Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 graphics cards have been announced and they are coming out later this month. This the new graphics cards around the corner you might be interested in upgrading your system to take advantage of PCIe Gen4 and the higher bandwidth that it has to offer. Here we are going to look into the best PCIe Gen 4 motherboards that you can pair with the Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 graphics cards.
Before heading into the article, it is worth mentioning that PCIe Gen4 is backward compatible with PCIe Gen3. This means that you can install the RTX 30 series cards in your current PCIe Gen3 motherboard.
Do you need PCIe Gen4 for RTX 30 series graphics cards? To answer this question, you should know that the RTX 2080 Ti is able to take full advantage of PCIe Gen3 X8 slots but it is still not able to use all the bandwidth of the X16 slots which you should use for gaming.
The RTX 3080 is going to be more powerful than the RTX 2080, not the Ti. If you are going to play games at 4K then you are not going to have any issues whether you run the RTX 30 series using PCIe Gen3 or 4.
You will feel the difference when you are making use of the different PCIe lanes and are playing at higher refresh rates at a lower resolution than 4K. For example, if you have an M.2 SSD which is sharing the PCIe lanes with your graphics card and are playing games at 1080p or 1440p at 144+ FPS.
All those frames per second can cause issues when using PCIe Gen3 and you might need PCIe Gen4 but that is a very extreme case and the general consumer is not going to need a new motherboard with PCIe Gen4.
On the other hand, with PCIe Gen4, you can take advantage of the higher bandwidth of the supporting graphics cards and the PCIe Gen4 SSDs if you are interested in super-fast transfer speeds, the kinds that the PS5 is boasting right now. If that is something that you are looking for then you can upgrade your motherboard and go with PCIe Gen4.
AMD Vs Intel: Which Should You Pick?
Right off the bat, you have to decide between Intel and AMD platforms. Both are very different right now as Intel does not offer PCIe Gen4 support at the CPU level but there are motherboards that support the feature.
AMD on the other hand offers the feature even on the more mid-range B550 series motherboards. So you do not have to spend a lot of money on a motherboard in order to take advantage of the feature.
If you do take the Intel route then there is a silver lining. You can keep the same motherboard, upgrade to the 11th generation CPUs when they come out and be able to make use of PCIe Gen4. But you will obviously have to wait. With that in mind, we are going to mention
With that out of the way, we can move on to the recommendations.
Best PCIe Gen4 Supporting Motherboards For Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080, 3070
The following are the best PCIe Gen4 supporting motherboards for Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080, 3070:
Intel
The following are the best PCIe Gen4 supporting motherboards from Intel for Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080, 3070:
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme Z490 ($106 Off)
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme Z490 is one of the best motherboards that you can buy on the Intel side of things. This is a premium motherboard and comes with a pretty high price tag but it does come with all the features that you could ask for plus the overclocking potential and built quality is worth the money.
If money is no object and you want the best of the best especially if you are going to the Nvidia RTX 3090 then this is the motherboard that you can look into for your build. Intel has confirmed that 11th generation CPUs will support the same LGA 1200 socket and that they will work on the Z490 motherboards. So if you are interested in sticking to Intel and are willing to wait a while for PCIe Gen4 support then this is an interesting option.
For the price, the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme Z490 offers a robust build and looks great too. It has all the features that you could ask for. You even get a DIMM.2 riser that you can use to install your extra Nvme storage and they fit next to the DIMM slots where your RAM is installed. You also have M.2 under all the armor.
The motherboard has plenty of armor and beautiful RGB lighting zones. Ther is an OLED screen as well which you can customize to show all kinds of different information. The motherboard features 6 Infineon TDA21490 power stages, and an outclass thermal design which is ideal for overclocking high-end CPUs like the 10900K.
The motherboard even has Wi-Fi. Out of the box you get a USB, ROG DIMM.2 for that extra M.2, a fan extension card, a VRM fan along with a bracket for its installation and all kinds of different cables that you might need.
All things considered, the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme Z490 is a very well-built motherboard that offers intense overclocking potential and not only does it look great but it is highly functional as well. You get plenty of goodies out of the box which is another plus.
Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero Wi-Fi
The Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero Wi-Fi can be seen as the little brother to the Extreme edition. It is priced significantly lower and offers similar features. The overclocking potential is not as great as that of the Extreme edition but you can still get a decent overclock on this motherboard.
You get that incredible Asus bio with the motherboard and the great build quality. The motherboard also has a 14+2 Power Stage design which makes it great for overclocking. While you do not get the DIMM.2 slot next to the RAM, you get M.2 slots under the armor so you have the slots for the high-speed storage.
All the DIMM slots and the two PCIe slots on the top are reinforced for better graphics card support. You get impressive connectivity options such as Dual Ethernet with 5Gb and gigabit Ethernet, LANGaurd, USB 3. 2 Gen 2, and Intel WiFi 6 AX201 (802. 11 ax). Just like the extreme and other high-end motherboards, it comes with the integrated I/O shield for easy installation.
All things considered, it is a very capable motherboard and even though it is pricy, it is something that we can recommend for enthusiasts.
The ASRock Z490 Taichi is one of the best value for money motherboards that you can get on the Intel side of things. It comes in Black and Grey with Bronze accents with all three PCIe slots reinforced for better GPU support and protection of the slots in general.
The design of the motherboard is very unique as it comes with plenty of armor but there are design elements on said armor that looks very appealing to the eyes. This is going to look great is you have a side panel and want to show off your build. If you are getting this motherboard and are interested in getting the RTX 30 series graphics cards then chances are that you have a decent case that is going to have a side panel of some kind.
There are three RGB lighting zones on the motherboard. Two of them are on the heatsinks while there is an additional one as a strip on the edge of the motherboard. All this lighting can be customized and synced with other compatible parts. An interesting thing about the motherboard is that it comes with a backplate which is one of the reasons why the RGB strip on the side of it is accommodated perfectly.
The motherboard has a 14 phase Dr.MOS power design and offers M.2 drives. This is a standard ATX motherboard so it is going to fit into any ATX case. You get 4 DIMM slots for your RAM. The motherboard comes with Wi-Fi out of the box and you even get a Wi-Fi antenna out of the box.
The heatsinks on the motherboard have active cooling. The one at the top has two fans while the one on the side has a single fan. Couple that with all that armor and you are looking at some serious overclocking potential.
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master ($20 Off)
Here we have the GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master which is one of the premium motherboards from Gigabyte. The company is known for making some really great gaming products and our recommendations would not be complete without an AORUS motherboard.
The motherboard looks great and you can get some money off on it if you are interested in getting one. It is PCIe Gen4 ready so you can use it with Gen4 SSDs and the RTX 30 series graphics cards and rest assured that you are getting the best possible performance.
The only thing is that you will have to change your CPU to Intel 11th generation in order to have that feature active. The motherboard does support the feature but the latest 10th generation Intel CPUs do not.
The motherboard has a very subtle design and while from the looks of it, it seems that the motherboard does not come with RGB lighting but turn it on and it is right there. There are plenty of lights to play around with and sync with the other parts in your build.
The 4 DIMM slots are reinforced and so are the 3 PCIe slots. There is plenty of armor in the motherboard and you get 3 M.2 slots for super-fast storage.
The heatsinks are pretty beefy and the motherboard features a 14 Phases Digital VRM with 90A Smart Power Stage so overclocking potential is impressive indeed. You can overclock those 10 core CPUs without any issues. The motherboard has 2 8-pin power connectors for the CPU which should provide enough power for your overclocking needs.
The motherboard even comes with a sleek looking backplate to provide that extra rigidity. It comes with an integrated I/O shield for easy installation and comes with Wi-Fi out of the box.
All things considered, this is a very impressive motherboard especially if you consider the discounted price.
Next up, we have the MSI MEG Z490 ACE which is also a very premium motherboard from MSI. The motherboard features a Black design with accents of Bronze. The motherboard looks really great and it should blend in well with the rest of your build. The motherboard has 4 reinforced DIMM slots and supports up to 128 GB of RAM just like the other motherboards that we have looked into above.
The motherboard has plenty of armor and beefy heatsinks to keep it cool so it should have no issues when it comes to overclocking an unlocked K series CPU from Intel. There are three PCIe slots that are also reinforced and you also get three M.2 slots with heatsinks.
It comes with an integrated I/O shield for easy installation and features buttons at the back such as Clear CMOS and Flash BIOS. There are plenty of RGB lighting zones on the motherboard and you can sync the lights of other parts with these lights in order to create a really good looking PC build. The motherboard also has a backplate. Out of the box, it comes with Wi-Fi as well which is a nice feature to have in case you need it.
AMD
Now that we have the Intel options out of the way we can move on to the motherboards that support AMD Ryzen. AMD Ryzen latest gen CPUs support PCIe Gen4, so X570 and B550 motherboards support PCIe Gen4 out of the box. The following are the best PCIe Gen4 supporting motherboards from AMD for Nvidia RTX 3090, 3080, 3070:
Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)
Here we have an X570 motherboard from Asus. This is from the TUF series so it is going to be of robust quality while still being relatively cheaper than what is available on the market. The motherboard is not all that fancy when compared to the high-end models but it comes with everything that you are going to need for your RTX 3070, 3080 or 3090 graphics card.
The motherboard comes in Blac and Grey with White accents and looks pretty cool. You have some RGB options to sync with other supporting parts as well. You get active chipset cooling, 4 DIMM slots and two PCIe slots. The top one is reinforced. You also get two M.2 slots for really fast SSD storage.
It does not come with the integrated I/O shield that the higher-end models have but you do get Wi-Fi out of the box. If you need PCIe Gen4 and robust build quality but are not interested in spending a lot of money then this is an interesting option for you to consider.
The Asus ROG Strix X570-E is a more expensive motherboard when compared to the TUF model but it does come with more armor and fancy RGB lighting zones which you do not get on the TUF model.
It also has an integrated I/O shield and integrated Wi-Fi out of the box. The motherboard has plenty of RGB lighting as well as headers so that you can sync other supporting parts. The motherboard comes with 4 DIMM slots for your RAM, 2 M.2 slots for your fast SSDs and 3 PCIe slots. Only the top two are reinforced but you should not have to use the lower one if you are gaming.
You get the Wi-Fi antenna for better connectivity inside the box along with all the things that you are going to need for the motherboard installation and your PC build along with some other Asus branded goodies for gamers.
If you are interested in spending a bit of money on a higher-end motherboard then this is something that you should consider for your RTX 3070, 3080, or 3090 graphics card.
Here we have an X570 motherboard from MSI. The gaming Edge Wi-Fi comes with all the features that you can ask for and also look great while doing its job. The motherboard comes in Black with White accents and it is going to blend in with the rest of your parts unless you are going for a really unique custom build.
This is a standard ATX motherboard and will fit into any ATX case. It features 4 DIMM slots and 2 PCIe slots but only the top one is reinforced. It also comes with dual M.2 slots but only the top one comes with a heatsink. If you are interested in getting a heatsink for your SSDs then you can check out our SSD heatsink guide.
The chipset has active cooling and there is plenty of armor and beefy heatsinks so you can get away with some decent overclocks on your CPU. With PCIe Gen4 this is one of the motherboards that we can openly recommend for Nvidia RTX 3070, 3080 and 3090 graphics cards.
The motherboard comes with an integrated I/O shield for easy installation and comes with Wi-Fi out of the box. All things considered, it is an impressive option to consider if you are looking for a premium motherboard that does not cost a lot of money.
These are some of the best motherboards on the AMD and Intel platforms that we can recommend for the Nvidia RTX 3070, 3080 and 3090 graphics cards.