Published May 6, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT Hamlin has been in the tech field for over seven years. Since 2017, his work has appeared on MakeUseOf , OSXDaily, Beebom, MashTips, and more. He served as the Senior Editor for MUO for two years before joining XDA. He uses a Windows PC for desktop use and a MacBook for traveling, but dislikes some of the quirks of macOS. You're more likely to catch him at the gym or on a flight than anywhere else. When people talk about future-proofing their PCs, the motherboard is usually the first part they justify spending extra on. I can see why, though. You splurge on a board that supports PCIe 5.0, USB4, 5G/10G LAN, and more M.2 slots, and you suddenly feel like you're set for years. To be fair, that's exactly how I used to convince myself when I bought an X570 motherboard for my previous build. But the thing is, motherboards don't really age the way you expect them to unless you were quick to jump onto a new platform early.…