The best AM3+ motherboard is one that’s powerful and has several features you’ll find useful, enough to give you a smooth experience without overheating.
If you’re building a new PC or upgrading an old one, this guide will tell you everything that you need to know to get an AM3+ motherboard without spending too much or buying a cheap option.
Moreover, this article covers some of the AM3+ motherboards and describes their features in detail. Let’s find out the best AM3+ motherboards in the market.
The Top 5 Am3+ Motherboards in 2023
- ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ – Best All-in-one Motherboard
- ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+ – Best High-End Motherboard
- Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970 – Best for Building Custom Rigs
- Gigabyte AM3+ 760g/sb710 – Fast Data Transfer
- ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+ – Best Cooling System
1. ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+
ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+
The ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ is an all-in-one motherboard that supports AMD processors and DDR3 memory. It has four DIMM slots, two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/x8), six SATA 6Gb/s ports, an M.2 slot for PCIe NVMe SSDs (PCIe Gen 3 x4), and two mini-PCIe slots for wireless cards or add-on cards like WiGig adapters.
Pros: Cons:
This motherboard’s main selling point is its aggressive looks. It is one of the most visually appealing motherboards on the market. The metallic accents along with red and blue LED lighting on each corner, combine to make it look sleek in any gaming setup.
The performance of this board is excellent too. You will not notice any lag when playing games or running benchmarks during testing.
2. ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+
ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+
The ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AMD 990FX chipset is a motherboard worthy of its name, with 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots, 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, and 1 x PCI Express x1 slot. There are also 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports and 2x USB 3.0 ports on this board, as well as the usual assortment of system fan headers and audio jacks.
Pros: Cons:
With support for up to 64GB of system memory (two 8GB modules), there is plenty of room for expansion thanks to AMD’s CrossFireX technology. It allows two different graphics cards to work together in unison while sharing the same monitor output card/DisplayPort interface—perfect if you are building a high-end gaming rig.
3. Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970
Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970
The Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970 motherboard offers amazing features for its price. It has an advanced AMD 970 chipset, which supports 4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32GB of system memory (64GB).
Pros: Cons:
The board also features support for DDR3 2400 (O.C.)/2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz memory modules and supports high-speed data transfer rates up to 3200MT/s when using the latest DDR4 RAM modules.
It has two PCI-E 16x slots that support CrossFireX or SLI technology allowing you to build super systems with multiple GPUs at once.
4. Gigabyte AM3+ 760g/sb710
Gigabyte AM3+ 760g/sb710
Gigabyte AM3+ 760g/sb710 has AMD 760G / SB710 Chipset and 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots which offer great value for money. Moreover, it has 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots (x16 mode) and 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (x4 mode). Hence, you can run any card on it without a hitch.
Pros: Cons:
In addition, this motherboard supports HyperTransport 3.0 technology for faster data transfer speeds of up to 5 GT/s. You will feel the difference after changing your previous motherboard with this one.
5. ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+
ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+
The ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+ is a great motherboard for AMD FX/Phenom II/Athlon II/Sempron 100 Series processors. It comes with the AMD 760G chipset, which supports USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, and Gigabit Ethernet for faster connection.
Pros: Cons:
This motherboard has four DIMM slots. These slots can support up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM at speeds of 1600MHz (OC)/1333MHz (OC).
The highlight feature of this board is its high-capacity cooling system with heat pipes that help dissipate heat from your CPU even better than before.
You also get two PCI Express x1 lanes, allowing you to add more graphics cards to your system. Moreover, it does not use any additional slots on the motherboard itself.
List of Features to Look for When Buying Your Motherboard
• Chipset
Check the motherboard’s chipset. This is a vital part of your motherboard, as it determines how fast and responsive your computer will be.
• Specs
When checking the specs, look at the form factor of your motherboard. If you want to use an older CPU socket or have special needs that require a certain kind of layout (like a liquid cooler), make sure that this is available with your new purchase.
• Compatibility
Check for compatibility with RAM slots. You can use more than one type at once. However, there are some cases where only one type will work on any given system, and these vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so check before buying.
• A USB 3.0 Header
If your motherboard has a USB 3.0 header, it means that it supports faster data transfer rates than standard USB 2.0 ports. It is because the old standard used to use only one type of cable and connector, whereas USB 3.0 uses both types together (USB Type-A and Type-C).
So what does this mean for you? Well, it could mean faster downloads from your computer or external drives if your motherboard supports this feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best AM3+ motherboard for gaming?
The best AMD AM3+ motherboards offer high-end features, such as advanced RAM and storage options, excellent cooling solutions, and strong audio components.
For example, if you plan to play games at 4K resolution or higher on your PC, it’s vital to get a motherboard that supports these features. They will improve performance when playing games at such high resolutions.
2. What is the best AM3+ motherboard for overclocking?
If you are looking for an overclocking motherboard, then you should go for those models with extra features. The high-end motherboards make it easier to achieve higher clock speeds.
For example, the ASUS ROG Maximus X Formula has 6x PCI Express 3 connectors (1×16+5×8). It means it can support up to 64GBs worth of RAM and up to 32GBs of storage space.
It makes it perfect for gamers who want more memory but do not want to spend all their money getting another graphics card fitted into their computer rig.
Conclusion
Choose from a wide range of options in our list, be it for gaming or work-related matters. We included motherboards with various price ranges, so you can choose one that suits your budget and requirements.
