Best A520 Motherboard of 2023

Users who want to switch to a Ryzen CPU have a variety of motherboard options to choose from when powering their system. If you can locate a good B450 board at its typical retail price, the B450 chipset is still an option and a respectable low-cost alternative. The B550 chipset, a new midrange and affordable option that supports PCIe 4.0, comes next. The top-tier chipset for Ryzen CPUs is the X570. We have hundreds of different motherboard models to pick from when it comes to the sheer amount of motherboards that are offered for various CPU lineups.

Also compatible with the entry-level A520 chipset are Ryzen CPUs. The A520 was recently released by AMD. This chipset is designed for extremely low-cost users, cost-effective office builds, and compact, silent HTPC systems. Many motherboards are powered by this A520, but which designs are the top A520 motherboards available today? Today, we'll try to provide a solution to that query by outlining the Best A520 Motherboard for diverse use cases.

 Check out our list of Best A520 Motherboards suggested by Experts.

• Best ultra-budget A520 motherboard: ASRock A520M-HDV

• Best A520 motherboard for office builds: ASUS Pro A520M-C/CSM

• Best A520 motherboard for a budget gaming rig: ASUS TUF Gaming A520M-Plus Wi-Fi 

• Best A520 motherboard with Wi-Fi connectivity: MSI MAG A520M Vector Wi-Fi

• A520 motherboard with best design: Gigabyte A520M Aorus Elite

• Best Mini-ITX A520 motherboard: ASRock A520M-ITX/ac

1. ASRock A520M-HDV

(Best ultra-budget A520 motherboard)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 2× DDR4 DIMM, max. 64 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16, 1× PCIe x1

• WI-FI: No

Product’s Highlight

The ASRock A520M-HDV is the best extremely affordable A520 motherboard available right now. Since you can combine the board with a reasonable, gaming-grade GPU and a cheap, power-efficient Ryzen CPU, it can be a good option for a HTPC that also runs games.

This board has only a few basic features. It only has one PCIe x16 slot, one PCIe x1 port, and two DIMM slots. The lack of a VRM heatsink is acceptable given that this model isn't intended to run processors that are more potent than, say, the Ryzen 5 3600 or Ryzen 5 5600X.

Other specifications include the Realtek ALC887 audio codec, which is in charge of the audio portion, support for DDR4 4600 memory, four SATA III ports, and one M.2 port. Four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a variety of video outs are located on the board's back. These interfaces are ideal for pairing the board with an APU. One D-Sub, one DVI, and one HDMI port are among these ports.

2. ASUS Pro A520M-C/CSM

(Best A520 motherboard for office builds)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 2× DDR4 DIMM, max. 64 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16, 2× PCIe x1

• WI-FI: No

Product’s Highlight

The ASUS Pro A520M-C/CSM should be considered by anyone looking for the best A520 motherboard for an office PC or a system that can be used in huge corporations. The ASUS board has unique features that are beneficial to IT staff members, such as a Dedicated LPC header and a debug card with an LCD display.

Additionally, you get a quicker BIOS, ASUS Control Center Express (ACCE), which should make IT management simpler, and a board with a moisture-resistant covering that enables customers to use this board in challenging industrial settings.

You're looking at a relatively standard board except from certain elements that are unique to businesses. The Pro A520M-C/CSM supports DDR4 4600 memory and has two DIMM slots. Additionally, it has one M.2 slot and four SATA III slots. Despite having only one PCIe x16 slot, the board also includes two PCIe x1 and one PCI slot for simpler expansion.

Realtek ALC887 audio codec and gigabit LAN are also included. Four USB 3.2 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 ports, as well as a DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI port, are located on the rear panel. One COM port, utilized by numerous industrial devices, is also included on the rear panel.

3. ASUS TUF Gaming A520M-Plus Wi-Fi

(Best A520 motherboard for a budget gaming rig)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 4 × DDR4 DIMM, max. 128 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16, 2× PCIe x1

• WI-FI: No

Product’s Highlight

The ASUS TUF Gaming A520M-Plus is the best A520 motherboard for a low-cost gaming PC. This model should have sufficient VRM to support the 3700X processor, possibly even a 95W SKU. Simply avoid using anything more potent. Four DIMM slots that handle DDR4 memory at up to 4800 MT/s are among the other specifications.

Four SATA III connections and one M.2 slot are also included. One PCIe x16 slot and two PCIe x1 slots are available for expansion. The board includes a Wi-Fi module that supports the Wi-Fi 5 standard, a Gigabit LAN, and a Realtek ALC887 audio codec.

There are two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 port on the rear panel. Additionally, you receive a variety of video connectors, including one DVI, one D-Sub, and one HDMI port. It's important to note that this board also supports RGB. This is a good option for budget-conscious players. 

4. MSI MAG A520M Vector Wi-Fi

(Best A520 motherboard with Wi-Fi connectivity)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 2× DDR4 DIMM, max. 64 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16, 2× PCIe x1

• WI-FI: Yes

Product’s Highlight

Check out the MSI MAG A520M Vector Wi-Fi if you're looking for the best A520 board with a Wi-Fi connection. It is a gaming-focused board that includes Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 5 connection. Other features include one M.2 slot, four SATA III ports, two DIMM slots with DDR4 4600 compatibility, and two DIMM slots.

The board's audio component is powered by the Realtek ALC892 codec, and it has a gigabit LAN for connectivity. You have two PCIe x1 slots and one PCIe x16 slot for expansion. Four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI connector, and one DisplayPort connector are all present on the rear panel.

Overall, this is a good Wi-Fi-enabled budget board; but, if you can find a half-decent B450 board with Wi-Fi connectivity for the same price, grab that one instead. especially if you can find a B450 motherboard for a pittance on the used market.

5.Gigabyte A520M Aorus Elite

(A520 motherboard with best design)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 4× DDR4 DIMM, max. 128 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16, 2× PCIe x1

• WI-FI: Yes

Product’s Highlight

The A520 motherboard with the most attractive design is the Gigabyte A520M Aorus Elite. With the big rear panel shroud and understated Aorus logo that glows brightly at the side of the board, even its mATX variant looks sleek.

The ATX version, on the other hand, contains a few RGB effects, which is pretty cool to see on such an affordable motherboard. Overall, the Aorus elite motherboard is the only A520 board that is concerned with its aesthetics, making it the most attractive A520 motherboard.

6. ASRock A520M-ITX/ac

(Best Mini-ITX A520 motherboard)

Product’s Specifications:

• MEMORY: 2× DDR4 DIMM, max. 64 GB

• STORAGE: 1× M.2, 4× SATA III

• EXPANSION SLOTS: 1× PCIe x16

• WI-FI: Yes

Product’s Highlight

The greatest Mini-ITX A520 board is the last but not the least. The ASRock board won out because it had a superior, 8-phase VRM out of two variants offered by Gigabyte and ASRock.

For a Mini-ITX board using the low-cost A520 chipset, the ASRock A520M-ITX/ac has some impressive specifications. The board has two DIMM slots that can accommodate DDR4 4733 memory. Next, you got one M.2 slot with a heatsink and four SATA III connections, which is wonderful to see. There is also one PCIe x16 slot, which is the only expansion slot available.

There is gigabit LAN connectivity as well as a Wi-Fi card that supports Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 5 speeds. The audio portion is powered by the Realtek ALC887 codec. Two USB 2.0, three USB 3.2 Gen 1, and one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port are all located on the rear panel. Another welcome discovery One HDMI and one DisplayPort connectors are also located on the back panel.

This Mini-ITX board is reasonably well-equipped overall and should make a good choice for a quiet, low-powered HTPC or any low-cost Mini-ITX gaming builds.

First off, gamers should steer clear of A520 boards unless they are searching for a very cheap motherboard that can support entry-level gaming CPUs like the Ryzen 3 3300X or the Ryzen 5 3600.

Even then, you should consider purchasing a motherboard from the B450 or B550 price range. Better VRMs and more USB lanes are available with the first option, and PCIe 4.0 capability is also available with the latter.

Check out the A520 alternatives if you're seeking for a base for a reasonably priced and dependable office computer. There are a few boards made expressly for office requirements. They have features like ports that aren't often available on most new motherboards, like legacy video ports (did someone mention VGA?).

Increased security and long endurance are other features of these A520 variants designed for offices. Just keep in mind that AMD 3000 APUs, such as the Ryzen 5 3400G and Ryzen 3 3200G, are incompatible with the A520 boards.

Wait until the Ryzen 4000 series APUs begin to be sold to the general market if you wish to match an AMD APU and the A520 motherboard. APUs from the 4000 series are currently exclusively accessible to OEMs. This is why using the A520 is preferable than combining a low-cost APU (such as the Athlon 3000G) with a budget-friendly B450 board. In addition to having to wait for 4000 APUs, you'll also end up paying extra because the new APUs are pretty pricey.

Is the A520 motherboard reliable?

Should you buy a motherboard for an A520? First off, gamers should steer clear of A520 boards unless they are searching for a very cheap motherboard that can support entry-level gaming CPUs like the Ryzen 3 3300X or the Ryzen 5 3600. Even so, you should consider purchasing a B450 or a B550 motherboard.

Is A520 suitable for the 5600X?

With 6 cores and 12 threads, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a mid-range processor that is compatible with motherboards A520, B550, and X570.

Does A520 allow overclocking?

The A-series chipsets from AMD do not support CPU overclocking, as you are fully aware. BCLK (base clock) overclocking looks to be performing flawlessly on the Gigabyte A520M H motherboard, as demonstrated by Buildzoid.

Overall, even though the A520 is a fairly inexpensive chipset, we advise purchasing a budget B450 board rather than an A520 motherboard. If they choose a low-cost B550 board, gamers will get more connectivity options, better VRMs (on some B450 motherboards), or even PCIe 4.0 capability.

And rather than waiting for the general public to begin purchasing 4000 APUs, customers looking for a motherboard and CPU combination for their office PC setups may get the lowest B450 board right away and pair it with a cost-effective APU (such the Athlon 3000G).