Buying a motherboard in 2025 might not be as simple as you think. The number of unnecessary features and "AI-powered" enhancements combined with new definitions of "budget" motherboards are enough to confuse anyone. Fortunately, you don't need to worry about most of what manufacturers are peddling these days.

The motherboard features that are actually going to make a difference in your life, and, well, your PC's performance, can still be counted on two hands. In my opinion, you don't need anything other than the following 8 features on a new motherboard when building a DDR5 PC.

8 Four RAM slots

Not a given on every motherboard

Upgradability is one of the core tenets you need to stick to when picking a motherboard for a new PC. When it comes to RAM, you might be content with 32GB of DDR5 RAM right now, but what if you want to add more memory in the future? That's when 4 RAM slots will come in handy. You might say that by the time you need more than 32 gigs of RAM, you'll already be building a new PC. However, DDR5 RAM will still be the standard, and you could simply carry your existing DIMMs over.

Besides, even before you think of this hypothetical future PC, you might develop a deeper interest in video editing, 3D rendering, or other intensive workloads, which could require more RAM than you have right now. Rather than being forced to replace your DIMMs on a motherboard with only 2 RAM slots, you should have 2 vacant slots ready to welcome 2 additional sticks of memory.

And, before you comment below, motherboards with 2 RAM slots still exist — the ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2 for $140 might be cheap, but you're paying in other ways, since it has only 2 RAM slots. And if you go mini-ITX, there's no shortage of motherboards with 2 RAM slots, so keep that in mind before building an SFF PC.

7 Three M.2 slots with at least one Gen5 slot

M.2 availability has come a long way

There was a time when a single M.2 slot was considered par for the course for motherboards, but the times they are a-changin', after all. Today, you should ideally pick a motherboard with at least 3 M.2 slots, with at least one of them being a PCIe 5.0 (Gen5) slot, so you can indulge that hankering for Gen5 SSDs. And it isn't even a rare feature these days — almost every $200 motherboard comes with a single Gen5 and two Gen4 M.2 slots.

I suggest spending that much on your motherboard to secure those precious M.2 slots, since you'll run out of storage sooner than later. When you do, you would like to add another SSD instead of being forced to replace your existing SSD with a higher-capacity model. I drew the line at 3 slots instead of 2 because many "budget" motherboards now ship with 3 slots. Settling for anything less isn't advisable in this market. Besides, you might want to install two SSDs right off the bat; in that case, a third slot (at a minimum) is necessary for future upgrades.

6 Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Bare minimum in 2025

Having Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your motherboard wasn't too common a decade ago. Hell, my PC with a B350 motherboard in 2017 had neither of those things, and I never missed them in the 5 years I used that PC. Today, however, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are available on all but the cheapest motherboards. Whether you're buying a $300 ATX or $150 mini-ITX motherboard, you'll get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth even if you don't want them.

You'll need Bluetooth for your wireless keyboard, mouse, headphones, and even a controller if you want to enjoy some laid-back gaming on your desktop. Onboard Wi-Fi will come in handy if you can't route an Ethernet cable to your PC for whatever reason. Hence, it becomes necessary to have an eye out for these two necessities when shortlisting motherboards.

5 BIOS flashback

Say goodbye to bricked PCs

BIOS flashback might not be as prevalent on motherboards as some other features on this list, but they very well should be. The ability to update the BIOS without needing a CPU installed can be pretty valuable, especially when you're upgrading to a newer CPU on the same motherboard. You simply need to download the necessary BIOS on a flash drive, plug it into the designated USB port, and press the BIOS flashback button to update the BIOS.

Even if the BIOS flash fails due to a power outage, you can simply retry the process, which wouldn't be possible on a motherboard without this feature. You will usually find BIOS flashback only on $200+ motherboards, which might seem unfair, but that's how it is. With modern CPUs requiring critical BIOS updates more frequently than before (hello, Intel), BIOS flashback makes life more convenient. If you need to pay $50 more to have that luxury, I would urge you to do so.

4 Pre-installed M.2 heatsinks

They look good and keep your SSDs cool

A few years ago, I wouldn't have minded installing my NVMe drives without heatsinks. My Gen4 and Gen3 drives never needed the extra heat dissipation, and I wasn't going to spend more on drives that came with their own heatsinks. Today, however, pre-installed heatsinks are quite common on motherboards — even affordable ones. Not having them now is just the manufacturer being stingy; it reflects poorly on both the motherboard model and the brand.

Even if you aren't planning on using a particularly toasty Gen5 NVMe drive, SSD heatsinks just look better on your motherboard compared to leaving your drives naked. Most SSDs aren't designed to be particularly good-looking, so pre-installed heatsinks come in incredibly handy for the esthetics of your PC. Even $150 motherboards are now providing at least one heatsink (looking at you, Asus Prime), so it's only expected of pricier models to do better.

3 Plenty of USB 10 Gbps (and one 20 Gbps) ports

Move past USB 3.1 Gen 1

Getting into the details of USB standards and speeds is a whole other article, but the short version is that you shouldn't settle for a barebones I/O port selection. The first step when choosing a new motherboard is to completely ignore USB 2.0 (usually the ones colored black) and USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen 1/USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports — the former are terribly slow, and the latter are all restricted to 5 Gbps bandwidth. In 2025, you should aim for at least USB 3.1 Gen 2 or USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, that double the bandwidth to 10 Gbps.

If all of that sounds confusing, that's because it is. Fortunately, most modern motherboards simply list the bandwidth of each of the USB ports on the product page or spec sheet instead of grappling with the complicated nomenclature. So, you should pick a motherboard that has a generous number of 10 Gbps ports and a few 20 Gbps ports (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) as well. The newer USB 4 or 40 Gbps ports are still rare on affordable motherboards, so you'll have to shell out more if you really want them. Make sure you're buying a board with enough USB ports for your needs.

2 Sufficient fan and ARGB headers

Running out of headers is all too real

You don't realize the importance of motherboard headers until you realize you have more fans and RGB/ARGB components than you can connect to your motherboard. Finding this out while you're assembling the PC is one of the worst PC building blunders you can make. I've done this myself, and I had to order a fan hub, and wait for an extra day before I could enjoy my brand-new PC.

Besides the CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, and AIO_PUMP headers that every motherboard will have, you should look for at least 3 ARGB or addressable headers, 4 system or chassis fan headers, and 1 RGB header. Most motherboards in the $160-$200 range should have this configuration; if not, then I suggest removing that model from your shortlist. Some motherboards might have even more headers, and that's always preferable, so spend some time going through the spec sheet before making your decision.

1 Support for high-speed RAM

Memory compatibility is critical

With modern DDR5 RAM, the chances of memory instability are significantly higher if you don't do your research before buying a motherboard and RAM kit. Depending on your motherboard, RAM, and CPU combination, you might run into a system that refuses to boot with particular memory settings or DIMM configurations. For the best shot at a stable system, consult the QVL (Qualified Vendors List) or Memory Support List on the motherboard's webpage (not the Amazon or Newegg product pages).

Even if the motherboard is certified to work with the memory kit you're buying, it's usually only guaranteed for up to 2 DIMMs. Populating all 4 RAM slots on the motherboard will usually drop the speed down to the JEDEC default or slightly above that for a stable boot. In a nutshell, make sure your motherboard of choice supports the speed of your memory kit, check the QVL of the motherboard to check if the specific brand and model of the RAM is supported, and check your CPU's maximum memory support for the intended configuration (2 vs. 4 DIMMs).

Stick to the basics, everything else is just noise

The motherboard is one of the most important components of any new build, and also one of the most disruptive to replace if things go wrong. For this reason, picking one deserves careful consideration and research. Instead of drowning in the tide of meaningless branding terms and unnecessary gimmicks, focus on the hygiene features and those that will make a meaningful difference to your PC building and usage experience. The eight features I listed above should suffice for almost every PC user building a new PC in this market.