The motherboard is the foundation everything else connects to, so it's worth taking time to get the choice right. The key things to consider are socket compatibility (AM4 and AM5 for AMD, LGA1700 and the newer LGA1851 for Intel), chipset tier (budget chipsets like A620 or H610 handle everyday builds well, while higher-end options unlock overclocking and more PCIe lanes), and form factor (Micro-ATX suits most mid-tower cases, while ATX gives you more expansion slots). It's also worth checking M.2 slot count, USB standards, and whether you'll need a BIOS update before your CPU is recognised.

We compare boards from the main players, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock, alongside other options that crop up from system integrators. Prices span from around fifty pounds for a no-frills budget board up to close to a thousand for high-end enthusiast options, with the sweet spot for most builds sitting somewhere in the low-to-mid range.

One practical consideration right now is future-proofing on the AM5 platform. Unlike AM4, which ran for many years, AM5 is still relatively early in its lifespan, making it a sensible choice if you want room to upgrade your CPU down the line without swapping the board.