While we all wish to one day build the PCs of our dreams, sometimes budgetary restrictions get in the way. But even though you might be a little strapped for cash, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t still some great options out there.
Today we’ll be taking a look at some of the best budget motherboards that you should consider purchasing, depending on theform factor and general best price-to-performance value that they provide.
In addition to offering our recommendations for the best budget motherboards, we’ll also be going over some valuable buying tips to keep in mind before making a purchase as well as some general insight regarding motherboards. Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
Best Budget Motherboards in 2022
Before you go out and buy a new motherboard for yourself, it’s important to take a few things into consideration. Here are some of the factors to take into account before making your purchase.
Form Factor: ATX, Micro-ATX, or Mini-ITX?
The motherboard you end up buying is going to depend on your personal preference as well as the space that you have in your computer case which means that, before making any purchase decisions, it’s important to determinewhat motherboard form factor you will need.
There are typically three main motherboard types available on the market for gamers to choose from — ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. Here’s a short description of each motherboard type:
ATX motherboards are the largest boards around and tend to be used in full-sized computers. These motherboards cansupport up to eight expansion slotswhich means that, if you are looking to add additional graphics cards in the future, this motherboard type is your best bet.
However, these motherboards are also quite large so; if you’d rather build a PC that has a smaller form factor, then you should probably opt for buying either a Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX board instead.
As their name implies, Micro-ATX motherboards are smaller versions of ATX motherboards – they’re about half the size of a regular ATX motherboard but offer most of the same connectivity options as their larger counterparts, with one notable exception being that they typically do not have built-in Wi-Fi.
On the other hand, they are also smaller on the inside which means that they require less power to run – perfect for gamers on a budget.
These motherboards are even smaller than Micro-ATX motherboards and usually lack a few more features as a result. For example, they typically onlyhave up to three expansion slots, which means that if you’re looking for extra connectivity options, this motherboard type is not your best bet.
However, these motherboards are easier to fit into small computer cases so if aesthetics is important to you when deciding on the next motherboard, then this might be the right choice.
Another thing to keep in mind before making your motherboard purchase is their CPU support — some motherboards will only support certain generations of processors, with older boards becoming incompatible withnewer CPUsover the years.For example, motherboard manufacturers have not been known to support Intel’s 6th generation CPUs despite the fact that they are still being produced in 2019. Because of this, it’s important to research motherboard manufacturer processor support before making a purchase.
