Motherboard Comparison
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!
Asus TUF B650M-PLUS WIFI | Asus ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi | Asus ProArt X670E-Creator WiFi | Asus Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Socket | AM5 | 1700 | AM5 | sWRX8 |
CPU Compatibility | AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop Processors | Raptor Lake | AMD Ryzen | Threadripper Pro |
Form Factor | MicroATX | ATX | ATX | SSI EEB |
Chipset Manufacturer | AMD | Intel | AMD | AMD |
Chipset | B650 | Z790 | X670 | WRX80 |
Front Side Bus | DMI 4.0 | |||
Network Connectivity | 2.5G Networking + WiFi 6 | 10G + 2.5G Networking + WiFi 6e | 10G + 2.5G Networking + WiFi 6e | Dual 10G Networking + WiFi 6 |
Network Controller | Marvell 10G + Intel I225 + Intel AX211 | Marvell AQC113CS + Intel I225-V + Intel AX210 | Intel X550-AT2, Intel AX200 | |
Audio Controller | Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC | Onboard Realtek S1220A HD Audio | Onboard Realtek S1220A HD Audio | Onboard Realtek ALC4080 HD Audio |
Cooling System | Passive Heatsink | Heatsink | Heatsink and Fan | |
Number of Fans | 2 | |||
Color | Black | Black | Black | Black |
Notebook-Display | ||||
Memory Support | ||||
Type | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 ECC Registered |
Maximum Speed | 5200 MHz | 5600 MHz | 5200 MHz | 3200 MHz |
Number of Slots | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
Maximum Size per Slot | 48 GB | 48 GB | 48 GB | 256 GB |
Maximum Amount Supported | 192 GB | 192 GB | 192 GB | 2048 GB |
Onboard Video | ||||
Chipset Manufacturer | AMD | Intel | AMD | ASpeed |
Processor Type | RDNA2 | CPU Dependent | AST2500 | |
Maximum Resolution | 7,680 x 4,320 | 1920x1200 | ||
Maximum HDMI Resolution | 4096x2160 | 4096x2160 | ||
VGA | 1 | |||
HDMI | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
HDMI Version | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | |
DisplayPort | 1 | 1 | ||
DisplayPort Version | 1.4 | |||
USB | 4.0 | |||
Notes: | Displayport IN for Thunderbolt Outputs | Display Port In - usable with dedicated GPU and USB4 display | VGA output via included expansion bracket | |
External Connections | ||||
USB 2.0 | 4 | 1 | ||
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) | 1 | |||
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
USB 3.2 Type C | 1 | |||
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type C | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
USB 4 | 2 | |||
PS/2 Keyboard | No | |||
PS/2 Mouse | No | |||
Audio Out | Surround Sound (7.1) | Surround Sound (7.1) | Surround Sound (7.1) | Surround Sound (7.1) |
Audio In | Line-In/Microphone | Line-In/Microphone | Line-In/Microphone | Line-In/Microphone |
S/PDIF | Optical | Optical | ||
LAN (RJ45) | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Mgmt LAN (RJ45) | 2 | |||
Wireless Antenna Port | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Thunderbolt Ports | 2 | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | |||
BIOS Flashback | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Internal Connections | ||||
USB 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C | 1 | |||
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C | 1 | |||
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type C | 1 | 1 | ||
SATA III 6.0Gbps | 4 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
M.2 Connector | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
M.2 Support | 1x 42-80mm (PCIe 5.0), 1x 42-80mm (PCIe 4.0) | 2x 42-110mm NVMe (Gen4), 1x 42-80mm NVMe (Gen4), 1x 42-80mm NVMe (Gen4) + SATA | 2x 42-80mm (PCIe 5.0), 1x 42-80mm (PCIe 4.0), 1x 42-110mm (PCIe 4.0) | 42-110mm NVMe (Gen4) & SATA |
U.2 Connector | 2 | |||
Serial (Com) | 1 | |||
TPM (module sold separately) | 1 | 1 | ||
Compatible TPM | Asus TPM-SPI | Asus TPM-SPI | ||
SATA Controllers | ||||
SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 1 | 4x via AMD B650 Chipset | Intel Z790 | AMD X670 | AMD WRX80 |
SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 2 | Asmedia | |||
Expansion Slots | ||||
Slot 1 | PCI Express 4.0 x16 | Slot not available on this board | Slot not available on this board | PCI Express 4.0 x16 |
Slot 2 | PCI Express 4.0 x1 | PCI Express 5.0 x16 | PCI Express 5.0 x16 | PCI Express 4.0 x16 |
Slot 3 | PCI Express 4.0 x4 in a x16 size | Slot not available on this board | Slot not available on this board | PCI Express 4.0 x16 |
Slot 4 | Slot not available on this board | Slot not available on this board | PCI Express 4.0 x16 | |
Slot 5 | PCI Express 5.0 x8 in a x16 size | PCI Express 5.0 x8 in a x16 size | PCI Express 4.0 x16 | |
Slot 6 | Slot not available on this board | Slot not available on this board | PCI Express 4.0 x16 | |
Slot 7 | PCI Express 3.0 x4 in a x16 size | PCI Express 4.0 x2 | PCI Express 4.0 x16 | |
Additional Information | ||||
SLI Compatible | No | No | Yes | |
Crossfire Compatible | No | Yes | ||
RAID Support | NVMe RAID 0/1/10 and SATA RAID 0/1/10 via RAIDXpert2 | 0/1/5/10 | 0,1,10 | 0, 1, 10 |
Built-in Webcam | No | |||
Built-in Microphone | No | |||
Bluetooth | Yes (5.2) | Yes (5.2) | Yes (5.2) | Yes (5.0) |
Dual GPU Slot Spacing | 3-Slot | |||
Integrated IO Shield | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Remote Management | Onboard | |||
BIOS Features | ||||
UEFI BIOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
EZ Flash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OC Profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Puget Measured Battery Life | ||||
Dimensions | ||||
Height | 244 mm | 305 mm | 305 mm | 310 mm |
Width | 244 mm | 244 mm | 244 mm | 330 mm |
Net Weight | 1.434 kg | 1.538 kg | 1.579 kg | 2.5 kg |
Power Supply | ||||
AC Adapter Output |