Finding the best motherboards for music production is essential, as music producers need the best motherboards to create quality music tracks.
The best motherboards for music production must have powerful components, such as a powerful processor, RAM, graphics card, etc., to help them create great tracks.
If you are looking for the best motherboards for music production, you need to ensure that the motherboard is powerful enough to create the quality sound you want to hear. There are various types of motherboards to choose from, such as ATX, EATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and others.
Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, the ATX motherboards are commonly used for desktop computers, whereas the EATX motherboards are usually used for laptops.
To help you find the best motherboards for music production, I have reviewed the detailed reviews of the best motherboards that are powerful and have great audio quality.
At a Glance:
7 Best motherboards for music production
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1. ASUS ProArt Z490-CREATOR Content Creation Motherboard
Best PickThis is an amazing motherboard, and it will set you back about $250.
The Intel Z490 chipset supports the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 and i5 processors and is the first to support dual-channel DDR4-4600. It’s a really fast and powerful platform, and it comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports that allow you to connect multiple external displays and devices.
The Z490 chipset has the Hyper Gigabit LAN connection and the second generation of Intel LAN, which means it’s compatible with the latest Intel Ethernet technology. It also comes with a 10G Ethernet port, and it has the latest M.2 interface for PCIe SSD storage.
There are two slots for the graphics card, but you can also use the Thunderbolt port for external GPUs.
ASUS has equipped this motherboard with the highest-end DrMOS design and added the ASUS Power Design Plus certification. These features help improve the reliability and stability of your system.
There’s also a SafeSlot for the front panel, so it won’t move or get damaged during installation or removal.
I haven’t seen anything like this before, so it’s impressive. If you want to build a high-end PC, this is the best option.
Pros
- 12+2 Power Stages
- DDR4 4600 support
- 10G LAN Card support
- 2.5G Intel LAN support
Cons
- No built-in WiFi
- No built-in Bluetooth
- Only two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
2. Gigabyte GV-N165SWF2OC-4GD
The Gigabyte GV-N165SWF2OC-4GD is a very affordable graphics card that packs a punch in terms of performance. It offers a good balance of power and efficiency and will perform decently for 1080p gaming.
While it doesn’t offer the best cooling performance, it has two fans capable of keeping the card cool in most cases.
It’s got four display outputs, which is enough for most users. It also has a USB 3.0 hub, which makes it ideal for connecting peripherals. It doesn’t have an HDMI port, but that’s fine because it has a DisplayPort port.
I did notice that the fan speeds were a little low when I tested the card in a few games, but it was still able to run them at the maximum settings. The fans also seem quiet, and there’s no audible noise when the card is used.
The card has an aluminum heatsink, and it’s removable. The card also has a copper base plate, which helps to dissipate heat better.
The fan speed controls are awkward, but they’re not bad. I was able to adjust them easily with my thumb. The card also has a dual BIOS switch, which is convenient.
The card comes with a 1-year warranty, which is standard. It’s a great value graphics card for 1080p gaming, especially if you’re looking to save money.
Pros
- Excellent value for the price
- Excellent performance
- Windforce cooling is very effective
- 4GB of VRAM is plenty for most games
- The 128-bit memory interface is plenty for most games
Cons
- Only two display outputs
- No SLI support
- No USB Type-C support
3. Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO-P
Staff PickWe were expecting an AMD board that would support all Ryzen CPUs. We were pleasantly surprised to see Gigabyte has gone the extra mile and included the best cooling solution for the CPU.
The AORUS PRO-P is a full-fledged motherboard; it has a unique and attractive design, is super stable, and has many features.
The best part of this motherboard is that it supports the AMD Ryzen processors with both 7th and 8th Gen chipsets. For now, the only supported processors are the AM4 processors from AMD.
But with the Zen 2 processors expected to launch next year, this motherboard should also be able to support them.
The board has a very impressive design, and it looks sleek. The back of the board has a LED indicator panel with different colors for each component.
It tells us what each of the LEDs represents. For example, the first one is the power phase. The second one is the PWM. The third one is the fan speed. The fourth one is the CPU temperature, etc.
There are two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports at the rear and a single USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port at the front. There is also a standard audio jack and an HDMI port for connecting to external displays.
The I/O panel at the top of the board is pretty neat. It has four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a mini-DisplayPort connector, and another HDMI port.
The board has got a pretty decent set of audio options. It has got a very good quality audio solution. The audio system is based on Realtek ALC1220 codec with high-end capacitors. The audio quality is very good. The onboard speaker is pretty loud, and the sound is crisp and clean.
The board also supports two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. The USB 3.1 Gen 1 port supports transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. The board has got an RJ45 LAN port that supports wired networking.
The board has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port for charging devices and a headphone port. The motherboard has got a reset button that you can use to reset the board. This is useful when the motherboard gets stuck in a loop and you need to reset the board.
The board has got a PCIe 4.0 x16 M.2 slot that supports NVMe drives. This is a great feature to have. The M.2 drive can be used as an internal or a boot drive for Windows. The motherboard also supports Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0.
The motherboard is pretty good for gaming. It has a very good set of audio options, USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports. The board also supports the latest features like USB Power Delivery 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.
This motherboard is pretty good for overclocking. The board has got a very good VRM setup, and it can handle high current loads. The heatsinks and fans are all made of high-quality material capable of dissipating heat.
If you are looking for a reliable, stable, and powerful motherboard capable of running multiple video cards, this is the best board for you. It is backed by a 5-year warranty that covers most of the issues.
Pros
- Supports AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors
- B550 chipset
- Micro ATX form factor
- M.2 Thermal Guard
- HDMI, DVI, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
Cons
- No integrated WiFi or Bluetooth
- Only two RAM slots
- No RGB lighting
4. Gigabyte Z390 DESIGNARE
If you’re looking for a reliable motherboard that offers many features for a reasonable price, then Gigabyte Z390 is a great option.
It’s one of the best boards on the market right now, and while it doesn’t come with the most powerful processor (but you could always upgrade), it’s a fantastic choice for anyone.
The board supports the latest Intel 9th and 8th Gen processors, so you’ll have plenty of future-proofing options.
It also supports dual-channel memory, and you get 4 DIMMs (a good number for most users).
The board has a 12+1 phase power delivery system with a dedicated MOSFET per phase, ensuring no voltage fluctuation.
This is important because it reduces the likelihood of damage to the processor and increases the system’s reliability.
This is especially useful for overclocking, where voltages can vary wildly, causing instability.
If you need to overclock, then you should consider this motherboard. It also supports Intel Thunderbolt 3, which is the future of USB-C.
You can connect any device to your computer via this interface, which will be charged and transfer data simultaneously.
As for connectivity, you get a pair of PCIe x16 slots (for NVMe SSD), a PCIe x8 slot, a PCI-e x1 slot, a legacy PCI slot, 2 USB 3.0 ports (with power delivery), 6 USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, and an RJ45 LAN port.
That’s a lot of connections, and it’s all well-spaced out. Of course, the most important thing is whether or not it’s compatible with your CPU and graphics card, and it is.
You get Intel Z390, a newer chipset than the older Z270, and it supports both NVIDIA and AMD. I’ve used this board for over a year, and it’s still working fine, so it’s a great choice for long-term use.
Pros
- Supports Intel 8th and 9th generation processors
- Onboard AC WiFi
- Thunderbolt 3 support
- 12+1 phases digital VRM
- Two M.2 slots
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- Only supports two memory modules (4 DIMMs)
- No built-in graphics
5. ASUS Prime Z390-A Motherboard
Budget PickASUS Prime motherboard has great features and is especially good for gamers. I’m a big fan of the onboard storage. It comes with 1 TB of storage space, and I can connect my external storage device to it to get more space.
There are a lot of features that make this motherboard stand out from the competition. 8 USB 3. 1 Gen2 ports are available for use. This feature is useful because it lets you connect up to 16 USB devices simultaneously.
It also comes with two PCI-E x16 slots that can be used for graphic cards and other peripheral devices.
It has an M. 2 slot, ideal for connecting your SSDs and other fast storage drives. There is also a front panel header that you can use to connect your monitors to the motherboard.
It has dual gigabit ethernet ports that connect wired networks and other networking devices.
The main downside is that it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card slot, but there is a PCI-E x16 slot, which should handle most of the graphics cards you might want to use.
There is a dedicated HDMI port for displaying video content and a DisplayPort port for connecting other monitors. Overall, this is a very good motherboard, and it’s a great choice for gamers.
Pros
- Supports 8th and 9th-generation Intel processors
- Dual M.2 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports
- Onboard Intel Optane Memory support
- Robust overclocking features
Cons
- Some users report stability issues
- Complicated BIOS interface
- Only four SATA III ports
6. ASUS AM4 TUF
The ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage is a great choice for someone who’s into gaming.
It’s the most powerful AM4 motherboard on the market, featuring many connectivity and features, including dual M.2 slots, four PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, eight SATA 6Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and a lot more.
The TUF Gaming series is known for its premium build quality, so we’re excited to see what ASUS has in store for the TUF Gaming X570-Plus.
The motherboard is built around an enhanced version of the AM4 platform and has been designed to take advantage of the new Ryzen 3000 series CPUs.
While the first Ryzen 3000 series CPUs will only have a single CPU socket, the TUF Gaming X570-Plus will support two AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processors or two AMD Ryzen 5 3500H processors.
With two sockets, you can easily upgrade from the Ryzen 7 2700X to the Ryzen 7 3750H and from the Ryzen 5 2600 to the Ryzen 5 3500H.
The motherboard also supports three 4K monitors using DisplayPort 1.4 and HDR support.
The TUF Gaming X570-Plus has some great features, including Military-grade TUF components, a Pro Cool socket, and Digi plus VRM for maximum durability and comprehensive cooling.
The motherboard comes with a total of 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes supporting the following connectors:
Two M.2 slots for NVMe drives, supporting PCIe Gen4 x4/x2/x1 or PCIe Gen3 x4/x4 Four PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, supporting PCIe Gen4 x16
Four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, supporting PCIe Gen3 x16 Eight SATA 6Gbps ports, with RAID 0 and 1 support Two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
Two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports One USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port Intel 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support, Bluetooth 5.0, TUF LANGuard, and technology
The ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus is a great choice for someone who’s into gaming and will provide plenty of performance in the future.
Pros
- PCI Express 4.0 support
- Dual M.2 slots
- 12+2 Dr. MOS power stage
- 5-Way Optimization
- TUF Gaming Alliance
Cons
- No built-in Wi-Fi
- No Thunderbolt 3 support
- No USB Type-C support
7. Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H
Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H is a good motherboard for AMD Ryzen 3000 series motherboards. It features a compact form factor, dual-channel memory, and supports DDR4-2933.
With the onboard video, the board has three DisplayPort 1.4 ports, two HDMI 2.0a ports, and one DVI-D port. It can handle four PCI Express lanes and a single M.2 slot.
The motherboard supports AMD Ryzen and 7th generation A-series processors, and the processor socket is compatible with both AMD Ryzen and 7th generation A-series processors.
It provides two DDR4 slots, which support memory speeds up to 2933MHz. It has a Gigabit Ethernet LAN chip, which supports Intel and AMD network adapters.
It has a rear I/O panel that includes four USB 3.1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one USB 3.1 Type-A port, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one HDMI 2.0a port, and a PS/2 port. The GA-A320M-S2H is a good choice for AMD Ryzen 3000 series motherboards.
Pros
- Supports AMD Ryzen CPUs
- MicroATX form factor
- Two DDR4 slots
- HDMI port
- Realtek ALC887 audio codec
Cons
- Only three PCIe slots
- No USB Type-C port
- LAN is only 10/100 Mbps
Conclusion
Choosing the best motherboard for music production is a difficult task, as there are so many options available. However, with the right research and knowledge, you can find a great model to suit your needs.
We hope this article has helped to give you an idea of what features to look for in your next motherboard purchase and provide insight into our top picks for music production motherboards. So now that you have all the information you need, it’s time to start shopping!