Before starting, our previous buyer’s guides are here:
The article continues below the video:
Important notes about this guide
First off, this is primarily a video guide; we expect you watch the video, as that's where the in-depth information is contained. Think of the text version as a briefing or show notes. The depth is above, as it's done by Buildzoid, who works with us in a video-only format.
Second, note that this is strictly from the perspective of someone doing actual, real overclocks on their Ryzen CPUs. If you're just a daily user or don't know how to do much more than change a multiplier, different rules apply. Please keep the scope of the content in mind when determining if it is right for your needs.
($250-$350) The Best AM4 Motherboards for Overclocking
ASUS Crosshair VI Extreme (~$350 MSRP)
Buy the Crosshair VI Extreme on Amazon
Pros:
- A ton of extra fan headers, slightly wider than Hero
- Extra switches and jumpers for extreme overclocking
- 8+4-phase VRM with 60A IR power stages
- One of the strongest AM4 VRMs
Cons:
- Hero is much cheaper and has most the same features
- Lots of features that “normal” users would never use, but still pay for
ASUS Crosshair VI Hero (~$250 MSRP)
Buy the Crosshair VI Hero on Amazon
Pros
- 40A Dual N-FET VRM
- AM3 cooler mounting for older coolers
- Strong VRM (more than enough for Ryzen)
- Good IO options
Cons
- Cheaper boards can accomplish much of the same work
- VRM heatsinks need work
($190-$210) The Best Balanced AM4 Motherboards for Overclocking
Gigabyte X370 Gaming K7 (~$210 MSRP)
Buy the Gigabyte X370 Gaming K7 on Amazon
Pros
- Our top-choice motherboard for affordable, high-end Ryzen overclocking
- The best balance of features, VRM, OC support, and price
- Clock gen goes to 1/100th MHz accuracy
- Dual BIOS for redundancy and recovery
Cons
- POST code is in a bad location
- Not a particularly strong VRM (6+4 phase, IR3553 40A power stages); not bad, but not the best
ASUS Strix X370-F Gaming (~$190 MSRP)
Buy the ASUS Strix X370-F Gaming on Amazon
Pros
- 60A IR power stages
- 6-phase VCore
- Second highest motherboard for peak VRM current capability
- Great VRM
- Best overclocking motherboard for memory on AM4
Cons
- No POST code
- No buttons
($120-$170) The Best Budget AM4 Overclocking Motherboards
ASUS X370-Pro ($130 at time of publication)
Buy the ASUS X370 Pro on Amazon
Pros
- Much cheaper than the above options
- 40A Dual N-FETs, just like on the C6H, except 6-phases instead of 8
- Roughly on-par with the K7 in terms of VRM potential
- Strong VRM at a very low cost
Cons
- No dual-BIOS
- No POST code
- No buttons
- No clock gen
Gigabyte X370 Gaming K5 (~$135 at time of publication)
Buy the Gigabyte X370 Gaming K5 on Amazon
Pros
- Honorable mention: Keeps the K7 clock gen
- Trouble-shooting LEDs
- Dual-BIOS
Cons
- No POST code
- No buttons
- Anemic VRM
($75-$100) The Least Terrible Low-End AM4 Motherboards
ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4
Buy the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 on Amazon
Pros
- The least terrible low-end VRM
- 3-phase with a lot of MOSFETs
- Half-decent heatsink, still needs airflow
Cons
- Needs more airflow than normally, potentially
- Missing most features
For more technical analysis of each of these, watch our above video (featuring Buildzoid). We have timestamps in the video feed, so you can jump around as needed.
- Steve Burke & “Buildzoid”
- Timestamps by Andrew Coleman
