The Best Motherboards for Gaming in 2013 (AMD)

If you're looking to build yourself a new gaming computer and you're going to go with an AMD processor, one component you'll definitely need to take some time when choosing is your motherboard. While it's true that your motherboard isn't going to directly impact your gaming experience, it will dictate what you can and can't do with your gaming computer in the future. If you choose a high-quality motherboard now, you will be able to make more upgrades in the future and make your gaming computer stay relevant for a lot longer.

In this article I will go over a few different options you have for motherboards at various different price ranges. The motherboards listed below are excellent boards that are awesome options for their price points. Each motherboard has been carefully researched and I can safely say that you can't go wrong by choosing any of them. So, if you're looking for a quality motherboard for your AMD gaming rig, then check out the boards listed below.

The Best Motherboard for Gaming in 2013 (AMD) Under $100

AS Rock EXTREME3 AMD 970 & SB950 ATX DDR3 800 AMD - AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99)

AS Rock has long been known for their ability to produce high-quality and feature-packed motherboards at affordable prices. The EXTREME3 is no different. At well under $100 this standard ATX motherboard is one of the best priced boards relative to the features and quality it brings to the table.

The EXTREME3 is the perfect motherboard for gamers who are working with a tight budget, but don't want to sacrifice the options that will allow them to upgrade their entry level system to a high-end gaming computer later down the road. So, if you're looking for a great budget-friendly board for your system, then this board is exactly what you need.

AS Rock EXTREME3 Features

• An incredibly well-built and feature-rich board at a ridiculously low price.


• The perfect board for gamers who want to upgrade their system in the future.


• Can handle multiple video cards and will allow users to overclock their processors for added performance.

Reviews of the AS Rock EXTREME3

From B. Chestnut on Amazon:

"I bought this because I was building a gaming pc and wanted a powerful motherboard. Its fast and can handle any game I throw at it. It is well worth the money."

From D. Waugh on Amazon:

"I'm typing on this board in my computer right now. One year installed with no problems so far. Stable, lots of options."

Buy the AS Rock EXTREME3 Today!

The Best Motherboard for Gaming in 2013 (AMD) Between $100-$150

ASRock 990FX EXTREME3 Socket AM3+/ AMD 990FX/ AMD Quad CrossFireX& nVidia Quad SLI/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard ($119.99)

At $100-$150 AS Rock has another more advanced version of the EXTREME3 that was listed above. For only $30 more you can get a board that will allow you to run quad video cards in CrossFireX or SLI configuration. And, while you may not be able to do that now, it certainly does give you the potential to do so in the future.

Not only can this board support four video cards, but it also has a ton of other features as well. It can handle a 7.1 surround sound speaker set for a fully immersed gaming experience and comes with all of the other options you can expect from a high-end motherboard.

AS Rock 990FX EXTREME3 Features

• Quad CrossFireX or SLI support is enough to make any gamer drool.


• A great board that's affordable and will work well with all kinds of different budgets.


• Features USB 3.0 and will accommodate 8-core processors and makes it easy to overclock.

Reviews of the AS Rock 990FX EXTREME3

From Garret Rice on Amazon:

"No issues, plug and play basically. SATA connector locations work great when combined with a good tower that lets you hide wires."

From John Blake III on Amazon:

"Fully enabled board. Has great works. Will almost anything you want. Great software included. Booted up and loaded fast and easy the first try."

Buy the AS Rock 990FX EXREME3 Today!

The Best Motherboard for Gaming in 2013 Between $150-$200

ASUS M5A97 Evo - AM3+ - 970 - SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 - ATX AMD ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboards ($179.99)

Perhaps no other company is as well known for making quality motherboards than ASUS. If you're looking for a high-quality board with a ton of options and upgrade potential for your mid-to-high-end gaming rig, then you'll probably want to take a long look at the ASUS M5A97 Evo AM3+ motherboard.

This board has everything you could ever want and then some. With USB 3.0 and Quad-GPU support for either CrossFireX or SLI configurations, there really isn't anything you can't do with this board. And, with one of the most easy BIOS setups to use, you will have no problem overclocking and system-tuning your computer.

ASUS M5A97 Evo AM3+ Features

• High-end high-quality motherboard that gives you a ton of options and upgrade potential


• Supports multiple video card installation for incredible performance


• The perfect board for overclockers who want more performance out of their system

Reviews of the ASUS M5A97 Evo AM3+

From Bob on Amazon:

"Matched this up with an AMD Phenom II 1090T Black Box Edition and an Artic Cooling Freezer 13. No problems, booted right up. The new bios is awesome! Overclocking seems to be limited only by the amount of cooling I can provide. Would recommend. My existing Windows 7 migrated to the new MB without a hitch from Microsoft. I changed MB, CPU and memory all at once, authenticated my existing Windows OS online, and changed the boot/OS drive a few days later without any issues."

From Johnnyb5mb on Amazon:

"Best Board for on a budget. I only have had it for two days but it has worked flawlessly so far. The UEFI bios is top notch. Will comment in a couple months to see how it is still working."

Buy the ASUS M5A97 Evo AM3+ Today!

Build Your Own Gaming Computer Today!

If you need more help choosing components or building your gaming computer, check out Elite Gaming Computers. They have all of the information you could ever need in order to build your own gaming rig.