One of the purest pleasures of this job is the fact that we get to play around with all kinds of different PC kit. But that also means the hardware team's PCs are ships of Theseus and are regularly stripped and rebuilt from parts we're testing or bits left around the PC Gamer offices.
And after Anthony had finished with his ASRock Phantom Gaming B860I Lightning Wi-Fi review, and it was today dropped into our Best Mini-ITX motherboard guide, I knew it was time to give my office system a complete refresh. I will happily admit to being more than a little obsessed by the unalienable cuteness of mini-ITX mobos and chassis, and I've been running SFF PCs as my in-office rigs since I returned to PC Gamer Towers back in 2020.
I mean, look at this thing. It's a tiny square of compact PC gaming potential. With shiny blue shielding, too. Gotta love it.
But why, if I have access to all the best in PC componentry, am I opting to build a gaming PC from Intel parts? The B860I is an LGA1851 board, which means it's designed for Intel's latest Core Ultra 200S-series parts. And, if I'm being perfectly honest, they've not set the world afire with their gaming or productivity prowess.
What they are now, however, is rather affordable. You can pick up a 20-core Core Ultra 7 265KF for a little over $200 at the moment, and that does start to make an Intel rig more tempting again. And even if you were to drop a Core Ultra 9 chip into this affordable wee board, the ASRock B860I will be able to cope just fine, as you can see from our benchmarks.
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It's pretty much as capable as seriously pricey big-boi motherboards from the Intel stable, which is why this diminutive board was a shoo-in for a place in our mini motherboard guide.
And I already run an AMD system at home, one with a Ryzen 9 7950X that recently needed some serious work to get it running coolly again, and I like to keep things balanced, so it was time to switch from my old B450I / Ryzen 7 5800X system and get the ASRock B860I cosied up inside my NZXT H1 v2 chassis with a Core Ultra 5 245K chip inside it.
To complete the Intel contrarianism I also jammed in an Intel B580 GPU alongside for when I really want to get that early 2000s feel of not knowing if a new game is going to run on my PC or come with some new, hitherto undiscovered graphical artifacts.
It's an exciting time.
But if you'd rather build an AMD-powered mini-ITX gaming PC, then don't worry, we've got all the boards you need...
The quick list
1. Best AMD AM5: Asus ROG Strix X870-I Gaming WiFi
2. Best budget AMD AM5: Gigabyte A620I AX
3. Best mid-range AMD AM5: ASRock Phantom B850I Lightning Wi-Fi
4. Best budget AM4: ASRock A520M-ITX/ac
5. Best Intel Core Ultra 200s: ASRock Phantom Gaming B860I Lightning Wi-Fi
6. Best Intel 14th/13th Gen: Asus ROG Strix Z790-I Gaming WiFi
7. Best budget Intel 14th/13th Gen: ASRock B760I Lightning WiFi
The best mini-ITX motherboards
The best AMD AM5
If you're after a feature-packed Mini-ITX motherboard with a solid upgrade path ahead of it, look no further than the Asus ROG Strix X870-I Gaming WiFi. It's an expensive option to be sure, but this AMD board is in a class of its own.
The best budget AMD AM5
This Gigabyte isn't the most spectacular option around, but it's hard to beat if you're on a budget. It's a particularly appealing option for use with a Ryzen 8000G-series APU. And, like all Socket AM5 motherboards, it'll have a good, long life ahead of it.
The best mid-range AMD AM5
This tiny ASRock motherboard has tons of USB ports, comes with fantastic CPU cooler compatibility, and is loaded with extra features, though the lack of USB4 and Wi-Fi 7 are noticeable downsides. Despite this, the beauty of Socket AM5 is that it has several years of life ahead of it, and this will last alongside it.
The best budget AMD AM4
Okay, this is not the latest AMD motherboard out there, but as a vehicle for housing a highly capable Ryzen 5000-series X3D chip, it's an affordable and capable option. Do note that it'll need a BIOS update to support Ryzen 5000-series CPUs, though.
The best Intel Core Ultra 200S
If you're looking for a Mini-ITX motherboard for your Intel Core Ultra 200S processor, this one offers a ton of features for a very reasonable price. It's not perfect, but it should suit most people's needs.
The best Intel 14th/13th Gen
Though we're nearing the end of the LGA 1700 era, this Asus is as good as it gets if you want to build a compact Intel 12th, 13th, or 14th generation system. It's jam-packed with features, and it's the kind of board that justifies spending some extra money on.
⬇️ Click to load more of the best Mini-ITX motherboards ⬇️
The best budget Intel 14th/13th Gen
Though it comes with an attractive price, this little ASRock is easily capable of driving the most demanding LGA 1700 CPUs. It's a great option that'll let you divert some money towards a more powerful CPU or GPU, which is where the real performance gains come from.
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