AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600 series was launched as the next iteration of the Ryzen 5 2600 series from 2018. It is more powerful than it’s previous 2600 counterpart yet sits just below the Ryzen 5 3600X model. They are a direct competitor to the Intel 9th generation, outperforming them in single core performance.
The Ryzen 5 3600 series offers the best price to performance ratio having 6 cores and 12 threads to enable smooth running of most programs.
Below we take a look at eiht of the best motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3600 that offer best compatibility ensuring a stable build while also making sure we have many overclocking and I/O options to push the CPU to its limits. We have also taken the aesthetics of the board into consideration so as to compliment a wide range of builds.
MSI B450 Tomahawk
The MSI B450 Tomahawk is a rebranded version of it’s older counterpart with a new set of sockets and chipset. This is an entry level motherboard that provides compatibility and decent performance without much of a hassle.
It has a 4 + 2 phase power design and it’s VRM is fed by a 8-pin power connector. The motherboard also supports memory upto 64B at 3466MHz. There are also two PCIe x16 slots with PCI Steel Armor on the primary slot which enable you to install multiple AMD graphics cards.
Although this board does offer a few drawbacks namely this motherboard does not have any Vcore offset function another issue with this board is that it is fitted with only a singular M.2 slot.
B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
The B450 gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard is the most aesthetically pleasing of the lot having a solid black base while also being fitted with RGB lighting making it a good fit in any gamer build.
The B450 gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard has an 8+2 phase power design and similar to the MSI B450 Tomahawk it has two PCIe x16 slots with PCI Steel Armor on the primary slot which enable you to install multiple AMD graphics cards.
This motherboard is ideal for people looking to overclock the Ryzen 5 3600 CPU. Another feature which makes this a good choice is the clean BIOS interface aided by other features such as having integrated WiFi.
The pricing of this board is not as competitive as its competitors but is still able to a give decent bang for buck.
MSI B450M Gaming Plus
This motherboard is part of the series that launched with the B450 chipset. The board showcases good design language, going with the famous MSI red and black combo.
The base of the board is painted completely black with red stripes cutting across it giving it a very modern and techno look. Making it a very good addition to any build.
This board has a 4+3 phase power design VRM offering efficient power supply across the board. It has a decent number of I/O slots namely one PCIe x16 slot with PCIe Steel Armor and two PCIe x1 slots with the ability to insert expansion cards. I
t also has USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, one USB Type C and two USB 2.0 ports. A singular M.2 port is present with four SATA ports but what it lacks is the M.2 slot heatsink.
The only issue with this motherboard is that it supports only 32B memory and also the fact that it does not have support for other graphics cards available in the market.
MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC
This is one of the best ITX motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3000 series. The MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC’s unique selling point is its ability to aid high overclocking. This motherboard also showcases good design language.
It has a 6+2 phase power design setup allowing for smooth flow of power across the board and also boasts of a fairly decent VRM with heatsink. This allows for the system to remain cool and maintain performance even under high stress, due to the overclocking.
The MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC however does have a few drawbacks namely the lack of a USB 3.1 gen2 , it also lacks support for USB type C. The board also only supports 32 gig memory.
The board has a small form factor making it a good fit for most builds and uses this to its advantage to help increase overclocking fields.
ASUS ROG Strix X470-F
This motherboard is the gamers choice, offering best in class specs at a very competitive price. This motherboard like the B450 gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard also boasts of great looks and RGB lighting.
The ASUS ROG Strix X470-F offers SLI support with great cooling of the VRMs. This board has 6+4 phase power design offering good overclocking performance due to excellent power distribution.
The ASUS ROG Strix X470-F has three PCIe x16 slots and two PCIe x1 slots with PCI Steel Armor on the primary and secondary PCIe slots. This motherboard also has support for USB 3.1 and even USB C.
It is also equipped with two M.2 slots and an array of 6 SATA 3BPS slots. This motherboard however does not have audio shielding which is a feature present in most of the other competing motherboards.
MSI MPG X570 GAMING
The MSI MPG X570 GAMING board is meant for a build aimed at high overclocking. This motherboard also packs a cost-effective network and audio controllers adding to it’s arsenal of features.
The MSI MPG X570 GAMING has a 10 phase power design VRM powered by a 4 pin and 8 pin collector. It supports 128 gig memory at 2666Mhz overclockable to 4400Mhz providing great performance.
It is equipped with two PCIe slots and three PCIe x1 slots allowing for the addition of expansion packs and graphics cards.
This board is packed with a range of I/O ports ranging from USB Type A to USB Type C, but the only drawbacks being that the board ships with only M.2 slots and no SLI feature.
Asus ROG (X570) Crosshair VIII
This board is a wallet friendly option and comes with support for the Ryzen 3000 series out of the box making it a great choice for a quick build.
The Asus ROG X570 Crosshair VIII offers a 14 phase power design VRM and allows for multiple graphics cards to be installed . It also supports a 128GB memory and clocking up to 2666Mhz.
Another added feature that this board provides is the 3 way crossfire and 3 way SLI support.
The Asus ROG x570 Crosshair VIII offers a range of connectivity ports, showcasing an array of three PCIe x16 slots. It is also equipped with three more PCIe x16 slots made for the expansion cards. 8 SATA ports and two M.2 ports complete the range of I/O options.
This board does have a few shortcomings though namely the price but also the position of the chipset fan which is located below the graphics card which is not so ideal.
ASUS Prime X570 PRO
This is an X570 chipset meaning it has advanced PCIs (4th Gen) along with better cooling systems for VRMs. The aesthetics also make this board stand out with the entire base of the board being coloured black with RGB lighting built in.
The audio is driven by Realtek drivers and it also provides for a cost effective network solution.
The VRM is configured in a 12+2 phase power design with 7 phasers being doublers. It packs great memory at 128 gigs and clocks out at 2666Mhz with overclocked speeds hitting around 4400Mhz.
I/O is also pretty decent on this board. It features six SATA3 ports alongside two M.2 slots for NVMe connections. This motherboard also features two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and five USB 2.0 ports.
This board does possess a few issues, there is no WiFi module onboard and the software it comes with is clanky and not powerful.
Summary
Team Red is putting up quite a fight this time! And it’s hard to look at the numbers and turn a blind eye (and turn to team blue). What they bring with the Ryzen 5 3600 series is a killer price to performance ratio which is highly competitive.
Their architecture allows for many boards to incorporate it, making it available to a larger number market.
As we saw from the boards detailed above, the Ryzen 3600 series is compatible with most of the B450 series motherboards out of the box. Making it easy to get started and going with the build.