Best Overall Value
If you want one board that just gets everything right for the money, this is it. The star of the show is that 10+3 phase Digital Twin power design. In a hunt for the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100, VRM quality is the thing most cheap boards skimp on, and Gigabyte hasn't here. That means a Ryzen 5 5600 or even a Ryzen 7 5800X runs at full boost without the board getting hot and pulling clocks back.
You also get two PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots, which is rare at this price. Most budget boards give you one. That second slot means you can add a fast NVMe drive later without ditching your existing one. Gigabit LAN, USB 3.2 Gen1, and a full-size PCIe x16 slot round it out. Owners repeatedly mention how cool the VRM runs under load, and how painless the BIOS is once you've flashed the latest version for Ryzen 5000 support.
It's technically ATX rather than strict micro-ATX in some listings, but the layout and price put it squarely in the same shopping basket, and it's the value benchmark everything else is judged against. For a gaming or all-round build, this is the one to beat. Have a read of our full Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 review for the deep dive.
Pros
- Strong 10+3 phase VRM handles high-core Ryzen easily
- Two M.2 slots, unusual at this price
- Runs cool under sustained load
Cons
- No WiFi built in
- May need a BIOS flash for newer CPUs
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Best Build Quality
MSI's B550M PRO-VDH WIFI packs a lot into its price. WiFi, two M.2 slots, a decent VRM, and a full spread of rear ports. For anyone shopping the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100 who wants features without the ASUS premium, this hits a sweet spot.
It runs Ryzen 5000 well. The power delivery handles a 5600 or 5700X without fuss, and the board stays composed in gaming sessions. The two M.2 slots give you room to grow, and DDR4 tuning is straightforward in the BIOS. Owners like the value equation: you get WiFi and dual NVMe at a price where rivals often make you pick one or the other.
The trade-off? The BIOS isn't quite as slick as ASUS or Gigabyte, and the bundled WiFi is fine rather than fast. But for a compact gaming box, it's genuinely hard to fault at this money. Full breakdown in our MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI review.
Pros
- WiFi plus dual M.2 at a keen price
- Solid VRM for mid-range Ryzen
- Good port selection
Cons
- BIOS less refined than rivals
- WiFi is basic
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Best for Beginners
First build? The Gigabyte B550M K keeps things simple without cutting the important corners. It's a clean micro-ATX layout with two M.2 slots, gigabit LAN, and enough VRM to run a Ryzen 5000 chip for gaming. That makes it one of the friendlier options among the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100 for someone learning the ropes.
Everything's where you'd expect it. The RAM clips, the 24-pin, the M.2 slots are all sensibly placed, so cable management and installation don't turn into a puzzle. The BIOS is the standard Gigabyte affair, which is easy to navigate for basic tasks like enabling XMP or checking temperatures.
It's not flashy. No WiFi, no RGB, no fancy heatsinks beyond the essentials. But for a wired gaming or study PC, it does the job cleanly and leaves budget for the parts that matter. A dependable starting point. More in our Gigabyte B550 range review.
Pros
- Simple, tidy layout for first builds
- Two M.2 slots at a low price
- Reliable Ryzen 5000 support
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Best Under £50
Rock-bottom budget? The MSI A520M-A PRO is the cheapest capable board in this test and it still runs Ryzen 5000. That's the headline. When money is genuinely tight, this is the way onto AM4 without buying something that'll hold you back. Among the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100, nothing else this cheap does the basics as well.
Yes, A520 means no CPU overclocking and PCIe 3.0 only. But be honest: if you're spending this little on the board, you're not overclocking anyway. A Ryzen 5 5500 or 5600 pairs beautifully here for 1080p gaming. You get one M.2 slot, DVI and HDMI outputs (handy for APU builds), and a straightforward MSI BIOS.
The VRM is modest, so I wouldn't drop a 5800X in it and expect miracles. But for a mid-range chip in a gaming or office build, it's more than enough. Astonishing value for what it costs. Details in our MSI A520M-A PRO review.
Pros
- Lowest price here, still runs Ryzen 5000
- DVI and HDMI for APU builds
- Reliable for mid-range chips
Cons
- No CPU overclocking
- Modest VRM, avoid high-core CPUs
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Future-Proof AM5
The A520 AORUS ELITE brings Gigabyte's better-tier build to the budget A520 chipset. If you like the A520 price point but want a step up in quality, this is the board. It sits comfortably in the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100 bracket for anyone who wants a tidier, better-built A520 option.
You get a 5+3 phase pure digital VRM, which is a cut above the entry A520 boards, plus USB 3.2 Gen2 for faster external drives. The AORUS styling and sturdier build make it feel more premium than the price suggests. It runs Ryzen 5000 well for gaming, though as an A520 board there's no CPU overclocking.
One M.2 slot is a mild limitation if you want dual NVMe, but the connectivity is otherwise generous. A sensible middle ground between the cheapest boards and the B550 options. More in our Gigabyte A520 AORUS ELITE review.
Pros
- Better VRM than most A520 boards
- USB 3.2 Gen2 connectivity
- AORUS build quality
Cons
- Only one M.2 slot
- No CPU overclocking on A520
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Basic B450 Build
The ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 is an old warhorse that still turns up cheap. It's B450, so it supports Ryzen 5000 after a BIOS update, and it's about as basic as micro-ATX gets. For the tightest budgets or a simple refresh, it earns a spot among the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100.
You get a single M.2 slot, gigabit LAN, and USB 3.1 on the rear. The VRM is minimal, so stick to a Ryzen 5 5500 or 5600 and you'll be fine. Push a higher-core chip and it'll get warm. Owners have kept these running reliably for years, which counts for something.
The one gotcha: you may need an older CPU or a BIOS flashback to update it for Ryzen 5000, depending on stock. Once sorted, it's a dependable if unexciting board. Read our ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 review.
Pros
- Cheap and proven reliable
- Runs Ryzen 5000 after update
- Compact micro-ATX layout
Cons
- Minimal VRM, low-power CPUs only
- May need a BIOS flash to update
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Budget Intel Pick
Team Intel? The MSI PRO H610M-E DDR4 is the budget Intel entry here. It uses the LGA1700 socket and DDR4 memory, so you can pair it with a cheap 12th or 13th gen Core chip and reuse existing DDR4 RAM. That keeps costs down nicely for an Intel take on the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100.
H610 is Intel's entry chipset, so there's no CPU overclocking and limited expansion. But for a Core i3-12100 or i5-12400, it's a perfect match. You get an M.2 slot, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and a clean MSI BIOS. It's a sensible base for an office PC or an entry gaming rig.
Don't expect frills. Single M.2, basic VRM, no WiFi. What you get is a reliable, no-nonsense Intel platform on the cheap. If you've already got DDR4, it makes a lot of sense. Full detail in our MSI PRO H610M-E DDR4 review.
Pros
- Cheap Intel LGA1700 entry
- Reuses existing DDR4 RAM
- Great with i3 and i5 chips
Cons
- No overclocking or WiFi
- Limited expansion
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Bare-Bones Office
The ASUS Prime A520M-K is the most stripped-back board in this roundup. It's cheap, it's tiny, and it does exactly what it needs to for a basic office or media PC. It rounds out the Best Micro-ATX Motherboards Under £100 as the true no-frills pick.
A520 chipset means no overclocking, and you get a single M.2 slot plus the essential rear ports. The VRM is basic, so a Ryzen 5 5500 or an APU like the 5600G is the sweet spot. For web browsing, office work, and light gaming on integrated graphics, it's absolutely fine and pleasantly reliable thanks to ASUS's usual QC.
There's no WiFi, minimal I/O, and nothing fancy. But if you just need a working AM4 base at the lowest possible ASUS price, it delivers. Best paired with an APU for a compact office box. Read our ASUS Prime A520M-K review.
Pros
- Cheap and dependable ASUS QC
- Great base for APU builds
- Compact micro-ATX size
Cons
- Very basic feature set
- Weak VRM, low-power chips only
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