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Choosing the Best Motherboard for AMD's Ryzen 7 2700X

Find out what factors you should consider when choosing a motherboard for AMD's Zen+-based 2nd Gen Ryzen 7 2700X.

Motherboard Timur Garifov / Unsplash

Last Updated: April 12, 2022

Written by Kevin Jones

This article will discuss choosing a motherboard for AMD's Ryzen 7 2700X processor. Check out my Recommended Motherboards below, along with compatible CPU coolers and memory. OEM-only chipsets that are not available on retail motherboards are outside the scope of this article.

Check another CPU:

Motherboard Requirements for Ryzen 7 2700X Processors

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For AMD's Zen+-based Ryzen 7 2700X processor, you'll need a motherboard with an AM4 socket and a compatible chipset.

Motherboards for AMD processors are made with chipsets provided by AMD. Each chipset offers a unique set of capabilities. However, motherboards must explicitly support features and capabilities for you to use them. Verify that a motherboard supports the features and capabilities you desire.

Ryzen 2000-series CPUs, which includes the Ryzen 7 2700X, are compatible with all 300 and 400-series consumer chipsets, and the X570 500-series chipset. Supported chipsets include the X570, X470, B450, X370, B350, and A320.

The X570 is our recommended chipset for the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU, as it provides the most functionality and the ability to upgrade to a newer AM4 CPU in the future.

Note that the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU only supports PCIe 3.0.

For a detailed comparison of these chipsets and PCIe speeds, check out my article Which Chipsets Work With AMD's Ryzen 7 2700X CPU?.

Check out my Recommended Motherboards for the 2700X below.

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Other Considerations When Choosing a 2700X Motherboard

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In addition to selecting a motherboard with a socket type and chipset compatible with the 2700X, here are a few other things to consider when picking a motherboard. Some of these considerations will help determine the best chipset to use.

Video Output Port

The lack of a "G" in the 2700X model name indicates that the CPU does not have integrated graphics support and requires a separate graphics card. Because it doesn't have integrated graphics support, you won't need a motherboard with a video output port (e.g., HDMI).

Storage: M.2 Slots and SATA Ports

NVMe M.2 cards are the latest and fastest form of SSD storage. However, you need to ensure that your motherboard includes enough slots.

The X570 chipset supports more PCIe lanes than chipsets in the 400-series, which means that motherboards with the X570 chipset are likely to have the most x4 NVMe M.2 slots available.

Learn more about storage types in my article Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs.

Connectivity

USB

Make sure that the motherboard provides enough USB ports at your desired speeds. The X570 can support the most USB ports at USB 3.2 2x1 (10 Gbps) speeds. Motherboards with the X570 chipset can support up to 12 of these ports. The devices that are likely to need the high bandwidth rates will typically be limited to storage devices and high-resolution video devices.

Audio

Make sure that the motherboard has your desired audio outputs.

For example, if you have a surround sound system, ensure that it comes with rear and center speaker ports.

If your audio equipment requires an optical input, consider getting a motherboard with this port.

Alternatively, you can purchase a separate PCIe or USB sound card to add additional port types such as optical or RCA.

Form Factor

Motherboards typically come in one of three form factors. ATX is the most common motherboard form factor for a desktop PC.

You might also consider Mini-ITX or MicroATX form factors to build a mini-PC. Keep in mind that these smaller form factors typically have fewer PCIe card slots, fewer RAM slots, and can not support as many storage devices.

These smaller Mini-ITX and MicroATX motherboard form factors are backward compatible with standard ATX cases. They use a subset of the ATX mounting holes. You can also use Mini-ITX motherboards in MicroATX cases.

You will need a computer case compatible with your motherboard form factor.

PCIe Expansion Slots

The X570 and X470 chipsets provide the most flexibility in the 400 and 500-series, allowing multiple graphics cards in the dual x8 configuration. However, note that the 2700X only supports PCIe 3.0, so performance will be limited to PCIe 3.0 speeds.

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Best Value Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)

Best Feature Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI

  • Our recommended feature-rich motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 7 2700X is MSI's MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link
    • PCIe 4.0 support
    • One 2.5 Gb Ethernet port is faster than most Internet speeds, with room to spare for file transfers.
    • Two NVMe M.2 slots both run at PCIe 4.0 speeds.
    • Wi-Fi 6 provides great Wi-Fi speeds (not Wi-Fi 6E, but still really good).
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers 10 Gbps USB speeds.
    • Check the latest price of the MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard on Amazon (affiliate link).

Considerations When Choosing a CPU Cooler

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Thermal Dissipation

A CPU cooler's TDP (Thermal Design Power) rating indicates how much heat it can dissipate in watts. If the cooler can't keep your CPU cool enough, your CPU may throttle (slow down), and your cooler will constantly run at full speed.

The Ryzen 7 2700X has a TDP of 105 watts.

A CPU cooler can still work with a lower TDP rating than the TDP of a CPU. However, the CPU will eventually throttle itself to a lower frequency to allow itself to cool.

The CPU may not achieve or maintain maximum boost speeds without adequate cooling.

Types of Coolers

Air coolers use a combination of heatsinks and fans. They are the cheapest, but also the loudest.

A Closed-Loop Cooler (CLC), also called an All-in-One (AIO) cooler, is a type of liquid cooler. All-in-one liquid coolers provide a more straightforward setup in a single pre-built package.

Liquid cooling can provide even better TDP performance at lower noise levels but are more expensive and take up more room. The noise level and ability to cool your CPU will depend on the liquid cooling solution's radiator size and the number and size of the fans.

Find AM4 AIO Coolers on Amazon (affiliate link).

Open-Loop Coolers are also a type of liquid cooler, except you construct them yourself. They allow for more flexibility in building your perfect cooling solution but can also be more complicated to set up. Open-loop systems give you the flexibility to cool additional devices, such as your graphics card's GPU.

Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Noise

More fans typically mean better cooling. However, they also mean more noise.

Larger fans are typically quieter than smaller fans, as they can move the same amount of air at lower speeds.

If a cooler is struggling to cool a CPU, it will run at its maximum speed, which will be louder.

Fan noise levels are measured a dB. Lower dB values are quieter.

You can often configure your motherboard's BIOS to use specific fan speeds at particular temperatures. This configurable fan speed allows you to have a near-silent computer while your computer is idle.

Mounting Brackets

CPU coolers can have various mounting brackets to work with different socket sizes. Make sure that your cooler comes with a compatible mounting bracket.

The easiest way to find a CPU cooler that will work for your computer is to search by socket type. For example, the 2700X uses an AM4 socket, so you would search for an AM4 CPU cooler.

In some cases, such as when a new socket size is released, there may not be many compatible coolers. In these cases, you can often purchase a separate mounting/retention kit to work with the new dimensions.

Size

Before buying the biggest cooler possible, ensure that your case and motherboard configuration have room.

Also, ensure that other components on your motherboard won't interfere due to size constraints. For example, do your memory modules (DIMMs) have tall heat spreaders?

Dual-fan coolers often take up quite a bit of room. Liquid cooling solutions typically position fans at the top or bottom of the case.

Lighting

Some CPU cooler fans come with LED lighting. Similarly, liquid cooling pump heads can also come with LEDs or even LCDs!

If you want to turn off the lights when they get annoying, make sure your CPU cooler has that option.

Price

In general, air-based coolers will be lower cost than liquid cooling systems.

CPU coolers that support a higher TDP are also typically correlated with a higher price.

The more advanced lighting features tend to also come at an extra cost. You can decide between a practical, low-cost solution and a dazzling light show.

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The boxed version of the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU comes with the Wraith Prism with RGB LED CPU cooler. While stock coolers will prevent your CPU from overheating, your CPU will throttle its performance during games and other intensive tasks. Higher TDP coolers will keep your CPU at turbo speeds for longer durations. Stock coolers are often quite loud at their maximum speed.

Best AIO Liquid Cooler: Enermax Liqmax III 360

  • This Enermax liquid cooler has an excellent cooling capability with a 360-watt TDP (Thermal Design Power).
  • Supports a variety of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA 2066, 2011-3, 2011, 1700, 1200, 1366, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150 and AMD AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1.
  • Quiet operation at 14-27 dBA.
  • Make sure your computer case dimensions support this, as it will take up a decent amount of space! Enermax Liqmax III 360 Enermax Liqmax III 360 Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Best Dual-Fan Air CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15

  • Dual 140 mm fans provide 220-watt TDP (183 NSPR) of cooling capability.
  • Supports a variety of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA 1700, 1200, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150, 2011, 2066 and AMD AM4, AM3, AM3+, AM2, AM2+, FM2, FM2+.
  • Quiet operation at 24.6 dBA. Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Runner Up - Dual-Fan Air CPU Cooler: Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510

  • This CPU cooler doesn't have any fancy LED lights, but the dual 120 mm fans do a great job of cooling AM4 CPUs.
  • Supports a variety of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA 1700, 1200, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150 and AMD AM4, AM3, AM3+, AM2, AM2+, FM2, FM1.
  • Suppose you think this cooler will take up too much space. In that case, Thermaltake has a few single-fan TOUGHAIR variants which use different orientations.
  • This CPU cooler has a 2000 RPM max speed for optimal cooling.
  • 180-watt TDP (Thermal Design Power). Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510 Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510 Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link
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Before purchasing memory, review your motherboard specification to verify which speeds are supported. For example, if a DDR4 motherboard stated that it supports "DDR4 3400(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) / 3300(O.C.) / 3200 / 3000," that would mean that it could support DDR4-3400, DDR4-3333, and DDR4-3300 with memory overclocking, and DDR4-3200 and DDR4-3000 at stock speeds. Motherboard specifications also indicate the maximum capacity per stick of RAM (DIMM) and across all slots.

  • At an effective frequency of 3200 MHz, this memory hits the fastest supported stock DDR4 speeds.

  • It is also available in other (effective) frequencies for overclockers, including 3600 MHz and 4000 MHz.

  • Lower-speed versions are also available on Amazon, in various capacities, including DDR4-2933 (affiliate link), DDR4-2666 (affiliate link), and DDR4-2400 (affiliate link).

  • The low-profile form factor ensures that the heat spreaders don't get in the way of other devices, including your CPU heatsink. Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Learn More About the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

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Other Considerations When Building a PC

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Want to brush up on other new technologies to consider when building a computer? Check out these articles: