In their first two iterations, Ryzen 7 CPUs were used to be flagship chips by AMD. But now, probably in order to reduce the gap between their mainstream and Threadripper CPUs, AMD has now release Ryzen 9 CPUs.
It means that AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs will be considered as the second best offering by the AMD from now on.
Ryzen 7 3700X vs 3800X
Between the Ryzen 7 3700X and 3800X CPUs, the former got more attention due to its very low TDP of just 65 Watts. And since both of these CPUs have almost identical specs, 3700X seems to be better bang for buck due to being (almost) 70 bucks cheaper than the 3800X.
Apart from that, the specs of 3700X are making it the direct competitor (read killer) of Intel’s Core i9-9700K despite being significantly less expensive. This is the reason why I am personally considering to make a shift from team blue to team red (for the first time ever) this summer.
Currently I have an Intel i5-8400 based built, so it’ll be a good upgrade I suppose.
Coming back to the topic, since I have already talked about suitable RAMs for Ryzen 7 3700X / 3800X builds, I thought it would be good to complement it with a post regarding suitable motherboards for aforementioned CPUs.
Best Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X And 3800X
ASRock AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU (Soket AM4) with X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard X570 Phantom Gaming X
MSI MEG X570 ACE Motherboard (AMD AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA 6Gb/s, M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, AX Wi-Fi 6, 2.5G LAN, ATX)
Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, on-Board WiFi 6 (802.11Ax), 2.5 Gbps LAN, USB 3.2, SATA, M.2, Node and Aura Sync RGB Lighting
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/ESS 9118 Sabre HiFi DAC/Fins-Array Heatsink/RGB Fusion 2.0/3xM.2 Thermal Guard/Gaming Motherboard)
MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 AM4 DDR4 Onboard Graphics SLI ATX Motherboard (X470 Gaming PRO Carbon)
(Best X570 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X)
(Best X570 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3800X)
–
–
(Best X470 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X And 3800X)
Check Price
ASRock AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU (Soket AM4) with X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard X570 Phantom Gaming X
(Best X570 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X)
Check Price
MSI MEG X570 ACE Motherboard (AMD AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA 6Gb/s, M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, AX Wi-Fi 6, 2.5G LAN, ATX)
(Best X570 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3800X)
Check Price
Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, on-Board WiFi 6 (802.11Ax), 2.5 Gbps LAN, USB 3.2, SATA, M.2, Node and Aura Sync RGB Lighting
–
Check Price
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/ESS 9118 Sabre HiFi DAC/Fins-Array Heatsink/RGB Fusion 2.0/3xM.2 Thermal Guard/Gaming Motherboard)
–
Check Price
MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 AM4 DDR4 Onboard Graphics SLI ATX Motherboard (X470 Gaming PRO Carbon)
(Best X470 Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X And 3800X)
Check Price
The ability of Ryzen 3000 CPUs to run on older X470/B450 chipsets can be a dual-edge sword for PC builders, in my opinion.
On one hand, you can buy those latest CPUs, put them into your existing builds, and get the job done with just a BIOS update. On the other hand, you won’t be able to enjoy full X570 chipset features unless you have an X570 motherboard.
5 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 7 3700X / 3800X Builds
But in case you don’t know, the first route is significantly cheaper than the second.
This sort of conundrum is the reason why I have also included an X470 motherboard for those with a tighter budget.
So, without any ado, let’s start.
ASRock Phantom Gaming X: Best Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X
Gaming X belongs to the upper-tier among the motherboards ASRock released this July.
Its design resembles with the other products of the phantom line-up and includes things like a grey color scheme, I/O shroud, and heatsinks for M.2 slots as well as VRM/MOSFETS.
For connectivity, there are eight SATA ports, three PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots, and three M.2 slots with heatsinks as well as an active fan.
Installing an M.2 SSD can be difficult for the first time, especially if you’re a beginner, since you have to remove the entire heatshield to access those slots. Ryzen 7 3700X/3800X come along Wraith Prism CPU cooler by AMD which is more than good to handle the heat generate by these two CPUs.
But in case you want to look for some other 3rd-party options, you check this post out. In my opinion, an AIO RGB cooler would look much more sexier than an air cooler for this kind of build.
On the back side, the I/O panel includes dual antenna mounts for Wi-Fi 6 (antennas are provided along the motherboard), six USB 3.1 ports, two USB 3.2 ports (both type A and C), Realtek 2.5 GB/s Ethernet, and five 7.1 HD audio connectors.
Wi-Fi 6 is a good addition but you must have a capable WiFi 6 router to enjoy full features of this new standard. And these routers are very expensive right now.
Overall, with features like 14-phase power delivery, Realtek 2.5 G Ethernet, five M.2 slots, support for up to DDR4-4666 for RAM memory, I think phantom Gaming X is good for both Ryzen 7 CPUs (even if you’re a seasoned PC builder).
Yes, there are some downsides in this board.
Like its overclocking isn’t top-grade (you’ll have some difficultly in hitting the 5.0 GHz mark), and the installation mechanism in M.2 slots isn’t very classy. But if you can live with these two drawbacks, I don’t think you should go anywhere else.
With a $350 price tag, it sits in the middle of x570 motherboards hierarchy but could have been a lot cheaper if didn’t have Wi-Fi 6, 2.5 G Ethernet, or X570 chipset itself.
ASRock AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU (Soket AM4) with X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard X570 Phantom Gaming X
- AMD Premium X570
- Supports AMD AM4 socket Ryzen 2000 and 3000 series processors
- AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) support DDR4 4666+(OC)/ 4400(OC)/ 4300(OC)/ 4266(OC)/ 4200(OC)/ 4133(OC)/ 3466(OC)/ 3200/ 2933/ 2667/ 2400/ 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory
Check Price
Check Price on Amazon
MSI MEG X570 ACE: Best Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3800X
From outside, MEG X570 ACE is an ATX motherboard with a black-colored PCB which contrasts well with the silver color used on DIMM slots, PCIe slots, and heatsinks.
The upper area of the motherboard has the AM4 socket (which’ll accommodate your Ryzen CPU) which is surrounded by the power delivery components from the top and left side.
These components are cooled down by the two dedicated heatsinks which are connected together by a heatpipe. Speaking of power delivery, this board has a 12+2+1 phase design along with the Infineon IR35021 digital PWM controller and titanium chokes.
On the right side of the socket, there are four metal reinforced DIMM slots that accept memory sticks with up to 4600 MHz speed.
Above these slots are the CPU fan headers, while the 24-pin ATX power connectors and the 4-pin fan headers are on right edge on the board. Below the power connector, there are things like USB 3.1 header, four SATA ports, front panel header, and the POST code display.
The location of this POST code display is pretty weird because in most motherboards it’s located on either the top or the bottom area. Being located in the middle means that it’ll be tough for you to read anything if you have two graphics cards installed.
In case all of these headers aren’t enough for you, there are two USB 2.0 headers, two 3-pin addressable RGB headers, an HD audio header, a USB 3.1 front-panel header, and an OC genie dial on the bottom side.
I personally like the OC genie dial because it allows you to overclock your CPU without going into your BIOS or using AMD Ryzen Master Software. It has different OC levels in a series from 0 to 11.
The bottom side of this board is actually covered by four heatsinks. These heartsick are closely located to each other so it looks like a single giant-sized heatsink (instead of four).
One of them is chipset heatsink while the other three are for each of the M.2 slots. The top M.2 slot is of M.2 2210 type, while the bottom two are of 2280 type.
In addition to these slots, there are three armored PCIe 4.0 x16 slots and two x1 slots.
On thing you need to know about these slots is that if you have a single card, the top slot will run at x16 mode, but if you want to use two of them, then both slots will operate at x8 mode. Also since both of its x1 slots utilize the same lane, you can only use one of them a single time.
For enhanced audio quality, MSI has implemented a Realtek ALC1220 audio processor with a dedicated headphone amplifier, and Nahimic 3 Audio software for virtual 7.1 surround sound.
Its I/O panel has everything you can think of: a LOT of USB ports, Realtek 2.5 GbE Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity, BIOS flash and CMOS buttons, and some audio connectors.
On the top-right corner, there are two 8-pin EPS connectors, but you’ll need only one of them unless you want more power for CPU overclocking.
If I have to pinpoint a downside in this otherwise perfect motherboard, it would be the placement of the USB 3.1 front-panel header and the fact that you can use only one x1 slot at a time.
Having said that, its pros outperform its cons by a huge margin. This is reason why I think it to be the best motherboard for your Ryzen 3800X – even after knowing that it costs almost 400 bucks at the time I am writing this.
MSI MEG X570 ACE Motherboard (AMD AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, SATA 6Gb/s, M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2, AX Wi-Fi 6, 2.5G LAN, ATX)
- Support for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Processors and future AMD Ryzen processors with BIOS update
- On-board 2.5G LAN and Gigabit LAN with gaming LAN manager, and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). Operating System – Support for Windows10 64-bit
- Triple Lightning Gen 4 M.2 slots capable of unidirectional transfer speeds up to 64 GB/s
Check Price
Check Price on Amazon
ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi
Since the release of Ryzen 3000 CPUs, Asus has released a number of motherboard targeted towards different price sections.
Among those, I think the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero is one of the best for Ryzen 7 CPUs, and a good alternative for MSI MEG ACE.
Design wise, it simply looks premium. There’s minimal amount of RGB lighting in the areas like I/O cover and M.2 heatsinks, and it blends well with the grey color on both places. Grey color is also used on the PCIe 4.0 reinforced slots while rest of the motherboard is black.
To power the board, there’s a 14+2 power phase design which’ll ensure the power delivery if you overclock the CPU to its limits.
Actually, this is 7-phase power delivery system but since each of the phase has 2 two IR3555 60A power stages, the number is doubled. Thanks to this setup and the proprietary OptiMem III signalling, the VRM area doesn’t get warm even when under heavy load.
Since memory support has been noticeably increase with Ryzen 3000, now you can put RAM sticks with 128 GB total size and with as much as 4800 MHz speed. Right next to these DIMM slots are the 2 RGB Headers and 2 RGB addressable Gen 2 headers, while the on top ear the multiple 4-pin PWM fan headers.
To avoid any sort of interference, the audio components are located at the bottom left corner of the board.
Unlike other boards in its price bracket, there are only two M.2 slots here (both of M.2 Type 22110), but probably in order to compensate for the ones less M.2 slot, you get as much as 8 SATA 6 GB/s ports.
In terms of audio, you get the Realtek S1220 codec with a built-in headphone amplifier. And For noise reduction, there are Nichicon capacitors. This setup is good but not extraordinary.
One thing I liked in crosshair V8 Hero is the abundance of USB ports at the back I/O panel. You get no less than eight USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (7 type-A, and 1 Type-C) and 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports here. There’s no USB 2.0 port, but since newer ports are backwards compatible, I don’t think you’re going to miss them.
Apart from that, there’s CMOS button, a BIOS flashback button, Wi-Fi 6 antennas, and some gold plated audio jacks.
My only gripe with this board, or even X570 boards in general, is the chipset heatsink fan. Yes, X570 chipset requires a lot of power so has to be cooled actively but the fan is slightly audible (not noisy by any means but slightly audible).
That, and the fact that there are only two M.2 slots in Asus ROG Crosshair V8 Hero, are the only two downsides I could find in this board.
Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, on-Board WiFi 6 (802.11Ax), 2.5 Gbps LAN, USB 3.2, SATA, M.2, Node and Aura Sync RGB Lighting
- AMD AM4 socket: ready for 2nd, and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors and up to two M. 2 drives, USB 3. 2 Gen2, and AMD StoreMI to maximize connectivity and speed.
- Comprehensive thermal design: active PCH heatsink, M. 2 aluminum heatsink and ROG cooling zone.
- High-performance networking: on-board Wi-Fi 6 (802. 11Ax) with MU-MIMO support, 2. 5 Gaps Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, both with Asus LANGuard protection, and support for GameFirst V software.
Check Price
Check Price on Amazon
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master
After discussing a bunch of sub-$350 motherboards, it’s time to set our price bar a little lower and here we have Aorus Master X570 by Gigabyte.
Coming in at almost 300 bucks, it’s a good alternative for people looking for slightly less expensive main boards to enter the Ryzen 3000 foray.
In terms of design and features, it sits somewhere between Aorus Master and Aorus Pro.
The reason why I am saying this is because, while this boards uses same VRMS as Aorus Pro, the extra M.2 slot, extra RGB header, and overall design is burrowed from the more expensive Aorus Master. Although the design is fairly simple, some RGB lighting has been implemented on the I/O cover and the Audio PCB.
Speaking of the I/O panel, this one has two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, and four USB 2.0 ports. Other than that, there’s an HDMI port, some audio connectors and Wi-Fi 6 capability.
For graphics cards, there are three full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots operating at x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4 (depending upon your usage) and support two-way SLI and three-way CrossFire. Also, there are two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots for things like network cards and sound cards, etc.
Apart from this, there are three M.2 slots (each of them having a dedicated heatsink) for fast storage. For those want to stay conventional here, there are six SATA ports with the support for RAID 0, 1, and 10. Check out this post if you don’t know about RAID.
For memory, there are four typical DIMM slots on the right side of the board, with each of them supporting a maximum capacity of 32 GB (128 GB total) and maximum speed of 4400 MHz.
Overall, it’s a well-balanced motherboard in each aspect. You get a good amount of ports as well as three M.2 slots here, while many other pricier motherboards have this balance tilted in the favor of one of them.
You can argue about the same VRMs used here and in Aorus Pro, but they’re good nonetheless and will get the job done even you have a Ryzen 3900X – let alone Ryzen 7 CPUs.
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/ESS 9118 Sabre HiFi DAC/Fins-Array Heatsink/RGB Fusion 2.0/3xM.2 Thermal Guard/Gaming Motherboard)
- Supports AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics/ Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics processors
- Dual channel ECC/ non-ECC unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Direct 14 phases Infineon digital VRM solution with 50A power stage
Check Price
Check Price on Amazon
MSI X470 Pro Carbon
Best Budget Motherboard For Ryzen 7 3700X And 3800X
As you’ve read by the name, it’s an X470 board.
In case you skipped the intro, let me remind you again.
There are two reasons why I included an older-gen motherboard in this list.
First one is that all AMD Ryzen 3000 CPUs can be installed on X470 and B450 motherboards. Secondly, it’s much more cheaper than x570 motherboards and can be considered by those with a small budget.
Coming to the motherboard itself, Carbon series by MSI has long been appraised by critics as well as masses for having a premium touch in a midrange price. And this one isn’t any exception.
Being a gaming motherboard means the RGB lighting is there. Its not aggressive by the way, but is present in the areas like under the PCH, I/O panel, and right-side of the PCB. All of these areas can be controlled individually.
In case you want some RGB of your own, there’s a 4-pin header along with a 3-pin addressable header.
For RAM, this motherboard has 4 DIMM slots that support up to 64 GB DDR4 memory at 3466 MHz speed.
For connectivity, there are eight SATA ports along with three armored PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (for 2-way SLI/3-way Crossfire setup), two PCIe x1 slots, and two M.2 slots. The first of those slot has its own heatsink and operates at full 3.0 speed while the secondary slot runs at older PCIe 2.0 mode.
Its I/O panel includes five USB 3.1 ports, one Type-C connector, as well as one CMOS button.
Overall, I think it gives you a pretty good bang for your buck.
Yes, being an x470 motherboard means no PCIe 4.0, but I bet most of us don’t need it anyway as of now.
Apart from that, it doesn’t perform as well as other gaming motherboards, when it comes to games. So, if you are solely looking for a motherboard to play games, there are some better options out there.
On the other hand, this board provides a good amount of connectivity ports, excellent overclocking, easy-to-use BIOS, and a good touch of RGB lighting out of the box.
MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2 AM4 DDR4 Onboard Graphics SLI ATX Motherboard (X470 Gaming PRO Carbon)
- Supports AMD RYZEN Series Processors and 7th Gen A-series/ Athlon Processors
- Supports DDR4-3200+(OC) Memory
- In-Game Weapons: Game Boost, GAMING Hotkey, X-Boost, Xsplit Gamecaster
Check Price
Check Price on Amazon
Conclusion
So these were 5 motherboards I think to be best for 3rd-Gen Ryzen 7 CPUs. All of them are compatible with other Ryzen 3000 processors, but due to their midrange price points, I believe that they’re mostly suitable with Ryzen 7 3700X/3800X.
In case you’ve used any other board with these CPUs and found good results, feel free to mention it down the comments below.