As the central hub of every computer, the motherboard is technically the most important part of every PC.
So, it’s therefore incredibly important to make sure that you’re picking the best motherboard for the job, depending on your overall budget.
Today, I’ll be reviewing several B450 boards, in order to help you decide which one is the best fit for your next PC build.
Best B450 Motherboards 2024 Buying Guide
From very low budget to mid-range, all four of these motherboards will be within a fairly affordable price point, from under a hundred dollars to less than two hundred bucks.
And by comparing these boards with one another, I hope that it will give you a better grasp and understanding of which motherboard is right for you.
1. Gigabyte B450M DS3H
Best Budget B450 Motherboard
For many PC builders who are shopping on a tight budget, the cheapest option available is often their only option.
And that’s where the Gigabyte B450M DS3H comes into play: this is the cheapest B450 motherboard, and one of the cheapest motherboards currently available, period.
Because of this fact, this board lacks many features that you’ll find in more expensive models, but just because it has some drawbacks it still holds its value in many ways.
So right off the bat, this motherboard has a nice presentation: its layout is fairly straightforward and looks very clean, with a nice black and grey colour scheme.
It contains all the necessary ports and connectors that you would expect from a modern motherboard, including an HDMI port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 4 USB 3.0 ports, audio ports, and more.
There is only one heatsink and only one CPU fan header on this motherboard, which is again a sign that this board has not been built for overclocking and won’t be able to handle tons of heat.
The motherboard doesn’t have any other extraneous features such as RGB lighting, or more advanced overclocking-related configurations, and its BIOS is very outdated as well.
Users should not attempt overclocking on this board, or else it may result in frying the entire system.
With this said, the Gigabyte B450M DS3H is a perfectly serviceable motherboard for PC users who are looking to build a fairly simple system on a tight budget, as it should achieve all of the necessary tasks that any motherboard should, on a basic level at least.
For such an incredibly low price point, I find it astounding that this board functions as well as it does, and I highly recommend it if this is all that you can afford.
If your budget is higher, however, then I suggest purchasing one of the other motherboards.
Pros & Cons
2. ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0
Best mATX B450 Motherboard
The ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 lands in the same ballpark as the previously mentioned Gigabyte B450M DS3H but manages to provide a few more additional features while falling short compared to it in other areas.
Unlike the last motherboard which was a Full ATX board, this is a micro-ATX motherboard.
Visually, this board also look quite nice, with a great black-and-white colour scheme that looks very clean.
The layout looks great, however, it does lack some features. There is no heatsink on this motherboard, making it not well-equipped for overclocking.
The addition of a heatsink or extra cooling systems may allow this board for some overclocking (the Ryzen 5 Series should be okay, but the Ryzen 7 or 9 Series is not advisable) but it overall is not built for being overclocked.
This motherboard comes preinstalled with BIOS version 3.1, which essentially makes it supportive for every current CPU on the market.
Because of this, pretty much every CPU will work with this motherboard right out of the box without any sort of need for a BIOS update which is very convenient.
Overall, this motherboard is another excellent choice for PC builders looking to make a system on a tight budget, but just like the Gigabyte B450M DS3H, this board was not built for overclocking.
For the price, it does more than a serviceable job and its universal support for nearly every CPU currently on the market is a huge plus, but it just doesn’t pack in a ton of additional features and won’t take advantage of the more powerful processors like the Ryzen 9 Series.
But if sticking to a tight budget is your number-one concern, then this may be the board for you.
Pros & Cons
3. MSI B450I GAMING Plus AC (Wi-Fi)
Best B450 Motherboard For Value
Moving up in price point, the MSI B450I GAMING Plus AC (Wi-Fi) is a big step up in quality compared to the previously mentioned motherboards on this list.
This board is a Mini ITX motherboard, but still manages to pack a decent punch.
The first thing that users will notice with this motherboard is its very visually striking colour scheme, which incorporates black and white colour, as well as red accents throughout the board.
Upon first inspection, it’s clear that this motherboard is of a much higher quality than the previously reviewed ones: it includes two heatsinks, albeit small ones, as well as a metal-reinforced PCI Express 3.0 X16 slot (the metal reinforcement is a huge plus for such a small board), and a m.2 slot on the back of the board. However, being a Mini ITX board, it does lack a few ports such as USB-C.
This motherboard also packs in a Wi-fi and Bluetooth adapter, which is greatly appreciated and frankly a bit unexpected given the board’s low price point.
The inclusion of the Wi-fi adapter saves the need for buying a separate adapter, which normally will run you about $50. This inclusion alone makes this board’s price point more than worth it.
Overall, the MSI B450I GAMING Plus AC (Wi-Fi) is an excellent deal by packing in many great features at a more than fair price point.
It should be considered both by those shopping on a budget, as well as anyone just looking for a great motherboard that will save them some cash, as it holds great value while also delivering some great performance. And yes, this one is overclockable!
Pros & Cons
4. Asus ROG Strix B450-F
Best B450 Motherboard Overall
The Asus ROG Strix B450-F provides perhaps the most features out of all of today’s motherboards, while also offering great performance and a slick aesthetic.
This motherboard easily looks the nicest out of all of the motherboards, with a very nice deep black colouring across the whole board.
Its overall layout is very good, with the board even supporting a Crossfire X-based configuration as well as dual m.2 support. It additionally offers some RGB lighting effects, which are fully customizable through Asus’ built-in software.
The ROG Strix B450-F also has a great heatsink design, which does a great job of cooling down the system while being overclocked (yes, it does support overclocking).
The system’s BIOS offers plenty of customization options, which should help the user to fine-tune their experience to their liking.
The board also includes audio-grade capacitors, which help to improve the system’s overall audio tonality and richness, and dual operational amplifiers that are built directly onto the board and help to improve the overall soundstage and increase the overall volume for the computer.
In short, this motherboard packs in a bunch of extra features that other boards in its price range fail to deliver, while also managing to hold its own when it comes to handling more powerful processors.
Though it doesn’t come packed with a Wi-Fi adapter, the vast amount of great features easily make up for that fact and you can easily find 3rd-party WiFi cards these days.
The inclusion of excellent audio and highly customizable RGB lighting are just the cherry on top of what is already a feature-packed motherboard. All in all, this board is a fantastic deal and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Pros & Cons
Conclusion
Overall, each one of these boards has plenty to offer, especially when considering their incredibly low prices.
Both the Gigabyte B450M DS3H and the ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 are great budget boards, however, they fall short when it comes to handling beefier processors while overclocking due to their inferior cooling.
The MSI B450I GAMING Plus AC (Wi-Fi) offers a much better overclocking experience, while also providing some additional features including built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.
But out of all of the motherboards discussed today, I would have to recommend the Asus ROG Strix B450-F over all of the rest.
It packs in the most features, including dual m.2 slots, excellent audio, and customizable RGB lighting, and has the most efficient cooling system.
Though none of the other budget motherboards is necessarily bad in terms of value, this board is the only one that delivers performance that feels on par with higher-priced boards on the market.