Articles by Joe Shields, Motherboard Reviewer

Joe has been playing with computer since the early 1980s with a Radio Shack Tandy TRS-80. After college in the late 90s/early 2000s he built his first custom PC and got into modding, overclocking and eventually extreme overclocking competing at Hwbot.org. Joe started writing around 2010 for Overclockers.com covering the latest news and reviews that include video cards, motherboards, storage and processors. In 2018, he went ‘pro’ writing for Anandtech.com covering news and motherboards. Eventually he landed at here at Tom’s Hardware where he wrote news, covered graphic card reviews and currently writes motherboard reviews. If you can’t find him benchmarking and gathering data, Joe can be found working on his website (Overclockers.com), supporting his two kids in athletics, hanging out with his wife catching up on Game of Thrones, watching sports (Go Browns/Guardians/Cavs/Buckeyes!), or playing PUBG on PC.

Articles by: Joe Shields

Biostar X870E Valkyrie Review: Still improving, still a ways to go

By Joe Shields published 4 December 24

Updated X870E Valkyrie is improved but still lags behind the ‘Big Four’

Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Motherboard Review: ATX with 14 USB ports, incredibly fast memory support

By Joe Shields published 16 November 24

Loads of USB ports, ultra-fast memory support, and all lots of AI/Easy features

Best Motherboards 2024 for Gaming, by Socket and Chipset

By Matt Safford published 5 November 24

Here are the best AMD and Intel motherboards we've tested, for all the recent CPU platforms.

Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero Review: Attractive, with lots of M.2 and 5GB Ethernet

By Joe Shields published 26 October 24

The Crosshair X870E Hero gets a sleek new design and more features without a price increase over last-gen.

MSI MEG Z890 Ace motherboard review: Arrow Lake S, with lots of USB and M.2

By Joe Shields published 24 October 24

Z890 motherboards hit the scene with improved looks, more PCIe lanes, and added features

ASRock X870E Taichi Review: Better than X670E, at a lower price

By Joe Shields published 21 October 24

Editor's Choice

The updated Taichi offers a new look, DIY-friendly functionality, loads of features and costs less than the X670E Taichi!

Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master Review: Solid performance, fast M.2, ample USB

By Joe Shields published 1 October 24

Priced at $499.99, the X870E Aorus Master gets a slight facelift, a lot more USB ports (including USB 4.0), and fast storage with three PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 sockets.

MSI X870E Carbon WIFI Motherboard Review: USB 4.0 has arrived

By Joe Shields published 30 September 24

MSI’s X870E Carbon is a premium motherboard with robust power delivery, several “EZ” features, solid performance, and four USB Type-C ports on the rear IO.

Maxsun iCraft B760M Cross Review: White Micro ATX, anime style

By Joe Shields published 21 September 24

This sub-$200 white Micro ATX board has an anime theme, ample connectivity, and solid gaming performance, but it lacks in several areas.

MSI Pro B650M-P Review: Value-minded Micro ATX

By Joe Shields published 29 August 24

MSI’s Pro B650M-P is a budget Micro ATX offering for business users. It offers ample storage options and full support for the 9000 series processors at an entry-level price point.

MSI B650I Edge Wi-Fi Review: Affordable ITX for AM5

By Joe Shields published 19 August 24

The MSI B650I edge has almost everything you want in a Mini-ITX board and is reasonably priced. However, if you need many rear USB ports or PCIe 5.0-capable M.2 sockets, look elsewhere.

Asus Pro B760M-CT CSM Motherboard Review: CSM Means Business

By Joe Shields published 4 August 24

A four-display office-class board with a lot of support but limited performance when using high-power processors

Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX Motherboard Review: Entry-level Micro ATX with three-screen output

By Joe Shields published 26 July 24

Triple Display capable, but limits performance on high-powered CPUs

Maxsun Terminator Z790M D5 Ice Review: White Micro ATX with five M.2 sockets

By Joe Shields published 9 July 24

Maxsun’s Z790M D5 Ice is a sleek white and silver Micro ATX board with five M.2 sockets, two 20 Gbps Type-C ports, and above-average performance out of the box.