Best Motherboard For Ryzen 5 2600 in 2021
Finding Your Ryzen 5 2600 a New Home
- Last Updated May 29, 2021
So, you’ve treated yourself to a Ryzen 5 2600…awesome! It’s a truly great processor that can be used just as effectively as a workstation as it can a gaming powerhouse, but before you can hunker down for some good times, you need to pick out a great AM4 motherboard.
Without the right board for your computational habits, you won’t be able to use the Ryzen 5 2600 to its full potential, which would be a crying shame. Worse still, if you accidentally pick out an incompatible one, you won’t be able to enjoy that new CPU at all.
Not to worry though, amigos. We’ve done all the research for you and assembled a list of the five best motherboards for the Ryzen 5 2600. No matter how you plan on using your new processor, there’s a board here for you.
We’re not going to bury the lead here, people. Let’s check out some amazing motherboards.
Products at a Glance
Best Motherboard For Ryzen 5 2600 in 2021
Featuring AMD’s fantastic B450 chipset, even just on the surface, this motherboard is a shoo-in for your 2600 build, but when you look a little closer, you realize just how amazing it really is.
Loaded with beefy carbon fiber heatsinks, 6 fan headers, and a juicy 8+2 power phase VRM, this thing is an overclocker’s dream, the cool-running power design ensuring a stable CPU voltage as you push your R5 2600 beyond its factory limits.
The Carbon AC’s memory configuration doesn’t disappoint either. Capable of running a maximum of 64GB DDR4 RAM at 3466MHz, day-to-day computational tasks run silky smooth. What’s more, it’s XMP compatible, meaning you can boost your RAM alongside your CPU for some epic performance gains.
Boasting both integrated wifi 5 and gigabit LAN Ethernet, you’re afforded both freedom to roam from your router and, if need be, a superfast, reliable connection.
This is a board that punches well above its weight without breaking a sweat. It’s a little pricey for a B450, but it really is the best of the best.
If you liked the sound of the Carbon AC, but it’s a little too rich for your blood, the Tomahawk is the natural alternative. A little less feature-dense than the Carbon, it still has all the essentials for making the most out of your R5 2600, one of them being its RAM capacity.
This monstrous motherboard can make full use of 64GB 2466 DDR4 memory, but if that doesn’t quite float your boat, why not open the frequency strap selector and push capacity to 4200MHz.
While the heat sink isn’t quite as impressive as the Carbon due to the lack of, well…carbon, the 4+2 power design still lends itself incredibly well to some OC wizardry. With a quality fan curve, there’s no reason you can’t push your R5 2600 well beyond stock settings.
Honestly, besides having a slightly diminished audio capacity, the only real issue we found with the Tomahawk is that it doesn’t have wifi, but while you may be anchored to your router, the gigabit LAN ensures you always have a solid connection.
The beauty of this board isn’t found in raw power, rather in the balance of design and abilities that let the Ryzen 5 2600 shine.
Capable of supporting 64GB of DDR4 RAM up to speeds of 2400MHz, the Pro4 makes an excellent platform for a super-efficient Ryzen 5 2600 build. Plus, you can boost its memory speed capacity to 3200Mhz with a spot of overclocking.
Speaking of, this beast has a 10-phase power design, and the heatsink is relatively proficient too, meaning you can overclock your 2600 for some high frame rate 1440p or 4K gaming.
In terms of audio, you get the Realtek ALC892 as opposed to the more impressive ALC 1220, but it still has plenty of sonic clout, helping to create an immersive gaming experience or simply do your favorite tunes justice.
There’s no wifi on this board, which may be a dealbreaker for some, but check the price on this thing; we’ll wait…amazing, right? And though it may lack wireless connectivity, it does have a gigabit LAN Ethernet port, so your connection speed will be second to none.
The ASRock Pro4 also features AMD Quad CrossFire, a technology that enables you to use four GPUs simultaneously. There’s absolutely no need to do this with something like the R5 2600, but it’s a cool feature nonetheless, one that illustrates the true power of this budget board.
Coming in at our penultimate spot, we have our first Mini ITX motherboard, the MSI B450I Gaming Plus. Little it may be, it still packs a serious punch. Take the memory capacity for example. After a little tweaking with XMP, it can support 32GB of DDR4 memory up to 3466MHz. That’s enough for any application short of intensive image and video editing.
The VRM is made up of an 8-phase system in a 6+2 configuration. Match it with some quality cooling, and you should have no problem supplementing performance with some mild overclocks.
It doesn’t feature wifi connectivity, which is a definite downside, but if it means that much to you, you can fork out another $10 for the Gaming Plus Max Wifi, otherwise, the gigabit LAN should keep you happy.
If you’ve been dreaming of a discrete SFF build, the Gaming Plus is undoubtedly the best option available. Some may be put off by the price tag that doesn’t scale with the size, but Mini ITX boards often cost more due to their scarcity.
Our final magical Ryzen 5 2600 motherboard is nothing short of a Micro ATX masterpiece. Capable of supporting 64GB of DDR4 – 2133MHz memory spread across the four expansion slots, it’s an incredibly low latency system with snappy load and boot times and swift file operation. In addition, if you need the odd boost for some high-resolution gaming, it can handle speeds up to 3466Mhz.
It’s a budget board, so it doesn’t have wifi connectivity, but of course, it has the next best thing, gigabit LAN. In fact, the stability and speed of LAN is a much more sensible option for things that require a steady connection like online multiplayer gaming or content creation workflows.
PCI-e 4 support in B450 boards is fairly limited anyway, but unfortunately, the ProVDH doesn’t have any PCI-e 4 ports whatsoever. Realistically, though, this isn’t going to have much of an effect on day-to-day performance other than a slightly larger energy requirement, which is already offset by the smaller form factor.
Aesthetically, it’s a very neutral, tasteful board. Well, we mean…it still looks like a bird’s-eye view of a nuclear power plant, but a slick, futuristic one. It’s made of tough stuff too, evidenced by the reinforced graphics slot, so even though it’s a diminutive design, it’s not scared to be twinned with beefy peripherals.
Things To Consider
FAQs
Our Verdict
That’s all we have for you today. Did you see your Ryzen 5 2600’s new home on our list? We think there’s something there for everyone. The MSI Carbon is our premium option for those who want to really put that Ryzen CPU to the test. Mind you, the Tomahawk and ASRock boards are also highly capable and probably make the best match for the 2600.
Then we have our two diminutive dynamos, the B450I and the B450M. These motherboards prove that bigger isn’t always better, and if you can harness the power of a hefty ATX build in something energy-efficient, lightweight, and aesthetically pleasing, why wouldn’t you?