The choice of motherboard can be one of the most difficult decisions when building a custom computer, but because of the effect it has on the rest of the build process we present it first. There has always been a debate over whether Intel or AMD is the best CPU choice in different applications, and the selection of a motherboard determines which processors will be available to pick from; choices over memory type and other related things add to the confusion. Puget Custom Computers has many hardware articles that can help you get up to speed, and by taking the time to give them a look you can make a much more informed decision. In the event that you are uncertain, don't hesitate to contact us.

All of our motherboards have built in LAN support. Motherboards often have other built-in features as well, including USB, Firewire, and RAID controllers. Each of the desktop motherboards listed below has full audio support, and in some cases even 6-channel or 8-channel sound! Make sure to become familiar with what features your motherboard has so you don't waste any money adding controller cards for features you already have!

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The MSI Z370M Pro AC is a Micro ATX motherboard for Intel's 8th-generation Core series processors (code named Coffee Lake). It sacrifices some of the expansion capacity that a larger motherboard can offer, but still supports dual video cards, 64GB of memory, and multiple SATA and M.2 drive connections.

For external connectivity, it also has both analog and digital audio outputs, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, four USB 3.0 ports, two 3.1 ports (including one Type C), and even a legacy PS/2 port. Thanks to the Intel graphics on the CPU, there are also multiple video outputs directly onboard: VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Puget Professional Advice:

William George (Puget Labs Technician) Says: This is a nice board, but I wanted to make a comment about MSI's port labeling. In their documentation, they call all of the USB ports "USB 3.1" - with four called "Gen 1" and two called "Gen 2". This is technically a valid way to describe them, according to the creators of the USB specification, but I find it a bit confusing. "USB 3.1 Gen 1" is really just the same thing as USB 3.0: a 5Gbps (theoretical max) connection. For that reason, I prefer to call such ports USB 3.0 - and to reserve the term USB 3.1 for the "Gen 2" 10Gbps connections. That is how we do our own labeling in the specs we provide here at Puget Systems. Update: It looks like MSI's documentation has been changed to reflect the speed differences between USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2. I applaud their transparency! Hopefully the USB standards organization won't use such confusing naming in the future.

The Asus P10S-M WS is a micro-ATX motherboard aimed at workstation and server usage. It is built for Intel's E3-1200 v5 family of Xeon processors, using the Intel C236 chipset. That gives it ECC memory support for increased reliability, and Asus has complimented that with dual Intel gigabit Ethernet ports, eight SATA 6Gbps, M.2, USB 2.0 & 3.0, and digital & analog audio connectivity. The Intel graphics built into the Xeon E3 processors is also accessible, with support for up to three monitors via DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort outputs.

Puget Professional Advice:

Jeff Stubbers (Technology Consultant) Says: This is a very stable motherboard, and if you use the onboard video the outputs can support 3 monitors with its (1) DVI, (1) HDMI, & (1) DisplayPort outputs. So if you plan to use onboard video outputs, you would want to make sure your monitor(s) have compatible inputs.

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The Gigabyte Z370 Aorus 5 is an ATX motherboard for Intel's 8th-generation Core series processors (code named Coffee Lake). It offers a full range of features, great connectivity, and solid build quality.

In terms of connectivity, this board is very well rounded. It has both HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs - allowing dual monitor usage without a dedicated video card. For memory it has four DDR4 slots, allowing up to 64GB of 2666MHz RAM. Drive connectivity includes several SATA III ports plus three M.2 slots. It also has both analog and digital audio outputs, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, two 3.1 ports (including one Type C), and even a legacy PS/2 port. In terms of expansion card support, there are six total PCI-Express slots in varying sizes. SLI and Crossfire are supported as well, though when two video cards are installed the PCI-E slots they are in run at x8 speed rather than x16.

Puget Professional Advice:

Houston Bennett (Production Technician) Says: This is a pretty straight forward board. Easy to build with, fan headers are placed in easily accessible locations and the USB 3.0 port up by the 24-pin power connector makes wiring a bit neater. The shroud over the I/O ports is a little big for my tastes but that's really the only negative. I especially like that the first x16 slot is a little lower, which means your hot GPU is further away from your very hot CPU allowing for some better cooling. Also, it's kinda fun to play with the built in RGB LEDs even though we ship our systems with them off by default.

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The MSI X299M Pro Carbon AC is a small form factor mATX motherboard built for the enthusiast Core X-series processors from Intel. Like all boards based on the X299 chipset it supports DDR4 memory, and with four slots it can fit up to 64GB total in a quad-channel configuration.

For external connectivity it provides two USB 2.0, four USB 3.0, and two USB 3.1 ports - with one of those being a Type C port for the latest peripherals. Digital and analog audio are included too, along with dual Gb Ethernet and 802.11ac WiFi. Internally there are eight SATA 6Gbps ports and two M.2 slot for drives - as well as USB headers for front panel ports / devices. Three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 size slots are present, with two running at x16 speed and one at x8 (or x16, x8, and x4 on CPUs with fewer PCI-E lanes).

Puget Professional Advice:

William George (Puget Labs Technician) Says: Please note that the PCI-Express slot speeds depend on the processor installed. Lower-end chips have fewer PCI-E lanes, so if you plan on using a lot of expansion cards please check with our consultants to make sure you get a CPU that will support everything you need.

The Gigabyte X399 Designare is an ATX size, workstation-grade motherboard for AMD's Threadripper processor line. In addition to the TR4 socket for the CPU, it has eight RAM slots supporting up to 128GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a mix of PCI-Express slots allowing for up to four double-width GPUs - provided a large enough chassis and power supply are used.

A wide range of connectivity is provided as well: eight standard USB ports, two USB 3.1 (one of which is Type C), dual Gb Ethernet, WiFi, audio, and even a legacy PS/2 port. Internally it has eight SATA ports and three M.2 connectors, with heatsinks, for a wide range of storage options.

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The Gigabyte X299 Designare is an ATX size, workstation-grade motherboard utilizing the X299 chipset from Intel. That chipset is built to support Intel's Core-X series i7 and i9 processors, along with eight DDR4 memory slots.

A wide range of connectivity is provided as well: six standard USB ports, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 (Type C) ports, dual Gb Ethernet, WiFi, audio, and even a legacy PS/2 port. Internally it has eight SATA ports, three M.2 connectors, and a mix of PCI-Express 3.0 slots.

Puget Professional Advice:

William George (Puget Labs Technician) Says: Please note that the PCI-Express slot speeds depend on the processor installed. Lower-end chips have fewer PCI-E lanes, so if you plan on getting a lot of expansion cards you may want to check with our consultants to make sure you get a CPU that will support everything you need.

John D. (Senior Production Technician) Says: The Gigabytle X299 Designare is a solid X299 board with support for up to three dual-slot GPUs and a good array of rear-panel connectivity. It even has built-in dual Thunderbolt 3 ports and two gigabit Ethernet ports, which saves a couple slots worth of potential expansion cards. Large heatsinks for the chipset and voltage regulators round out the package, and there are even dedicated heatsinks for all three M.2 slots!

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The Asus WS C621E SAGE is a feature-rich motherboard for the Xeon Scalable family of processors. There are sockets for two CPUs alongside 12 DDR4 RAM modules. Just as importantly, this board features seven PCI-Express slots. All are the full x16 length - although depending on which slots are populated, some may only run at x8 data speed.

For external connectivity the WS C621E SAGE includes multiple USB ports (2.0, 3.0, and 3.1), dual gigabit Ethernet ports for networking, both analog and digital audio, and a legacy PS/2 port for an older keyboard or mouse. Internally there are ten SATA 6Gbps ports, four U.2 connectors, and a single M.2 slot. That wide range of connectivity makes this board a great platform for a high performance workstation.

Puget Professional Advice:

William George (Puget Labs Technician) Says: If you want a powerful, dual CPU system for roles outside of the server room, I highly recommend this board! It has all the standard connectivity you'd expect on a desktop or workstation, like USB 3.1 and audio, which are so often missing from server-class hardware. It also has several PCI-Express slots, allowing a wide range of add-on card configurations.

The Asus WS C422 SAGE/10G is a high-end workstation motherboard for Intel's Xeon W processor line. The primary focus of this board is to support a wide range of PCI-Express cards. Normally the number of such cards that can be installed is limited by the PCI-Express lanes provided from the CPU (48 in the case of the Xeon W). However, the WS C422 SAGE/10G uses a pair of PLX chips on the motherboard to expand the usable number of PCI-Express lanes dramatically. A full four PCI-Express x16 cards can be used at full speed, or up to seven with one at x16 speed and the other six at x8.

In addition to the massive number of PCI-Express slots, this motherboard also features a rare networking configuration: dual 10Gb Ethernet ports. These are great for high-speed network setups, which are becoming more common in areas where high-end workstations are used. These ports are backward compatible with the more common 1Gb standard as well.

A lot of other connectivity is included too. Four USB 3.0 and two USB 3.1 ports are present on the back panel, along with analog and digital audio plugs. Internally, 8 SATA 6Gbps ports are available for drives along with both M.2 and U.2 connectors. The only area lacking is internal USB headers, for which there are no USB 2.0 connections - so in most of our workstations we add a M.2 to USB adapter, so that all front ports on the chassis can be hooked up.

Puget Professional Advice:

William George (Puget Labs Technician) Says: Holy PCI-Express lanes, Batman! The Asus WS C422 SAGE/10G is a great solution if you need to stack a single-CPU system full of expansion cards. In the right chassis, and with the right power supply, this board will allow use of up to 4 dual-width GPUs at the same time! You may want to talk with one of our sales consultants, though, to make sure you have enough space, power, and cooling to run everything that you have planned.