Best AM3+ Motherboard

If you are making a custom build PC then you might be looking for the best am3+ motherboard for your system. Well if that is the case then you are precisely in the right position. Am3+ motherboards are quite amazing because of their driver support. Apart from that, many people prefer them because of their sweet price ranges. They are far more affordable as compared to the intel chipsets.

IN THIS REVIEW

Best AM3+ Motherboard
Our Favorite Motherboard
Our Top 6 Picks
Top 6 Products: Detailed Review
1. ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ Best Overall
2. ASUS M5A78L-M Plus Best Budget
3. ASRock Motherboard ATX (PRO3 R2.0)
4. Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970 Best Performance
5. ASRock 760GM-HDV
6. ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0
Things To Consider When Choosing The Best AM3+ Motherboard
Frequently Asked Questions
Overall Top Choice
Conclusion

Best AM3+ Motherboard

However, selecting the right am3+ motherboard can be a bit challenging. Especially when there are so many options available on the market. It will leave you confused but you shouldn’t worry at all. My husband and I did some research on the best am3+ motherboard. During our research, we analyzed a few mobos and checked them carefully. Our research led us to some of the top am3+ motherboards. 

This article is mainly intended to help all those who are building their PC. We have mentioned a detailed buying guide at the end of this article. The buying guide is helpful for complete newbies as well as people who are already in the field of custom build setups. 

It is because we will explain some technical jargon and things that you need to know before buying an AM3+ motherboard.

Our Favorite Motherboards

• Best Overall – ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+
• Best Performance – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970
• Best Budget – ASUS M5A78L-M Plus

Our Top 6 Picks

Let’s take a look at the best Motherboards for AM3+.

1. ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ Best Overall
2. ASUS M5A78L-M Plus Best Budget
3. ASRock Motherboard ATX (PRO3 R2.0)
4. Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970 Best Performance
5. ASRock 760GM-HDV
6. ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

Best AM3+ Motherboard: 6 Detailed Reviews

So, let’s now take a closer look at the best picks, shall we?

1. ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ – Best Overall

General Specifications

Form Factor	ATX
USB ports	6
Expansion Slots	3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16/x8/x8)1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode)2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
Max Memory Support	32GB

Starting our list of the best am3+ motherboard with one of the most renowned companies. ASUS products are quite popular in different parts of the world when it comes to gaming and serious work PCs. 

There are few things that we love about the ASUS crosshair V formula-z am3+ motherboard. Based on these features we’ve included it in our list. The first thing that we like the most about the Asus Crosshair V formula-z is its affordable price range. 

It comes at a pretty sleek price that people of all categories can easily afford. After taking a closer look at the structure of the motherboard you will find the enthusiastic engineering of the company. 

It features an Extreme engine Digi+ II element that helps in stability and peak performance of the motherboard. It adjusts, tweaks, and keeps things on the top level during overclocking, etc. 

It comes with native bios support that allows fast booting. It is one of the most amazing features that every gamer or professional computer operating needs. 

Saving a few seconds on the boot gives you a lot of time to do some amazing things on your computer. It may sound a bit dated but the multi-GPU support makes it still a top-performing device even in 2020. 

It allows both Crossfire and SLI features that enable you to unleash the performance of multiple GPUs at the same time. This way your system will be able to handle different tasks that require a powerful graphics processing unit.

2. ASUS M5A78L-M Plus – Best Budget

General Specifications

Form Factor	mATX
USB ports	4
Expansion Slots	1x standard1x PCI-E1x PCI
Max Memory Support	32 GB

If you are looking for a micro option then we have something special for you on our list of recommendations. During our research, we stumbled upon the ASUS M5A78L-M Plus motherboard. 

It has some of the most amazing features which makes it the best am3+ motherboard. The first thing that we like the most about this motherboard is its overall theme. It features a sleek gamer-ish theme that makes it look pretty decent on a gaming PC. It comes specifically for AMD CPU socket that allows you to install the state of the art processors.

Another thing that is very found quite useful on this mobo is its core unlocker feature. Now if you take a look at the Intel chipsets you will need to overclock the CPU if you want to get extra potential. However, on am3+ the core unlocker allows you to get the full performance of the CPU if you need additional clock frequency. 

Another coolest feature that you love on your motherboard is its Anti-surge feature. It is the most efficient electrical engineering solution that protects the circuits from damages. It comes in handy especially when you are living somewhere where power is unstable. 

EPU helps you save power and reduce the cost of electricity. It intelligently balances the power for different components such as the GPU, CPU, and system fans. It even allows you to use the computer on a backup power device such as the solar system or the UPS.

3. ASRock Motherboard ATX (PRO3 R2.0)

General Specifications

Form Factor	ATX
USB ports	4
Expansion Slots	2x PCI-E 2x PCI
Max Memory Support	64GB

Another amazing candidate for our list of the best am3+ motherboard is the ASRock Pro3 R2.0. It has some serious features that make it stand out from the crowd. ASRock extreme tuning ability is one of its plus points. 

It allows you to control the whole system right from your motherboard’s bios. You can adjust the CPU clock frequency, fan speed, and RAM frequency using this function. Apart from that, it also enables you to control the core voltage of the system’s CPU. Another feature that you may love in this mobo is its instant boot. 

It makes the system turn on in a few seconds saving a lot of time for you. Moreover, the ASRock instant flash on this device allows you to update your system’s bios without using the command prompt or other cumbersome methods. 

During our research, we also found that this motherboard comes with crashless bios. You won’t face any issues like stuck, or errors, etc which normally occurs on other motherboards. Another awesome feature that we want to tell you is the XFAST RAM. It is one of the most efficient features of this motherboard that allows you to manage wasted Random Access memory on the OS.

4. Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970 – Best Performance

General Specifications

Form Factor	ATX
USB ports	6
Expansion Slots	2x PCI-E2x PCI
Max Memory Support	32GB

Gigabyte is another suitable option if you are looking for the best am3+ motherboard. It has some features that make the board stand out from the crowd. The first plus point of this motherboard is its northbridge AMD 970 and southbridge AMD SB950. 

It is one of the most sophisticated electrical engineering works that distributes the connectivity of power between different components. It has 4 RAM slots that allow you to install 4 DDR3 rams at the same time.

Moreover, it supports dual channel and allows a max RAM of up to 32GB which is awesome. Whenever you need more RAM for your work you can easily install. Another amazing thing that we would like to mention is the dual PCI-E 2.0 Slots. 

These slots give x16 bandwidth to a single GPU whereas the additional GPU gets x4 BW. Another great feature of this motherboard is the UEFI dualBIOS technology. It allows you to enable the pointer or control the interface with a keyboard only. 

In addition to this, this mother allows you to install multiple GPUs at the same time. You can make good use of crossfire technology when building a custom-build PC for gaming. Its 4 USB-3.0 slots give you the freedom to the next level. It features a total transfer rate of up to 5Gbps which is pretty much amazing. You can use these slots to connect whatever device you want.

5. ASRock 760GM-HDV

General Specifications

Form Factor	mATX
USB ports	4
Expansion Slots	1x PCI1x PCI-E
Max Memory Support	32GB

Another top-notch am3+ motherboard on our list of the best am3+ motherboards is the ASRock 760GM-HDV. It is one of the most efficient motherboards that you will ever use. It is because the device comes with a bunch of cool features that make it quite interesting. 

The first thing that we want to mention is the support for all AMD processors family. We were quite amazed when we saw this motherboard can support up to 8-cores CPU. This makes the device quite useful for gamers and those who are into rendering and stuff. 

One of the most amazing plus points of this chipset is the AMD overdrive. It allows the user to overclock the CPU and monitor the voltage and frequency at the same time. Moreover, it has a solid capacitor design that has a long lifespan. 

We were quite amazed to learn about the 8 USB-2.0 ports of this motherboard. It gives you  complete freedom of installing and connecting multiple devices at the same time. You can throw in your gamepads, joysticks, printers, whatever you have on your table. 

Only a few motherboards can provide such a feature. Last but not least this motherboard features an outstanding architecture. Its high-density fiberglass printed circuit board comes with next-level protection. It protects the device from the harshness of electrical and humidity challenges.

6. ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

General Specifications

Form Factor	ATX
USB ports	12 including 2 thunder ports
Expansion Slots	3x PCI-E1x PCI
Max Memory Support	32 GB

The last option for the best am3+ motherboard is ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0. It is one of the most efficient and sleek motherboards on the market that many gamers still use. It may sound a bit outdated but when you look at its features it can make a great PC building component still in 2020. 

It comes with a fast boot feature that saves a lot of precious time for the user. Apart from that, the device possesses a new DIGI+ power control system that comes in handy for gamers. Whenever you are in the mood for gaming you can unleash the true potential of your CPU using this feature. 

While in normal conditions it saves power. It features one of the coolest technologies called network iControl. The icontrol system allows you to connect any smart device in your home to the system. 

The motherboard also features USB 3.0 that comes with three different modes. These modes include normal mode, turbo,  UASP which improvise the overall reading and writing performance of the system. 

The motherboard comes with a unique feature that increases the DRAM and CPU voltage allowing you to overclock the system efficiently. Another important feature of this motherboard is its extremely user-friendly bios interface. It allows even beginners to explore different options without any issues.

Things To Consider When Choosing The Best AM3+ Motherboard

There are a few important things that you need to consider before buying an am3+ motherboard for building a custom PC. These things will help you select the best motherboard for your computer and that too without too much digging and time-wasting. 

Apart from that, these factors will also decide the main purpose of your PC. For instance, a PC specifically built for gaming may have different components as compared to the one that is solely used for work. 

So without any further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most important things before buying an am3+ motherboard. 

Size

The first and the most important thing you need to keep in mind is the overall size of the motherboard. The size of your motherboard will decide so many other factors and as a result, have an impact on the performance of your device. 

Let’s make this simple, a bigger motherboard allows you to install more powerful components such as thicker GPUs. However, every motherboard size has its pros and cons. For the sake of simplicity let’s divide these motherboards into three different form factors

• ATX
• Micro ATX
• Mini ATX

Price/Budget

Another thing that you need to keep in mind is the overall budget. Of course, there are so many amazing motherboards but you need to pick according to your budget. A tight budget will restrict you to fewer options only. It also makes things pretty hard when it comes to deciding a PC for your needs. 

Chipset

Chipset is one of the most important things to keep in mind before buying a motherboard. Different chipsets allow you to install specific devices only. For instance, if you are buying an am3+ chipset then you can not install an intel processor on it. 

It is because the motherboards come with female hubs. The processor that is to be mounted on that motherboard carries the mounting pins. 

On the other hand, the chipsets that are compatible with Intel processors come with onboard pins. While the female hubs are on the processor this time. It defers the system architecture as the intel compatible motherboard comes with LGA sockets. 

Another important thing to consider when it comes to chipsets is the north and southbridge. We won’t go electrically deep and geeky about this but for the sake of simplicity let’s explain it. 

Northbridge connects the main three components of the computer i.e. the processor, RAM, and GPU. On the other hand, the southbridge connects other components such as PCI slots, BIOS, and USB ports, etc.

Ram Slots

RAM slots are totally up to the user’s requirement. If you are a gamer or someone who is involved in heavy-duty tasks. You will need more memory for handling your programs. Therefore, you need to have at least four slots that offer dual-channel technology. 

The main advantage of dual-channel technology is the distribution of the overall system’s load. For instance, you have to RAMs on your device and both of them are 8GB memory sticks which make 16GBs in total. 

It will handle the task much more efficiently than the single 16GB memory Sticks. It is because the dual-channel provides more bandwidth. More bandwidth means more frequency and as a result better load handling. 

Expansion Slots

Expansion slots are also quite necessary for motherboards but again it depends on the user. If you are a gamer then you need to have some expansion slots for your GPUs and better sound cards. 

Some expansion slots such as PCI-E allow much more efficiency. It gives you a bit more performance by installing multiple GPUs and using their powers. Fusing the power of GPUs is possible in two ways. 

You can either use SLI that is compatible with the NVIDIA graphic cards. Or you have the option to crossfire the AMD GPUs. Some chipsets that are more advanced in technology offer both options at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an am3+ motherboard?

An am3+ plus motherboard is a type of chipset that is specifically designed for AMD CPUs only. You cannot install intel processors on an am3+ socket because of its configuration. 

Can I put an am3+ CPU in an am3 motherboard?

Yes, According to the manufacture of am3 motherboards, they are compatible with previous versions. It means you can install an am3+ CPU on the am3 motherboard without any problem.

Can Ryzen fit in am3+?

No, Ryzen is the state of the art CPUs from AMD. It is the latest architecture that is compatible with the newer sockets. You can install the Ryzen on an am4 socket without any issue.

Our Top Picks

• Best Overall – ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+
• Best Performance – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970
• Best Budget – ASUS M5A78L-M Plus

Conclusion

We tried our best to find the best am3+ motherboard for those who are looking to buy one. We hope after looking at our list of choices you may have decided to pick your favorite one.

 However, if you still have a problem when it comes to deciding the best am3+ motherboard for your system then let’s help you. In our opinion, the x is a perfect option because of its features, price, and performance.