Best LGA 1155 Motherboard In 2023 – Top 8 Rated Reviews

One of, if not the most important component of your computer is the motherboard. But choosing the right one can be tricky. And to make things more confusing, many manufactures like Intel and Asus stuff their motherboards with features that no one really understands.

There are two main factors that are important when choosing a motherboard. One, the chipset/CPU socket, and two, the form factor. The rest of the features are added bonuses.

So how do you choose the best LGA 1155 motherboard?

We have tested eight of the top LGA 1155 motherboards to help you find the best one for you. Our Buyer’s Guide offers an in-depth explanation of the benefits of these models as well as tips for selecting the correct one for your purposes.

Top 8 Best LGA 1155 Motherboard In 2023 Reviews

1 ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 – Best LGA 1155 Motherboard for Overclocking

We started by testing the P8Z77-V PRO, which is an excellent all-around motherboard. The P8Z77-V PRO is an upgrade from its predecessor. Although it is in the same price range and has the same performance, it has a lot more features.

The P8Z77-V PRO is ASUS’s most impressive LGA 1155 motherboard. It has a nice design with black and bluish styling and more than enough features to impress even the hardcore gamers. This motherboard was designed for those who want to be able to do pretty much anything rather than just focus on a few areas. The price is reasonable considering what you get, but it is not cheap.

Overclocking and speed…

Although ASUS has a few motherboards that are overclocking monsters, the P8Z77-V PRO is not far behind. We tweaked and twitched and managed to overclock it to 4.8Ghz, which is very impressive. We were also able to get a few impressive numbers out of it. Without invalidating the warranty, we might add. When we first installed the board, the Core i7 3770K ran at 3.9Ghz, which is not bad right out of the box.

Impressive BIOS…

What impressed us the most was the BIOS. It is actually running a new Visual BIOS, which was both easy to use and had impressive functionality.

The only issue we could really find was the lack of USB ports. With only two USB 2.0 and four USB 3.0, it can become a real issue, especially if you want to connect more hardware or displays. You can, however, expand with another pair of USB 3.0 ports through a back-plate that is supplied by ASUS.

Our verdict…

The P8Z77-V PRO is a well-priced LGA 1155 board with an impressive performance. It is also one of the fastest motherboards we tested, after overclocking to 4.8Ghz. What we liked the most is that it is a real competitor and stands up well against many other high-end boards.

Since it is designed to be an all-around board, it has a bunch of display outputs, but this leaves very little room for USB connectivity, which is a real let down on an otherwise next to perfect motherboard.

Our rating: (4.5 / 5)

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2 Intel DH67BL MicroATX LGA 1155 – Best Home Theatre LGA 1155 Motherboard

The second LGA board we tested was the Intel DH67BL. This was designed for the everyday user and does, therefore, sadly not allow for any overclocking. It’s a shame because we would really have liked to put this board to the test and see what it could muster. But you’re stuck with what you get out of the box.

Was the micro-ATX the way to go?

This Intel H67 chipset micro-ATX board will, because of its form factor, fit into most chassis. But we found it a bit small to be able to fit everything we wanted on the board. One PCIe 2.0 x 16 plus two PCIe x 1 slots are not enough, at least not for us. It does have a standard PCI slot as well, but honestly, how often do we use those?

Five SATA connectors, of which only two are SATA 3.0 is also on the shorter side of things. To make things even worse, only three fans. One for the GPU and two for the chassis can lead to things getting really hot inside your case. The header pins for the front are located near the center of the board, where you don’t really expect to find them. Unfortunately, all of these “issues” are because of the lack of space on the board.

A bit of light at the end of the tunnel…

There is, however, a saving grace. The DH67BL has an outstanding visual performance thanks to the features on the board. The i7 processor is quite a decent performer, but the real improvement is in the graphics. Sharper images and richer colors, along with near life-like audio and video, brighten up things a lot.

The firmware…

The motherboard uses the UEFI firmware, which is a kind of BIOS. It has a wide range of options and is very easy to use. You can configure both the motherboard and processor features through this firmware, which adds to its value.

Our verdict…

The Intel Desktop Board DH67BL is very low priced, making it the right choice for a family PC or home theater PC. Gamers should look elsewhere! All-in-all it is a good, reliable all-around LGA 1155 motherboard that delivers. However, the performance could be better, but it is perfect for anyone that will take advantage of the onboard graphics.

Our rating: (4.4 / 5)

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3 ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM LGA 1155 – Best Budget LGA 1155 Motherboard

This is a budget, micro-ATX board, which we found makes the specs and features a bit limited. It does, however, have some nice and useful tweaking abilities. It doesn’t have any HDMI output for the processor’s onboard graphics, but it has a DVI and VGA port. This is without a doubt the cheapest LGA 1155 board we have ever tested, but it does have a few pros up its sleeve.

As it is a micro-ATX, it comes with the four usual slots. One PCIe x 16, two PCIe x 1, and the standard PCI slot. The problem here is, when we connected a graphics card, we found it impossible not to block one of the PCIe x 1 slots. There are only two memory slots that add to the cost if you want to upgrade from 4 GB to 8GB, which is also the limit.

ASUS UEFI firmware and overclocking…

Using the UEFI firmware makes it easy to set it up for Windows. It’s actually more of a drop and drag to select your boot devices in the correct order. Two options, EZ and advanced, are included in the firmware. We won’t go into serious detail about what they do, but the advanced mode looks a lot more like the classic BIOS.

Choosing the EZ mode makes overclocking a piece of cake. Simply clicking on one of the three buttons: Power Saving, Normal, or ASUS Optimal, automatically clocks the processor to your preferred speed. There is also a Turbo mode. We didn’t see a significant difference until we used the ASUS AI Suite. It pushed the processor and GPU speed to its limits and gave us the speed we desired. This had an impact on the FPS on certain games we tested.

Our verdict…

The P8H61-m LE is a nice, small motherboard. It does have some competition, but even so, we were impressed with the UEFI setup and automatic overclocking. The specs are a bit low to recommend it to anyone else but the average user.

With only two memory slots and the fact that it has no USB 3.0 ports, the points come down on this LGA 1155 motherboard. But if you are looking for a Sandy Bridge board and find yourself with low cash flow, this could be what you are looking for.

Our rating: (4.2 / 5)

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4 Intel Desktop Motherboard DH77KC LGA 1155 – Best Support LGA 1155 Motherboard for Dedicated Graphics Card

The DH77KC is good enough for any mainstream user, as it supports both 2nd and 3rd gen i7 processors. Being an ATX board, it has plenty of slots and will still get into most chassis. It is also expandable if needed. We found that the compatibility with other components was also excellent, and we didn’t experience any issues while installing all our peripherals.

Ports and connectivity…

Two SATA 3.0 ports take care of your storage needs, but you will do best to use high-performance drivers to fully take advantage of the bandwidth. If you need more storage space, three more SATA 2.0 slots are available.

The one downside we found is that for some reason, it doesn’t support onboard graphics? This means that you’ll have to add to the cost by buying a dedicated graphics card or a processor that has a GPU, like the AMD APU processors.

No multiple card support…

There is one PCIe x 16 slot, so it can support any of the latest graphic cards. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support multiple cards via NVIDIA SLI or AMD crossfire, which is a shame without integrated graphics.

It does have HDMI, DisplayPort, and DVI connectors, all supporting dual independent display for Intel integrated HD Graphics, so you will do best to buy a processor that supports that. Four memory slots give you 32 GB of RAM, which is enough for any dedicated gamer.

Where the ASUS P8Z77-V PRO lacks, the DH77KC excels…

There is no complaining about the abundance of USB ports on the DH77KC. Ten, yes, ten USB 2.0 slots and four USB 3.0 slots allow you to connect everything between heaven and earth. Intel also didn’t spare any costs when it comes to the features. The Intel Turbo Boost and Hyper Threading Technology are the two most significant features, but it also has a ton of other advantageous features.

This makes the DH77KC a real competitor in its price range, but still, the lack of onboard graphics could make some people look in another direction.

Our verdict…

The only genuinely negative thing we can point out about the DH77KC is that it doesn’t have onboard graphics. It makes this otherwise incredible motherboard fall short, almost crashing to the ground. The price is reasonable, and the performance is excellent. If you don’t mind spending extra cash on a dedicated graphics card, which we highly recommend anyway, this is one of the best LGA 1155 motherboards on the market.

Our rating: (4 / 5)

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5 Intel Desktop Board DP67BL LGA 1155 – Best Voltage Control LGA 1155 Motherboard

The Intel Desktop motherboard version of the DH67BL is not much different from the micro-ATX version when it comes to components and features. However, there are a few variations. The price is the biggest of them. Both are considered micro-ATX boards, but the price on this version drops to nearly half compared to its sister board.

Better with a dedicated graphics card…

The size is also a factor, even though they are almost the same size. It supports onboard graphics, but we would still recommend you buy a dedicated card because the graphics are not all that on this board.

We won’t dive too deep in this review since both DH67BL motherboards are basically the same, but some things are worth mentioning. With the same number of slots, it is frustrating that there is still a lack of space. Not to mention the lack of ports. Considering the price, it is still a great board, though, and has a few premium features to its name.

Some fancy features…

It was designed with voltage control to be able to maximize the DIMM compatibility. This ranges from 1.2 to 1.8 V. Two SATA 3.0 ports optimize loading times, and the board supports the latest Core i7 processors. Maximizing the CPU speed is also easy, which we found very useful while playing games.

Our verdict…

The wide range of features combined with the low price makes this a top contender in our search for the best 1155 LGA motherboard. HD graphics and excellent performance will impress most people. And gamers actually love this motherboard.

Installation is easy, and the overall feel is really nice. You can also easily upgrade the RAM if you find it insufficient. All-in-all a great all-around board, especially if you are a little tight on cash. Although it is a bit small, even though it is bigger than the micro-ATX, and it could use more ports.

Our rating: (4.4 / 5)

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6 ASUS P8B75-M/CSM LGA 1155 – Best Performance LGA 1155 Motherboard

Next up is the P8B75-M, another micro-ATX motherboard with a lot of features at a very reasonable price. GPU boost, LucidLogix, and ASUS UEFI firmware are just a few.

Very enjoyable…

Testing the B75 reminded us of the Intel BP67BL, which is actually not surprising considering they’re in the same price range and share many features. It supports the 2nd and 3rd gen processors, but if you are a gamer, we would recommend the Core i7. It’s actually a great board, which we really enjoyed.

However, like on most boards, there is room for improvement, like the I/O shield, which doesn’t exist. Just like other ASUS boards, it has the UEFI firmware, which is not only easier to use but helps you overclock with ease as well. The GPU boost was actually a nice surprise and provided both fast and stable upgrades. Honestly, it didn’t improve our clock speed that much, but it did boost the GPU 13%.

The LucidLogix Virtu MVP…

We need to mention this feature because it boosts your discrete graphics card by up to 60%. The only downside is that if you are on Windows 10, you need to install it manually, which can take a while. Anyway, once installed it and it worked perfectly for most graphics since it takes advantage of the fast iGPU.

A really nice feature for gamers is the virtual sync. This made our gameplay a lot smoother and enjoyable. The virtual sync also works while watching fast-paced movies and just made our whole experience so much better.

Ports and other stuff…

The B75 has enough ports to keep any user satisfied, but we would still have liked to see a few more. Four memory slots allow you to upgrade to 32 GB of RAM. Which, combined with the six SATA 3.0 slots, should be more than enough. But it just isn’t. Maybe it’s because we want to use every available peripheral, but there just never seems to be enough ports?

You can expand, though, if you, like us, need more ports. Already integrated is one PCIe 3.0, four USB 2.0, and two USB 3.0 ports.

Exclusive ASUS features…

We won’t go into great detail about features, but we will mention a few, just because there are so many on this board. GPU boost, EPU, Network iControl, Anti-Surge protection, FanXpert, and AI Suite II takes this board over the top. If you want in-depth details about the different features, you can easily find them on the ASUS website.

Our verdict…

An excellent board for its price. Being fully stacked with features makes the B75 a great all-around board that can compete with the best. Outstanding performance and power leave you with little else to wish for, except for more ports.

If you want nothing but the best in this price range, the ASUS P8B75-M is the way to go.

Our rating: (4 / 5)

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7 ASUS M5A78L-M Plus – Best Low Cost LGA 1155 Motherboard

With only two boards left to test, we move on to the ASUS M5A78L-M Plus. This is another cost-effective LGA 1155 motherboard from ASUS. Even though it’s low in price, it still has some really nice features like overclocking, using less power, and the L3 cache. Because of it being a budget board, the features are few, but the ones that it has are excellent.

Most of them can be found on the P8B75-M, which, of course, is not very surprising, seeing how they both are from ASUS. Like most boards in our review today, this is also a micro-ATX board.

Overclocking the M5A78L-M…

The M5A78L-M will never win any overclocking competitions, which you can actually tell by the price. But you can, with the help of a cheaper cooler and an AMD 3+ CPU, overclock it to 4.0Ghz. The overclocking is still moderate but made a huge difference in both performance and gameplay, compared to out of the box.

The M5A78L-M is full of surprises in ways, like the two USB 3.0 ports and the four memory slots. Those are things you don’t usually see on a board in this price range.

Another thing that rattled us was the lack of SATA 3.0 ports. It only uses SATA 2.0, which is quite annoying. Our SSD did speed things up but not by much.

Graphics and BIOS…

We would highly recommend a graphics card rather than the integrated graphics. The onboard graphics were laggy and pixely, even with 32 GB of RAM. Since it doesn’t use the UEFI firmware, you can’t install your OS with a USB, which would save you some time. For the BIOS itself, it looks like something from the 90s, and you can’t customize it a whole lot.

Two PCI ports, one PCIe, and one PCI are not even close to being enough, but if you are satisfied with onboard graphics, it will do just fine.

Our verdict…

This is the perfect board if you quickly need to replace your old motherboard for one reason or the other. It is not a bad motherboard, and it is very cheap. It fits in almost any mid to large tower case. Changing options and configuring things in the BIOS is pretty simple, even if a few more options wouldn’t kill us. If you don’t have more than 100 bucks to spare on a motherboard, this is definitely for you.

Our rating: (4.4 / 5)

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8 Genuine Dell Optiplex 3020 MT – Best LGA 1155 Motherboard for Core i3

Last up is the Dell Optiplex 3020 MT, which was mainly designed for Dell’s mini-tower case, even if it does fit in other cases as well. You also become limited in your processor choice because it only supports either the Core i5 or the i3. And with no turbo boost to try to speed things up, it is less than ideal for anyone other than the average user.

The chipset does provide decent graphics using Intel’s HD graphics, which is still a considerable step down from Sandy Bridge graphics, but still, it works. One PCIe x 1 and one PCIe x 16, limits the number of cards and drives you can install. No SATA ports…not even SATA 2.0, which is unforgivable today, is just sad.

There are some positives…

There are fortunately a few ports available so you can attach external drives. Even though those are limited to two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports. This is actually ok for a mini-board of this size. And you can’t really expect more. A DisplayPort and a VGA make for the display connections. It also supports Bluetooth 4.0, which is impressive, as well as onboard Wi-Fi.

Even with the Core i5, the Optiplex is far from a powerhouse. It is more like an ultraportable, with test scores more like a notebook than a desktop. The integrated graphics are decent, even though most boards with a discrete card are faster. Though it may be slow, it will at least work with software that needs 3D acceleration. But barely!

Then again, who in their right mind would buy a board like this anyway if you were using it for graphic-intense activity? It’s not a bad board for the average user and will perform everyday tasks without a hitch, but not much more than that.

Our verdict…

If you are searching for an LGA 1155 board with decent graphics or good performance, don’t choose this board. Even though it is an all-around motherboard, it just lacks in every aspect. The price is reasonable, and you get exactly what you pay for. We didn’t expect much, and the Dell Optiplex 3020 MT didn’t give us much.

Our rating: (5 / 5)

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Best LGA 1155 Motherboard Buyers Guide

For those of you who need it, let’s start with the basics.

What Does LGA 1155 Mean?

LGA 1155 is a CPU socket; it is also commonly known as Socket H2. LGA stands for Land Grid Array and basically means that the socket is designed to have the pins on the socket rather than on the circuit. Two other common sockets are the Ball Grid Array and the Pin Grid Array. Different processors and motherboards are compatible with various sockets. LGA 1155 sockets have higher compatibility, which makes them a better buy, generally.

As we said at the start of this review, buying a motherboard isn’t easy, and there are many factors to consider. This following guide is pretty general and applies to all motherboards, not only LGA 1155 boards.

Three important things to consider are:

How Much Should You Invest In An LGA 1155 Motherboard?

That depends on your needs and what you want out of the board you are looking at. Performance usually being the most critical factor. Prices on motherboards range from the low fifty’s to over thousands of dollars. For most, it will be better to decide on a viable budget and buy the best you can within that framework.

What CPU Are You Using?

The CPU you plan to use with your board will narrow down your options. Most CPU sockets will only work with the chip-line it was designed for.

What Ports Do You Need?

The I/O is always important to check. Make sure it has the connections you need before buying the board. Another tip is to check the USB headers on the motherboard. These add more ports to the front of the case. Another option is to add brackets to the back of the case to expand the number of ports.

How Many Memory Slots Do You Need?

High-end boards often have four memory slots, although the HEDT boards sometimes offer eight. The smaller mini-ITX boards usually only have two slots, which is something to consider.

The number of memory slots determines how much RAM you can install. If you are a mainstream gamer, 16 GB is sufficient, and 32 GB is more than enough. It is possible to install 32 GB with only two slots, but two sticks of 16 GB will cost a lot more than four sticks of 8 GB.

Which Chipset Should You Get?

The CPU will decide which chipset you can use. For example, if you’re looking to buy high-end AMD or Intel Chips, you will be limited to Intel’s X299 or AMD’s X399. For average users who want to install a single card and a few drives, you get many more options.

Audio?

If you are not an audiophile and are merely looking for a good sound, the onboard audio will do just fine. The codec used on the motherboard will define the audio quality. There is still always the option to buy a dedicated sound card or USB speakers, but just make sure that your motherboard supports it.

Are aesthetics important?

Some users never see the inside of the case unless it is shut down with the panels off. Usually, while installing or removing hardware. If this is the case for you, you don’t need flashy motherboards with extravagant RGB lighting or other effects.

However, if your case does have glass panels, you should consider buying a board that you like looking at, with lighting, if that’s what you prefer. One thing you might consider here, though, is that a dark board often makes it harder to install components simply because it is harder to see.

More Great Hardware Reviews?

No problem, we’re stacked! So, don’t miss our Best Sound Card Review, our Best RX 580 Graphics Card Review, and our Best GTX 1080 Ti Graphics Card Review!

Want to show it off your new motherboard? Streamlinists can head to our Best Mini ITX Cases Reviews, and heavy-weights should check out our Best Full Tower Case Reviews! For those packing a severe load, we highly recommend our review of the Best Hard Drive Duplicator Docking Station Reviews for 2023.

In the market for a monitor? Check out our in-depth ASUS VG279Q Review versus the ASUS VG248QE Gaming Monitor Review. Or if you’re not into ASUS, check out our Samsung C 32HG70 Review or our Aurus AD27QD Review!

Back to the best LGA 1155 boards…

So, What Is The Best LGA 1155 Motherboard?

After testing eight different boards to find the best of the lot, the board that really impressed us the most was the…

The price is excellent, and its performance is superb. The BIOS was easy-to-use and straightforward. The only downside with the P8Z77-V PRO is the USB connectivity. We would have preferred to see more USB ports. Other than that, we really loved this board.

If the price is a little too steep for you, we highly recommend the…

A great, affordable board with great features and good performance.

Enjoy your new board!