Best Motherboard For HTPC In 2021 Reviews & Buying Guide

A home theater personal computer (HTPC) is a system built to stream media to a large television and a projector as a part of a home theater setup.

While you can use a wide range of different motherboards for this type of rig and in general, you want a motherboard that’s ideal for handling plenty of media and keeping your system running cool and quiet.

In addition, look for a motherboard with at least one good video card slot to keep your video media playing fast or quick and smooth.

You will also want a ton of storage so that you can keep as many media files as you want your system and options for enough RAM memory to keep your system running quickly and smoothly.

Although, these home theater personal computer (HTPC) motherboards can run a maximum of at least 32GB of RAM memory which is more than enough for a home theater setup though some can handle more. This guide consists of a top-rated motherboard for HTPC with premium-quality features.

So, in the current situation, I recommend Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard. Asus is a well-known motherboard manufacturing company that delivers compact, portable, lightweight, durable, reliable,  and premium-quality motherboards at an affordable price for consumers.

This motherboard supports 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to two M.2 drives as well.

Although, the amazing thing about this Asus motherboard is that I highly recommended this motherboard because of its build-quality features.

Also, read our guide about Best Motherboard For Ryzen 5000

Best Motherboard For HTPC In 2021 Reviews

We recently reviewed the best motherboard for graphics design. So, if you’re looking for the best motherboard for HTPC at a reasonable price, then you are landing in the right place.

Because, in this guide, we have reviewed the top-rated motherboards for HTPC at a budget price, including their features and specifications. Also, this guide will help you to pick the right motherboard for HTPC.

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS
best HTPC 2021	ASRock Micro ATX DDR3 1333 LGA 1151 Motherboard	ASRock Micro ATX DDR3 1333 LGA 1151 Motherboard	Easy to install or remove 32GB of DDR4 RAM memory 4DIMMs 6 SATA 3 ports	Check On Amazon
best mini ITX motherboard for HTPC	Asus Mini IITX DDR3 Motherboard	Asus Mini IITX DDR3 Motherboard	The best value for money UEFI BIOS and OZ mode USB 3.0 boost support Network control	Check On Amazon
budget HTPC build 2021	Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard	Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard	Military-grade TUF components Active PCH heat sink Digi + VRM Highly-recommended	Check On Amazon
4k HTPC build 2021	Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite Motherboard	True 12-phase power VRM Extended VRMM heatsink Dual ultra-fast SSD AMP-UP audio	Check On Amazon
best AMD motherboard for HTPC	Asus ROG Strix 550-F Gaming AMD Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix 550-F Gaming AMD Motherboard	Two M.2 slots Asus Optimum Four memory slots Dual-channel memory	Check On Amazon
best motherboard for HTPC 2021	MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Motherboard	MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Motherboard	Build-quality Highly-recommended Core boost Lighting fast gaming experience	Check On Amazon
best Gigabyte motherboard for HTPC 2021	Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Motherboard	UEFI BIOS update Audio noise guard Dual-channel memory Related Gigabyte LAN	Check On Amazon
best MSI motherboard for HTPC 2021	MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Motherboard	MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Motherboard	RGB LED lighting Extendable pin headers 8 million colors Lighting fast gaming experience	Check On Amazon
best ASUS motherboard for HTPC	Asus ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming Motherboard	AI noise-canceling microphone Onboard WIFI 6 Pro cool power connector Best gaming connectivity options	Check On Amazon
best budget motherboard for HTPC	MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI motherboard	MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI motherboard	Nahimic 3 Software froze heatsink Patented fan design Pre-installed I/O shielding	Check On Amazon

1- ASRock Micro ATX DDR3 1333 LGA 1151 Motherboard

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If you are looking for the best motherboard for HTPC at an affordable price, then this ASRock Micro ATX DDR3 motherboard is the ideal choice for you.

This ASRock motherboard supports 4^th generation and 5^th generation Intel Core i3/ i5 and i7 Celeron processors or Pentium processors as well. Although, this motherboard is easy to install and easy to remove, and very easy to use.

Overall, this motherboard is much cheaper on the market as compared to the other motherboards, and it is a mid-range motherboard.

In addition, this best-performance HTPC motherboard has an amazing performance as it is equipped with high-quality materials that make it portable, durable, and reliable for use.

However, it is highly durable and highly recommended on the market because of its premium or high-quality features. Actually, it is an mATX form factor motherboard, and it is equipped with durable connectivity options.

Moreover, this build-quality motherboard for HTPC comes with dual-channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4 memory and 4 DIMMs CPU socket as well. Overall, it has a maximum storage capacity of up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM memory with a data transfer speed of up to 1600MHZ.

It has a Windows 8.1 platform, and it also has an Intel H97 chipset. It comes with a lot of connectivity ports, including 6SATA 3 ports, keyboard or mouse combo port, DVI-D port, an HDMI port, and many more. This motherboard also supports RAID 0,1,5,10.

2- Asus Mini IITX DDR3 Motherboard

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Did you know? Asus is a Taiwan-based multinational computer hardware and consumer electronics company. This Asus motherboard is the ideal choice for those people who want a compact, portable, and budget motherboard for HTPC.

This is a much cheaper Asus motherboard on the market, and it is a mini ITX form factor. Although, it has four SATA ports and is equipped with two memory slots. It has an LGA 1151 CPU socket and supports DDR3 RAM memory.

Moreover, this build-quality motherboard from Asus has an amazing performance as it is equipped with a 170% faster transfer speed as compared to the traditional USB 3.0 port.

It has real-time network bandwidth management, and the amazing thing about this Asus motherboard is that it comes with the new UEFI BIOS and  EZ mode as well.

This motherboard supports a maximum storage capacity of up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM memory with a data transfer speed of up to 1600MHZ.

Furthermore, this best-in-class motherboard for HTPC has comprehensive controls for the perfect cool and quiet balance. It also has a restore corrupted BIOS data from USB storage.

Overall, this motherboard comes with the AI suite 3, so it is one-stop access t innovative Asus features.

And, the mini SATA and full-length mini Pcle share the same slot. When the SATA card is inserted, then a full-length mini Pcle will not be usable and vice versa.

3- Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard

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As we all know that, Asus is a well-known motherboard manufacturing company that delivers compact, portable, lightweight, durable, reliable,  and premium-quality motherboards at an affordable price for consumers.

This motherboard supports 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to two M.2 drives as well.

Although, the amazing thing about this Asus motherboard is that I highly recommended this motherboard because of its build-quality features.

Furthermore, this best high-quality motherboard for HTPC comes with military-grade TUF components, and pro cool socket, and Digi+ VRM for maximum durability.

However, it also has an active PCH heatsink, VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, and hybrid fan headers, and an expert as well. Fan Xpert protects your device from overheating. Additionally, it has an AMD X570 chipset and is equipped with the BIOS update respectively.

Moreover, this Asus motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with the exclusive Realtek L8200A Gigabyte LAN, and it also supports Bluetooth 5.0.

Overall, it comes with a LAN guard and a dual Pcle 4.0m.2 and  USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A or Type-C.

In the end, the best fact about this motherboard is that it is made up of build quality materials that make it portable and durable for use. This motherboard is specifically designed for gaming.

Best AMD motherboard for HTPC

The best motherboards ensure that the PC or computer that you are building and all its components will reach their full potential. A motherboard is a PC’s or computer backbone and foundation that are allowing your internet to interact with another as well as run and even overclock better.

While the best motherboards may not be as sexy as the best graphics card and processors, they are more important than other PC components unless you want to rebuild your entire PC or computer from scratch.

If you are setting out to build a PC to rival the best PCs or computers and make sure to budget properly for a high-quality motherboard.

To help you to find the best AMD motherboard for HTPC for your next PC or computer, then we have rounded some of the best AMD motherboards for HTPC on the market at a reasonable price.

4- Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite Motherboard

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If you are looking for the best performance and build-quality motherboard, then this Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite Motherboard is the ideal choice for you. This motherboard is also specifically designed for gaming and basics tasks.

Although, this motherboard I highly-recommended on the market because it is made up of premium-quality materials that make it portable and durable for use.

This motherboard supports 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen or Ryzen with Radeon Vega graphics processors.

In addition, this best Gigabyte motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with the quality of premium features, including RAM memory. It has an AM4 CPU socket and supports DDR4 RAM memory for advanced multitasking.

However, this best-in-class motherboard has dual ultra-fast NVMe Pcle 4.0/3.0 x 4 M.2 and a thermal guard as well.

Furthermore, this best-quality motherboard from Gigabyte comes with dual-channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4 memory and 4 DIMMs CPU socket as well. Overall, it has an extended VRM heatsink and true 12-phase power digital VRM, respectively.

It has a maximum storage capacity of up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM memory with a data transfer speed of up to 2133MHZ.

Note that every motherboard in the Gigabyte AORUS X570 motherboard lineup is equipped with an integrated input or output shield to make PC or computer building more seamless.

5- Asus ROG Strix 550-F Gaming AMD Motherboard

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This Asus ROG Strix 550-F Gaming AMD Motherboard is the ideal choice for those people who are looking for the best HTPC and the best gaming motherboard at a reasonable price. This Asus motherboard is specifically designed for both gaming and HTPC.

It has an AM4 CPU socket, and it is compatible with AMD Ryzen 3^rd generation processors. It comes with the BIOS update.  Overall, it is a cutting-edge gaming motherboard with an AM4 socket.

Moreover, this best Asus ROG motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with four memory slots that support dual-channel DDR4 RAM memory up to 128GB with a data transfer speed of up to 4400MHZ.

The amazing thing about this motherboard is that it comes with the Asus Opti-Mem, which enabling higher memory frequencies and lower latencies.

Furthermore, this best and durable motherboard for HTPC has two M.2 slots, including the latest Pcle 4.0, which provide maximum storage flexibility and the faster or quicker data speed available via the 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen platform.

Overall, it has an onboard WIFi 6 and 2.5GB Ethernet for high-speed and smooth online gaming experiences.  This motherboard also has a customizable fanless VRM and chipset heatsinks with Asus Stack Cool 3+ design which keeps your system running reliably.

6- MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Motherboard

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If you are looking for the best AMD Ryzen motherboard for HTPC at a reasonable price, then this MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Motherboard is the ideal choice for you.

It is highly recommended on the market because it is made up of high-quality materials that make it portable, reliable, and durable for use.

Although, this MSI motherboard is specifically designed for gaming.  It has four memory slots, and it supports DDR4 RAM memory.

In addition, this best and durable MSI motherboard for HTPC supports a 1^st generation and 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen with Radeon Vega graphics and 2^nd generation AMD Ryzen with Radeon graphics or Athlon with Radeon Vega graphics desktop processors for AM4 CPU socket.

This motherboard has a killer WIFI, and it is equipped with premium-quality features. Moreover, this best MSI gaming motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with the maximum storage capacity of up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM memory for advanced multitasking with a data transfer speed of up to 4133MHZ.

Overall,  it comes with a premium layout and fully digital power design to support more cores and provide better performance as well. The amazing thing about this motherboard is that it has a fast lighting gaming experience as compared to the other motherboards.

7- Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Motherboard

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As we all know that, Gigabyte is a well-known motherboard manufacturing company that delivers compact, portable, durable, reliable, lightweight, and build-quality motherboards at an affordable price for consumers.

This motherboard supports AMD Ryzen and 7^th generation A series or Athlon processors. Although, it is made up of high or premium-quality materials that make it portable and durable for use. Overall, it is the ideal motherboard for gaming and HTPC.

Moreover, this Gigabyte motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with dual-channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4 RAM memory and 2 DIMMs sockets as well.

However, this best Gigabyte motherboard comes with two memory slots, and it also has a PCI-E graphics card interface.

This motherboard has high-definition digital outputs, so you can enjoy true HD display capability using the most commonly integrated digital output technologies on today’s HD display and TV.

In addition, this high-quality motherboard for HTPC has an ultra-fast Pcle Gen 3 x 4 M.2 with PCle NVMe and SATA mode support as well.

Overall, the amazing thing about this motherboard is that it comes with a high-quality audio capacitor and is also equipped with an audio noise guard respectively. It has a Realtek Gigabyte LAN with cFosSpeed internet accelerator software.

8- MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Motherboard

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Here is another highly-durable and highly-recommended gaming motherboard for HTPC at an affordable price from MSI company. This motherboard is specifically designed for pro gamers who love to play games with deep feelings.

Although, this MSI motherboard support 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen processors and future AMD Ryzen processors with BIOS update. It also has an AMD AM4 CPU socket. It supports DDR4 RAM memory.

The maximum storage capacity of this motherboard is up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM memory with a data transfer speed of up to 4866MHZ.

Furthermore, this best gaming motherboard from MSI has an amazing performance as it is equipped with dual-channel DDR4 RAM memory and It has a 2.5G LAN with LAN Manager, and it is also equipped with the Wifi 6 AX solution as well.

The amazing thing about this motherboard is that it has RGB lighting and extendable pin headers. In addition, this highly recommended motherboard for HTPC has a lighting fast gaming experience, including Pcle 4.0, lighting Gen 4 M.2 with  M.2 shield froze, and an AMD Turbo USB 3.2 Gen 2.

Overall, it also has an extended heatsink with an additional choke thermal pad rated for 7W/MK and PCB with 2oz thickened copper, respectively.

9- Asus ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming Motherboard

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As we all know that, Asus is a well-known motherboard manufacturing company that delivers compact, portable, reliable, durable, lightweight, and high-quality motherboards at a reasonable price for consumers.

The amazing thing about this Asus motherboard is that it has an addressable Gen 2 RGB, and it has an AMD AM4 CPU socket. Although, this durable motherboard support AMD Ryzen 5000 series or 4000G series, or 3000 series desktop processors.  Overall, it supports DDR4 RAM memory.

Additionally, this best budget motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with the Pcle 4.0 ready and two onboard M.2 slots and four additional M.2 slots on the bundled Asus Hyper M.2 x 16 Gen 4 card, USB 3,2 Gen 2 Type-C Plus an HDMI 2.1 port and display port1.2 output.

This motherboard came with an audio USB Type-C and is equipped with an AI noise-canceling microphone.

Moreover, this highly durable motherboard for HTPC has 14+2 90A power stages with a Pro cool power connector, and it has high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors as well.

Overall, it has an actively cooled VRM heatsink with an L-shaped heat pipe and an integrated aluminum input or output cover.

It also has a dedicated M.2 heatsinks as well. This motherboard comes with an onboard WIFI 6  and an Intel 2.5GB Ethernet with Asus LAN Guard.

10- MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI motherboard

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This MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI motherboard is the ideal choice for those who are looking for a gaming motherboard as well as the best motherboard for HTPC at a reasonable price. It is an ATX form factor motherboard, and it supports an AMD AM4 CPU socket.

Although, this motherboard has a maximum storage capacity of 128GB of DDR4 RAM memory for advanced multitasking with a data transfer speed of up to 2666MHZ. It has a Windows platform.

Moreover, this gaming motherboard for HTPC has an amazing performance as it is equipped with an AMD 570X chipset. This motherboard supports 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen or Ryzen with Radeon Vega graphics desktop processors for  AM4 CPU socket.

It has an onboard WIFI 5 with MU-MIMO support as well. Furthermore, this build-quality motherboard from MSI has an audio boost 4 technology with Nahimic 3 software enhancement for immersive experiences.

Overall, it has a frozr heatsink with a patented fan design and a propeller blade technology and double ball bearings, respectively.

In the end, it also has a pre-installed input or output shielding that is grounded and protects the IO ports from the potential electrostatic discharge damage from the external environment.

Ultimate Buying Guide For The Best Motherboard For HTPC

Here is the ultimate buying guide for the best motherboard for HTPC. In this guide, we have covered almost everything that you should need to consider before making the final decision.

Things To Consider Before Buying The Best Motherboard

The motherboard is arguably a PC’s or computer’s most important component, and nothing else works without it. And it also decides what upgrade you can make in the future.

Here is what you need to consider before buying the best motherboard.

Processor socket:

The important thing is that you will need to choose a processor socket. There have been different types of sockets sued in the past. However, there’re only applicable today.  These sockets are LGA, PGA, and BGA as well.

The Intel uses an LGA, whilst the AMD uses PGA. BGA sockets are not as popular as the latter because they’re permanently bonded to the motherboard, so they can’t be serviced and upgraded.

Depending what the type of kind of sockets you’ve on your motherboard. It’ll determine what processors you can buy. So, you’ll probably need to consider what CPU you want first, then buy your own motherboard.

Form factor:

After choosing a  processor socket, you will need a form factor. ATX  form factor motherboards are common, as are micro-ATX form factor motherboards.

When you are buying the best motherboard and not sure what size will fit, then you can always measure your old motherboard and compare it with different sizes. The ATX motherboard is very popular as it has the addition of more expansion slots.

RAM:

RAM stands for random access memory. The motherboard you buy will determine the amount and type or kind of RAM memory you can have. Therefore, it is worth being mindful of this before making a decision to buy the best motherboard.

Consequently, we’d recommend choosing the best motherboard that can accommodate at least 16GB of RAM even though if you do not plant buy that much initially, then you have the option to use this memory later.

PCI slots:

A PCI slot is a connection and port that’s located on the motherboard. They’ve been the standard type of expansions slot for years, and they also allow expansion cards to be connected.

Depending on how you plan to use your PC or computer, then you will need to consider if your motherboard has the slots to suit your requirements.

If you are a game,  then you will want to have at least one full-speed PCI Express x 16 slots, and you will also need multiple of those If you want to connect multiple cards.

Moreover, the motherboard also offers a standard PCI Express slot for other cards such as sound cards, WIFI adapters, and other connectivity expansions.

Features:

If you buy a motherboard with features already built-in, then you do not worry about buying additional expansion cards. A more common feature is usually including on the majority of the motherboard is based on onboard audio.

However, this’s usually only suitable for mid-range speakers, and it is worth noting that better motherboards often bundle WIFI and Bluetooth features. But, you will have to spend more cash on these features.

SATA:

Before picking the best motherboard, you need to consider the number of SATA ports you will need. Each SATA port allows you to connect an optical drive & storage devices such as SSDs or HDDs.

Therefore, it is important to make sure that your motherboard has enough SATA ports you need in the future. Moreover, it is also recommended to make sure that your motherboard offers the SATA 6 Gigabyte standard, which is also known as SATA 3.

Furthermore, you should also consider peripheral connections, for example, a USB 3.0.

Conclusion:

We think that Asus ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming Motherboard is the best motherboard for HTPC. This highly durable motherboard for HTPC has 14+2 90A power stages with a Pro cool power connector, and it has high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors as well.

Overall, it has an actively cooled VRM heatsink with an L-shaped heat pipe and an integrated aluminum input or output cover.

It also has a dedicated M.2 heatsinks as well. This motherboard comes with an onboard WIFI 6  and an Intel 2.5GB Ethernet with Asus LAN Guard.

Second, we have the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Motherboard. This motherboard is specifically designed for pro gamers who love to play games with deep feelings.

Although, this MSI motherboard support 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen processors and future AMD Ryzen processors with BIOS update. It also has an AMD AM4 CPU socket. It supports DDR4 RAM memory.

The maximum storage capacity of this motherboard is up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM memory with a data transfer speed of up to 4866MHZ.

Last but not least, we have the Asus AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard.  As we all know that, Asus is a well-known motherboard manufacturing company that delivers compact, portable, lightweight, durable, reliable,  and premium-quality motherboards at an affordable price for consumers.

This motherboard supports 2^nd generation and 3^rd generation AMD Ryzen processors to maximize connectivity and speed with up to two M.2 drives as well.

Although, the amazing thing about this Asus motherboard is that I highly recommended this motherboard because of its build-quality features.

Frequently Asked Question About The Best Motherboard For HTPC

Do you need a GPU for a home theater personal computer?

If you are not doing any gaming on the HTPC, then no, you do not need a graphic card. The Intel graphics should be just fine or well.

Is HTPC dead?

From the perspective of the device that supports photos and videos and audio playback, then the home theater personal computer is dead. While it may be gone, the PC remains a powerful or latest device which providing unparalleled capability when paired with your TV.

Does a Plex server need a high-quality graphics card?

You do not need one. Plex will run just fine without one. If you need your server to do any serious transcoding, you’ll be happy if you’ve once installed it. The better the GPU, the happier you’ll be.

Should we build mini-ITX?   

Through the mini-ITX builds use most of the same parts aside from the motherboard, that smaller case makes it dramatically lighter and, not to mention, much easier to pick up and move around. It really lessens the fear of dropping it and snapping all of your components in one-half.