The Ryzen 7 9700X is a mid-range processor in AMD’s Zen 5 generation. Based on the AM5 platform, you need a top-pick motherboard to ensure it has everything you need for your build. That’s why we’ve selected some of the best motherboards for the 9700X to help you find the ideal one for the job.

A motherboard is a crucial component of your system that can significantly impact its performance. For example, a budget motherboard won’t have as many VRMs as a high-end option, as the power delivery will be affected, hindering the CPU from performing at its best. However, enthusiast motherboards cost more, so ultimately, it all depends on the budget.

So, we’ve selected a couple of motherboards, including two of the latest 800-series boards, based on their chipsets, price, features, VRMs, cooling solutions, and the performance they showcased during in-house motherboard testing. This allows us to showcase their real-world performance with different CPUs and GPUs and also enables us to recommend only the best options.

How we chose the best motherboard for the Ryzen 7 9700X

To decide on the best motherboard for the 9700X, we selected from a range of options we’ve tried and tested. Putting these through our testing lab, we can ensure we’re recommending products we believe in and that are worth consideration.

Going through our motherboard testing process, we can go through the ordeal of using it and powering up components with it, so that our reviews can be trusted and are independent of anything. Combined with our knowledge of the market, this gives us a great range of recommendations to put in this list.

Our top picks

01

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi

Hands-on Review

5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5 (LGA 1718)
• Chipset: X870E
• Form Factor: ATX
• PCIe Version: Gen 5 NVMe & Gen 5 GPU
• Memory Speed: 8000+MT/s (OC)
• Memory Capacity: 192GB DDR5

Reasons to Buy

• Quick disconnect NVMe and GPU makes upgrades and installation a breeze
• Improved looks with more sloped edges on heatsinks compared to previous sharpness
• Provides plenty of power to the processor and lets it run at its full potential

Reasons to Avoid

• Does take a long time to memory train for quick boots
• A more premium option with features unnecessary for most

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Newegg
• Shop on Amazon UK

The ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi motherboard is an enthusiast-level motherboard, which, for some, might be overkill for the 9700X, but this should future-proof your setup as it can easily handle flagship processors. We’ve thoroughly reviewed the ROG Strix X870E-E in-house, and it has exceptional performance and a better overhead compared to the X670E Hero.

For starters, the great aspect of this board is the 18+2+2 VRM. The voltage regulation modules, spread across three stages and multiple phases, ensure voltage is stabilized well before reaching the CPU. This also ensures a stable power delivery, which is crucial if you’re planning on overclocking the processor.

This mainboard also supports DDR5 RAM and can accommodate up to 192GB. Unless you’re running a server, you shouldn’t need 192GB of RAM for gaming or work; however, you can simply add more RAM to give your system a performance and efficiency boost.

It doesn’t end there; the maximum RAM frequency is 8,000+ MT/s (OC), which should ensure your system doesn’t suffer from lag or other performance issues. This board also features WiFi 7 connectivity, meaning you get access to the 6GHz frequency with 320MHz. This means smooth gaming, streaming, and working experience via wireless connections. Just ensure that you have a good WiFi 7 router to make use of this feature.

Performance

We brought in the Ryzen 9 9950X and the RTX 4070 Ti to test the performance, efficiency, and temperature of this board. In the Geekbench 6 multi-core test, this combination managed 21,815 points with an average power of 60.602W and a maximum CPU and motherboard temperature of 71.7°C and 37°C.

As for gaming, in Cyberpunk 2077, we got 234 FPS with an average power of 139.467W and a processor temperature of 80.3°C while the motherboard remained at a comfortable 37°C. So, this board wasn’t holding back the 9950X in any way, and it was able to perform at its best by delivering the right amount of power. On top of that, the onboard heating solutions did an excellent job, which is a huge win for a high-end motherboard.

X870 benchmarking Cyberpunk 2077 FPS, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking Blender scores, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking synthetics scores, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking Blender temperatures, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking synthetics power, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking Cyberpunk 2077 temps, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking synthetics temps, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking blender avg power, Image by PC Guide

X870 benchmarking Cyberpunk 2077 power, Image by PC Guide

Previous

Next

1 of 9

Previous

Next

02

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5 (LGA 1718)
• Chipset: X870E
• Form factor: ATX (243.8×304.8mm)
• PCIe version: Gen 5 PCIe and Gen 5 NVMe
• Memory speed: 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s / 5600 – 4800 (JEDEC) MT/s
• Memory capacity: 256GB DDR5

Reasons to Buy

• Excellent build quality and design
• Plenty of fast USB options
• Amazing connectivity in general with the latest ethernet and WiFi
• Great EZ DIY features for ease of building
• Top performance and great value

Reasons to Avoid

• Only one PCIe Gen 5 slot
• PCIe sharing between USB and NVMe can make usability complicated
• No handy onboard controls

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Newegg
• Shop on Overclockers
• Shop on Scan

If you want to check out another option close to the ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E, the MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi would be our next recommendation. When we tested this premium motherboard, it earned a 4.5/5 rating, demonstrating excellent performance across the board. It has everything you’d expect from a high-end board and is perfect for the 9700X, even though it can handle much more powerful processors than it.

For starters, it has PCIe 5.0 connectivity, an 8,400 MT/s memory speed, a maximum memory capacity of 256GB DDR5 RAM, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB 4, 5G Ethernet, and more. These are some of the specifications of this motherboard, but this should give you an idea of how decked out it is.

The 14+2+1 power delivery design should allow the 9700X to unleash its full potential without any issues, and overclocking shouldn’t be an issue, since this board is designed to handle a much higher TDP than the 9700X offers. There are two Gen5 SSD slots, which is great as you can stack high-capacity drives for extreme storage capacity.

Performance

As to how we tested it, we mounted the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the RTX 3090 on the test bench and let loose an array of tests. This combination managed 230 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 with an average PPT of 86.5W, with the maximum temperature going up to 41°C, which is pretty decent. This is the maximum temperature that we saw, with the maximum PPT going up to 115W when we ran Blender.

You can check out the graphs below for a complete picture of every test we ran, which clearly showcase its ability to handle extreme performance without any issues. It doesn’t run hot, and delivering power to the processor was a breeze.

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Synthetics single core scores, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Counter-Strike 2 temps, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Counter-Strike 2 power, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 temps, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Counter-Strike 2 FPS, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Blender benchmark score, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Synthetics multi core score, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 PPT, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 FPS, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Blender PPT, Image by PC Guide

MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WiFi Blender temps, Image by PC Guide

Previous

Next

1 of 11

Previous

Next

03

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

ASUS PRIME X870-P WiFi

Hands-on Review

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5 (LGA 1718)
• Chipset: X870
• Form Factor: ATX
• PCIe Version: PCIe Gen 5 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
• Memory Speed: 8000+MT/s (OC)
• Memory Capacity: 192GB DDR5

Reasons to Buy

• Great support for fast RAM and PCIe addons
• Plenty of IO and PCIe connectivity
• Good addition of builder-friendly features

Reasons to Avoid

• No heatsinks for the bottom two NVMe slots
• Lacks error display for troubleshooting
• No easy clear CMOS

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Newegg
• Shop on Amazon UK

Mid-range products generally have great value, and if you’re looking for a motherboard for the Ryzen 7 9700X, we recommend the ASUS Prime X870-P WiFi mainboard. We’ve tested and reviewed this motherboard, and it has excellent efficiency and performance.

This motherboard has a maximum memory capacity of 192GB of DDR5 RAM running at a max frequency of 8,000+ MT/s (OC). On top of that, it features PCIe Gen 5 for storage devices and graphics cards, meaning they won’t be held back from showcasing their full speed and potential. All of these factors should help you create a great gaming PC and unlock its full potential.

It also has a 14+2+1 power delivery system, which is great as the power is filtered through three stages and multiple phases before reaching the CPU. This means a stable energy flow, which should help overclock the CPU. Besides that, it has a simple design with no RGB, which some may or may not like, but if you’re going for a no-RGB build, this should be a great addition.

This motherboard features a 2.5 Gbps LAN port and WiFi 7, the latest WiFi standard with the fastest speeds and highest bandwidth, respectively. So, you should be able to get a good gaming, streaming, or working experience without any stuttering or interruption via a wired or wireless connection.

Performance

To test the capabilities of the ASUS Prime X870-P WiFi motherboard, we paired it with the Ryzen 9 9950X and the RTX 4070 Ti, along with 32GB of DDR5 RAM running at 6,400 MT/s. This combination managed 220 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 with a maximum CPU temperature of 66.7°C. As for its synthetic performance, we got 38,856 points in the Cinebench R23 multicore test, which was almost on par with the ASUS TROG Strix X870 and the Gigabyte Aorus Pro Ice X870E, which managed 39,932 and 40,591, respectively.

04

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MSI B650M PROJECT ZERO

Hands-on Review

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5 (LGA1718)
• Chipset: B650
• Form Factor : Micro-ATX
• PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4
• Memory speed : 6400MHz + OC
• Memory capacity : 128GB (4 x 32GB)

Reasons to Buy

• Good value for money
• Looks good, really like the white
• Thermal armour keeps VRMs cool

Reasons to Avoid

• Slight performance loss vs X670E
• Micro-ATX, so only 1 PCIe slot

• Shop on Amazon

The MSI B650M PROJECT ZERO is a budget motherboard, but it still has everything you’ll need to get the best performance out of the Ryzen 7 9700X. We thoroughly tested this motherboard in our MSI B650M PROJECT ZERO review and were pleased with its features.

A neat or not-so-neat aspect of this motherboard is that all of the connections are at the back. While that does result in a very clean and aesthetic build, it also makes the installation more challenging, but if you’re into minimalistic builds, the struggle will be worth it.

This is also a micro-ATX motherboard, meaning it is smaller than the usual ATX motherboard, which normally means fewer PCIe and RAM slots. That said, the MSI B650 PROJECT ZERO has 4 RAM slots that can accommodate 4 sticks of DDR5 RAM that can be overclocked to 7600 MHz.

Performance

We brought in the Ryzen 9 7900X, which we’ve also reviewed, to check its performance and efficiency. After running Blender, Cinebench, and Geekbench, we saw a loss of 4.73W, which might seem like it isn’t a lot, but when you’re losing 4.73W per second, it adds up to a lot of energy being wasted as you’re not using it.

As for its temperature, the VRMs reached 54°C while the motherboard hovered around 53.5°C. These numbers are totally normal but might be higher or lower for you, depending on where you’re located.

For example, if you’re in a region with high ambient temperature, the base temperature of all your components will be higher, so they’ll reach peak temperature faster than if you were in a cold region. So, to keep your PC cool, ensure there is plenty of cross ventilation, and we recommend using the best 140mm case fans to achieve that.

Overall, this is a great motherboard that should be an excellent match for the mid-range Ryzen 7 9700X, and it doesn’t even cost a lot compared to the X670 variants.

05

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5
• Chipset: B850
• Form Factor: ATX – 243.84×304.8mm
• PCIe Version: Gen 5 PCIe and Gen 5 NVMe
• Memory Speed: 8400 – 5600 (OC) MT/s
• Memory Capacity: 256GB DDR5

Reasons to Buy

• Excellent ease of use and installation process
• Incredible connectivity speeds in PCIe and networking
• Great VRMs and cooling on them
• Strong price point

Reasons to Avoid

• Lacks USB 4 Thunderbolt
• No segment display or onboard power buttons

• Shop on Amazon
• Shop on Newegg
• Shop on Scan
• Shop on Overclockers

In another range of chipsets from AMD, the B850 provides an option down from the top-end X870, and is meant to be a bit of a cheaper cut-down option. Primarily losing out on some of the PCIe 5 lanes and the count and speed of the USB options available to it, which should offer a lower price.

One of the options we’ve tested and reviewed is the MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI. A decent-looking motherboard that offers a simple and clean design with a black colorway with highlights of green. A part of its highlight is the added EZ DIY options that make it a lot easier and nicer to build in and change out if needed.

With a range of USB connectors and connectivity on the back, including the addition of WiFi 7, there is a lot on offer for the more cut-down chipset option.

Performance

In the review of the MSI MAG B850, we paired it with the 7800X3D and an RTX 4070 Ti, to test it with a variety of tests and look at the temperatures and power through the processor.

The synthetic benchmarks net it a multicore score of 17,571 in Cinebench R23, 7210.9 in CPU-Z Multi, and 15,380 in Geekbench 6 Multi, with the single core performance achieving a score of 1,762, 688.7, and 2,720 in the same benchmarks.

More importantly, when it comes to temperatures, testing in Cyberpunk 2077 showed it averaged 28.6°C, with a max of 29°C, while the MOS went beyond that to 20.5°C. At the same time, it has a power of 67.2W to the processor. In CS2, it manages to push that to 74W instead and reaches 32°C at a maximum.

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Synthetics multi core scores, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Synthetics single core scores, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 temps, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 power, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi CS2 FPS, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Blender package power, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi CS2 Temps, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Cyberpunk 2077 FPS, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Blender scores, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi Blender temps, Image by PC Guide

MAG B850 Tomahawk Max WiFi CS2 power, Image by PC Guide

Previous

Next

1 of 11

Previous

Next

06

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero

Hands-on Review

4.5 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Socket: AM5 (LGA 1718)
• Chipset: X670E
• Form Factor : ATX
• PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 5 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
• Memory speed : 6400MHz + OC
• Memory capacity : 128GB (4 x 32GB)

Reasons to Buy

• High memory speed and capacity
• Robust power stages
• Extensive overclocking support

Reasons to Avoid

• Armory crate – everyone who uses it, dislikes it
• If you don’t have high-end hardware, this may be a waste
• Very expensive

• Shop on Amazon

The ROG Crosshair is a very gamer-focused bit of hardware with plenty of sharp, edgy design and with plenty of RGB to shine bright in your build and LEDs showing off. This can be helpful to your build as well, thanks to the segment display and status lights that can tell you what’s going wrong with your build and make it a bit easier to troubleshoot. There are also small comfort buttons with the power button, BIOS flash, and a CMOS clear, for an easy time working with it.

It is quite a heavy option, with a metal backplate to prevent electrical shorts and accidental solder breaks, along with plenty of heatsinks on top. These are quite large overall and help with the board’s general performance, especially considering the VRMs on board and the ability to provide plenty of power. This board is the type to enable overclocking and get even more out of your system.

That is also supported by the specs and features on the board as well. Running PCIe Gen 5 for its NVMe SSD and graphics cards means getting the fastest performance out of them when possible. As there are still no mainstream GPUs to run the generation, it is still a forward-looking mobo.

As you still have DDR5 support, not much is likely to change with X870. Plus, you get plentiful USB and IO on the back with 8 A types and 4 C. There is plenty you can plug in. With the connectivity, you even have 2.5G LAN and WiFi 6E wireless for very fast speeds, even for home networking.

Crosshair X670E Hero Showing I/O and connectivity

Crosshair X670E Hero showing AMD CPU and RAM slots

Crosshair X670E Hero bottom left corner where power connectors are

Crosshair-X670E-Hero-design

Previous

Next

1 of 4

Previous

Next

The installation and ease of use are also pretty good with it. The back plate and stiffness make it difficult to mess up or hurt yourself, including not needing to install an IO shield. Then the usability is pretty nice, as the BIOS from ASUS is one of the nicer ones to utilize, and makes it easy to update or set it up as you want. Then there are the extras on top with the PCIe M.2 expansion card in case you run out of space for them in the mobo itself.

Performance

In our review of the X670E, Jack showed us its capabilities. Although the 9700X wasn’t used in the review, the 7900X instead has a higher TDP to sort anyway. There we see the VRM temperatures max 47°C, and the temperature in general stayed just hovering over 40°C. Along with having good efficiency with limited power loss, it is a good power platform.

It also has the capability of plugging in extra power cables for the CPU and PCIe, making it a fearsome machine for the top level of performance. This is the reason we’ve had it on our testing bench and make sure it allows the rest of the system to perform at its best.

Why you can trust us

Here at PC Guide, we take our recommendations very seriously. We conduct hands-on testing on every board and use a standard bench for consistent results. This includes using the same Cooler Master MasterFrame, CPU cooler, and other components. We believe in 100% transparency and uphold the highest level of journalism because we want for our readers what we want for ourselves, and that is nothing but the best.

Our recommendations are free from manufacturer bias, and no single brand is put over the other. That is only determined by how the product performs, and we give the complete breakdown in detail so you know what is going on behind the scenes and how it actually performed; so what you see is what you’ll get, no embellishment.

How to pick the best motherboard for the 9700X

There are plenty of considerations to make when trying to decide which motherboard to choose for the 9700X. We’ve outlined some of the main features to help you make that decision easier.

Compatibility

Of course, the first thing you need to know is whether the motherboard you’re looking at is compatible with the CPU. For the Ryzen 7 9700X, that means it must have an AM5 socket (aka LGA 1718), one that can actually fit the CPU and work with it.

This follows AMD’s shift to the new platform and away from pins being on the processor previously (PGA), allowing it to put more connections onto the motherboard. It should also allow for a longer upgrade path, with more generations expected in the coming years.

Connectivity and features

Another factor is what the motherboard is capable of providing for your system. The number of USB ports and their generation speed can vary between motherboards, including those with USB-C connectors. This can come down to the chipset used and how many it implements, and can be a factor.

That extends to the internal connectors that can vary and make compatibility with other hardware, like the case and its ports, work with it. You can also find various wireless technologies embedded onto the platform without the need for external hardware, meaning you can get WiFi and Bluetooth from the get-go.

Budget

Another factor is considering your budget. Motherboards fit into various tiers and can range widely depending on your use case. With the 9700X, you probably don’t want to be spending more on your motherboard than on your CPU, and you can mostly get what you need in lower-tiered mobos and chipsets.

Performance and overclocking

The motherboard does have some impact on the performance of the CPU, so when looking to pair it up with the 9700X, you do want to ensure it performs as well as possible. With the right power setup, you can push it even further with its ability to overclock, so it might be a consideration in selecting your motherboard.

FAQs

What is the best motherboard for AMD Ryzen 7 9700X?

In our selection of motherboards for the 9700X, we chose the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero for the top overall motherboard. At the same time, the runners up were the ROG Strix X870-E Gaming and the ASUS Prime X870-P in the mid-range, with the MSI B650M Project Zero as the budget choice.

What socket does the 9700X use?

The 9700X is on the AM5 socket; it is on the LGA 1718 pinout, which makes its compatibility more limited to current-generation platforms. It’s one that’s slated for longevity and long-term support, so it might be a good one for upgradeability in the years to come.

What chipsets work with the 9700X?

Any of the ones with the AM5 socket will support the 9700X. Currently, there are nine chipsets that are as follows: X870E, X870, B850, B840, X670E, X670, B650E, B650, and A620. They offer various features and specifications that are listed by AMD for quick reference.

Do I need to upgrade my motherboard for the 9700X?

If you already have an AM5 motherboard, then no, you don’t need to bother upgrading. Any mobo with the right socket will support the 9000 series CPU, although it might require a BIOS update first. But not being the most powerful or intensive processor, any option should be good enough for the job.

What size motherboard do you need for the 9700X?

The size doesn’t have an impact on the performance or compatibility with the CPU. As long as the motherboard has an AM5 socket, it will work with the 9700X, no matter which form factor it goes for. That means you can pick the size more depending on the rest of your build, if you’re going for a small form factor with ITX or a full-size otherwise.

Alternative motherboards for the 9700X

About the Author

Sebastian Kozlowski

With a fascination for technology and games, Seb is a tech writer with a focus on hardware, news, and deals. He is also a tester and reviewer for the site. Contact him @ [email protected]