Best Budget Motherboard: Complete Reviews With Comparisons
Building a new-age PC from scratch does not have to be expensive as long as you understand what you want to put into the build.
For starters, the best budget motherboards can help you assemble a desktop computer that works well for your needs.
If you know what you’re after, you can carefully distribute parts of your budget where it is much needed.
We have five great low-priced motherboards that can more than qualify for a future-proofed PC build.
Comparison Chart
Budget Motherboard Reviews
1. ASRock B550M Pro4
The ASRock Pro Series presents the B550M Pro4, one of its latest motherboards in their B550 lineup.
It is a micro-ATX motherboard with a solid capacitor design and a 2-ounce copper PCB.
This motherboard has a black and white color scheme with massive aluminum shrouds covering the IO area, the PCH, and the M.2 slots.
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Review
Overall, the B550M Pro4 is a great-looking, small form factor board with lots of peripheral lighting and cooling connectors.
It is a feature-packed board, and yet, it comes at a very affordable price point.
- Main Connectors
This motherboard supports CPUs belonging to AMD Ryzen’s 3000, 3000-G, 4000-G, 5000, and 5000-G Series.
With a Vermeer, Matisse, Cezanne, or Renoir CPU, stock memory clocks can run up to 3200MHz.
Moreover, overclocking can provide memory speeds up to 4733MHz depending on the CPU pairing.
With four DDR4 DIMM slots, this board can support a maximum RAM capacity of 128GB.
Expansion sockets include two x16 sockets, one x1 slot, and one M.2 socket.
With CrossFireX, you can use both full-sized sockets for dual GPUs or add a third GPU to the x1 socket for a Quad-GPU setup.
If you need wireless connectivity, you can install a type-2230 PCIe WiFi module on the M.2 expansion socket.
For storage, you can attach up to six SATA 6Gbps storage drives and one M.2 module, or four SATA drives and two M.2 modules.
Since the M.2_2 socket shares lanes with SATA_5 and SATA_6, installing a device on the M.2_2 socket disables the SATA_5 and SATA_6 connectors.
- Rear Panel I/O
The rear panel I/O features three display connectors, eight USB ports, one PS/2 combo socket, a LAN port, and three audio jacks.
You can choose whether to use HDMI, DisplayPort, or the older VGA for display output connections.
The USB ports include two 2.0s and six 3.2s, one of which is a Type-C.
Unfortunately, the audio connectors do not include a digital input port.
Instead, you will have the basic three-stack analog ports, including a Line-In, a Front Speaker, and a Microphone jack.
- Onboard Extras
If you need more USB ports, you can route eight more through the internal headers.
Other noteworthy essentials include six cooling hardware connectors, a COM port header, and a TPM header.
If you’re into RGB lighting effects, you’ll also be glad to know that the board has two RGB headers and two addressable LED headers.
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2. Asus Prime A520M-K
The Asus Prime collection features many high-end motherboards, but it also carries budget-friendly products.
One of its most affordable offerings is the A520M-K.
It is also a micro-ATX motherboard with a black and white finish, but it doesn’t have the massive heatsinks present in the ASRock B550M Pro4.
Review
The good thing about this motherboard is its very affordable price and smaller size.
It is far cheaper than all the alternatives, making it the perfect choice for those on a really tight budget.
Its dimensions are a tad smaller than the other micro-ATX options, rendering it your go-to board for a small PC build.
Nevertheless, the Asus Prime A520M-K has the bare essentials for building a good desktop computer.
- Main Connectors
You can use this motherboard with AMD Ryzen CPUs from the 3000, 4000-G, 5000, and 5000-G Series.
It can only support a max RAM capacity of 64GB using its two DDR4 DIMM sockets.
However, it can match the overclocked RAM speeds of the B550M-A at 4866MHz.
Base memory clocks also run at 3200MHz.
Another drawback is its single PCIe 3.0 x16 expansion socket and dual PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.
These expansion sockets do not support the latest PCIe 4.0 connections, and it is impossible to build a multi-graphics setup.
Storage options are also minimal with the A520M-K. It only has four SATA 6Gbps ports and one M.2 socket.
- Rear Panel I/O
The A520M-K also has the fewest connectors on the rear panel, but they should be enough for any budget build.
You will find a PS/2 combo port, six USB ports, a VGA port, an HDMI port, a LAN port, and three analog audio jacks.
Four of the USB ports are 3.2, two are 2.0, and none of them is the newer Type-C.
- Onboard Extras
Internal connections allow six more USB ports through the front panel.
Other connectors that provide the bare minimum include a system fan connector, a CPU fan connector, a TPM header, and a COM port header.
Unfortunately, this motherboard does not have any features for connecting RGB LED strips.
Nevertheless, things get better in the audio department with the included digital audio header and a speaker connector.
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3. Asus Prime B550M-A
Another offering from the Asus Prime Series is the B550M-A.
It is better than the A520M-K because it has more features that compete well against most alternatives.
This motherboard also has the micro-ATX form factor, and it looks much like the A520M-K.
However, it sports a VRM heatsink, more cooling connectors, and some RGB headers.
Review
The Asus Prime B550M-A costs almost the same as the MSI B550-A Pro, making it one of the more expensive options.
Still, its price point sits well below the 150-dollar mark, making it a fitting choice for a budget motherboard.
It also has all the features for a well-performing build, and all you have to do is choose the best components to pair with it.
- Main Connectors
Like the A520M-K, the B550M-A supports AMD Ryzen CPUs from the 3000, 4000-G, 5000, and 5000-G Series.
However, it has four DDR4 DIMM sockets capable of holding RAM modules up to a total capacity of 128GB.
Base memory clocks can go up to 3200MHz, while overclocked RAM can reach speeds up to 4866MHz depending on the CPU.
Expansion options are also comparable to the A520M-K, with one full-sized socket and two x1 sockets.
This board does not support multiple graphics cards, but the lone PCIe x16 socket can support the latest PCIe 4.0 connections.
Although the B550M-A only has four SATA 6Gbps ports, it sports two M.2 sockets, making storage options a bit more flexible than with the A520M-K.
- Rear Panel I/O
The rear panel on the B550M-A is also better than the one on the A520M-K.
You will find six USB 3.2 ports, a PS.2 combo port, three analog audio jacks, a LAN port, and three display connectors.
The display connectors include a DVI, a VGA, and an HDMI.
- Onboard Extras
Internal connectors on the B550M-A will allow up to four fans, three LED strips, and six USBs.
You will also find a TPM header, a COM port header, a speaker connector, and a digital audio output connector.
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4. Gigabyte B550M DS3H
If you want an affordable, durable motherboard that offers the necessary connectors for a quality build, check out the Gigabyte B550M DS3H.
It is a micro-ATX board carrying Gigabyte’s Ultra-Durable branding, featuring gray and white stripes on an all-black PCB.
Review
The B550M DS3H is the cheapest Gigabyte B550 motherboard during its launch, and it carries budget controller components for an entry-level system.
If you’re a Gigabyte fan looking to build a budget PC today, this board is probably your best option.
- Main Connectors
This motherboard’s features are much like those on the Asus Prime B550M-A, including its CPU support, expansion options, memory allowances, and storage connectors.
However, its maximum overclocked RAM speed is slightly lower at 4733MHz.
- Rear Panel I/O
The rear panel has the bare necessities an entry-level board should possess, including two display connectors, a LAN port, and three audio jacks.
Fortunately, this motherboard has more USB ports than the Asus alternatives.
It sports four 3.2 and four 2.0 USBs.
Although this board is missing a VGA connector, it has an HDMI and a DVI-D.
- Onboard Extras
We like that this board provides enough room for onboard aesthetics by adding five LED headers.
That said, it only has three cooling connectors.
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5. MSI B550-A Pro
If you don’t need a small motherboard, you can always revert to an ATX build using the MSI B550-A Pro.
It is an all-black motherboard with massive heatsinks over the VRMs, IO area, PCH, and M.2 sockets.
Review
The MSI B550-A Pro is the perfect solution for those looking to use dual graphics cards without spending much on an ATX motherboard.
It is a budget-friendly option, albeit being the priciest option on the list.
The problem is it might not be as versatile as the ASRock B550M Pro4.
- Main Connectors
This motherboard only works with the AMD Ryzen 5000, 4000-G, and some of the 3000 Series processors.
That said, its advantage is its support for 2-Way AMD CrossFire multi-graphics.
Additionally, unlike the Asus and Gigabyte options, the MSI B550-A Pro has six SATA 6Gbps ports and two M.2 slots.
- Rear Panel I/O
This motherboard's rear panel has four USB 2.0 ports and four USB 3.2 ports, one of which is the newer Type-C.
It also has a PS/2 combo port, a DisplayPort, an HDMI port, a LAN port, and six audio jacks.
- Onboard Extras
This board’s advantage over the alternatives is its eight cooling connectors.
Additionally, you can have seven more USB ports through the internal headers.
Other extras include a TPM connector and three RGB headers.
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Budget Motherboard Buying Guide
If you haven’t noticed, all of the options carry a chipset that only supports AMD Ryzen CPUs for the AM4 socket.
We chose the Ryzen processors because they are generally cheaper than their Intel counterparts.
Nevertheless, we ensured that most options are the latest B550 motherboards to help you move into the future with a budget build.
With budget motherboards, you should carefully consider the purpose of the PC you are trying to build.
Since a low-cost motherboard will lack plenty of the features of enthusiast-grade boards, it would be best to identify all the components you need beforehand.
Below is a list of the bare essentials.
CPU Support
One of the motherboard features requiring the most consideration is CPU support.
While many motherboards carrying the X370, B350, and A320 chipsets may cost less, they can’t work with the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 Series processors.
You might want a future-proof budget motherboard that works even for upcoming generations of CPUs.
Maximum Memory Allowances
As with all motherboards, there is always a limit to how much RAM your system can carry.
The single A520 option allows you to attach up to two memory modules, while the rest lets you use four.
Since these products carry the latest chipsets, each memory slot allows a 32GB RAM module, making them competitive enough against more expensive motherboards.
Available Storage Connectors
If you’re into storing plenty of files such as movies, games, and work content, you will need a motherboard that has enough options for storage.
You don’t have to sacrifice storage allocations, even with an inexpensive motherboard.
Choose a motherboard with at least four SATA connectors and one M.2 socket.
With these storage connectors, your build can support the latest available storage drives.
Expansion Options
Gamers and content creators will need some extent of reliable graphics processing power.
If you’re one of them, you might as well choose a motherboard that can support a good graphics card.
Such a motherboard should have at least a single full-sized expansion socket for optimum graphics processing.
On the other hand, if you choose a motherboard without built-in wireless connectivity, you better go with one that allows installing a wireless adapter.
Which Is the Top Budget Motherboard?
While X470 and B450 motherboards pair well with CPUs across all existing generations, our options cost less, and they carry the latest forward-compatible chipsets.
If we were to compare based on specs, the top budget motherboard is the Asus Prime B550-A.
It offers the fastest overclocked RAM speed, which means it is your best bet if you plan to subject your CPU to heavier workloads.
However, the ASRock B550M Pro4 is the winner by just a few points when it comes to cost-effectiveness.
Aside from having better expansion sockets and more USB and storage connectors than the rest, it also carries better audio components.
