Best X370 AM4 Ryzen Motherboards for Overclocking
A motherboard is one of the most critical parts of your computer system. It can greatly affect the overall efficiency of your PC and many of the gaming-oriented features are carried out through high-end motherboards such as overclocking the processor and RAM etc. One of the best things about AMD systems is that the motherboard can work for years before you need to upgrade. The reason for this is that the upcoming AMD processors are totally compatible with the older motherboards as long as they share the same socket. AM4 socket is currently used by AMD and it will probably last two more generations of AMD processors. If X370 Motherboard is not your desired requirement for AMD Processor, Check out X470 Motherboards.
That being said, X370 chipset was released for the first generation of Zen architecture-based “Ryzen” processors and it is a high-end chipset having support for multiple graphics cards through SLI/Crossfire. In this article, we will uncover the best X370 motherboards which will prove out to be a long-lasting companion of yours.
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1. MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon
Our Rating: 10/10
Pros
- Shielded PCIe and RAM slots
- Superior Price to Performance Ratio
Cons
- -
Socket: AM4 | Chipset: X370 | Graphics Outputs: DVI/ HDMI | Form Factor: ATX | Audio: Realtek ALC1220 Codec | Wireless: N/A | No. of PCIe Slots: 6 | No. of M.2 Slots: 2
Check PriceMSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon is quite a competitor among the X370 motherboards due to its features and low cost. The exceptional quality of this motherboard is that it provides two M.2 slots while most of the other X370 motherboards provide only one. The motherboard provides a clean look by using black color along with silver and white shades. RAM slots and two of the PCIe slots come shielded which is very good for protection, especially for the high-end graphics cards.
There are six fan headers on this motherboard where some of them use PWM mode while others use DC mode. This fan configuration comes default and can be changed in the BIOS according to your own needs. The upper M.2 slot comes with a shield and also uses a heat-pad for efficient heat transfer. This ensures that even the fastest SSDs would not get throttled thermally.
The performance of this motherboard is quite good and we noticed that even an octa-core Ryzen processor easily achieved a frequency of 4.0GHz, although the VRMs of this motherboard are not much of a performer. That being said, if you just need basic functionalities and a sufficiently overclocking motherboard, this product will provide a good value to you.
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2. ASRock X370 Taichi
Our Rating: 10/10
Pros
- Built-in WI-FI
- 16 Phase power design
- Dual CPU fan headers and water-pump header
Cons
- -
Socket: AM4 | Chipset: X370 | Graphics Outputs: N/A | Form Factor: ATX | Audio: Realtek ALC1220 Codec | Wireless: Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi | No. of PCIe Slots: 5 | No. of M.2 Slots: 1
ASRock motherboards have achieved a lot of fame in recent years and it is no wonder that they deserve this fame. This ASRock X370 Taichi motherboard is, in fact, at the top of X370 motherboards let alone the lower-end B250 motherboards. The particular feature of this motherboard is the over-powered VRM design which can easily supply up to 300-Watts. Yes, it might seem a bit too much as even the octa-core Ryzen processors use around 100-Watts with the stock frequencies.
Moreover, this motherboard also features onboard WI-FI which is handy for many users, even if most of the gamers prefer a wired connection. There are five fan headers on this motherboard, where three of them are rated at 1A and two of them have a rating of 1.5A. As for the RGB lighting is concerned, this motherboard does provide the header for RGB lighting, however, only the Southbridge has RGB lighting by default, which could have been better by running a lighting system all over the board like other motherboards.
We were stunned by the performance of this motherboard and it achieved up to 4.1GHz clock rate on Ryzen 1700 without breaking a sweat. The temperature of the VRMs was also very good, as expected from such a great VRM design. If you are looking for an enthusiast class motherboard and want to break some records with overclocking, this motherboard will not let you down. Also, it is among the most stable X370 motherboards providing a great overclocking experience.
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3. ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero
Our Rating: 9.5/10
Pros
- Great overclocking potential
- Aura-Sync RGB lighting support
Cons
- -
Socket: AM4 | Chipset: X370 | Graphics Outputs: N/A | Form Factor: ATX | Audio: ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220 | Wireless: N/A | No. of PCIe Slots: 6 | No. of M.2 Slots: 1
ASUS needs no introduction and its products in the graphics card’s and motherboard’s category are just mind-blowing. Along with a numbered series for motherboards, Asus also manufactures other series which are widely known by their names such as ROG Maximus series for Intel and ROG Crosshair series for AMD systems. ROG Crosshair VI Hero comes below the Crosshair VI Extreme motherboard but Extreme version costs way too much and is not considered by most of the users. Still, the Hero version displays a staggering performance and provides a lot of features.
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This motherboard provides great customization through BIOS, although it is much more detailed than an average user’s knowledge, which is why make sure that you know what you are doing. There is a total of eight fan headers on this motherboard with one of the headers rated at 3-Amps, which is quite good for active cooling. The looks of this motherboard are fantastic and appealing thanks to the beautifully designed heat-sinks and the Aura-Sync lighting, as expected from a high-end Asus motherboard.
The temperatures of the VRMs on this motherboard were way lower than other motherboards and even though we could not get to see more than 4.1GHz frequency on the first generation of Ryzen processors, the results would be a lot better if you use a Zen+ based processor. This motherboard is a combination of deadly performance and dazzling aesthetics and should not be overlooked if you can afford the price.
4. GIGABYTE Aorus AX-370 Gaming K7
Our Rating: 9/10
Pros
- Black PCB Design
- Strong VRMs
- Dazzling RGB lighting
Cons
- -
Socket: AM4 | Chipset: X370 | Graphics Outputs: HDMI | Form Factor: ATX | Audio: 2 x Realtek ALC1220 Codec | Wireless: N/A | No. of PCIe Slots: 6 | No. of M.2 Slots: 1
GIGABYTE Aorus is a name quite similar to ASUS ROG when it comes to functionality and features. Both of these are the product divisions dedicated to gamers. This Aorus AX-370 Gaming K7 is no exception and it is targeted towards enthusiast-class gamers and is packed with a variety of features.
Give this motherboard a look and you will notice that even its RAM slots are RGB-lit and add a nice look to the overall motherboard. With reinforced PCIe slots and fascinating heat-sinks all over the motherboard, one can sense easily that it is a very solid motherboard. There are eight fan headers just like the ROG Crosshair VI Hero and all of them can be set used either in DC mode or PWM mode.
We observed that this motherboard is quite aggressive on the voltage in Auto mode and this results in high temperatures. While, on the other hand, the manual voltage adjustments work quite well and provide ample OC headroom. This motherboard is a great alternative to the Crosshair VI Hero and provides similar performance, although its design is not as creative, as you might find the LED lighting to be too much distracting.
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5. MSI X370 XPower Gaming Titanium
Our Rating: 8/10
Pros
- Metallic Aesthetics
- Uses Military-grade components
Cons
- -
Socket: AM4 | Chipset: X370 | Graphics Outputs: HDMI/DP | Form Factor: ATX | Audio: Realtek ALC1220 Codec | Wireless: N/A | No. of PCIe Slots: 6 | No. of M.2 Slots: 2
MSI X370 XPower Gaming Titanium, as the name suggests, is the flagship motherboard by MSI for the X370 chipset and is full of interesting features. First of all, the looks of this motherboard are very unique as it provides a mixture of white, metallic silver and black color. It provides two M.2 slots where one of them has a shield which can be useful if you own a green ugly M.2 SSD. MSI uses reinforced RAM and PCIe slots for enhanced protection, which is advertised as MSI Steel Armor.
Once we went under the heat-sink of VRMs, it came to our notice that the power delivery of this motherboard could have been better as the VRMs used in this motherboard are same as those used in MSI’s lower-end variants. Despite that, the heat-sink used on VRMs is quite good and do not let the VRMs get hot during an extensive operation. There are six fan headers, where five of them are close to the CPU for ease of use.
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If you are not looking for extreme overclocking, this motherboard would be a great choice for you, especially if it matches the theme of your other PC components.
