Top 10 best motherboards for Socket AM3: rating 2021-2022 and what are the main features of the devices

AMD AM3 motherboards have been released by various manufacturers since 2009.

Therefore, consumers have already had time to get acquainted with both successful samples, and completely failed.

Some models continue to enjoy success.

It's worth finding out which PC components do a great job.

Ranking of Top 10 Motherboards for Socket AM3 in 2021-2022

Place	Name	Price
Top 10 best motherboards for AM3 socket
1	GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2 R2 (rev. 1.0)	Check price
2	GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 R2 (rev. 1.0)	Ask for details
3	ASRock 970M Pro3	Notify me pricing
4	ASUS M5A78L-M LX3	Learn the price
5	ASUS M5A78L-M LE/USB3	Find out the price
6	ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3	Check price
7	Biostar A960D+ Ver. 6.x	Find out the price of
8	ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0	Notify me about the price
9	ASRock 760GM-HDV	Notify us how much more information you can get.
10	ASRock 985GM-GS3 FX	Find out the price

Contents

Top 10 motherboards for AM3 socket in 2021-2022
Features of AM3 socket and its benefits
How to choose and what to look for?
The best AM3 socket motherboards
Shopper Testimonials
Useful Video

AM3 Socket Feature and Benefits

AMD has released a socket with a number of significant changes. Practically they allowed the product to increase performance.

Another main feature - support for six-core CPU models.

AM3 is focused on the installation of DDR3 standard RAM modules.
Suitability for installation into AM3+ motherboards.
It is a base for AMD chips with integrated graphics gas pedal (FM1, FM2).
Suitable for Septron, Athlon II, Phenom II, Opteron family processors.
The presence of an integrated dual-channel memory microcontroller. Running in dual-channel mode with a frequency of 1066 MHz or 1333 MHz.

How to choose and what to pay attention to?

Paying attention to the chipset. This is a set of chips that are responsible for the joint operation of PC elements (e.g. data storage, CPU). The optimal choice is AMD 760G and higher.
For compatibility with the processor. The motherboard and the processor should have the same socket. It is good if it is designed to install Phenom II, Athlon II and so on.
On the number of memory slots. Great, if it is possible to increase this amount. The gold standard is a board with 4 slots. But also with two of 8 GB or more will do.
For the number of interface slots. Mandatory condition - the ability to connect the necessary elements without cluttering adapters and splitters. The solution - six USB connectors on the back, but at least two of them related to the standard 3.0 (portable hard drives). SATA, SSD, Wi-Fi, PCL-e connectors in the right quantity are also good.
On the possibility of "overclocking". It is good if the motherboard is suitable for increasing performance without any obstacles. But such a feature must not harm the central elements.

The Best Motherboards for AM3 Socket

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2 R2 (rev. 1.0)

This motherboard is made by the reliable manufacturer GIGABYTE, which offers only quality PC products.

It features AMD's AM3+ series FX and AM3 series Phenom™ II, Athlon™ II processors. It has two DDR3 and DIMMs slots with a maximum capacity of 16 GB.

An ATI Radeon HD3000 (DX10) graphics core is built in. Drives are connected via SATA.

The total number of connectors is 6 and their bandwidth is 3 Gbit/s. There is one PCI-E x16 and one PCI-E x1 expansion slot.

Features include an anti-noise shield, High-End audio components, double-lock connectors, next-generation circuit boards, and protection against moisture, electrostatic interference, high temperatures, and voltage fluctuations.

This model is highly reliable for 2021-2022.

Features:

chipset - AMD 760G;
system - BIOS Award;
sound - Realtek ALC887 HDA;
network adapter - Realtek GbE, speed - 1000 Mbps.

Pros of

there is a possibility of "overclocking";
performance;
the presence of the necessary connectors;
various protection systems;
low load on the processor.

Cons

cooling system;
Minimal RAM.

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 R2 (rev. 1.0)

Another quality product from GIGABYTE, but more advanced. It's a great motherboard for DIY builds or just to add some extra components on.

Has support for AMD AM3+ series FX and AM3 Phenom™ II processors, Athlon™ II.

There's a built-in ATI Radeon HD3000 (DX10) graphics core to boost performance. Features Hybrid EFI technology with GIGABYTE DualBIOS.

Provides 6 x 3 Gb/s SATA slots as well as PCI-E x16 2.0 and PCI-E x1 slots.

Four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 slots are needed to connect the drives and peripherals. Unique feature is the presence of video interface ports that allow you to view quality YD-content on your monitor and TV.

Features:

System bus - HyperTransport;
AMD 760G chipset;
system BIOS Award;
number of slots - 4, max memory capacity - 32 GB;
cooling system - passive.

Advantages

Combined PS/2 port;
there is a blanking rear ports;
BIOS with disaster recovery;
overclocking capability;
various protection systems.

Cons

Unfortunate location of the PCI-E x16 slot;
incompatible with many types of memory cards;
bridge overheating.

ASRock 970M Pro3.

Low budget, compact microATX form factor motherboard with AM3+ socket. AM3+ socket for AMD Phenom II X6/X4/X3/X2 (except 920 / 940), Athlon II X4/X3/X2/Smpron..

Equipped with powerful processor power supply subsystem, so it is able to provide stable operation.

Features - model is able to bring inactive UCC cores, equipped with four DDR3 elements for RAM with total capacity up to 64GB (if AMD FX-series is used).

Includes a set of six SATA3 ports, GbE network adapter, 7.1 Realtek ALC892 audio codec, 11 USB ports - 2 of them are 3.1 Gen1 standard with data transfer rate up to 5 GBit/s.

Features:

system bus - HyperTransport;
chipset - AMD 970;
system - BIOS AMI;
cooling system - passive.

Pros of

performance;
good RAM performance;
compatibility with 8-core FX;
number of connectors;
ability to install up to 3 fans;
high overclocking potential.

Disadvantages

overheating heatsinks;
thin textolite;
memory setup.

ASUS M5A78L-M LX3

Budget implementation of the AM3+ platform with ASUS EPU - 4 technology (power processor).

The latter automatically determines the degree of system load and optimizes the performance of all components in real time.

The Core Unlocker function is able to activate the entire existing set of processor cores.

The motherboard can be overclocked to suit your needs.

Additional features include Surge and Static protection, ASUS Fan Xpert utility, EZ Flash 2 for BIOS update without loading, 8 channel High Definition Audio codec, 4 SATA3 slots, 1xPCI-E x16, 1xPCI-E x1, 1xPCI and 12 USB slots.

Features:

system bus - HyperTransport;
chipset - AMD 760G;
system - BIOS AMI;
cooling system - passive.

Pros of

performance;
stability;
integrated video;
compactness;
FX support;
number of connectors.

Disadvantages

bridge overheating;
no DVI port.

ASUS M5A78L-M LE/USB3

Low budget motherboard based on AMD 760G chipset with rich USB 3.0 interface.. Equipped with Core Unlocker function to activate all processor cores. Highly reliable and secure against overvoltage surge.

Automated auto-sensing system detects the workload of components and stabilizes them in real time.

Besides ASUS Fan Xpert utility, EZ Flash 2 software and eight-channel High Definition Audio codec, there are additional features like ErP standard compatibility.

UBS 3.0 is also ten times faster and compatible with USB 2.0.

Features:

AMI BIOS;
memory - DDR3 DIMM, 1066-1866 MHz, 16 GB max;
Passive cooling system.

Pros of

stability and performance;
overclocking capability;
excellent features of the embedded sound;
unlocking of hidden cores;
heatsinks;
thoughtful layout.

Cons

fan speed is not adjustable;
Overclocking failures above the recommended limits.

ASUS M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3

Another variation of the budget micro-ATX format motherboard with an excellent USB 3.0 interface..

Supports AMD FX, Phenom II, Athlon II, Sempron 100 Series processors with AM3+ socket, provides excellent overclocking performance and low power consumption.

Works with DDR3 DIMM memory, 1066-2000 MHz ECC/non-ECC: 4 slots with max 32 GB memory.

Power efficient platform automatically monitors and normalizes the utilization rate.

All in all, this model resembles the ASUS M5A78L-M LE/USB3 in its capabilities. But some differences are described in the specifications.

This is one of the highest quality models for 2021-2022.

Specifications:

chipset - AMD 760G (780L)/SB710;
system - BIOS AMI;
cooling system - passive;
Internet settings - Realtek RTL8111H 1000 Mbps.

Pros of

stability and reliability;
good performance indicators;
an impressive number of connectors;
overclocking capability;
protection against power surges;
built-in graphics.

Disadvantages

no SATA3;
no working PCIEx1;
No 125W CPU support.

Biostar A960D+ Ver. 6.x

This motherboard supports AMD FX, Phenom II, Athlon II, Sempron processors with AM3+ socket.

Endowed with two DDR3 DIMM 800-1866 MHz memory slots with maximum capacity of 16 GB and additionally supports dual channel mode. Supports all required slots to ensure functionality and boost performance of the assembled PC.

The total number of USB ports is 12. Therefore, it is possible to connect a lot of components.

Based on the technical characteristics, this board is suitable for small workloads.

For example, to solve office tasks, work with text files. In general, it is an outdated variation with integrated graphics.

Features:

System bus - HyperTransport;
chipset - AMD 760G;
Internet settings - Realtek RTL8111F 1000Mbps;
cooling system - passive.

Pros of

good functionality;
easy setup;
number of connectors;
resistance to external adverse factors.

Cons

overheating;
terrible graphics;
incompatibility with some video cards;
instability.

ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0

A budget but decent looking motherboard supporting Socket AM3+ 8-Core CPU (AMD Phenom II X6/X4/X3/X2 (except 920 / 940), Athlon II X4/X3/X2, Sempron).

Equipped with 100% solid state capacitors. Supports dual channel DDR3 2100+(OC) in 4 slots to provide a maximum memory capacity of 32GB. The model has all necessary connectors, slots and outputs.

But it is not equipped with SATA3.. It is produced in ATX form factor. Users note the high flexibility of the case.

Components can break off if handled carelessly. If the board is not supplemented with another fan, it will stick to the PC case.

The features:

system bus - HyperTransport;
AMD 970 chipset;
system BIOS AMI;
cooling - passive.

Pros of

functionality;
a lot of connectors;
built-in graphics interface;
overclocking capability;
good control system.

Cons

flexibility;
high heat.

ASRock 760GM-HDV.

Compact board with AMD AM3/AM3+ CPU socket. Compatible with AMD Phenom™ II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940), Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2, Sempron.

It is great for upgrading and overhauling your PC provided that it includes the listed processors.

There are two slots for DIMM-modules of DDR3-1066/1333 standard with a total memory capacity of 32 GB.

The board has a built-in Radeon HD3000 core and a full set of VGA, DVI-D and HDMI ports.

If we consider the network communications, this model is equipped with Realtek RTL8111H GbE-controller..

Realtek ALC887 audio codec is responsible for audio playback. These characteristics are enough to improve office and home PC.

Specifications:

system bus - HyperTransport;
chipset - AMD 760G;
system BIOS AMI;
cooling - passive.

Pros of

stability and reliability;
easy installation and setup;
performance;
built-in graphics;
sufficient number of outputs.

Disadvantages

ASRock 985GM-GS3 FX

A good variation of motherboard supporting Socket AM3+ processors, 8-Core CPU (AMD Phenom II X6/X4/X3/X2 (except 920 / 940), Athlon II X4/X3/X2, Sempron).

Equipped with 100% solid state capacitors. Supports dual channel DDR3 1800 (OC) in 2 slots to provide 8GB max memory capacity.

Built-in graphics are supported and it shows good performance and speed.

Also, the board is equipped with all the necessary slots and connectors, but there's no possibility to connect additional hard drives.

This model is more suitable for office and small home tasks.

It's worth mentioning that this is one of the best models of 2021-2022.

Features:

system bus - HyperTransport;
chipset - AMD 785G;
cooling - passive;
Internet settings - Realtek RTL8111E 1000 Mbps.

Pros of

functionality;
a lot of connectors;
built-in graphical interface;
overclocking capability;
good control system.

Cons

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Helpful video

Watch this video to learn how to choose a motherboard for AM3 socket: