As you can see, there is a lot to remember when buying a motherboard. Unlike buying a single component—such as a CPU, GPU, or RAM—numerous interlocking factors need consideration beyond just performance benchmarks. With the CPU socket, the RAM support, the audio hardware, the networking hardware, the power hardware, overclocking features, and so much more, buying a motherboard can start to feel rather overwhelming.

Just take things in order to keep the task from feeling too daunting. It's easiest to pick a motherboard once you know how big a PC you are building or upgrading. Settle on a size, after which choose a CPU that you want to buy and fits your budget. Then comes the chipset consideration; that, to a large extent, will set the price range for the board itself, and you can make sure it fits your budget.

We didn’t delve deeply into the issue of price in this article, because motherboards can range from as low as $50 for the most basic models (likely last-generation) to more than $1,000 for rare and elite, extreme-tweaker models with built-in liquid cooling hardware. Simply put, we can find no way to do justice to that large a price range with one-size-fits-all advice. The vast span and mix of parts that can change on a motherboard also significantly alter the value of any given board for people with specific needs. It needs to be calculated on a case-by-case basis.

To be sure, some boards offer more value than others. However, don't fret; as long as the board you buy is compatible with the CPU you want, the size you want, and within a comfortable price range, it should generally work fine. All of the other features—an I/O port mix, an onboard audio solution, and suitability for overclocking—are best considered only if they are important to you personally. These factors may also help you decide between two similarly priced motherboards. But, ultimately, features like the audio and networking systems should be secondary considerations.

Our helpful comparison grid and list of product picks showcase some of our favorite models that we have tested in recent months, organized by platform and rough use case. Regardless, motherboard manufacturers release a vast array of models, and no one on the internet comes even close to reviewing them all. Use these models as a jumping-off point in your search, and look for professional reviews of the specific models you are considering for the fine points.

Then we have the issue that separates PC enthusiasts and performance hounds from everyday users: overclocking. Most folks won't care about this niche concern, and indeed will opt for motherboards with chipsets that aren't overclocking-ready at all. For that very reason, we saved this section until last. Several things are worth scrutinizing when buying a motherboard for overclocking, though, if that is your jam.

Start with the power-regulation circuitry. The job of the power-regulation circuitry on a motherboard is to provide a clean, compatible power source to the CPU and RAM. The power supplied by the power supply doesn’t arrive at the motherboard at the correct voltage for these components, which is why this hardware is essential. A motherboard with an insufficient power-regulation system can hamper performance if pushed too far in an overclock, and power circuits have even been known to blow out when overdriven.

Most motherboards are designed with a sufficiently capable power system and fail-safes to avoid such issues. Typically, you only encounter problems on a rare motherboard with a flawed power design or a manufacturing defect. It’s worth noting, however, that not every motherboard can handle the power needs of every "compatible" CPU that physically fits in its socket, even if the board supports other CPUs in the same immediate family. Some motherboards will explicitly state a maximum CPU power limit, but the safest thing to do here—again, we stress this!—is to check the motherboard maker’s list of supported processors for the board.

If you’re overclocking, the importance of the power-regulation hardware increases. That’s because overclocking often requires increasing the power flow to the CPU. The power-regulation hardware is made up of components that are commonly referred to as power phases, VRMs, or MOSFETs. Essentially, the job of this hardware is to take the power sent from the power supply and adjust its voltage and amplitude to better suit the processor. Often, motherboard OEMs will specify the number of power phases a board is designed to support for overclocking, and the materials may also list the current capacity that these components can handle.

Regardless, you'll encounter a lot of marketing fog around these parts, with no easy, golden number for how many phases you want or how much current they should be able to handle to get good overclocking results. Instead, it’s easiest to just remember this: More phases and higher current ratings are generally better, all else being equal. Phases share their workload, so the more of them you have, the less likely it is that any one of them will be overworked to the point of failure or crash.

You should also assess the cooling hardware around the CPU socket, as this metal cools the powerful hardware. You want to see large heatsinks here at a minimum, but more premium models will also feature heat pipes in some series and sometimes include a fan to further enhance cooling performance. It’s impossible to draw firm conclusions at a glance about this stuff, but a robust set of cooling gear around the socket indicates a higher-end board in which the maker took care to outfit it properly.

Many motherboards designed for overclocking have several helpful features to aid in troubleshooting and resolving problems. Some boards have LED pinpoints onboard that correspond to messages in the manual or an “88”-style red LED numeric readout that displays a numbered error code to indicate specific troubles.

On some boards, you’ll also find buttons on the board itself or its rear I/O panel that can clear the BIOS, which is exceedingly helpful if you overclock your PC too far and cannot get into the BIOS. A few boards have two BIOS chips for the same purpose; you can switch between the two BIOSes and their discrete settings to resolve issues. This can even save you from what would otherwise be a complete system failure if, for some reason, one of your BIOSes gets corrupted and unrecoverable. It happens! (See our guide to BIOS tweaking basics.)

At the moment, you won't find much to be concerned about regarding RAM support on any motherboard you buy, unless you are purchasing a board for use with a 12th Gen Intel CPU. (That said, you might be concerned about the price of RAM lately.)

Most current-gen motherboards currently use DDR5 RAM, with a selection of LGA 1700 Intel motherboards still using DDR4 RAM. Older platforms, including AMD's AM4, exclusively use DDR4 RAM, but you'll likely want to avoid using it on newer systems (1) if you have a choice between DDR4 and DDR5 boards, as DDR5 provides better performance, and (2) if you can afford it! (See our early tests with DDR5 versus DDR4.) Just check the board specs: Pick the correct type of RAM for your motherboard and pay attention to the speeds supported.

You’ll also want to pay attention to how many RAM slots your motherboard has and the maximum capacity per slot. If you have only two RAM slots, you must buy RAM modules for the capacity you want at a higher per-module capacity than you might with four sticks. If you want to experiment with memory speeds, you may also want to consider RAM that runs faster than the board's peak-rated RAM speed. (As long as it's the right type, it should work regardless.) For more information on buying RAM, especially faster RAM kits, check out our article on picking the right RAM kit for you. You'll notice a lot of nuance in the choice if you want to get down and dirty; for basic use, getting modules that match the board's peak supported speed is a safe bet. For easy memory-speed tweaking on a late-model AMD AM5 board, meanwhile, look for a memory kit rated for one of the board's supported memory speeds as an AMD EXPO profile; likewise, look for an XMP profile speed in common between a recent Intel board and its RAM kit.

Another new memory technology, the Clocked Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module (CSODIMM), has recently emerged. It's currently supported only by Intel and on its LGA 1851 platform. This technology enables DDR5 RAM to run at far faster speeds. The benefits of this and its widespread adoption remain to be seen.

The standard module type for desktop motherboards is a DIMM, or dual inline memory module. Note that a handful of highly compact Mini-ITX motherboards utilize SO-DIMM modules, which are significantly smaller and are commonly used in some mini-desktop PCs and many laptops. SO-DIMM-based desktop motherboards are uncommon, but they do exist, and you should be aware of them if you are hunting in the Mini-ITX aisle.