The best motherboards for Ryzen 5 5600X

Javed Ali Updated

We found many top-notch CPUs you can trust for modern gaming, but if there is an all-rounder processor with high-end performance in gaming and productivity, then it’s the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (Amazon). The 6-core and 12-threads are ideal for the current generation of AAA gaming titles. It is an “X” series CPU, which can surpass its counterpart’s 5600 frequency, otherwise called an unlocked processor. To extract the maximum potential of the processor, combine it with the ideal motherboard for the 5000 series Ryzen processor. Hardware quantity, like the number of VRMs, allows the CPU to run at its optimum performance without causing overload conditions of the power chokes. We have compiled a list of five motherboards with X570, B550, and A520 chipsets, each targeted at a specific audience. After going through our product reviews, you can find the item with a chipset that suits your requirement.

Each chipset has its specific advantages and disadvantages. We have made sure that the 5600x is provided with enough support systems to make it perform at its maximum frequency without any thermal throttling. The main difference between chipsets is their ability to provide PCIe lanes. The number of PCIe lanes and their support generation determines the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 5600X. X570 provides the 36x usable lanes with PCIe 4.0 support. B550 provides minimal PCIe 4.0 support 20x usable lanes. A520 provides 26x PCIe 3.0 lanes for all devices attached to the motherboard. We can conclude that the A520 chipset is for budget builds with a focus on productivity and feasibility. We have reviewed some most compatible options to provide you with a reasonable range of motherboards to pick from according to your preferences.

Our recommendations for The best motherboards for Ryzen 5 5600X

  1. ASUS ROG Strix X570-E
  2. GIGABYTE A520 AORUS Elite
  3. MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi
  4. ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
  5. NZXT N7 B550

ASUS ROG Strix X570-E

Best premium ASUS ROG Strix X570-E View on Amazon

PROS

+Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2

+Multitude 12+4 VRM phases

+Ideal for liquid cooling system

CONS

-No passive cooling

-No voltage monitoring points

As long as the processor is PCIe 4.0 capable and provides enough PCI express lanes ASUS ROG Strix X570-E will remain our top favorite motherboard. It has everything from aesthetics to performance. An AM4 socket-based processor can be powered via a 12+4 phase voltage regulating module (VRM) to achieve peak frequency for any CPU or RAM. The intent is to provide clean power to the components for stable operation without any bottlenecks. A massive heatsink sits on top of the VRM modules to ensure they remain within their operating temperature range. The heat pipe moves through the heatsinks to provide a homogenous cooling effect. Owing to the 4 phases dedicated to RAM, it can be overclockable to 4400+MHz with tight timing to improve the overall latency of the memory module.

As an overclocker, you would be interested in the Flash BIOS button on the rear panel of the motherboard I/O (input-output). Without any need for a CPU or Display, you can install BIOS, which can be detrimental to the wrongly configured BIOS. Post-code display and diagnostic LEDs simplify PC configuration troubleshooting by pinpointing conflicting hardware. The Two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots are ideal for dual GPU configuration. Asus has added support for both Nvidia and AMD graphic processing units. At native 4K resolution, it can maintain steady 45+fps with a PCIe 4.0 RTX 3080 Ti. It posed no bottleneck to the processor or the graphics card. It supports the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2 for all your next-generation accessories.

GIGABYTE A520 AORUS Elite

Best budget GIGABYTE A520 AORUS Elite View on Amazon

PROS

+USB 3.2 Gen 2 support

+32GB/s NVMe M.2 connector

+Low RDS(on) MOSFETs with digital PWM

CONS

-No PCIe 4.0 support

-Only one M.2 drive slot

If you are searching for a budget build but don’t want to compromise on the high-end features that support overclocking, GIGABYTE A520 AORUS Elite is the ideal choice for gamers. Despite PCIe 4.0 being widely adopted, it is still overkilling for most devices, and even to date, PCIe 3.0 is underutilized. The ability to achieve 32GB/s of data transfer rate through an NVMe M.2 slot is still way above the fastest M.2 drive speed of 7000MB/s. As a gamer, you will barely notice any difference in loading times with PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Comparing it with most motherboards in the market, it can achieve higher frequencies, as mentioned by the manufacturer. With tight timings, you can take 128GB of RAM up to a 4733 MHz frequency.

It comes with 5+3 phases of VRM that will provide steady power to the Ryzen 5 5600X. We do not recommend overclocking the CPU beyond its mentioned max frequency. It will support the AMD Turbo Core frequency boosting, but anything beyond it might damage the VRM through overclocking or cause unstable operation. You can utilize the Smart Fan 5 feature via the Hybrid Fan Pin Headers, which can detect the installed cooling system, whether a fan or a pump in PWM or voltage mode. Users can use it to install flow sensors for helpful information regarding liquid cooling systems. It has 6-temperature sensors and 5-hybrid fan headers to provide a comprehensive cooling solution for any modern hardware. Overall, it’s an intelligent investment for reliability and maneuverability at a fraction of the high-end motherboard’s price.

MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi

Best value MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi View on Amazon

PROS

+Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth

+6-layer PCB with 2oz Copper

+8+4 solid-pin power connector

CONS

-No postcode display

-Secondary M.2 slot requires a heatsink

B550 is a perfectly balanced chipset; it combines the power of PCIe 4.0 and includes the expansion capability of any A-class motherboard. MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is designed to be reliable with 6 layers of PCB ensuring that the heat is dissipated adequately from components and its structure is strengthened to support heavy equipment attached. The 2oz copper conductor traced within the layers will keep the temperatures low and provide low resistance to data transfer. It is designed for delivering power as well. The 10+2+1 duet rail-based power system incorporates 10 duet layer CPU power systems, 2 phases of the system on chip power, and a single phase for the accelerated processing unit. It supports the AMD Core Boost technology to ensure that Ryzen 5 5600X rising power demand is appropriately supplied.

MSI used an anodized surface finish aluminum-based heatsinks to keep the VRM, M.2 SSD, and chipset cooled. Another advantage of the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 5600X, B550 is the low 5W TDP which allows the manufacturer to keep the chipset passively cooled. The M.2 heatsink is efficient, which eliminates performance degradation of SSD caused by high temperature or otherwise called thermal throttling. All the onboard cooling systems are controlled via the Dragon center. MSI has considered liquid cooling and included headers designed explicitly for the pump’s high power requirements. PCIe slots are reinforced to make it durable with heavy soldered connections and extended clips for firmly holding the expansion cards into place. Gaming on a motherboard like this is logical as it has the fast-paced PCIe 4.0 x16 slots for modern GPU requirements.

ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming

Best compact ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming View on Amazon

PROS

+Illuminated rear audio jack

+Two M.2 slots on a Mini-ITX

+4800MHz RAM overclocking

CONS

-No 128GB RAM capacity

-M.2 drive above chipset fan

A PC builder can make an all-rounder, compact-sized powerhouse PC with an ASUS ROG STRIX X570-I Gaming. It has all the necessary protocols to support the latest and fastest hardware available. It has a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, M.2 slot, RAM overclocking, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and Type-A connectivity. With the proper PC case, the user can turn it into a miniature gaming console or HTPC with the capability of running 4K games and videos. It can easily handle the latest Nvidia 3000 series GPU and provide the necessary bandwidth via PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. It has everything a gaming PC build needs to provide high-end gaming performance. Anti-surge protection on LAN with ROG GameFirst technology ensures that your game gets the best bandwidth of all the applications.

It boosts aesthetics via the RGB lighting on the M.2 slot and the lighting on the side that syncs with all the hardware that supports the Asus Aura Sync technology. Its generation 2 RGB header ensures no intervals of darkness between cycles. The active cooling components of the motherboard keep the hardware from thermal throttling. Asus uses Dual Custom Delta Superflo Fans to ensure their reliability. The high-quality bearings allow 60,000 hours of operation with a 90% probability, even the heatpipes with unique designs run across the chipset to provide better heat transfer and faster response to changing loads. Audio is a vital part of gaming, and Asus uses top-quality SupremeFX S1220A with dual OP Amps for a 120dB stereo playback output​.

NZXT N7 B550

Best design NZXT N7 B550 View on Amazon

PROS

+Integrated Rear I/O Shield

+Minimalist 2-tone aesthetics

+Seven fan channels through NZXT CAM

CONS

-No dual M.2 drive slots

-Limited RGB compatibility

We all know what NZXT is capable of when it comes to aesthetics. It is the ideal choice for minimalists who choose B550 as their chipset. The dual-tone white and black color theme can easily blend into any interior and provide head-turning visuals. NZXT N7 B550 uses the powerful 50A MOSFETs for Vcore in 12+2+2 phase VRM configuration. A large number of phases keep the temperatures of the VRM under control, and with the power-hungry CPU, it is benchmarked at 60°C. Users can take the RAM to 128GB of space running at 4666+MHz. It supports the A-XMP profile and can run ECC RAMs for server PCs. However, if you plan to install a dual-GPU configuration with an Nvidia GPU, it would not be possible. It only supports CrossFireX technology used by Radeon processors.

It supports the latest generation of WiFi-6E, which introduces OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) and MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output technology) owing to the 2020 IEEE standard. It has gained massive interest mainly due to its 6GHz band. The large spectrum has allowed a wider range of frequencies to avoid interference and cleaner data transfer in closed and confined spaces like apartments. NZXT uses high-end ALC1220 Codec with Nichicon Fine Gold Series capacitors for cleaner audio. It has an RTL8125BG 2.5G wired LAN for low-latency gaming required by most online multiplayer applications. There are 4-post LEDs for indicating the system’s healthiness when booted. The punched holes on the chipset cover allow heated air to pass through passively and maintain stable temperatures. Overall, an intelligent design with the proper mix of chipset and hardware makes it land on our top motherboard list.

Final Words

As gaming enthusiasts, we believe every product on our list is worthy of the best motherboard for Ryzen 5 5600X title. To put everything in a nutshell, if you own expansion cards and storage devices based on PCIe 4.0 protocol, we recommend going for a B550 or X570 chipset, which supports the latest generation of PCIe lanes. However, if you own PCIe 3.0-based hardware, A520 is ideal for motherboards, and it t supports this version all across the board; to be honest; there is no extraordinary performance difference between PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 hardware. The protocol has grown faster than the device’s capability to communicate. If you want a future-proof mainboard with a high-speed communication protocol and remain a mid-range product, then it is the best choice.

The mentioned chipset has the perks of the fourth generation PCIe lanes and has a price tag of an A520 chipset. It gives the balance that all gamers require in their gaming rig. However, if you do not want to compromise on the features and wish to buy the best of the best, then X570 has no match. It is fast and provides all the proper protocols for modern hardware. Some of the products on our list had Wireless connectivity, while others didn’t; if you are a pro gamer who wishes to have 1ms network latency, you can save bucks by avoiding WiFi-featured motherboards. There is no competition for a wired connection, but if you don’t like wires running around the house, we have featured the latest WiFi-6 and WiFi-6E products for robust wireless internet connectivity. We hope you find the right product that is suitable for your requirements.