PARTNER CONTENT

Intel just launched its latest 10th Gen desktop processors and offers Hyper-Threading Technology for all of them. This means that even entry-level 10th Gen Core i3 processors support Hyper-Threading Technology and will have better performance than the 9th Gen processors.

Among 9th Gen processors, the best processor for a Gaming PC may be the Core i5-9600, which is perfectly balanced between price and performance. If overclocking is not a focus among 10th Gen processors, the best choice for gaming is Core i5-10600. Other i5 series like Core i5-10400, i5-10500, and Core i7-10700 are also good choices depending on your budget.

Core i5-9600 and Core i5-10400/10600 all have 6 cores, but 10th Gen processors support Hyper-Threading. It’s not a surprise that Core i5-10400/10600 outperforms its predecessor Core i5-9600 in CPU intensive benchmarks, thanks to Hyper-Threading.

If you plan to go with a non-K 10th processor, a B460 motherboard is a bargain. You can spend less on motherboards and invest more on CPU and graphics cards. A microATX motherboard is quite a lovely choice because it has almost all the features you need at a more affordable price than Z490 motherboards. Its form factor is also the best choice for those who don’t want a big PC. So here I’ll focus on some attractive microATX B460 motherboards and try to find out the best one.

Core i5-10400/10600/Core i7-10700 is a worthy upgrade
Here we’ll be looking at the CPU and game performance of Core i5-9600 and Core i5-10400, Core i5-10600 and Core i7-10700.

For Cinebench R20, Core i5-10600 is 34% faster than Core i5-9600 and even Core i5-10400 is 22% faster. For Handbrake video transcoding, Core i5-10600 is 19% faster than Core i5-9600 and Core i5-10400 is faster by 9%. PCMark 10 benchmark shows Core i5-10400 and Core i5-10600 are faster in overall system performance too.

When it comes to gaming FPS, I ran 4 game benchmarks, and Core i5-10600 is faster than Core i5-9600 too. So it looks like the 10th Gen Core i5 is faster than 9th Gen Core i5 both in CPU and game performance. It looks like the 10th Gen Core i5 makes a good choice for your new gaming build.

The best choice of microATX B460 motherboards of $100 – $140
B460 motherboards are priced at $80-$170. At the price range of $100-$140, you can get almost every feature you like at an affordable price. Every motherboard manufacture offers microATX boards at this price range with both aesthetics and features.

At this price range, good-looks and efficient heat sinks are available on most motherboards. You can even find powerful VRM that can compete with some entry-level Z490 motherboards. Sufficient storage and the latest networking like 2.5GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 6 should meet the demands of most consumers as well. B460 motherboard at this price range is a sweet spot of price, features, and aesthetics for budget gamers.

Powerful VRM unleashes CPU performance
Many may think that since B460 motherboards are not designed for overclocking, then why is VRM a concern? If you’ll be stuck at Core i3 processors, VRM may not be what you need to focus on. If you plan to buy an 8C/16T Core i7-10700 or even 10C/20T Core i9-10900, then you should consider VRM. This is because when you’re running Core i7-10700 or Core i9-10900 with a heavy workload, you may need powerful or at least sufficient VRM to keep it from overheating.

To avoid VRM from overheating, most motherboards have Intel stock power limit applied. But this may limit the performance of Core i7-10700 or Core i9-10900 while running heavy workload like rendering or video editing. This is why you can see ASUS marketing its APE (Asus Performance Enhancement) and ASRock marketing its BFB (Base Frequency Boost) features. APE and BFB both increase the power limit on the motherboards and make the CPU run at a higher frequency.

According to benchlife.info, ASUS has increased the power limit to 210W from Intel stock 65W on ROG STRIX B460F-GAMING and 125W on some B460 and H470 models. According to this article on the MSI website, MSI has 255W stock power limit, which is even higher than Asus and AsRock.

MSI also shows on its website, with 255W power limit on B460M MORTAR and B460 Tomahawk, the Core i9-10900K Cinebench performance is much better than Intel’s stock 65W power limit.

For microATX motherboards at this price range, MSI B460M MORTAR stands out with an impressive 12-phase VRM. Its VRM is even more powerful than some entry Z490 motherboards. It’s awesome that this board even runs cool with an overclocked Core i9-10900K and i7-10700K.

If you’ll pair the motherboard with a Core i5 or higher CPU, then choose at least a 6-phase motherboard with a “Frequency Boost” feature. On the other hand, if you plan to go with a Core i7 or even an i9 processor, it’s suggested to pick a motherboard with powerful VRM and unlocked CPU performance, such as the MSI B460M MORTAR.

2.5GbE LAN & Wi-Fi 6 available on B460 motherboards
Other features you should consider are storage and connectivity. Here is the comparison of microATX B460 motherboards, including VRM, storage, and connectivity.

It’s always good to have more USB ports, more M.2 slots, and higher network speed. Motherboards of the segment offer very similar storage and connectivity. All the boards listed here offer at least 6 USB 3.2 GEN 1 ports/ headers and 6 USB 2.0 ports/ headers.

ASRock B460M Steel Legend, MSI B460M MORTAR, and MSI B460M MORTAR WIFI are the 3 boards that offer 7 USB 3.2 GEN1 ports. ASRock and Gigabyte offer 1 rear Type C port, and MSI offers more with 1 rear Type C port and 1 front Type C header. ASUS doesn’t have any Type C ports. All the boards have two M.2 slots and one of the M.2 Slots with a heat sink.

For networking, Asus TUF Gaming B460-PLUS (WI-FI) and MSI B460M MORTAR WIFI offer Wi-Fi 6 connection. ASRock and MSI provide 2.5GbE LAN connection. Spec-wise, MSI provides the best storage and network connectivity.

Best buy- MSI B460M MORTAR / B460M MORTAR WIFI
MSI B460M MORTAR / B460M MORTAR WIFI stands out from this microATX price tag with the most powerful VRM, highest out-of-box power limit, most Type C USB ports, and 2.5GbE LAN/Wi-Fi 6.

If you’re looking for a microATX B460 motherboard to pair with Core i5 or higher CPU, go for B460M MORTAR or B460M MORTAR WIFI if you need Wi-Fi connection. If you plan to purchase a Core i3, then any motherboard listed there can meet your demand. However, since the money you spent is nearly the same, why not go with the one with the most powerful specs?

Test Configurations
CPU	Intel Core i5-9600 / Core i7-10700 / Core i5-10600/ Core i5-10400
Motherboard	MSI Z390 Gaming Edge / MSI B460M MORTAR
Memory	ADATA 3200MHz 8GBx2, running at 2666MHz
Graphics Card	MSI RTX 2080 Ti Duke 11G OC
SSD	Seagate FireCuda 520 1TB M.2
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro x64 1909