It might be a few generations behind AMD's latest, but the Ryzen 7 5800X is still a great choice for a modern gaming desktop PC. In fact, I still use it in my personal rig and haven't had any complaints or issues running modern games towards the end of 2024. However, we're in the middle of a socket change with Ryzen processors, meaning motherboard compatibility can be a bit tricky, so I'm listing my top picks that all feature the AM4 platform you need for the 5800X.
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December 4, 2024: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are finished, and I removed some of the extra buying advice I offered for the events. — Ben Wilson
The best motherboards for AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
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Best overall
I rate the Tomahawk so highly that I bought it myself, and it's paired with the 5800X in my own machine. There's no onboard Wi-Fi, but it's a sturdy pick with subtle RGB and a thick M.2 heatsink for your SSD. Super affordable.
Best budget
It might be one of the cheapest AM4 boards for the Ryzen 7 5800X, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with the Gaming Gen3. No Wi-Fi, no frills, just basic PCIe 3.0 drives and plain functionality with a full-size ATX motherboard.
Best Micro ATX
ASUS' TUF Gaming B550M-Plus is perfect for a compact custom build. Features 2.5Gb LAN support for ultrafast Ethernet networking, PCIe 4.0 for M.2 SSDs, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports in USB-A and USB-C types.
Best premium
ASUS goes all-out with its ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II, which features PCIe 4.0 for storage and expansion cards, onboard Wi-Fi 6E, and 2.5Gb Ethernet LAN alongside USB-C 3.2 Gen 2. Perfect for building a high-end rig.
Best Mini ITX
Strictly for ultra-compact builds, Gigabyte's Mini-ITX board features onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but sticks with PCIe 3.0 for drives and removes USB-C support to keep costs down.
I use the Ryzen 7 5800X in my own desktop PC, paired with MSI's B550 Tomahawk motherboard and an NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) GPU. It's easy for me to recommend these parts because they've served me so well for years.
How to choose the right motherboard
It would be too easy just to recommend my own motherboard, the MSI B550 Tomahawk, and call it a day, but it won't fit everyone's needs. For example, it lacks onboard Wi-Fi, which has become far more popular in recent years, so ASUS' ROG B550-F GAMING WIFI II is the all-in-one pick to solve that issue. Otherwise, I'd recommend my previous board, the MSI B550 Gaming Gen3, as a budget pick since that was my plan when I bought it years ago, and it served me well until I needed some extras.
Ultimately, what matters most when choosing a motherboard is making sure your other components are supported. For example, if you have an M.2 solid-state drive that supports PCIe 4.0, then you'll need a motherboard that supports the standard and isn't stuck on PCIe 3.0.
The same goes for expansion and fans; if you want each fan on your PC case to have its own header pins, you'll need to check the deeper documentation of a motherboard before buying it. Mini-ITX boards like the Gigabyte A520I AC, for example, don't have space for a lot of headers. Nevertheless, every motherboard on my list supports the Ryzen 7 5800X without issue because they're all using the AM4 socket; it's whatever else you're planning to install into your PC that should influence your new motherboard. Plan, and plan well!
