Gigabyte’s Z890 Aorus Elite Duo X lands square in the mid-range sweet spot, offering ample connectivity, five M.2 sockets, native Arrow Lake Refresh support, and CQDIMM compatibility, all for a compelling sub-$280 price.

Colorful’s iGame X870E Vulcan OC V14 is a capable premium mid-range motherboard built for overclocking, thanks to its robust power delivery, cooling, and design. It faces tough competition at its price point, but remains a solid, feature-rich option under $700.

Gigabyte’s X870E Aorus Xtreme X3D AI Top delivers flagship-class hardware and excellent performance at a comparatively lower price, balancing high-end features, comprehensive connectivity, and even AI-focused tools for premium AM5 builds.

New AGESA updates are bringing EXPO 1.2 support to more and more 800-series AM5 motherboards, but CUDIMM support remains only partial. Because Zen 4 and 5's IMC is incompatible with CUDIMM, it can only run in bypass mode with limited speeds. Moreover, older 600-series motherboards are now also expected to get EXPO 1.2 support later.