numerous USB ports, and high RAM compatibility.
How To Select Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700x
Motherboard lays the foundation of a computer system. It is one of the most crucial PC components that many builders cut corners on and blindly trust the “gaming features” listed on the manufacturer’s box. Manufacturers don’t really provide the details necessary to clear up our minds before we make our final decision apart from the chipset, RGB, Wi-Fi, and ability to overclock. Making the wrong choice, such as pairing a high-end Ryzen 9 processor with an A320 motherboard, can have catastrophic effects down the line. So let’s have a look at some important factors that enable you to make an informed decision for your future build.
VRM Design
Voltage Regulator Modules (VRM) are responsible for power delivery to your CPU. It steps down the voltage coming from the PSU to operate the CPU in safe conditions. It is extremely important to focus on VRMs when shopping for a motherboard. The quality and design of the VRM can greatly affect CPU performance. Good quality VRMs are long-lasting, stably maintain higher power delivery and overclocks. Poor quality VRMs on the other hand are unstable, cannot maintain high power delivery, and can be a risk for the life of the CPU. Moreover, the high-end motherboards are equipped with heatsinks to pull heat away from the VRMs, further ensuring longevity and stability. One of the easiest ways to differentiate good motherboards from mediocre ones is by looking at the number of VRMs and power phases. Sadly many people are unaware of what VRMs are, and how they work, which often leads to poor decisions in the shopping or buying process.
Upgradability
Many people want to future-proof their builds, reducing the need to change the components whenever upgrading to something better and newer. Fortunately upgrading on an AMD motherboard is easy since one chipset is compatible with many generations of AMD Processors. If you are on a short budget and want to upgrade to some newer hardware, such as upgrading from the Ryzen 2000 to 5000 then yes you should look for compatible motherboards. Motherboards such as B550, A520, and X570 officially support CPUs from Zen 2 and Zen 3 lineups. Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 3700x at a glance:
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HeroGigabyte X570 Aorus MasterMSI MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFiASRock X570 Phantom GamingMSI MAG B550M Mortar
5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 3700X In 2022
In 2022, it is easy to get misled or distracted by the amount of marketing jargon that is rampant on the product pages of motherboards on online retail sites. Not only do these tactics mislead the consumer and force him to spend more money on the motherboard, but they also lead the consumer into buying a board or go for shipping tips, that is not ideal for their particular use case. The best motherboards for Ryzen 7 3700X or X570 Motherboard has to be the one that perfectly fits your particular use-case, and for most people with this CPU, that use case is basically centered around gaming and light productivity such as streaming. The Crosshair series from ASUS is the flagship motherboard lineup that targets overclockers and offers some extremely sturdy and premium boards. The ASUS Crosshair Hero is one of the more reasonable boards in this lineup but still packs a premium punch for even the most hardcore of overclockers. It does omit some really niche features from other Crosshair boards, but those are not really necessary when paired with the Ryzen 7 3700X.
The Crosshair Hero VIII features 4 DIMM slots which can support a total of 128GB of RAM and frequencies of up to 4800 MHz. Not only that, strong VRM can handle memory overclocking as well. Speaking of the power delivery, the Crosshair Hero packs one of the most robust VRM designs of any X570 motherboard, and one that is ideal for extreme overclocking. In fact, its power delivery is comparable to some of the best X399/TR4 motherboards on the market as well. The motherboard’s powerful 8-phase VRM design enables it to handle the Ryzen 7 3700X with ease, even when overclocked. In addition to that, ASUS has also included plenty of nice-to-have features such as BIOS Flashback, onboard thermal sensors, onboard power button, and reset switch. Moving on to storage, the Crosshair Hero VIII can support a pair of NVMe drives, both of which support full PCIe Gen 4 operation thanks to the PCIe lanes provided by the Ryzen 7 3700X and the chipset itself. The PCIe 4.0 support is a major upgrade of the X570 chipset over the older X470 motherboards. SATA storage is also taken care of by the 8 onboard SATA ports which can be used to plug in SATA SSDs or mechanical hard drives. Additionally, the board also features 10 USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C connector for the front panel, Gigabit Ethernet, as well as WiFi for wireless connectivity. In terms of looks, the Crosshair Hero VIII does not disappoint either. It has a clean, color-neutral, stealthy look with big, extensive heatsinks over the VRM components. RGB implementation is tasteful and helps the user personalize the look of the board to their liking. I/O shield of the board is pre-installed, and M.2 drives are covered by full metal M.2 heatsinks which clean up the look of the board even more. All in all, the Crosshair Hero VIII is an incredibly premium board from ASUS and thus demands a pretty premium price tag. While it might be a bit pricy in the first investment, it definitely presents itself as a contender for the title of the best motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X. Continuing our shopping list and buying guide with another premium motherboard, we have the Gigabyte AORUS Master X570. The AORUS lineup has always provided some pretty solid motherboards when it comes to AMD chipsets, and the Master X570 Motherboard is no exception. Armed with a superb 14-phase VRM design and premium components all over the board, the X570 AORUS Master aims to provide unrivaled CPU overclocking performance.
The power delivery system of the AORUS Master X570 Motherboard is certainly capable enough to handle a Ryzen 7 3700X even under heavy overclocks. The AORUS Master also has great memory support as it is capable of running 4 DIMMS up to 128GB, clocked as high as 4400MHz with memory overclocking. The board also features 3 PCIe Gen 4 x16 slots which support SLI configuration for two GPUs. The AORUS Master is also very capable in other areas such as storage and connectivity. Gigabyte has provided 3 M.2 slots in this particular motherboard, which makes it a great choice for people with lots of storage devices. The only drawback of this feature is that only 4 SATA ports are available when all the M.2 drives are populated. Aesthetically, the AORUS Master is certainly an attractive board, especially for the price. The board looks quite neutral and features large heatsinks over the VRMs and the chipset, and those help the board achieve a clean look. There is a small helping of RGB as well which is concentrated mostly on the IO cover adjacent to the VRM heatsinks. The lighting can be configured using Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion software of course. Keeping that in mind, the AORUS Master X570 is certainly more than capable of handling the Ryzen 7 3700X. Its excellent power delivery system is able to keep the CPU fed with clean, stable power, and there are several other features as well that make it a fantastic option. The overclocking prowess certainly makes it a contender for the title of the best overclocking motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X. The AORUS Master X570 should be your default choice if you can afford it. MSI really dropped the ball with their initial X570 releases with boards like the X570A-Pro which delivered worse VRM performance than even the budget B450 offerings from rivals. This came as a nasty surprise for the enthusiasts of the brand that were used to some high-quality motherboard offerings from MSI in the past such as the now venerable MSI B450 Tomahawk, which is one of the best B450 motherboards out there. However, with the release of the X570 Tomahawk, MSI aimed to redeem itself and the whole X570 line.
As expected, the almost magical “Tomahawk” moniker turned the X570 Tomahawk into a success. Featuring a VRM layout that rivals the much more expensive MSI X570 UNIFY and the aforementioned AORUS Master X570, the Tomahawk is powerful enough to handle any AMD CPU, even today in 2022. This makes it an excellent option for the versatile Ryzen 7 3700X, as enthusiasts should have no problem hitting high overclocks with this board. In terms of features, the X570 Tomahawk is adequately equipped. MSI has included an 8+4 pin ATX 12V CPU power connector to allow the CPU more power for overclocking. 2 M.2 Slots are also provided, both of which support PCIe Gen 4 technology. Plenty of USB ports, SATA ports, 2.5 GbE Ethernet, and Wi-Fi are also included in the X570 Tomahawk in terms of connectivity. As far as aesthetics go, the MSI X570 Tomahawk looks like it was designed with a tank in mind. It sports a plain, rugged design that does not look unattractive, however, it offers nothing special for enthusiasts as well. The RGB strip is placed on the backside of the motherboard which is also a questionable placement since it can’t be seen clearly in that position. If you are also looking for WiFi Support Motherboard for 3700x, this seals the deal. The MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk is a versatile motherboard with a really overbuilt VRM design that should perfectly suit the Ryzen 7 3700X given its gaming motherboard proposition. In fact, it might just be the best gaming motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X in this price range. Although it does lack some bells and whistles when compared to the more expensive options, its lower price makes it an absolute bargain in 2022. If you are looking to pair the Ryzen 7 3700X with a Mini-ITX board in a compact Mini-ITX case then the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX board is the one for you. Pairing a mini-ITX board with a powerful and versatile CPU such as the 3700X opens up a world of possibilities in terms of performance and choice.
The X570 Phantom Gaming ITX has one of the finest VRM designs of any X570 board, let alone any mini-ITX board. The board can handle the Ryzen 7 3700X quite easily, which is a remarkable feat considering the size and form factor. The Phantom Gaming X570 also features 2 DIMM slots with support for 64GB RAM running at up to 4533 MHz frequency. There is a single PCIe Gen 4 graphics card slot on the board, which should be enough for most people as well. ASRock has also included 1 PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slot and 4 SATA ports for storage, while Thunderbolt 3, Gigabit LAN, and Wi-Fi also make up the list of features. In terms of aesthetics, the board is nice-looking with some aggressive red and black accents on the IO cover and the various heatsinks on the board. There is a bit of RGB lighting present at the lower end of the board as well, which enhances the customization potential a bit. However, being a mini-ITX board, the focus lies more on the form factor and size rather than the aesthetics as far as enthusiasts are concerned. All in all, the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming can be a perfect partner for a Ryzen 7 3700X if you are looking to build a compact, SFF mini-ITX build. It is quite simply, the best mini-ITX motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X in this market category. Not only does it have great power delivery, but it also provides plenty of features that one would otherwise miss by going with the mini-ITX form factor, which makes it an excellent buying option. Last in our Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 3700x list is the MSI B550M Mortar rounds up our list with an interesting selection for the Ryzen 7 3700X. Since the B550M Mortar is a budget-oriented motherboard, it should perfectly accompany the value-oriented CPU choice for a build that aims to maximize the bang-for-the-buck factor.
The MAG B550M Mortar also furthers the legacy of the B450 Tomahawk by carrying an impressive VRM design in a budget-oriented motherboard. In fact, it is one of the best B550 motherboards out there, period. Possibly the best thing about the B550M Mortar is its impressive VRM design. Although with a price tag of around $150, the MSI B550M Mortar is certainly not a premium motherboard, it carries a very impressive power delivery system for the price. Even overclocking the Ryzen 7 3700X with moderate limits should be perfectly doable on the B550M Mortar. The 8+2+1 phase design would pair nicely with this CPU to form a mid-range to high-end build in 2022. Features are also plentiful in the B550M considering the price point. The board is in the micro-ATX form factor but still contains 4 DIMM slots which can support 128GB of RAM running at up to 4400 MHz speeds. There are 6 SATA 6GB/s ports on the board along with 2 M.2 slots, which is again impressive for a B550 mATX motherboard. MSI has also provided 2.5 GbE Ethernet in the Mortar, but there are no Wi-Fi capabilities on the board (although that can be fixed with an aftermarket PCIe WiFi card), and the USB ports are quite a few in number as well. More Affordable AMD motherboards: Budget AM4 Motherboards Under $100 While it may not be the most premium option on the market with all the bells and whistles, the B550M Mortar from MSI would make a perfect pair with the Ryzen 7 3700X if you are shopping on a fairly tight budget, making it the best budget motherboard for Ryzen 7 3700X. Even at this price point, the B550M Mortar packs a strong punch and delivers excellent value, even if it has a few features missing here and there.
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