Asus Strix Z270G Gaming

Www.asus.com $200

This is only a micro-ATX motherboard but it wants for little compared to the big boys. RGB lighting, two M.2 SSD slots (one is on the back), quality audio, plenty of connectivity, it’s all here. This is a great-looking board, too. The single RGB Republic of Gamers light on the chipset adds just the right touch of customisation, while there are two headers for further lighting strips so you can fully illuminate your case without the need for any extra wiring.

Talking of headers, there are masses of these for further USB connections, fans and more, and they’re all conveniently arranged around the edges of the board and clearly labeled.

It’s more good news when it comes to connectivity. You get seven USB Type-A ports as well as a Type-C, plus gigabit Ethernet, ac-Wi-Fi, DisplayPort and HDMI, PS/2 and decent quality audio. The Strix Z270G Gaming doesn’t let up when it comes to performance either. It easily keeps up with the larger boards, and you’ve even got space for a couple of graphics cards.

Overclocking worked well too. I had no problem reaching 5GHz, though I had to run the memory at a slightly slower 3000MHz to get the system to boot.