Editorial Team

The EVGA Z490 FTW offers solid performance, plus a speedy USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port.

Solid performance, budget-friendly price and feature-rich

Asus’ TUF B550M-Plus Wi-Fi brings TUF features to B550.

The ASRock B550 PG Velocita includes robust VRMs, good performance and overclocking capability at a mid-range price point.

Asus’ Prime B550M-A Wi-Fi is inexpensive and (mostly) full-featured.

MSI’s B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi includes all the expected bells and whistles of the B550 chipset in a Mini-ITX size package, sans RGB.

The $1100 ASRock Z490 Aqua performed well during testing with the monoblock, keeping the VRMs exceptionally cool, even when overclocked. But is it worth the insane price of admission?

The Strix Z490-E Gaming performed well at stock speeds and includes features expected of this platform and price point. But is it the best around the $300 mark?

The Z490 Taichi performs well at stock speeds and includes comparable features with other boards around its price point. Styling sets the Taichi apart from the rest.

The ASRock B550 Taichi has B550 internals with X570 looks and price. The board performed well against its peers, has a capable VRM, eight SATA ports and the signature premium Taichi appearance.

The MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk is a reasonably priced motherboard with capable VRMs, good performance and overclocking capability.

B550 with premium features at a nicer $210 price

B550 chipset, X570-like price and features

The Z490GTA EVO performs fine at stock speeds, with features comparable to other boards around this price. If you are looking to overclock, however, look elsewhere for now.

The Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero performed well against its peers (when unlocked), offering the latest in connectivity and looking good while doing so.

The MSI MEG Z490 Ace brings a slew of modern connectivity, including USB 3.2 Gen2 (20 Gbps), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, robust high-quality power delivery, and good (though not the best) performance.

The Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Master performed well against its peers in our testing, overclocked our CPU to 5.2 GHz, offers plenty of updated connectivity, plus three M.2 slots with heatsinks.

The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita performed very well against its more-expensive competition, overclocked our CPU to 5.2 GHz, and offers lots of modern connectivity, though we’d like to see more USB.

The Asus ROG Strix RTX 2080 Super OC includes features like integrated fan and RGB headers and a robust heatsink and power delivery, coupled with a premium price.

EVGA uses liquid cooling to help with noise and thermals, but it comes with a steep price tag.

Inexpensive, cool running and performs well