If you are an avid gamer, then you have probably asked yourself at one point, “Does Motherboard Quality Matter?” The motherboard is responsible for connecting all the different computer parts. So, does it affect your FPS in gaming?
In short, your motherboard won’t make your computer perform better directly. Instead, it will allow your CPU and GPU to reach their maximum potential. It’s like when you upgrade your exhaust on your car. Your car won’t produce more horsepower, but you will still experience a small jump in performance.
So, motherboard quality does matter, especially if you have a high-end CPU and GPU. Moreover, a higher quality motherboard will allow you to overclock the CPU more and it will be more stable.
You can learn more about motherboards and how they affect different parts of the computer by reading the rest of the article.
Does Motherboard Quality Matter?
There are quite a few reasons why someone would buy a high-end motherboard instead of a mid-end or even a low-end one. For starters, you get more upgradability and slots with high-end motherboards. For example, you may not even get an M.2 slot on a low-end A320 motherboard, but you can get two M.2 slots on an X570 board.
That is just one example. The same is true for fan headers, PCIe x16 slots, USB ports on the rear IO, the number of RAM slots, overall I/O functionality, USB Type-C, and so on. And not even to mention the RGB functionality. Mid-end motherboards will probably have one RGB zone and an RGB header, but high-end boards often have three-zone RGB.
Also, pay attention to the generation of PCIe. Older motherboards (even high-end ones) will only have PCIe Gen 3. You really want to get a motherboard that supports PCIe Gen 4 if you plan to do any upgrades in the future. That’s when motherboard quality and performance matter the most.
So, does motherboard quality matter? It actually does, especially if you are looking at different versions of the same motherboard model and manufacturer. There is a reason why the Asus Prime B550-Plus is significantly cheaper than the Asus ROG Strix B550-F.
The functionality may be similar, but the more expensive board generally has better or more VRMs than the cheaper one. VRM stands for “voltage regulator module“, which is responsible for powering your CPU. The more VRMs you have and the higher their quality, the more you can overclock.
And if you care a lot about RGB, design, and overall esthetics, then perhaps the more expensive motherboard is worth the extra just because of that.
But if you don’t plan to overclock and do not have or intend to purchase a high-end CPU and GPU later on, then you can perhaps get away with a low-end motherboard. Just make sure that it has all the slots you need personally.
Just like you wouldn’t buy a Capristo exhaust system for a Honda Civic, you don’t need a $400 Z490 motherboard for an Intel Core i3-10320.
Likewise, you should spend a bit more money on your motherboard if you are getting a very powerful CPU, but you don’t need to go overboard. Even a mid-end motherboard will do just fine, but you have to make sure that the board you’re getting has all the features you need and that the build quality and VRM count are sufficient.
In addition to performance, esthetics, and expandability, your motherboard can affect the longevity of your computer too. Not only does a better motherboard last longer, but it also affects the longevity of your other parts. If a capacitor is blown, it can damage other components around it too.
Conclusion
So, does motherboard quality matter? If you are getting high-end components, then you should go with a high-end motherboard as well. You may not see a difference in performance, though. A higher-quality motherboard will just allow your CPU and GPU to work better.
If you are in the midrange, then look for a mid-end motherboard that has all the features you need. You should think about future expandability as well, so make sure that your motherboard has a decent I/O, enough RAM slots, PCIe Gen 4, and so on.
