Motherboard VRM Tier List v2 (currently AMD only)

[Jurrunio]

Credit to:@VegetableStu @GoldenLag @LukeSavenije

 

The following list is based on facts, ranked on power delivery and known problems. The list will include boards that support CPU overclocking available at retail from different brands.

 

There are still differences in performance among boards of the same tier. As a result, those that barely made it into that tier will be in orange while those that are better than others in the same tier are in blue. Unless specified, boards sharing the same name and chipset in different form factors are ranked the same.

 

For advanced users: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Smj5dh97n32wJqm5dkdDcQt8ID7vH52-lKzaaXUUQx8/edit?usp=sharing

 

AMD

 

All current draw figures are based on Prime95 small FFT with AVX unless otherwise specified, in other words the worst case scenario.

 

Only often recommended sku of CPUs in the same generation and core/thread count configuration is named, others share the same rating.

 

Zen scales down frequency and voltage according to EDC (current limit) and TDC (thermal limit) settings of the motherboard so in theory you won’t cook the VRM of any board at stock, you just lose frequency.

 

For tier A and above, due to lack of feasible CPUs that allow testing of the boards at higher current ratings, there are some level on guessing in terms of how much more power the VRM can take.

 

AM4 (Athlon, Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9)

Spoiler

Tier S: 300A current draw on little ambient airflow (i.e below a big air cooler in a well-ventilated case), maxed out 5950X and 3950X on liquid nitrogen (LN2) overclocking

Asus: X570 Crosshair VIII Hero, Crosshair VIII Dark Hero

Gigabyte: X570 Aorus Xtreme, B550 Aorus Master

MSI: X570 Godlike, Creation

 

Tier S-: 250A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 5900X and 3900X on liquid nitrogen (LN2) overclocking

Asus: X570 X570-E, Pro WS Ace, B550 B550-E

Asrock: X570 Taichi, Taichi Razer Edition, Phantom Gaming X, Creator, B550 Taichi

Gigabyte: X570 Aorus Master, B550 Aorus Pro (& AC & AX) (ATX), Vision D

MSI: X570 Ace, Unify, Tomahawk, B550 Tomahawk, Edge (ATX), Carbon

 

Tier A: 200A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 5950X and 3950X on ambient cooling, 2700x on LN2

Asus: X570 X570-F, TUF Plus, Prime Pro, Crosshair VIII Impact, X570-I, X570-P, B550 B550-A, B550-F, TUF Plus (ATX & mATX & mATX WiFi), B550-I X470 Crosshair VII Hero, B450 TUF Pro S (mATX), X370 Crosshair VI Extreme

Asrock: X570 ITX/TB3, B550 Extreme 4, Steel Legend (ATX), Velocita X470 Taichi (Ultimate), X370 Taichi, Professional Gaming

Gigabyte: X570 Aorus Ultra, Pro (ATX), B550 Aorus Elite (ATX), ITX, X470 Gaming 7

MSI: B550 A-Pro, Gaming Plus, Mortar, ITX

 

Tier B: 160A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 5900X and 3900X, 3950x at 1.2V on ambient cooling, maxed out 1800X on LN2

Asus: X470 X470-F, X370 Crosshair VI Hero, X370-F

Asrock: X570 Extreme4, Steel Legend, Pro4 (ATX & mATX), Phantom 4, B550 Steel Legend (mATX)

Biostar: X570 GT8, X470 GT8, X370 GT7

Gigabyte: X570 Aorus Elite, ITX

MSI: X470 M7 AC, Gaming Pro Carbon

 

Tier C :125A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2700, 3900x and 5900X at 1.2V on ambient cooling (P95)

Asus: X370 Prime Pro

Asrock: B550 Pro4 (ATX & mATX), Phantom 4

Gigabyte: X570 UD, Gaming X, B550 Aorus Pro (mATX), Gaming X, X370 Gaming K7, Gaming 5

MSI: X570 Gaming Pro Carbon, B550 Pro-VDH WiFi, Pro-DASH, Bazooka, X470 Gaming Plus (& Max), B450 Gaming Pro Carbon (& Max), Tomahawk (& Max), Gaming Plus ATX (& Max), B450-A Pro (& Max) (ATX), Mortar (& Max), Gaming Plus mATX, Bazooka Plus, Gaming Plus ITX, X370 M7 ACK, XPower Titanium

 

Tier D :100A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 1700, 3700X and 5800X, a tad more than maxed out 2600/1600AF, 105W TDP CPUs at stock with downdraft air cooler

Asus: X470 Prime Pro, X470-I, B450 TUF Pro (mATX and ATX), B450-E, B450-F II, B450-I, X370 X370-I, B350 B350-I

Asrock: B550 B550M-ITX/ac, X470 Master SLI, K4, ITX, B450 Pro4 (mATX and ATX), Pro4-F, K4, M/AC, Steel Legend, ITX, B350 Pro4, K4

Biostar: B550 GTQ

Gigabyte: X470 Gaming 5, Ultra Gaming, B550 Aorus Elite (mATX), Gaming, DS3H, B450 Aorus Elite (mATX), Gaming

MSI: X570 X570-A Pro, Gaming Plus, Edge, X470 Gaming Pro, B450 Pro-VDH (& Max & V2), Bazooka (& Max Wifi & V2), X370 Gaming Pro Carbon, Krait Gaming, SLI Plus, Gaming Plus, Gaming Pro, B350 Gaming Pro Carbon, Krait Gaming

 

Tier E: 75A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 1600, 3600 and 5600X, a bit more than maxed out 2500X, 95W TDP CPUs at stock with downdraft air cooler

Asus: B550 B550M-A, X470 TUF Plus, B450 B450-F, TUF Plus (mATX and ATX), Prime Plus, X370 X370-A, B350 B350-F, Prime Plus, TUF Plus

Asrock: B450 HDV, X370 Gaming X, Killer SLI, mITX, K4, Pro4, B350 ITX, HDV, AB350M

Biostar: X470 GTA, GTQ, GTN, X370 GT5, GT3, B350 GT5, GT3, GTN

Gigabyte: B450 Aorus Pro (ATX), Aorus Elite (ATX), Aorus M, Gaming X, S2H, DS3H, ITX, X370 Gaming K5, K3, 3, Gaming, DS3H, B350 Gaming 3, Gaming, DASH, DS3H, AB350N Gaming-WiFi

MSI: B450 Pro-M2 (& Max), B350 Gaming Plus, Tomahawk, PC Mate, Bazooka, Mortar, Pro-VDH, Pro-VH Plus, Pro-VD Plus

 

Tier F: 50A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 1200/2200G (CPU only)/3100/3300X or 65W TDP CPUs at stock with downdraft air cooler

Asus: B550 B550M-K, B450 B450M-K, B450M-A, Dragon, B350 B350M-A, B350M-E, B350M-K

Asrock: B450 HDV R4.0, B350 HDV R3.0, HDV R4.0

Biostar: X570 GT, B350 B45M2, HiFi B350S1, ET2

Gigabyte: B350 D3H, D3V, HD3, DS2, B450 B450 H

MSI: B450 Pro-M2 V2, B450M-A Pro, B350 Gaming Pro

 

Tier H2O: Liquid cooled only VRM, quite bad if cooled only with air, tier S if liquid cooled

Asus: X570 Crosshair VIII Formula

Asrock: X570 Aqua

 

Tier W: Workstation features, can appear here and above tiers

Asus: X570 Pro WS Ace (proper ECC certification) 

Asrock rack: X570 D2I, D4U-2L2T, D4I-2T, X470 D4U (ECC cert + KVM switch), D4U2-2T (ECC cert + KVM switch)

 

 

B550 Speculation: If you cant find the board above, then it should be here. If it's already up there, then ignore what it's placed here

Spoiler

Tier B: Asrock Phantom Gaming ITX, Biostar GTA

 

Tier C : 

 

Tier D : Asus Prime B550 Plus, Gigabyte S2H

 

Tier F:  Gigabyte B550M H

 

 

TR4 (Ryzen Threadripper 1xxx and 2xxx) X399

Spoiler

Tier LN2: 700A current draw under mist of liquid nitrogen and high RPM fan (ambient air? unrealistic), maxed out 2990WX under an awful lot of liquid nitrogen

Asus: Zenith Extreme Alpha

MSI: Creation

 

Tier S: 500A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out (1.35v) 2990WX on ambient cooling (P95), 2970WX on liquid nitrogen

Asus: Zenith Extreme Alpha

MSI: Creation

 

Tier A: 400A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2990WX on ambient cooling (Cinebench R20) or 1.2V in Prime95

Someone occupy here plz

 

Tier B: 350A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2970WX on ambient cooling (P95), 2990WX limited to 1.175v (P95)

Gigabyte: Aorus Xtreme

 

Tier C 300A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2970WX on ambient cooling (Cinebench R20) or 1.2V in Prime95

Asus: Zenith Extreme with cooling kit

 

Tier D 250A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2950X on ambient cooling, 2970WX limited to 1.15v (P95)

Asus: Zenith Extreme

MSI: Gaming Pro Carbon AC, SLI Plus

 

Tier E: 200A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 2920X and 1950X on ambient cooling

Asus: X399-E, X399-A

Asrock: Taichi (mATX & ATX), Professional Gaming

Gigabyte: Gaming 7, Designare EX, Aorus Pro

 

Tier F: 150A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 1920X on ambient cooling

Asrock: Phantom 6

 

Tier G: 100A current draw on little ambient airflow, maxed out 1900X on ambient cooling

Thank god nothing is here

 

sTRX4 (Ryzen Threadripper 3xxx) TRX40 (largely guessing since there's little data)

Spoiler

Tier S: 500A current draw in low airflow condition (i.e. no case fan blowing over the VRM), maxed out 3990X (1.3v) with watercooling (to the point which it doesnt thermal throttle)

Asus: Zenith II Extreme Alpha, Zenith II Extreme

Gigabyte: Designare, Aorus Master, Aorus Xtreme

MSI: Creator

Tier A: 350A current draw in low airflow condition, 3990X conservative (1.2v) overclock
Asus: Prime Pro, Prime Pro S, TRX40-E, TRX40-XE

 

Tier B: 275A current draw in low airflow condition, 3990X locked to 300W PPT, maxed out 3970X

Gigabyte: Aorus Pro

MSI: Pro WiFi, Pro 10G

Asrock: Taichi

 

Tier C : 225A current draw in low airflow condition, 3970X stock and maxed out 3960X

Asrock: Creator

 

 

Sources:

Spoiler

Hardwareluxx.de: VRM parts table (AM4 B350/X370/B450/X470)

 

Hardware Unboxed: MSI X570 Unify; Flagship X570 VRM thermal test; Affordable X570 VRM Thermals; Budget X570 VRM Thermals; 3950X on B450 boards; TRX40 boards with overclocked 3990X; Some MSI boards; Cheaper B550 board test

 

/u/CR1318 on reddit: Motherboard Tier List

 

Tweaktown: biostar x370gt7; biostar x370gtn gaming; biostar a320mh pro gaming

 

Buildzoid: Gigabyte's Z390 lineup; Asrock X470 Master SLI; Asrock AB350M Pro 4, AB350 Pro 4 and AB350 Gaming K4; ASUS Prime X470-Pro; Asrock X370 Taichi; MSI X470 Gaming Plus; MSI B450M Mortar Titanium; Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Xtreme; ASUS Maximus XI Apex; Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra; MSI MEG X399 Creation; Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro Wifi; ASUS TUF B450M-Pro Gaming; ASUS TUF B450M-Pro Gaming; Asrock X470 Master SLI / Gaming K4; "Asrock X470 Master SLI VRM temperature sensing is broken"; EVGA Z370 Micro; Gigabyte B450M Gaming; EVGA Z390 FTW; Gigabyte X370 Gaming K5; Asrock X570 Pro4; Asus X570 Strix-E; Gigabyte x570; MSI x570; Asrock x570; Asus x570; Asus X570 Prime-P; Asus X570 Strix-F; Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra; Gigabyte X570 Gaming X;

 

GN (Buidzoid): Best Motherboards for AMD Ryzen 2018 - AM4 X470 & B450; Best Z390 Motherboards for VRMs, 10Gb LAN, Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX (2018); Best AM4 Motherboards for Overclocking (X370 & B350); EVGA X299 DARK; MSI Z390 Godlike; ASUS Maximus XI Hero; ASUS Crosshair VI Hero X370; ASUS X399 Zenith Extreme; EVGA X299 DARK; MSI X570 Tomahawk

 

Bitwit: Biostar Racing X370 GTN

 

Kitguru: MSI TRX40 Creator

 

Sebelas Hardware: Biostar Racing X370 GT3

 

hardwareinside.de: biostar-racing x370gt5

 

play3r.net: biostar racing x370gt5

 

back2gaming.com: biostar racing b350gt5

 

Proclockers: biostar h310mhd pro

 

de8auer: MSI X570 Tomahawk, Asus B550-E and B550M TUF-Plus WiFi

 

XFastest: Biostar B550 GTQ

 

 

Legacy list thread: Those looking to dive into Intel's outdated process node and recycled (for many times) architecture please refer to the old list

Spoiler

 

 

[Triboal]

I still don't understand how the X570 Aorus Master is classified on the same tier as the Phantom Gaming X and Taichi when sources like HardwareUnboxed have shown the Aorus Master to have superior VRM's including reaching higher clocks and cooler VRMs and PCB compared to both the Taichi and Phantom Gaming X - and very similar stats to the C8H.

 

This is no criticism, just want to understand that's all.

[Jurrunio]

3 hours ago, GeLi said:

I still don't understand how the X570 Aorus Master is classified on the same tier as the Phantom Gaming X and Taichi when sources like HardwareUnboxed have shown the Aorus Master to have superior VRM's including reaching higher clocks and cooler VRMs and PCB compared to both the Taichi and Phantom Gaming X - and very similar stats to the C8H.

 

This is no criticism, just want to understand that's all.

I only considered VRM thermals, which the Master is unlikely to survive 300A output (less and weaker powerstages, so heat output will ramp up faster and higher at that point than the C8H) anyway. I'm not talking about the best OC boards, this list is just to stop people from buying underwhelming boards for their CPUs.

[Triboal]

13 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

I only considered VRM thermals, which the Master is unlikely to survive 300A output (less and weaker powerstages, so heat output will ramp up faster and higher at that point than the C8H) anyway. I'm not talking about the best OC boards, this list is just to stop people from buying underwhelming boards for their CPUs.

Ah okay, understood. My bad.

 

I find this list super helpful anyway, especially for help guiding people who are looking for a new AM4 motherboard which to go for. So great job guys on putting this together!

[realXClav]

Are you taking over tier lists now? Or just the motherboard one?

[LienusLateTips]

1 minute ago, realXClav said:

Are you taking over tier lists now? Or just the motherboard one?

Most of the tier lists would still be under Luke from what I know.

[Tenma White]

This is the new official list?

[Jurrunio]

1 hour ago, realXClav said:

Are you taking over tier lists now? Or just the motherboard one?

I only take over the board's list. I only know a little on PSUs and disagree with making the GPU cooler tier list

[LogicWeasel]

1 hour ago, Jurrunio said:

and disagree with making the GPU cooler tier list

Just wondering, on what grounds?  That it isn't needed or that you don't care about GPU coolers enough to want to tackle it?

[Jurrunio]

40 minutes ago, LogicWeasel said:

Just wondering, on what grounds?  That it isn't needed or that you don't care about GPU coolers enough to want to tackle it?

because different GPUs sharing the same cooler name can behave very differently. For example the MSI ventus cards, those with 100mm fans are acceptable for cheap cards but the I think 80mm or 90mm fan ones are loud and make high pitched noise.

[LogicWeasel]

8 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

the same cooler name can behave very differently. For example the MSI ventus cards

Those typical manufacturers.  They don't change the name between the smaller fans and the bigger fan models eh?  They don't make it easier for consumers to tell them apart in online product listings?

[LukeSavenije]

7 hours ago, LienusLateTips said:

Most of the tier lists would still be under Luke from what I know.

but i handed over this one because PSUs keep me busy

[LogicWeasel]

11 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

because PSUs keep me busy

*meanwhile at EVGA HQ - PSU Division*

 

"Muahahaha!    Luke thinks he'll have more free time now!  We'll put a stop to that!  Quick, release those extra PSU names with two letters we were saving!"  ~Presenting the new EVGA GE1, GE2, GL, GN, & LMNOP power supply models~  "He'll never keep up!"  

[Jurrunio]

6 minutes ago, LogicWeasel said:

*meanwhile at EVGA HQ - PSU Division*

 

"Muahahaha!    Luke thinks he'll have more free time now!  We'll put a stop to that!  Quick, release those extra PSU names with two letters we were saving!"  ~Presenting the new EVGA GE1, GE2, GL, GN, & LMNOP power supply models~  "He'll never keep up!"  

At least that's better than giving similar spec but different design and OEM PSUs the same name

[LogicWeasel]

2 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

At least that's better than giving similar spec but different design and OEM PSUs the same name

who's most guilty of that stuff?

[Jurrunio]

18 minutes ago, LogicWeasel said:

who's most guilty of that stuff?

Ask @LukeSavenije

[LukeSavenije]

3 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Ask @LukeSavenije

silverstone?

thermaltake?

rosewill?

 

give me hints

[lafrente]

According to the list, does it mean MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max is ranked higher than the X570 Gaming Plus?

 

[LogicWeasel]

12 hours ago, lafrente said:

According to the list, does it mean MSI B450 Gaming Plus Max is ranked higher than the X570 Gaming Plus?

 

Yes, the X570 board you named is super entry-level for x570 and MSI skimped on the VRM compared to most all their other x570 boards.

[Jurrunio]

9 minutes ago, LogicWeasel said:

Yes, the X570 board you named is super entry-level for x570 and MSI skimped on the VRM compared to most all their other x570 boards.

tbh the VRM got slightly better (doublers added), but the heatsinks got much worse.

[LogicWeasel]

1 minute ago, Jurrunio said:

tbh the VRM got slightly better (doublers added), but the heatsinks got much worse.

Ah gotcha, so they skimped on the VRM cooling, not so much the chips themselves.  What a shame, from most of the Buildzoid videos I see him so often have to tear into companies that don't design even a half-decent VRM.  It'll be some hunk of metal that blocks airflow and doesn't have any proper fins or surface area.  They should get a company to design those for them so they can stick real VRM heatsinks on their boards, and not some long brick that just acts as a time buffer.

[Satan_Prometheus]

Would the Asrock X570M Pro4 be acceptable for the 3900X at stock clocks?

 

I got the Gigabyte X570I Aorus Pro ITX like you suggested, but it turns out it's not compatible with my case (Thermaltake V21). There are clearance issues with the backplate of the motherboard and the built-in standoffs.

[Jurrunio]

10 minutes ago, Satan_Prometheus said:

here are clearance issues with the backplate of the motherboard and the built-in standoffs.

The backplate for mounting the stock cooler? Just throw it out and buy a cooler that doesn't need it. The difference in capability between the Asrock Pro4 and Gigabyte ITX is great enough I wont be ready to give up just yet.

[Satan_Prometheus]

3 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

The backplate for mounting the stock cooler? Just throw it out and buy a cooler that doesn't need it. The difference in capability between the Asrock Pro4 and Gigabyte ITX is great enough I wont be ready to give up just yet.

No, I mean the board itself has a backplate that interferes with the standoffs in this case. It's an issue where the case standoffs are actually bumps rather than pins, so the back of the board has to be flush with the top of the bumps. Unfortunately on the X570 Aorus Pro ITX, the holes for the screws are actually 3-4mm recessed from the back of the board, so it can't sit flush on the standoffs.

 

I'm trying to find a decent mATX or ITX board that doesn't have this kind of a backplate.

[f0gpie]

On 12/24/2019 at 4:10 AM, Jurrunio said:

- snip -

Ugh again i cant decide to get asus tuf or gigabyte elite x570 board

Edited January 1, 2020 by LogicalDrm
-snip-