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Choosing the Best Motherboard for AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X

Find out what factors you should consider when choosing a motherboard for AMD's Zen 4-based 5th Gen Ryzen 9 7900X.

Choosing the Best Motherboard for AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X Kevin Jones / TechReviewer

Last Updated: March 18, 2023

Written by Kevin Jones

This article will discuss choosing a motherboard for AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X 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.

Best Feature Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link
Runner-Up Motherboard
GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link
Check another CPU:

Motherboard Requirements for Ryzen 9 7900X Processors

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For AMD's Zen 4-based Ryzen 9 7900X processor, you'll need a motherboard with an AM5 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 7000-series CPUs, which includes the Ryzen 9 7900X, are compatible with the 600-series consumer chipsets. Supported chipsets include the X670E, X670, B650E, and B650.

The X670E is our recommended motherboard chipset for the Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, as it provides the most functionality and full support for PCIe 5.0. The Ryzen 9 7900X CPU also supports PCIe 5.0.

ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

For a detailed comparison of these chipsets and PCIe speeds, check out my article Which Chipsets Work With AMD's Ryzen 9 7900X CPU?.

Check out my Recommended Motherboards for the 7900X below.

Best Zen 4 Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link
Runner-Up Motherboard
GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master Motherboard Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Other Considerations When Choosing a 7900X Motherboard

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In addition to selecting a motherboard with a socket type and chipset compatible with the 7900X, 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

All Ryzen 7000 CPUs have integrated graphics support. You will need to make sure that your motherboard also has a video output port (e.g., HDMI) if you want to use the integrated graphics.

The integraded graphics on the Ryzen 7000 CPUs have 2 cores, 2200 MHz graphics frequency, and a 400 MHz GPU base frequency. This is good for basic tasks, but not for most games or other GPU-intense programs.

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.

NVMe Support: The X670E, X670, and B650E chipsets support up to one x4 NVMe at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via CPU) and up to one x4 NVMe at PCIe 5.0 speeds (via chipset). The B650 chipset supports one x4 NVMe at PCIe 4.0 speeds (via CPU).

SATA Support: The X670E and X670 chipsets support up to 8 SATA ports, while the B650E and B650 chipsets support up to 4 SATA ports.

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 X670E and X670 chipsets support up to 12 superspeed (10Gbps) USB ports and 2 superspeed (20Gbps) USB ports. The B650E and B650 chipsets, in comparison, only support up to 6 superspeed (10Gbps) USB ports and 1 superspeed (20Gbps) USB port. Each motherboard is different, so the amount and speed of USB ports may vary.

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 X670E and B650E chipsets allow for multiple graphics cards in the dual x8 configuration at PCIe 5.0 speeds, while the X670 and B650 only run at PCIe 4.0 speeds for both a single x16 slot or dual x8 slots.

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Best Feature Motherboard

Runner-Up Motherboard

Best Value Motherboard

Learn More About the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

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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:

A Note From the Authors

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