Mother Board Recommendations

Kensworth · April 19, 2020

I am looking for a motherboard that will work with a Ryzen 5 3600 out of the box without having to do a bios update because I do not want to have to buy another CPU to do an update. I would also like it if the motherboard has built in Wi-Fi and is around $150. Thank you for your help!!!

ZephCloud · April 19, 2020

Msi b450 anything with MAX...all brands x570

ZephCloud · April 19, 2020

For example msi b450 gaming pro carbon max wifi.

Viper9 · April 19, 2020

The MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX is updated to support 3rd gen Ryzen out of the box.

aDoomGuy · April 19, 2020

Asus Strix B450 E also has Wifi.

mariushm · April 19, 2020

All the models from MSI with Max in the name, are motherboards that were upgraded with a bigger size bios chip and bios version that supports the 3rd generation, so they'll support the 3rd generation no matter what bios version is.

Also, a lot of motherboards from MSI support Bios Flashback, which allows you to put a bios on a usb stick, plug it into a specific connector and press a button on the back of the motherboard.

Even without a cpu in the socket, the motherboard will read the bios from the usb stick and program it, without cpu installed.

So a lot of motherboards from MSI without Max in the name, can have their bios updated without cpu installed in the socket, using a USB stick.

Here's a list of motherboards which also tells you if a model supports bios flashback (green checkmark all the way to the right) :

AM4 Vcore VRM Ratings v1.4 (2019-11-07) - Google Drive

For a 3600 or better, ideally you would get a motherboard with 2 green checkmarks or more in the middle columns.

Technically, a single green checkmark would be OK for up to 8 core processors, but I think you would want a more capable motherboard to support potential upgrades in the future (for example a 10 core with some mild overclocking) without overheating.

It's also worth pointing out that Ryzen 3rd generation series was launched somewhere around June-July last year if my memory is correct, so since then all the motherboards that came out of factories were released with bioses that supported Ryzen 3rd generation

Unless you've picked a really odd motherboard or you're really unlikely and a motherboard sat on shelves for half a year or more, whatever motherboard you buy today should have a bios version capable of supporting Ryzen 3rd generation.

Basically, companies don't keep big stocks of motherboards these days, so if you buy from a relatively big retailer or online store, whatever board you get shouldn't be older than let's say November-December but most likely January-February

The Wifi requirement kinda limits you. You should consider buying a 10-20$ pci-e wireless card separately, and plug it in a pci-e slot on the motherboard.

Without wifi, look at MSI boards ...

MSI B450-A Pro

MSI B450 Gaming Plus

MSI B450M Gaming plus

MSI B450 Tomohawk

MSI B450 Mortar

All of the above with or without Max are good, as they support bios flashback as i explained

Without bios flashback but should have bios already that supports 3rd gen

Asrock B450 Pro4

Asrock B450M Pro4

Asrock B450M Pro4-F

all these have 2 green checkmarks, there's room for future upgrades.

Asrock B450 Steel Legend (just one green checkmark, but nice features and was launched around same time or after Ryzen 3 was launched, so fairly safe to assume supports Ryzen 3 processors out of the box)

Gigabyte B450 Aorus M - one green checkmark so wouldn't use it for more than 10 core Ryzen without overclocking, but again nice features, and supported ryzen 3rd gen since May 2019 so unless board sat on shelves for nearly a year, it's safe to buy.

Suggestions for separate wireless cards :

Amazon.com: TP-Link AC1200 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card | 2.4G/5G Dual Band Wireless PCI Express Adapter | Low Profile, Long Range Beamforming Heat Sink Technology | Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP (Archer T4E): Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: TP-Link AC1300 PCIe Wireless Wifi PCIe Card | 2.4G/5G Dual Band Wireless PCI Express Adapter | Low Profile, Long Range, Heat Sink Technology | Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP (Archer T6E): Computers & Accessories

TP-Link Archer T4E AC1200 Wireless Dual Band PCI Express Adapter - Newegg.com

TP-Link Archer T6E AC1300 Wireless Dual Band PCI Express Adapter IEEE 802.11ac / n / a 5GHz, IEEE 802.11b / g / n 2.4GHz PCI Express 867 Mbps at 5 GHz 400 Mbps at 2.4 GHz Wireless Data Rates - Newegg.com

So for example you can get a 100$ motherboard and a 30-35$ wireless adapter and you get overall more value and performance for the money, compared to a board that has wireless build in.