Learning Zen: TOP 5 low-cost motherboards for Ryzen

The ASRock A320M-DVS R3.0 is the simplest and most affordable motherboard based on the AMD A320 chipset, designed for those users who just want to turn on their PC and get to work right away. That is, it is designed primarily for inexpensive office and work computers. Its main advantage is, well, a very low price of $ 50 with a penny. In fact, this is the most affordable micro-ATX board with socket AM4 that can be found on the market.

With that said, all its functionality can be fit in one paragraph: 2 slots for DDR4 RAM with the ability to install up to 32 GB, DVI-D video output, 4 SATA connectors, updated Realtek RTL8111GR LAN controller, one PCI-E 16x slot, one PCI Express x1, 6 USB ports and a PS/2 port for old-school keyboards and mice.

In fact, there is everything you need, except for the HDMI port. Although, given the office nature of this board, the lack of HDMI becomes quite reasonable. Well, the A320M-DVS is also not friendly with M.2 SSD drives. The logic of engineers saving on everything is quite understandable: it would be strange to buy a cheap motherboard and install a rather expensive drive on it.

The A320M-DVS does not have much overclocking potential, since the A320 chipset is not designed for overclocking. The maximum that can be squeezed out is to slightly increase the frequencies of the RAM. But it supports a fairly wide range of new AMD processors - Ryzen Summit Ridge, Raven Ridge and Pinnacle Ridge families, as well as the Bristol Ridge line.

The Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H is an inexpensive motherboard that has been saved wisely. On the one hand, it doesn't need a heatsink for CPU's power system, on the other hand, it's designed according to Ultra Durable principles (high-quality audio capacitors, an anti-noise screen, improved fiberglass, etc. are used).

In general, this is a motherboard from the “does a little, but works reliably” category. For enthusiasts, it does not look very attractive. First, only 2 RAM slots (maximum 32 GB) limit the room for expansion. If now we take the standard 2 sticks of 4 GB each to work in multi-channel mode, then it will not be possible to buy new ones for them over time. The second point is the impossibility of overclocking the processor and RAM due to the peculiarities of the A320 chipset. Although, for some reason, there is an item with overclocking in the BIOS of the motherboard itself.

If we accept this fact and do not expect miracles, then the Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H looks very attractive.

The board is equipped with a rich set of interfaces including DVI-D, 6 USB connectors, 4 SATA ports for standard SSD / HDD drives, an M.2 connector for connecting high-speed SSD NVMe drives and HDMI, which is not a given for inexpensive motherboards. The configuration of the rear I/O panel will appeal to the owners of "rare" components: PS / 2 connectors for a mouse and keyboard are displayed on it. For complete happiness, I would like a USB-C output, but it is almost impossible to find it in the price range under $100.

Plus, the board is absolutely omnivorous and supports the entire Ryzen 3.5 and 7 family of lines, as well as 7th generation A-series APUs and Athlon X4 models with socket AM4. That is, it can be used as a transit point with inexpensive Athlon, and then, for example, switch to a more productive Ryzen. But again, given the impossibility of overclocking the processor.

Prime series motherboards are inexpensive and designed for the most mass consumer. At the same time, as is often the case with Asus, the design savings turned out to be the most thoughtful - the board is based on the B450 chipset, which is positioned as an inexpensive alternative to the flagship AMD X470. At the same time, the user does not have to overpay for connectors he does not need, body lighting and other frills.

Connectivity includes a pair of RAM slots, DVI-D video outputs, 4 SATA connectors, one M.2, a PCI-E 16x slot, a pair of PCI-E 1x ports, standard 6 USB ports, and a back-to-the-future kit for PS/ 2 keyboards and mice. In general, this is a standard motherboard kit with a price tag of $100, which lacks only HDMI.

Thanks to the B450 chipset, the motherboard is able to pull out the overclocking of the processor and RAM within reasonable limits. And the quality of materials and design allows it to be friends with both entry-level office hardware and gaming configurations like AMD 2700X + 1080 Ti + SSD NVMe + 32 RAM with equal success. Needless to say, that this power is enough for most users for years? Moreover, motherboards from Asus are respected among enthusiasts for their reliable and stable performance.

If you look for flaws without looking at the price, then you can only highlight the close placement of the socket and the PCI-E 16x slot, which is why compatibility problems with large air coolers and video cards of non-standard size are likely.

After the release of the AMD B450 chipset in 2018, the number of universal socket AM4 motherboards has mushroomed. In such tough conditions, Gigabyte decided to play the trump cards and released a gaming motherboard with a price tag of $100.

The "gaming" nature of the B450M Gaming board is evident in the stylish black and red color scheme, a large heatsink with voltage regulators, and the ability to overclock the processor and RAM. However, it is important to understand that it is not designed to set overclocking records, but thanks to the reinforced seven-phase processor power subsystem with a large aluminium heatsink, it is quite capable of maintaining long-term stable operation of the system with moderate overclocking.

Two slots are available for installing a maximum of 32 GB of DDR4-2933 RAM. The disk subsystem includes an M.2 interface and four SATA ports. To install a graphics card, there is one PCI-E 16x slot with a reinforced design. Two more PCI-E 1x are for other expansion cards.

The main disadvantage of the layout is the extremely poor location of the SATA ports. If a video card of a non-standard size was bought for the system, then 2 SATA ports will not be available. Not even L-shaped cables will help. On the other hand, the user still has 2 more SATA ports plus an M.2 connector for connecting compact high-speed SSDs, which largely solves the problem of connecting drives.

The ASRock X370M Pro4 is an interesting attempt by ASRock to meet the needs of overclockers on a budget. The board is built around the latest X370 chipset, supports the latest Pinnacle Ridge Ryzen processor family, and has an impressive array of slots for the price. And all this at a completely non-overclocker price of $100.

Perhaps the main difference between this "motherboard" and its counterparts in the initial class is the abundance of slots. First of all, 4 DDR4 slots are striking instead of the standard two. This somewhat expands the room for manoeuvre when assembling a computer, allowing you to take 2 standard 4 GB DDR4 brackets right now and get a speed boost from multi-channel mode. And then add more, as needed. Fortunately, right now 8 GB is still enough for most tasks, and 16 GB has not yet become a standard. Secondly, 2 PCI-E 16x slots for connecting a pair of video cards and 2 M.2 connectors for installing high-speed SSD NVMe drives immediately attract attention. Well, there is also USB-C, which is a rarity in motherboards under $100. Given the price tag, this is more than worthy functionality.

At the same time, it is important to understand that it would be wrong to consider the board really overclocker. It has a limited number of chips and electrical components on PCB, and a 6 + 3-phase power system with two VRM heatsinks looks profitable on paper, but has a number of limitations that will not allow you to fully overclock 8-core processors. Yes, and 6 cores will have to drive carefully. Therefore, overclocking capabilities are best perceived as a nice addition. Fortunately, real gaming "motherboards" are 2-3 times more expensive.

It is also important to understand that ASrock motherboards are far from symbols of stability and reliability among enthusiasts and can be fraught with unpleasant surprises. In the case of this board, there was a lot of negativity on the specialized forums about incorrect work with processors based on the Raven Ridge core and periodic complaints about freezes when working with Samsung RAM. In subsequent BIOS updates, compatibility problems seem to have been fixed, but the negative continues to appear from time to time. Moreover, the BIOS itself is often scolded, which takes a long time to update and freezes.