Best Motherboards for Photo Editing – We have chosen as such because for photo editing, a motherboard is less important than the CPU and the RAM. However, there should always be a parity between all components. Meaning you should not buy an expensive CPU and stick it on an ultra-budget motherboard even if it has the socket to support it.
However, for most professionals photo editors, a simple motherboard that can support sufficient amount of RAM and the latest processors would be more than enough.
ROUND UP
Here we looked at some of the best motherboards for photo editing. As you may have noticed and as mentioned earlier, most of the motherboards here are entry level ones – mid range.
1.ASUS Prime Z590-A
Pros & Cons
- Intel LGA 1200 Socket: Designed to unleash the maximum performance of 11th Gen Intel Core processors
- AI Motherboard : AI overclocking, AI cooling and AI noise cancelation
- Enhanced Power Solution: 14plus2 DrMOS power stages, ProCool sockets, alloy chokes and durable capacitors for stable power delivery in the most demanding situations
- Comprehensive Cooling: VRM heatsink, PCH heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4 utility
- Boosted Memory Performance: Careful routing of traces and vias, plus ground layer optimizations to preserve signal integrity for improved memory overclocking with ASUS OptiMem II
The Prime Z590-A includes three full-length PCIe slots, with the top two operating at PCIe 4.0 x16 and x8/x8, with one operating at PCIe 3.0 x4. In between the two full-length slots at the bottom is a half-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slot. For storage, the board has one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, with two PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slots, and six right-angled SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays.
Only two out of three of the M.2 slots include a heatsink, with the middle slot reliant on good passive airflow. Prime by name, Prime by nature, as it includes a 14+2 phase power delivery with DrMOS power stages, with a large silver power delivery heatsinks and a pair of 12 V ATX CPU power inputs, one 8-pin and one 4-pin.
2.ASUS TUF B560M-PLUS
Pros & Cons
- Intel LGA 1200 socket: Ready for 11th Gen Intel Core processors
- Enhanced power solution: 8+1 power stages, 6-layer PCB, ProCool socket, and durable capacitors for stable power delivery
- Comprehensive cooling: VRM heatsink, flexible M.2 heatsink, PCH heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 2+
- Next-gen connectivity: PCIe 4.0, Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet, Intel Wi-Fi 6, rear USB 3.2 Gen 2, front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C and Thunderbolt 4 support
- Two-way AI Noise-Cancelation: Reduce background noise from the microphone and audio output for crystal-clear communication in games or video conferences
Rounding off the ASUS B560 models is a pair of micro-ATX motherboards which are targetted at gamers on a budget. Both theASUS TUF GamingB560M-PlusWIFI and B560M-Plusfollow the quintessential TUF Gaming design with black, grey, and yellow accented PCB and heatsinks.
Nearly identical to its larger ATX sibling, both the B560M-Plus and Wi-Fi model is advertised as including an 8+1 phase power delivery, with a single 8-pin 12 V ATX CPU power input delivering power to the processor.
Although we don’t have a clear image of the rear panel, we know both models include a Realtek RTL8125 2.5 GbE port, while the Wi-Fi version comes with an Intel-based Wi-Fi 6 CNVi.There arefive 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output powered by an unspecified Realtek HD audio codec.
In regards to USB, there’s one USB 3.2 G2 Type-C port and eight unspecified Type-A ports. ASUS has also included a pair of video outputs including one HDMI and one DisplayPort.
3.X299-Deluxe II
Pros & Cons
- LGA2066 socket Intel Core X-Series processors Triple M.2, front panel USB 3.1 Gen2, onboard 802.11AC Wi-Fi and 5G LAN, Intel VROC and Intel Optane Memory compatibility
- 5-Way Optimization with Auto-Tuning and FanXpert4 automatically tailors overclocking profiles to your unique build for maximum OC performance and dynamic system cooling
- Patent-pending Safe Slot features an injection molding process that integrates metal framing for a stronger, firmly anchored PCIe slot built for heavyweight GPU
- Unmatched Personalization with ASUS exclusive AURA Sync RGB lighting and livedash OLED TO give you the option to display system stats or custom graphics
- Pre-mounted IO Shield reduces installation time and increases contact with ports for improved connectivity
Intel’s refreshed CPUs for the X299 platform gave motherboard makers a chance at a do-over in the wake of a narrowing of focus for those chips. Like I alluded to in my review of the Gigabyte X299 Designare EX, not every X299 board that’s passed through the TR labs has been a winner, especially when you toss 18 overclocked Skylake Server cores in the LGA 2066 socket.
Part of that is because Intel’s original vision for X299—an expandable, upgradeable platform that could host anything from four-core to 18-core chips—resulted in complex PCIe lane-routing choices and overburdened, undercooled power-delivery designs that didn’t seem able to stretch across that entire range without making compromises.
4.ASUS ROG Rampage V
Pros & Cons
- Designed for 9th generation Intel Core X-Series processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to four M.2 drives, USB 3.1 Gen 2, Intel VROC and Intel Optane Memory compatibility
- Built for high performance networking featuring onboard Aquantia 10G LAN, 802.11AC Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support and Intel Gigabit LAN with ASUS LANGuard and GameFirst V technologies
- 5-Way Optimization featuring Auto-Tuning and FanXpert 4 delivers automatic overclocking profiles for maximum OC performance while thermal sensors and watercooling headers provide dynamic system cooling
- Active heatsink with integrated VRM fan, pcie-zone M.2 aluminum heatsink and dual backplates ensure comprehensive system cooling. Supports Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC), Supports Intel 14 nm CPU
- Unmatched Personalization with Aura Sync RGB lighting including two RGB headers, one addressable header and livedash OLED.Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback
With the ROG Rampage V Extreme ASUS once again tried to raise the bar with features and overclocking potential. ASUS went a little mental on the 10th Anniversary Edition SKU 😛 You will receive the cool ROG design motherboard with 3×3 802.11 a/b/g/n/AC Wireless LAN, M.2. PCIe SSD compatibility and SATA Express.
This ASUS motherboard will come with nice PC options like 8+4-pin EPS connectors, a hefty VRM design (8 phases) for the processor and 2+2 for memory, four PCI-Express x16 slots (x16/x8/x16/x8), a single PCI-e x4 and a single PCI-e x1 slot.
There is an extra shield that covers the rear-panel I/O on-board, and audio is shielded as well. The board comes with two gigabit Ethernet controllers and exceptional WIFI. Storage wise you will get ten SATA 6 Gb/s and of course an M.2 slot (PCIe x4 linked for maximum bandwidth). There are many overclocking features inside the BIOS and to top things off, a diagnostic POST LED display.
It doesn’t stop there though, you get USB 3.1 (Gen2) connectors as well including Type-A and Type-C and a new gaming oriented LED feature. The motherboard is loaded with RGB LEDs that you can control in color and animation.
5.ASUS ROG Strix X299-E
Pros & Cons
- Intel x299 LGA 2066 socket: ready for the latest Intel Core X-Series processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to three M. 2 drives, USB 3. 2 Gen 2, Intel VROC and Intel Optane Memory compatibility
- Optimal power & cooling solution: 12 power stages with ProCool II power connector, high-quality Chokes and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors, active cooling VRM heatsink, stacked-fin heat sink, with 8mm heat pipe, Dual on-board M. 2 heatsinks, a water pump + Header and multiple fun headers
- Best in class gaming networking: 2. 5Gbps LAN and Intel Gigabit Ethernet With Asus LANGuard, Wi-Fi 6 (802. 11Ax) with MU-MIMO, and Gateway teaming via GameFirst V
- Next Gen gaming connectivity: features 3x M. 2, USB 3. 2 Gen 2 ports and USB 3. 2 Gen 2 front panel Connector, 8x SATA 6 Gb/s.
- Unmatched Personalization: OLED and ASUS-exclusive aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and addressable Gen 2 RGB headers.DIY friendly: ROG-patented pre-mounted I/O shield, Flex key, ASUS Safe Slot, ASUS Node connector and BIOS Flashback for a friendlier building experience.Industry leading gaming audio: high fidelity audio with Supreme S1220A, DTS Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III to draw you deeper into the action.Ai overclocking: quickly optimizes your CPU performance based on the CPU and cooler, achieving results that are extremely close to manual tuning by experts
The Strix X299-E Gaming has two antenna connections for Realtek’s 2T2R 802.11ac module and two ports (Type-C and Type A) for ASMedia’s PCIe 3.0 x2 USB 3.1 Gen2 controller on its I/O panel.
There’s also a USB BIOS Flashback button, which uses a special ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) to enable flashing firmware without the need for a compatible CPU or DRAM. Other I/O panel features include four USB 3.0 (aka USB 3.1 Gen1), two USB 2.0, digital optical audio output and five analog audio jacks.
Two open-ended PCIe x4 slots add to the three x16 slots to boost enablement of serious connectivity.
6.Gigabyte GeForce GT
Pros & Cons
- Powered by NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 GPU
- Integrated with 2GB GDDR5 64bit memory Interface
- Core Clock： 954MHz
- Features Dual-link DVI-I/ HDMI
- Support PCI Express 2.0 x8 bus interface
This NVIDIA graphics card features the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 processor. The processor, also known as the GPU, is the most important component in any graphics card. PCGameBenchmark rates processors by how many of the top 1,000 PC games the chip can run. This PC graphics card has a chip that can run 484 of the top 1000 games – so we give it a 48% rating.
Games that this graphics card can run include Overwatch.
For a full list of the games that this card will run and the chance to compare it to similar cards check our graphics card comparison – we have tracked 6 cards with a similar GPU and none of them are cheaper than this setup – no need to wait for a sale or Black Friday 2021 to get the best price on a card like this.
7.GIGABYTE B365M DS3H
Pros & Cons
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors
- Dual channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4
- New hybrid digital PWM design
- High quality audio capacitors and audio noise guard with LED trace path lighting
- Ultra-fast M.2 with PCIe Gen3 x4 and SATA interface
According to my plans, a new ninth generation Intel Core i5-9500f processor and a GeForce GTX 1650 Super graphics card will be installed in the new computer. The third, very important element of this system should be the motherboard, since it is on it that the above and other computer components are installed.
Initially, I chose from three options for the motherboard chipset.
The GIGABYTE B365M-DS3H motherboard comes in small, original packaging. On the box cover in the form of icons it is indicated that the board supports the installation of processors of the ninth generation.
The official website states that this motherboard supports the 9-th generation Core i3, i5 and i7 processors and you do not need to update bios for them, everything will work out of the box
8.ASRock B450M PRO4
Pros & Cons
- Socket AM4 Digi Power design 9 Power Phase design Supports 105W Water Cooling (Pinnacle Ridge) Supports 95W Water Cooling (Summit Ridge) Supports 65W Water Cooling (Raven Ridge)
- Country of origin : China
- Memory 4x DDR4-3200+(OC)/2933/2667/2400/2133 DIMM Slots Dual Channel ECC Non-ECC Unbuffered Max Capacity of 64GB (AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Pinnacle Ridge))
- Slots 2x PCI-Express 3 0 x16 Slots (one runs at x8) 2x PCI-Express 2 0 x16 Slots (two run at x4) 1x PCI-Express 2 0 x1 Slot
ASRock has a new value MATX board with the latest B450 chipset from AMD; it’s got everything you need and nothing you don’t.
The ASRock B450M Pro4 MATX motherboard has all the essentials. There are plenty of ports on the back and a PS/2 port for those with old school peripherals.
You’ll find 4 SATA ports and 2 M.2 slots for storage, RGB headers for aesthetics and gigabit Ethernet for connectivity. Whilst the audio is the Realtek ALC892 codec and not the ALC1220 we see on ‘gaming’ products it’s still going to be good enough for all but the most hardcore of gamers and it fits the price point well.
9.Aorus Z390 AORUS PRO
Pros & Cons
- These motherboards are equipped with the most advanced LED system in the market.
- Multi-Way Graphics Support with Dual Armor and Ultra Durable Design
- Supports both Intel 8th Generation and Intel 9th Generation processors
- Model number: Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI
The GIGABYTE Z390 Aorus Pro WIFI is one of three Falcon-inspired models from its Aorus branded product stack; what’s interesting is that there’s a total of just between them. This includes the Z390 Aorus Pro which is identical to the Pro WIFI, but without the WIFI, and the Z390 Aorus Elite .
What users consider to be gaming features can be perceived differently with manufacturers usually altering the design, branding and software bundle to set the gaming and non-gaming boards apart.
Some of the core features of the Z390 Aorus Pro WIFI model include a Realtek ALC1220-VB HD audio codec, an Intel I219-V 1 GbE NIC and an Intel 9560 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi module.
GIGABYTE advertises the Z390 Aorus Pro WIFI to feature a 12+1 power delivery which is spearheaded by an Intersil ISL69138 PWM 7-phase controller. Cooling this is two solid heatsinks pieced together along a single heat pipe which is nestled neatly underneath the rear panel cover.
10.ASUS AM4 TUF
Pros & Cons
- AMD AM4 socket: Ready for 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to two M.2 Drives, USB 3.2 Gen2 and AMD StoreMI
- Enhanced power solution: Military-grade TUF components, Pro Cool socket and Digi plus VRM for maximum durability
- Comprehensive Cooling: Active PCH heatsink, VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert
- Next-Gen connectivity: Dual PCIe 4.0 m.2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A/Type-C
- Gaming Networking: Exclusive Realtek L8200A Gigabit Ethernet, Intel 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support, Bluetooth 5.0, TUF LANGuard and technology
- Please ensure your BIOS is up to date if installing a compatible Ryzen 5000 series CPU. Visit ASUS site search by motherboard model name, click on “Support” tab, Drivers and Tools, then BIOS and Firmware to download the latest BIOS
Asus’ TUF lineup has changed from the ultra-robust, heavy shielding it was known for in years past and has evolved more toward gaming-centric boards with protection on individual parts such as the PCIe and DIMM slots. ESD guards, additional surge protection measures and military-grade components are still a part of the TUF lineup, but the additional hardening went beyond what was necessary for most use cases.
These changes have made the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi the second-least-expensive board in the Asus X570 product stack just missing the mark to be our best motherboards pick in the budget X570 category.
Best Motherboards for Photo Editing – BUYER’S GUIDE
There is no need to invest in a premium heavy duty motherboard particularly if your overall build is mid range. You can stick with much simpler models.
If you plan to build a system with entry level processors like the Intel Core i3 or even Core i5, then ultra budget motherboards like the Gigabyte B365M DS3H can be good enough particularly if you are trying to save.
You don’t need a lot of PCIe expansion slots. Just a single PCIe X16 slot for graphics card is more than enough. More PCIe X16 slots only make sense when you have to install two more graphics card and that is hardly necessary for photo editing.
Other than that, since many photo editors rarely overclock, you don’t need to invest in boards that feature premium features like high quality VRMs, large heatsinks, and a high phase power design.
Secondly, motherboards with aesthetic features such beautiful heatsinks, and LED lightening tend to cost most. You don’t need that either.
Finally, a motherboard with 2 RAM slots with a maximum support for 32 GB of RAM should also be quite sufficient.
The point is, a bare minimum motherboard should be more than enough for photo editing tasks particularly if you are a beginner or an intermedite user trying to save up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Look For in the Right Motherboard for Photo Editing?
As mentioned earlier entry levels mother are more than enough for photo editing. However, depending upon the complexity and the overall system you build, the choice of the motherboard can vary.
WRAP UP
Best Motherboards for Photo Editing – Are you building a photo editing PC for yourself but are unsure about what kind of motherboard to buy? That is fine, you are just one of many people who find buying motherboards a tedious task.
The good news here is that a motherboard for photo editing, does not have to cost a lot. In fact, you can go ahead with the entry level models and it will have sufficient capability to support all sorts of editing jobs.
The confusion general arises from the fact that there are so many specifications to take note of such as form factor, chipset, socket, expansion slots, SATA ports, connectors, M.2 slots etc. However, again, for photo editing jobs, you can keep things very simple.
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