What Is a Motherboard and Does It Matter for Gaming?
Lennon Byatt
If you’re new to gaming PCs, the motherboard can be one of the most confusing parts of the specification.
You’ll see names like:
B650. B850. X870. Z890.
But what do any of those actually mean?
And more importantly:
Does the motherboard make your games run faster?
Here’s the simple version.
Recommended 1440p Gaming PC Specifications
For the best balance of performance and value, we recommend:
| Component | Recommendation |
|
CPU
|
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
|
|
GPU
|
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
|
|
RAM
|
32GB DDR5 6000MHz
|
|
Storage
|
2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
|
|
Motherboard
|
B650
|
|
PSU
|
750W 80 PLUS Gold
|
This specification is capable of running modern AAA games at high frame rates while providing plenty of headroom for future releases.
Browse AWD-IT's latest AMD Ryzen Processors:
https://www.awd-it.co.uk/components/cpu-processors/amd-cpu.html
What Is a Motherboard?
The motherboard is the main circuit board inside your PC.
Your processor, RAM, graphics card, storage and other components all connect to it in some way.
Think of it as the foundation of your gaming PC.
It doesn’t do all the work itself, but it allows the components that do to communicate with each other.
Without a motherboard, there’s nowhere for everything else to connect.
Does a Better Motherboard Give You More FPS?
Not usually.
Buying a more expensive motherboard doesn’t automatically mean your games will run faster.
Your graphics card and processor have a much bigger impact on gaming performance.
What the motherboard determines is what hardware you can use with your PC and what features are available to you.
That includes things like:
- Which processors are compatible
- What type of RAM you can use
- How many SSDs you can install
- Whether Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in
- How many USB ports you have
- What upgrades you can make later
So while it might not directly give you another 50 FPS, it’s still an important part of the system.
So while it might not directly give you another 50 FPS, it’s still an important part of the system
Why Can’t Every Processor Fit Every Motherboard?
This is where PC specifications can start looking complicated.
Processors use different sockets.
The socket is simply the physical connection between your CPU and motherboard.
For example, an AMD processor designed for one socket can’t simply be installed into an unrelated Intel motherboard.
Even processors from the same brand can use different sockets depending on their generation.
That’s why compatibility matters when building or upgrading a gaming PC.
The good news?
If you’re buying a complete prebuilt gaming PC, this is already taken care of for you.
What Does B650 or B850 Mean?
Names such as B650, B850 and X870 refer to motherboard chipsets.
The chipset helps determine what features the motherboard supports.
Different models can offer different amounts of:
- USB connectivity
- Storage support
- Expansion options
- PCIe connectivity
- Overclocking features
You don’t need to memorise every chipset.
For a beginner, the important question is simply:
Does this motherboard support the hardware and features I actually need?
If the answer is yes, you’re already on the right track.
Motherboards also come in different physical sizes
What About ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX?
Motherboards also come in different physical sizes.
Three names you’ll regularly see are:
ATX – a common full-sized motherboard.
Micro ATX – smaller, while still offering plenty of features for most gaming PCs.
Mini ITX – much smaller and often used for compact builds.
A bigger motherboard isn’t automatically faster.
The main difference is usually the amount of space available for things such as expansion slots, storage and connections.
The motherboard size also needs to fit inside your PC case.
Again, with a complete prebuilt system, this compatibility is already handled for you.
Average FPS vs 1% Low
Here’s a simple example:
| Gaming PC | Average FPS | 1% Low |
|
PC A
|
160 FPS
|
65 fps
|
|
PC B
|
145 FPS
|
110 FPS
|
At first glance, PC A looks faster because it has the higher average FPS.
But PC B maintains much stronger performance during demanding moments.
For someone actually playing the game, PC B may therefore provide the smoother and more consistent experience.
This is one reason AWD-IT's existing performance guides sometimes refer to maintaining strong 1% lows alongside average FPS.
Bigger Numbers Don’t Always Mean Better for You
This is an important one.
A higher model number can often mean a newer or more powerful product, but that doesn’t automatically mean it is the right choice for your setup.
If you only want to play games at 1080p, you may not need the same hardware as someone gaming at 4K.
Likewise, someone playing competitive games has different priorities from someone mainly playing slower single-player titles.
The best gaming PC is not always the one with the biggest numbers.
It’s the one that matches what you actually want to do.
Does My Motherboard Need Wi-Fi?
Not necessarily.
Some motherboards include built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while others rely on Ethernet unless you add a wireless adapter.
If your gaming PC is going to sit close to your router, you may prefer using an Ethernet cable.
If running a cable isn’t practical, having built-in Wi-Fi can be very useful.
This is worth checking before buying, especially if your first gaming PC will be in a bedroom or another room away from your router.
Why Do Motherboards Have So Many Ports?
Look at the back of a gaming PC and you’ll probably see a lot of connections.
Many of these come directly from the motherboard.
Depending on the model, you could have connections for:
- Keyboard and mouse
- Headsets and speakers
- Ethernet
- USB devices
- Wi-Fi antennas
- Microphones
- External storage
Different motherboards offer different numbers and types of ports.
If you use lots of USB accessories, racing equipment, streaming hardware or other peripherals, having enough connectivity can become more important than you might expect.
Different motherboards offer different numbers and types of ports
Background Downloads Are Easy to Miss
Modern games receive large updates, and your launcher may continue downloading additional content while you’re playing.
Windows, Steam, Discord, cloud storage and other applications can also be active in the background.
If your performance suddenly feels worse after installing an update, open Task Manager and check whether anything else is heavily using your:
CPU, RAM, storage or network connection.
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one.
Best Sim Racing Setup for Beginners: Start With the Essentials
You don’t need a full cockpit immediately. A well‑chosen beginner setup helps you develop skills faster and keeps costs under control.
1. Steering Wheel and Pedals (Top Priority)
Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.
Beginner tip: Focus on force feedback quality rather than raw power.
Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.
Creators in attendance
Stacked lineup
Experience zones
Arcades · Sim rigs · PCs
Tech on display
Latest gen builds
Verdict
Showroom certified
Pick Your Tier
We've named each tier after a tournament stage, because let's be honest, that's exactly the kind of thing we'd do. Find your budget and dive in.
Group Stage
Round of 32
Quarter Final
World Cup Final
Don't Forget Your Monitor
Your PC can produce hundreds of frames every second, but your monitor also needs to be capable of displaying high refresh rates for you to fully benefit from them.
A smoother combination of strong FPS, consistent frame delivery and an appropriate refresh rate can make games feel significantly better.
If you're unsure what Hz means, read AWD-IT's guide to why monitor refresh rate matters, or browse the latest gaming monitors.
A smoother combination of strong FPS, consistent frame delivery and an appropriate refresh rate can make games feel significantly better.
Expected Gaming Performance
|
Game
|
1440p High
|
1440p Ultra
|
|
GTA 6 (Predicted)
|
120 FPS
|
90 FPS
|
|
Cyberpunk 2077
|
120 FPS
|
95 FPS
|
|
Black Ops 7
|
180+ FPS
|
150+ FPS
|
|
Fortnite
|
240+ FPS
|
200+ FPS
|
Performance will vary depending on drivers, game updates and graphics settings.
Can the Motherboard Affect Future Upgrades?
Yes - and this is where choosing the right motherboard becomes more important.
Imagine you buy a gaming PC today and decide in a couple of years that you want:
More RAM
Another SSD
A different processor
Your motherboard determines whether those upgrades are possible.
Some boards offer several storage slots and plenty of expansion options.
Others are more basic.
That doesn’t make a simpler motherboard bad.
It just means it’s worth thinking about what you might want from the PC later.
Likewise, pairing very high-end hardware with the most basic compatible motherboard may not always make sense either
Do You Need an Expensive Motherboard?
Not automatically.
This is an easy mistake to make when you’re new to PC gaming.
A £300 motherboard isn’t necessarily the right choice for someone building an £800 gaming PC.
Likewise, pairing very high-end hardware with the most basic compatible motherboard may not always make sense either.
What you want is balance.
A motherboard that supports your CPU properly, gives you the connections you need and leaves enough room for the upgrades you realistically expect to make.
You don’t need to pay for features you’ll never use.
You Can Swap Whenever You Want
This is one of the best parts.
You could play Call of Duty using a keyboard and mouse, then launch a racing game and pick up your controller.
For many supported games, switching between the two is as simple as moving the mouse or pressing a button on the controller.
PC gaming gives you the freedom to use whichever control method works best for the game you're playing.
What Else Do You Need With Your First Gaming PC?
Technically, the PC itself is only part of your setup.
You'll also need a display and some way of controlling it.
A typical setup might include:
Gaming PC + monitor + keyboard + mouse + headset
And then a controller if you want one.
You don't need to buy everything at the most expensive level either.
If you're starting completely from scratch, AWD-IT's gaming peripherals include keyboards, mice, headsets and other accessories to complete your setup.
What Should a Beginner Look For?
If you’re buying your first gaming PC, you don’t need to become an expert on chipsets.
Start with a few simple questions:
Does it support the processor in the PC?
Does it have enough RAM and storage upgrade options?
Does it include Wi-Fi if I need it?
Does it have enough USB connections for my setup?
Will it give me reasonable upgrade options later?
That covers most of what a first-time gaming PC buyer actually needs to think about.
The Simple Version
Think of your motherboard as the foundation everything else connects to.
It doesn’t normally decide how many FPS you get.
Instead, it determines what components your PC can use, what you can connect to it and how much flexibility you have when upgrading later.
So when you see something like:
AMD B650 Motherboard
you don’t need to panic because you don’t know exactly what every letter means.
Start with the hardware you actually need.
Then make sure the motherboard supports it.
That’s far more useful than simply buying the most expensive board available.
And if you’re buying a complete AWD-IT gaming PC, the components are already matched together — meaning you can focus on the part that matters most:
Playing your games.
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- GTA 6 PC System Requirements (Predicted)
