Joe Shields

At $289.99, the Asus Z690-Plus WIFI D4 is a well-rounded board that will let you jump into Alder Lake for a lot less money by using DDR4.

A well-rounded board for Creators, with plenty of storage and a low price

The Biostar Z690 Valkyrie has four M.2 sockets and eight SATA ports, 105A VRMs, a last-gen premium audio codec and 2.5 GbE. At $599.99, it’s capable but overpriced.

ASRock’s Z690 Taichi offers familiar cog styling, three M.2 ports, robust power delivery and Thunderbolt 4 capability for $589.99.

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro has a good mix of the right features and good performance for $329.99.

MSI’s Unify brings stealthy black appearance, five M.2 ports and other updated hardware to Alder Lake for $489.99.

The Z690 Hero sports a powerful VRM, PCIe 5.0 storage, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity for $599.99.

A full-featured, budget-class motherboard for $199.99

Designed for creators, with Thunderbolt 4, ultra-fast Ethernet/Wi-Fi and plenty of M.2 storage

Flagship-class features, Thunderbolt 4, and great looks for $799.99.

This silent Tomahawk brings updated 6E Wi-Fi and a better audio codec.

The overclocking-focused EVGA X570 Dark includes two M.2 sockets, eight SATA ports, a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port, Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5 GbE.

This mid-range board offers good performance and lots of features for $249.99

A full-featured, mid-range board for $269.99

A good starter board for creators, that also works well for more general users who can make use of Thunderbolt 4 and fast Ethernet.

A server-grade board with 10 GbE and two USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C ports for $429.99.

A full-featured overclocking flagship, with an improved appearance and some unique features

Gigabyte’s X570S Aero focuses on creators, with ample M.2 storage, plenty of USB ports, 2.5 GbE, and capable power delivery for an upper-midrange price of $349.99.

The B550 PG Riptide offers a plethora of USB ports, dual M.2 sockets, capable power delivery and more for $159.99. But be careful overclocking with flagship-class processors.

The X570S Aorus Master eliminates the chipset fan for silence and adds a more robust VRM, four total M.2 sockets, 12 USB ports, Wi-Fi 6E, and brings an improved look for $389.99.

ASRock’s X570S Riptide brings silence to the chipset, killer-based 2.5 GbE, Lightning Gaming ports, adequate power delivery and more for around $185

Asus’ Rocket Lake flagships lift premium off another level.

Updated appearance, solid power delivery and a well-rounded feature set for $429.99.