Sometimes, ATX isn’t big enough for your needs. If you need to go all out and require a motherboard form factor that has the best overclocking potential and serves as the foundation for the most powerful PC you can build, then E-ATX is the way to go. AMD takes the cake when it comes to Micro ATX or ATX motherboards, but Intel reigns supreme in the E-ATX motherboard category.
But E-ATX motherboards can turn out to be incredibly expensive, but some of our top picks are half the price of the current best offerings, while also providing all the sweet bells and whistles for your rig. So, here are our top E-ATX picks for the best motherboards money can buy, while providing the best performance out there.
E-ATX Vs ATX Motherboards
While most PC enthusiasts will preferably go the route of ATX, you’d be surprised to know that EATX motherboards perform incredibly better–that is, if you’re looking to go all out. With EATX, you get a larger motherboard footprint, which can accommodate a plethora of additional slots and ports. Where you can normally find 3-4 PCIe X16 ports with 4 RAM slots on ATX, you get around 4-8 PCIe x16 ports along with 6-8 RAM slots.
EATX also offers additional benefits. Buyers can expect better heat dissipation, a solid gaming experience, and blazing-fast performance in productivity tasks and applications. But it comes with an outrageous price point. So, if you’re looking to get the most out of your gaming and productivity tasks, you can’t go wrong with EATX. But it’ll certainly put a hole in your wallet.
Best High-End E-ATX Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme
Asus ROG Maximus Z690
Form factor
E-ATX
Memory support
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5 6400+
Connectivity
1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot, 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (supports x16 or x8/x8 modes)
PCIe Gen 5
2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots
- Premium Build Quality
- Tons of Features
- Intuitive Bios Software
- Expensive
- Thick plates may hinder some GPU coolers
Asus has outdone itself with the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme. To simply put it, this motherboard is incredible and features all the bells and whistles of PCIe Gen 5.0. For GPUs, you get 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots. And memory options are respectable, with 4 DDR4 ram slots, supporting bus speeds of up to 6400 MHz. The I/O is fantastic with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports. You get 5x M.2 slots along with 10 GB LAN connectivity. The design of the motherboard is discreet, yet extreme to say the least.
Best All-Rounder EATX Motherboard: MSI MEG Z690 ACE
MSI MEG Z690 ACE
Form factor
E-ATX
Memory support
4x DDR5 memory slots, supporting up to 192GB 1 Supports 1R 5600 MHz
Connectivity
3x PCIe x16 slots Supports x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4 PCI_E1 & PCI_E2 slots (From CPU) PCI_E1 supports up to PCIe 5.0 x16 PCI_E2 supports up to PCIe 5.0 x8 PCI_E3 1 (From Z690 chipset) Supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4
PCIe Gen 5
PCI_E1 supports up to PCIe 5.0 x16 PCI_E2 supports up to PCIe 5.0 x8
- Solid looks and build quality
- Reasonable number of USB ports and M.2 slots
- Solid Overclocking headroom
- Expensive
- Need to remove the heat sink to access all M.2 slots
The MSI MEG Z690 ACE is pretty attractive considering the price point. Where most E-ATX motherboards sell in the 4-figure range, the ACE comes at half the price, while providing loads of premium gaming features. You get 4x DDR5 memory slots supporting a max bandwidth of 128 GB and bus speeds of up to 6666 MHz. You get a total of 3 PCIe X16 slots with one PCIe 5.0 x16, one PCIe 5.0 X8, and one PCIe 4.0 x4. Storage options are plentiful with 5 M.2 slots and 6 SATA 6Gb/s ports.
Best AMD E-ATX Motherboard: Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
RAM memory technology
DDR5
CPU socket
Socket AM5
Compatible devices
Personal Computer
- 12 USB Ports on rear I/O
- 2x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots
- No USB4 headers
- Previous-gen audio codec
The Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master takes the cake as the best AMD E-ATX motherboard out there, and it does so without entering into the 4-figure mark. You get a solid PCIe x16 Gen 5.0 slot, and support for 4 modules of DDR5 memory at a max bandwidth of 192 GB rated at bus speeds of 666 MHz. You get a whopping 2x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots and a rich offering of I/O options, including type-C USB inputs. And the build quality is second to none, with the integration of onboard RGB.
In Summary:
E-ATX motherboards can set you back by a pretty penny, but you can still get your money’s worth out of these motherboards–that is, if you’re planning to go all out with no restraint. Surely, our top picks for the best E-ATX motherboards will get you started on your journey to build the best E-ATX PC out there.
