Best Budget AM3 Motherboard

Best Budget AM3+ Motherboard 2024 (Top Cheap AM3 MOBO)

The AM3+ socket is one of the best CPUs for gamers, audiophiles, and content creators. However, upgrading your processor with a top cheap AM3 motherboard can take your experience to another level. Luckily, nowadays, you can find plenty of high-quality yet cheap mobos on the market. So here are the best budget motherboards for the much-loved AM3+ CPU.

In a hurry? In short, the best budget AM3+ motherboard in 2024 is the ASRock 970 PRO3, which is the best overall AM3+ motherboard for an affordable price. However, for gamers, you may find the MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS Max to be the best budget gaming-specific motherboard on the market right now.

Cheap AM3+ Motherboard: Quick Comparison

BEST RATED ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 MOBO
  • Chipset type: AMD 970
  • Memory speed: 1600 MHz
  • RAM: DDR3 46 GB
  • Graphics card: PCI-E
  • Form Factor: ATX
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MOST AFFORDABLE MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS Max
  • Chipset type: AMD B450
  • Memory speed: 2133 MHz
  • RAM: DDR4 64 GB
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GIGABYTE A320M-S2H Motherboard
  • Chipset type: AMD 970
  • Memory speed: 3200 MHz
  • RAM: DDR4 32 GB
  • Graphics card: PCI-E
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970 SATA GA-970A-DS3P
  • Chipset type: AMD 970 & AMD SB950
  • Memory speed: 1333 MHz
  • RAM: DDR3 32 GB
  • Graphics card: PCI, PCI-E
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Best Budget AM3+ Motherboard 2024: Reviews

1. ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 AM3+ Motherboard

Overall Winner: Best AM3+ Motherboard For The Money

The ASRock AM3+ motherboard is a brilliant all-rounder for an attractive price. It works with AM3 and AM3+ CPUs and has many impressive features, including 4x DDR3 memory, windows 10 support, and 46 GB capacity. 

The 970 PRO3 comes with all the slots and connection ports you need. It has 2 PCI-Express 2.0 x 16, 1 PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and 2 PCI. In addition, there are 6 SATA3 ports, USB 3.0 & 2.0, a mouse port, keyboard port, LAN port, and audio jacks. It uses the AMD 970 chipset and gives a memory speed of 1600 MHz.

The only downside of this AM3+ motherboard is that it is not the best option for those looking to overclock. Although it has many fan headers, this mobo seems to work much better at standard clocking rates. 

Pros

  • Great value for money
  • Win10 ready
  • 46 GB memory capacity
  • Plenty of connection ports

Cons

  • Not good for overclocking

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2. MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS Max Motherboard

Best Affordable AM3+ Motherboard For Gaming

The MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS supports a wide range of AMD processors. These include 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics, 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen with Radeon graphics, and Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics desktop processors for socket AM4. 

This motherboard will rapidly increase your gaming speed, thanks to the advanced Turbo M.2, AMD turbo USB 3.2 gen2 technology. Meanwhile, the Ddr4 boost giving short and fast transmission will ensure total stability and clean signal while playing. The B450 also features studio-grade sound quality with the audio boost feature. 

This is undoubtedly the best AM3+ motherboard for gaming. So, if you want to improve your gaming performance without splashing out, the MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS motherboard is what you need.

Pros

  • It supports multiple Ryzen processors
  • Features high-quality power components and an efficient power system
  • Increased stability with Ddr4 boost
  • Immersive gaming experience with audio boost technology

Cons

  • Not the best for overclocking

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3. GIGABYTE A320M-S2H Ultra Durable AM3+ Motherboard

Best AM3+ Motherboard Under 100

The GIGABYTE A320M-S2H supports all AMD Ryzen and 7th generation A-series/Athlon processors, giving a top-quality performance for the AM3+ socket. Considering the low price tag, the range of features and functions of this AM3+ mobo is nothing short of impressive.

The GIGABYTE A320M-S2H has dual-channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4, 2 DIMMs, and Ultra-fast PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 with PCIe NVMe. It also features SATA mode support with 6 SATA connectors and Realtek Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed internet accelerator software. 

This motherboard will also significantly upgrade your audio quality thanks to its high-quality audio capacitors and audio noise guard. The DDR4 DIMM slot has a memory capacity of 32 GB. In addition, it has two PCI Express x16 slots, three PCI Express x1 slots, and a total of 12 USB 2.0 ports. However, note that there is only one standard PCIe x1 port, which may be an issue for some.

Pros

  • High quality for a low price
  • Noise shielding function
  • Dual channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4
  • Features Smart Fan 5 technology 

Cons

  • Not suitable for overclocking

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4. Gigabyte 970 SATA GA-970A-DS3P AM3+ Motherboard

Best Budget AM3+ Motherboard For Overclocking

The Gigabyte 970 SATA GA-970A-DS3P features both North Bridge AMD 970 and South Bridge AMD SB950 chipsets and has excellent overclocking abilities and gaming performance. It supports AMD AM3+ Phenom II and AMD AM3+ Athlon II Processors.

Furthermore, it provides 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16, which interfaces with AMD crossfire.

The 970 SATA is a fairly old model, which is what justifies its low price. However, it’s still one of the best budget AM3+ motherboards for overclocking and gaming despite its age.

The 970 SATA uses the renowned GIGABYTE UEFI Dual BIOS Technology and features the Gigabyte Ultra Durable 4 Classic build using the highest quality components for reliability and longevity. 

The 4×1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets support up to 32 GB of system memory. Meanwhile, the  DDR3 can reach a memory speed of 2000 MHz (from 1333) when overclocked. This will give most gamers a more than sufficient gaming speed and performance. 

Pros

  • A cost-effective overclocking mobo
  • Can reach a speed of 2000 MHz when overclocked
  • Extremely durable, high-quality build
  • Features dual BIOS Technology

Cons

  • It’s a bit older model, so it doesn’t use the latest technology.

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Top Cheap AM3 MOBO

Final Words About The Top Good Budget AM3 Mobo

After comparing all the best budget AM3+ motherboards available in 2024, we found the top cheap AM3 mobo is the ASRock 970 PRO3 AM3+ Mobo. Alternatively, the MSI Performance B450 GAMING PLUS AM3+ motherboard is the best choice for gamers, and the GIGABYTE A320M-S2H AM3+ motherboard is an ideal option for those on a tight budget.