Motherboards Price Comparison 2026
Compare 1,317 motherboards from ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI and more — prices from 55 £, with expert advice to find the right socket, chipset and features for your build.
Choosing a motherboard is arguably the most consequential decision in any PC build — it dictates which CPU you can use, how much RAM you can install, and whether you'll be able to upgrade in two years' time. Our catalogue spans 1,317 boards, from bare-bones budget options starting at 55 £ to server-grade Supermicro workhorses pushing well beyond 200 £. The sheer range can be overwhelming, so we've done the legwork.
ASUS dominates the listings with nearly 380 products and an average price around 185 £, covering everything from the accessible Prime series to the flagship ROG Strix line. GIGABYTE comes in close behind with a slightly lower average price point, making it the brand to watch if you want solid specs without paying the ASUS premium. MSI and ASRock round out the mainstream options — MSI's Tomahawk boards in particular have earned a loyal following for their VRM quality relative to cost. Biostar is worth a mention for ultra-budget builds, though expectations should be managed accordingly.
The current market is split cleanly between two platform generations: AMD's AM5 socket (Ryzen 7000 and 9000 series) and Intel's LGA1851 (Core Ultra 200 series). Both platforms are DDR5-only now, which simplifies the memory decision but means there's no cheap DDR4 fallback. On the AMD side, the B850 chipset hits the sweet spot for most builders — it supports PCIe 5.0 M.2 storage, DDR5 up to 8200MHz overclocked, and costs considerably less than X870/X870E boards. Intel's Z890 is the enthusiast choice for those who want full overclocking control, whilst B860 and H810 boards cover the mainstream and budget tiers respectively.
One pattern worth flagging: the gap between a mid-range board (around 142 £) and a high-end one (200 £ and above) is often less about raw performance and more about VRM phase count, M.2 slot quantity, and connectivity extras like Wi-Fi 7 or USB 4. For most gaming builds, spending beyond 142 £ delivers diminishing returns unless you're pairing the board with a top-tier CPU that genuinely needs the power delivery headroom. Compare the full range of options and current prices across retailers including Currys, Amazon.co.uk and Scan on processors and memory modules to build a complete picture of your total system cost. If you're also planning to add a discrete GPU, our graphics cards section is the natural next stop.
How to Choose the Right Motherboard for Your Build
Most people spend hours agonising over CPU and GPU choices, then pick a motherboard almost as an afterthought. That's a mistake. The board you choose sets the ceiling for your entire system — and with prices ranging from 55 £ to well over 200 £, knowing where to draw the line matters. Here's what actually makes a difference.
Socket and Platform: AMD AM5 vs Intel LGA1851
This is the first and most irreversible decision. AMD's AM5 socket supports Ryzen 7000 and 9000 series processors, whilst Intel's LGA1851 is home to the Core Ultra 200 series. The two are completely incompatible — buy the wrong socket and nothing fits. AM5 currently offers a broader range of chipset tiers (from budget B840 up to flagship X870E) and AMD has committed to socket longevity, which matters if you plan to upgrade your CPU without replacing the board. Intel's LGA1851 platform is newer and offers strong single-core performance, but the upgrade path is less clear. Pick your CPU first, then match the socket.
Chipset: How Much Are You Actually Paying For?
The chipset determines overclocking support, PCIe lane allocation, and how many M.2 slots you get. On AMD, the hierarchy runs B840 → B850 → X870 → X870E. B850 is the practical sweet spot: it supports PCIe 5.0 M.2, DDR5 overclocking, and costs far less than X870 boards. X870E adds PCIe 5.0 on the primary GPU slot and more USB bandwidth — genuinely useful if you're running a high-end GPU and multiple NVMe drives simultaneously. On Intel, B860 covers most mainstream needs, whilst Z890 unlocks CPU overclocking and better power delivery for Core Ultra K-series chips. Don't pay for X870E or Z890 unless your CPU and use case actually justify it.
VRM Quality: The Spec That Separates Stable Builds from Throttled Ones
Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) quality is the most underappreciated spec on a motherboard. A weak VRM — say, 4+1+2 phases as found on entry-level H810 boards — will struggle to deliver clean, stable power to a high-TDP processor under sustained load, leading to thermal throttling and reduced performance. Budget boards are fine paired with 65W TDP chips; pair one with a Ryzen 9 or Core Ultra 9 and you're asking for trouble. Mid-range boards typically offer 12+2+2 phases, whilst flagship models go to 16+2+2 or beyond with digital VRM controllers from Infineon. If you're running a 125W+ CPU, don't compromise here.
M.2 Slots and PCIe Generation: Future-Proofing Your Storage
The number and generation of M.2 slots directly affects how fast your storage can be and how many drives you can add later. PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots (found on B850 and above) support the latest NVMe SSDs capable of 12,000+ MB/s — roughly double what PCIe 4.0 drives achieve. Budget boards often include just one M.2 slot; mid-range boards typically offer two, and high-end models may provide three or four. Check whether secondary slots share bandwidth with the primary GPU slot, as some cheaper boards throttle M.2 speeds when a GPU is installed. SATA ports are increasingly rare on newer boards — if you have legacy HDDs or SATA SSDs, verify port count before buying.
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, 6E or 7?
Most boards above 100 £ now include built-in Wi-Fi, but the standard varies significantly. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is adequate for most home networks. Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6GHz band for less congestion in dense environments. Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), found on flagship boards like the GIGABYTE X870E AORUS PRO ICE and X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7, delivers multi-link operation and theoretical speeds up to 5.8Gbps — overkill for most users today, but a genuine future-proofing argument if you're keeping the board for five-plus years. On the wired side, 2.5GbE LAN is now standard on anything above budget; 1GbE boards are a red flag on anything priced above 100 £.
Form Factor: ATX, mATX or Mini-ITX?
ATX (305×244mm) is the default for most desktop builds — it offers the most expansion slots, better airflow options, and the widest case compatibility. Micro-ATX trades a couple of PCIe slots for a smaller footprint, often at a lower price point. Mini-ITX is the compact enthusiast choice: just one PCIe slot and typically two RAM slots, but it fits in genuinely small cases. The catch with mini-ITX is that manufacturers often charge a premium for the engineering required to pack full-size features into a tiny board — don't assume small means cheap. Confirm your case's supported form factors before committing.
- Budget builds (From 55 £ to 100 £) : Biostar and entry-level GIGABYTE boards dominate this tier. Expect H810 or B840 chipsets, 1GbE LAN, a single M.2 slot, and basic 4+1+2 VRM configurations. Fine for office PCs or light-use builds with low-TDP processors. Not recommended for gaming rigs or any CPU above 65W TDP.
- The sweet spot (From 100 £ to 142 £) : This is where the best value lives. GIGABYTE B650, B850M, and ASUS Prime B850 boards sit here — you get PCIe 5.0 M.2, DDR5 overclocking support, 2.5GbE LAN, and often built-in Wi-Fi 6. Solid VRM configurations (12+2+2 phases) handle mainstream CPUs without issue. The right choice for the vast majority of gaming and productivity builds.
- Enthusiast mid-range (From 142 £ to 200 £) : MSI MAG Tomahawk, GIGABYTE X870 AORUS ELITE, and ASUS TUF Gaming boards occupy this space. Expect Wi-Fi 7, USB 4, 16+2+2 phase VRMs, multiple PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, and premium audio codecs. Genuinely useful if you're pairing with a Ryzen 9 or Core Ultra 9 processor. ASUS ROG Strix and GIGABYTE AORUS Pro boards also appear here.
- Flagship and workstation (Over 200 £) : ASUS ROG Strix Z890-E, GIGABYTE X870E AORUS PRO ICE, and Supermicro server boards. At this level you're paying for extreme VRM configurations, comprehensive overclocking BIOS, maximum M.2 slots, and in Supermicro's case, ECC memory support and IPMI remote management. Justified for content creation workstations, extreme overclocking, or server deployments — not for typical gaming builds.
Top products
- ASUS Prime X870-P WIFI AMD X870 Socket AM5 ATX (ASUS) : A well-rounded X870 board at a price that undercuts most of the competition — solid VRM, Wi-Fi 6E, and full AM5 compatibility. The Prime branding means fewer RGB frills, which suits builders who'd rather spend on CPU or GPU.
- GIGABYTE B850M DS3H Motherboard - AMD Ryzen 9000 Series CPUs, 16+2+2 Phases Digital VRM, up to 8200MHz DDR5 (OC), 1xPCIe 5.0 + 1xPCIe 4.0 M.2, 2.5 LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (GIGABYTE) : Exceptional value for a micro-ATX board — 16+2+2 digital VRM phases at this price point is genuinely unusual. The compact form factor limits expansion, but for a clean small-to-mid build with a Ryzen 9000 chip, this is hard to beat.
- MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI motherboard AMD B850 Socket AM5 ATX (MSI) : The Tomahawk name carries weight for good reason — MSI's VRM implementation here is among the best in the B850 tier, and the MAX suffix signals improved power delivery over the standard model. Our pick for builders pairing a Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 with a mid-range budget.
- GIGABYTE X870E AORUS PRO ICE Motherboard - Supports AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs, 16+2+2 Phases Digital VRM, up to 8000MHz DDR5 (OC), 3xPCIe 5.0 + 1xPCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE LAN, USB 4 (GIGABYTE) : Three PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, USB 4, Wi-Fi 7, and a flagship X870E chipset — this is a serious board for serious builds. Overkill for gaming alone, but if you're running NVMe RAID or a content creation workstation, the spec sheet justifies the outlay.
- ASUS ROG STRIX Z890-E GAMING WIFI Intel Z890 LGA 1851 (Socket V1) ATX (ASUS) : The premium Intel option in this catalogue — Z890 chipset, full overclocking support for Core Ultra K-series CPUs, and ASUS's best-in-class BIOS. Expensive, and you'll only extract full value if you're pairing it with a Core Ultra 9 and pushing memory overclocks. Don't buy this for a locked Core Ultra 5.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between B850 and X870 chipsets on AMD AM5?
The B850 chipset covers the needs of most mainstream and gaming builds, whilst X870 adds PCIe 5.0 on the primary GPU slot and more USB bandwidth. In practice, the performance difference in gaming is negligible — the GPU slot bandwidth isn't a bottleneck with current graphics cards. X870 and X870E boards cost significantly more and are worth considering only if you need maximum USB connectivity, multiple PCIe 5.0 M.2 drives, or plan to run a very high-end CPU like the Ryzen 9 9950X with aggressive overclocking.
Can I use a Ryzen 9000 CPU on an older B550 or X570 motherboard?
No — Ryzen 9000 series processors require an AM5 socket, and B550/X570 boards use the older AM4 socket. The two are physically and electrically incompatible. If you're upgrading from an AM4 system, you'll need a new motherboard, new DDR5 RAM, and potentially a new CPU cooler with AM5 mounting hardware. It's a meaningful investment, but AM5 is AMD's current platform with a longer upgrade runway ahead.
Is it worth paying extra for a motherboard with Wi-Fi 7?
Only if your router supports Wi-Fi 7 or you plan to upgrade to one soon. Wi-Fi 7 boards — like the GIGABYTE X870 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 — offer multi-link operation and lower latency, but you won't see any benefit on a Wi-Fi 6 or older network. For most UK homes with a standard ISP-provided router, Wi-Fi 6E is more than sufficient. If you're wiring your PC directly via Ethernet anyway, the Wi-Fi spec on the board is largely irrelevant.
What VRM phase count do I need for a high-end CPU?
For CPUs with a 125W or higher TDP — such as the Ryzen 9 9900X or Core Ultra 9 285K — look for at least 12+2+2 digital VRM phases with proper heatsink coverage. Budget boards with 4+1+2 phases will technically boot these processors but risk thermal throttling under sustained all-core loads, reducing performance and potentially shortening component lifespan. The 16+2+2 configurations found on mid-to-high-end boards from ASUS, GIGABYTE, and MSI provide ample headroom for overclocking and sustained workloads.
Are cheap Biostar motherboards worth buying in 2026?
Biostar boards are fine for very specific use cases — low-power office builds, NAS systems, or budget media PCs — but we'd steer most builders away from them for gaming or productivity rigs. Their average price in our catalogue sits well below 100 £, which reflects the compromises made: basic VRM configurations, limited M.2 slots, older audio codecs, and BIOS update support that tends to be slower and less comprehensive than ASUS, GIGABYTE, or MSI. The savings rarely justify the trade-offs once you factor in a CPU worth protecting.
Do I need a PCIe 5.0 motherboard for a current-gen graphics card?
No — current graphics cards, including the latest NVIDIA RTX 5000 and AMD RX 9000 series, do not saturate PCIe 4.0 bandwidth in real-world gaming scenarios. PCIe 5.0 on the GPU slot is a future-proofing argument, not a current performance one. Where PCIe 5.0 genuinely matters today is on M.2 storage slots — PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs deliver dramatically faster sequential read speeds than PCIe 4.0 drives, which benefits large file transfers and content creation workflows.
What's the risk of buying a motherboard without checking BIOS compatibility first?
It's one of the most common and frustrating mistakes in PC building. Some motherboards ship with an older BIOS that doesn't support the latest CPU revision — meaning the system won't POST until the BIOS is updated, which requires a compatible older CPU to do so. Always check the manufacturer's CPU support list for your specific board revision before buying. Many mid-range and high-end boards now include a BIOS Flashback feature (ASUS calls it FlashBack, MSI calls it Flash BIOS Button) that lets you update the BIOS from a USB drive without any CPU installed — a genuinely useful safety net worth prioritising.