Your CPU and motherboard are the mind and nervous system of your PC, and when you can (sadly not like a mind) swap them out to switch with higher ones, there’s much more to this than merely slapping in some silicone. You’ll must guarantee that the 2 parts are appropriate with one another, for sure chips will solely work when put in on sure motherboards. Mismatch the processor with the motherboard’s socket or an incompatible chipset, and it gained’t matter when you’ve acquired among the best CPUs for gaming – the one functioning part left in your construct would be the case.
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Take a couple of minutes to peruse this information, then, and also you’ll know for positive which motherboard you’ll want on your CPU. I’ve up to date it to cowl the newest Intel twelfth Gen Alder Lake CPUs, in addition to their tenth and eleventh Gen fashions, the AMD Ryzen 3000 collection, and the newest Ryzen 5000 collection.
Step 1: Choosing the proper motherboard socket
Take a fast look at any CPU and also you’ll in all probability see it’s acquired a heck of loads of pins (if it’s AMD) or tiny little contact factors (if it’s Intel) on the underside. These are what slot into your motherboard’s CPU socket, so that you’ll want to purchase one that matches accurately. Should you attempt to stuff one into the fallacious form of motherboard socket, all you’re going to finish up with is a load of bent pins and a few very damaged parts.
Intel’s twelfth Gen Alder Lake chips use a brand-new LGA 1700 socket, which is barely taller than the LGA 1200 socket utilized by the eleventh Gen Rocket Lake and tenth Gen Comet Lake CPUs. AMD’s Ryzen chips constant use the AM4 socket.
There are some exceptions when entering into workstation {hardware} or enthusiast-grade chips: AMD’s Threadripper processors match within the TR4 socket, whereas some Intel chips use the LGA 2066 socket. You in all probability don’t want to fret about these ones, thoughts – assuming you’re constructing a gaming PC, chips that use the LGA 1700, LGA 1200, or AM4 socket might be loads highly effective and way more cost-efficient.
Earlier Intel generations used the LGA 1151 socket, which you would possibly must look out for when you’re reducing prices by choosing one in every of their older eighth / ninth Gen Espresso Lake CPUs, however right here we’re going to concentrate on the newest {hardware}. Talking of which, listed here are all of the Intel twelfth Gen chips that can slot into the LGA 1700 socket:
| Core i3 | Core i5 | Core i7 | Core i9 | Different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i3-12300 | Core i5-12600K | Core i7-12700K | Core i9-12900K | Pentium Gold G7400 |
| Core i3-12300T | Core i5-12600KF | Core i7-12700KF | Core i9-12900KF | Pentium Gold G4700T |
| Core i3-12100 | Core i5-12600 | Core i7-12700 | Core i9-12900 | Celeron G6900 |
| Core i3-12100F | Core i5-12600T | Core i7-12700F | Core i9-12900F | Celeron G6900T |
| Core i3-12100F | Core i5-12500 | Core i7-12700T | Core i9-12900T | |
| Core i5-12500T | ||||
| Core i5-12400 | ||||
| Core i5-12400F | ||||
| Core i5-12400T |
Subsequent up, listed here are all of the processors that can match Intel’s LGA 1200 socket, together with each eleventh Gen and tenth Gen fashions:
| Core i3 | Core i5 | Core i7 | Core i9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core i3-11320 | Core i5-11600K | Core i7-11700K | Core i9-11900K |
| Core i3-11300T | Core i5-11600KF | Core i7-11700KF | Core i9-11900KF |
| Core i3-11300 | Core i5-11600 | Core i7-11700 | Core i9-11900 |
| Core i3-11100T | Core i5-11500 | Core i7-10700K | Core i9-10900K |
| Core i3-11100 | Core i5-11400 | Core i7-10700KF | Core i9-10900KF |
| Core i3-10320 | Core i5-10600K | Core i7-10700 | Core i9-10900 |
| Core i3-10300 | Core i5-10600KF | Core i7-10700F | Core i9-10900F |
| Core i3-10100 | Core i5-10600 | Core i9-10850K | |
| Core i3-10100F | Core i5-10500 | ||
| Core i5-10400 |
In contrast, AMD has caught with its AM4 socket ever since their first technology of Ryzen 1000 chips. That stated, newer CPUs gained’t at all times work on older motherboards resulting from incompatible chipsets, however extra on that shortly. This is what an AM4 socket seems to be like within the flesh:
In any occasion, it’s greatest to stay with Ryzen 3000 and 5000 processors when you’re planning a brand new construct – Ryzen 4000 chips aren’t bought individually – so right here’s an inventory of all these AM4-friendly elements.
| Ryzen 3 | Ryzen 5 | Ryzen 7 | Ryzen 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 3 3300X | Ryzen 5 5600X | Ryzen 7 5800X | Ryzen 9 5950X |
| Ryzen 3 3100 | Ryzen 5 5600G | Ryzen 7 5700G | Ryzen 9 5900X |
| Ryzen 5 3600XT | Ryzen 7 3800XT | Ryzen 9 3950X | |
| Ryzen 5 3600X | Ryzen 7 3800X | Ryzen 9 3900XT | |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | Ryzen 7 3700X | Ryzen 9 3900X |
Step 2: Choosing the proper chipset
So we’ve narrowed down the kind of motherboard socket you want. The subsequent factor is deciding which chipset to go for. That is the circuitry contained in the motherboard itself. With out going into an excessive amount of technical element, a motherboard’s chipset primarily determines what sort of options it has, together with the sorts of ports and storage connectivity it supplies. They’re additionally normally designed to work with a selected household of processors, and sometimes get launched across the similar time as their corresponding CPU household.
Intel particularly wish to make issues sophisticated, at all times launching new chipset collection alongside new CPU generations. The latest of those is the 600 collection, which initially consisted fully of the Z690 chipset earlier than lower-spec, cheaper alternate options launched early in 2022. You possibly can see within the desk under which Intel chipsets are appropriate with which Intel CPUs:
| Chipset | tenth Gen Comet Lake | eleventh Gen Rocket Lake | twelfth Gen Alder Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z690 | X | X | Sure |
| H670 | X | X | Sure |
| B660 | X | X | Sure |
| H610 | X | X | Sure |
| Z590 | Sure | Sure | X |
| H570 | Sure | Sure | X |
| B560 | Sure | Sure | X |
| H510 | Sure | Sure | X |
| Z490 | Sure | Sure (might not help PCIe 4.0) | X |
| H470 | Sure | Sure (might not help PCIe 4.0) | X |
| B460 | Sure | X | X |
| H410 | Sure | X | X |
As for AMD, the newest Ryzen 5000 processors didn’t launch with an all-new chipset: they had been designed for AMD’s present 500 collection chipsets, which already labored with the Ryzen 3000 household. They’re additionally appropriate with some older 400 collection chipsets after a BIOS replace, however this can fluctuate between motherboards and producers, so make sure to verify it positively has Ryzen 5000 help before you purchase.
In different phrases, you gained’t essentially must swap out your present AM4 motherboard when you’re upgrading from Ryzen 3000 to Ryzen 5000, however for many 5000 adopters it’s in all probability simpler to only purchase a 500 collection board. This is how the Ryzen chips work with the Ryzen chipsets:
| Chipset | Ryzen 3000 | Ryzen 5000 |
|---|---|---|
| X570 | Sure | Sure |
| B550 | Sure | Sure |
| A520 | Sure | Sure |
| X470 | Sure | Selective Beta BIOS replace wanted |
| B450 | Sure | Selective Beta BIOS replace wanted |
| X370 | Selective Beta BIOS replace wanted | X |
| B350 | Selective Beta BIOS replace wanted | X |
Intel motherboard chipsets defined
At this level you would possibly know which chipsets work together with your CPU in a basic sense, however there aren’t a number of chipsets in a collection only for funsies. Each targets a unique stage of performance and pricing, so you possibly can tailor you motherboard selection to suit your price range and want for particular options.
In Intel’s case, probably the most decked-out motherboard chipsets at all times begin with a Z: Z490, Z590 and Z690 being the newest. These will at all times help CPU overclocking (although some B560, H570 and B460 boards permit overclocking too), they usually even have probably the most PCIe lanes. This implies you possibly can set up extra PCIe units (like NVMe SSDs) than the opposite, cheaper chipsets. Greater-end motherboards even have a wider vary of USB ports and higher RAID help for a number of storage drives.
That stated, reasonably priced chipsets like B570 and B600 have sufficient of those lanes to adequately equip most PC gaming builds, to allow them to additionally work effectively. To offer an thought of worth variations, listed here are how a number of of Intel’s chipsets evaluate:
It’s value noting that if you wish to set up a superfast PCIe 4.0 SSD, you’ll want at the least a 500 collection chipset and Rocket Lake chip. The newer twelfth Gen {hardware} additionally helps PCIe 5.0, although don’t count on {hardware} that may truly use the additional efficiency to reach any time quickly. Within the meantime, you’ll find some high quality 4.0 picks on our greatest SSDs for gaming checklist.
One final be aware about Intel motherboards, particularly these 600 collection fashions designed for Alder Lake: the CPUs will have the ability to help each DDR4 and DDR5 RAM, however every motherboard will solely be appropriate with one or the opposite. So get a DDR4-compatible mobo if you wish to persist with current-gen reminiscence, or get a DDR5-ready motherboard when you’re prepared to improve your RAM as effectively. Thus far, thoughts, there’s not a lot distinction between DDR4 and DDR5 for gaming efficiency.
AMD motherboard chipsets defined
Most of AMD’s chipsets allow overclocking, save for the A520 and the more and more out of date A320, so if OC functionality is a should for you, there’s just a little extra selection available than with Intel. Even so, there are additionally advantages to going upmarket: X570 provides extra SATA sockets and USB ports than B550, which in flip helps greater than A520.
Extra formidable PC builds would subsequently do effectively to stay with a better class of X collection AMD chipset, and conversely, these with quite simple storage setups can get by with the mid-range B collection or entry-level A collection chipsets. Right here’s how the Crimson Group choices at the moment stack up on value:
The rest I ought to know?
From there, it’s just about as much as you what sort of further options you go for. Some motherboards just like the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Grasp have extra overclocking instruments, comparable to an LED troubleshooting show and onboard energy/reset buttons, whereas many extra embrace pre-mounted I/O boards for a neater end around the again of your PC.
It in all probability goes with out saying that you just must also decide a motherboard that truly matches inside your meant case. There’s no level shopping for an ATX-sized motherboard while you’ve acquired a small form-factor or mini-tower case, neither is there a lot sense in shopping for a jumbo full tower case for a tiddly mini-ITX motherboard.
As as to whether PCIe 4.0 help is a must have… I’d say not at this precise second, primarily as a result of you may get some wonderful PCIe 3.0 SSDs (just like the WD Blue SN570) which can be loads quick sufficient. Each 3.0 and 4.0 SSDs can even have the ability to play good with DirectStorage, an thrilling piece of Microsoft tech that would see loading occasions in video games slashed to ribbons. It’s not truly supported in any video games but, however you gained’t need to base your motherboard selection on it.
After all, PCIe 4.0 remains to be quicker normally, and when you’ve shopping for an Intel twelfth Gen Alder Lake CPU, your ought to get 4.0 help as normal, no matter motherboard you pair it with.
Need assistance putting in your motherboard or CPU in your PC? Learn our step-by-step Easy methods to set up a motherboard and methods to set up a CPU guides for the complete deets.
