What is the best Intel Z390 motherboard?
Are you tempted by one of Intel’s latest processors and want the best Intel motherboard to be compatible?The Intel Z390 platform can be used to build all kinds of computers, from affordable everyday machines to high-end work machines and 4K gaming.
But it’s hard to know which one to choose, with motherboards varying wildly in terms of price and features.
So while there is a lot of when it comes to choosing parts, it also means a lot of potential for confusion, especially if you’re not used to browsing Intel motherboard spec lists.
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve sifted through the market to find the top eight cards, which have been tested for performance, functionality, and value, so you can come to a conclusion that might be.
In the spotlight in your next rig. , whatever your budget or what you want to accomplish.
5 Best Intel Z390 Motherboard To Buy in 2021
Below is the list of top motherboards for for intel z390 which are good in performance.
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Elite Motherboard
About this item
- Supports 9th and 8th Intel Core processors
- Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Intel Optane Memory Ready
- 12+1 Phases digital VRM solution with DrMOS
- Advanced thermal design with screw mounted heatsinks
- Alc1220-vb enhance 114db(rear)/ 110db(front) SNR in microphone with WIMA Audio Capacitors
- Intel Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS MASTER Motherboard
About this item
- Supports 9th and 8th Intel Core processors
- Dual Channel Non ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Intel Optane Memory Ready. I/O Controller is iTE I/O Controller Chip
- 12 phases IR digital VRM solution with power stage. Bluetooth 5
- Advanced thermal design with Fins Array heatsink and direct touch Heat pipe
- Onboard Intel CNVi 802.11AC 2×2 wave 2 Wi Fi
- 125dB SNR Amp Up Audio with ALC1220 & HIGH END ESS Sabre 9118 DAC with WIMA Audio Capacitors
MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE Motherboard
About this item
- Supports 9th i9-9900K, i7-9700K, i5-9600K and 8th Generation Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron processors for LGA 1151 socket
- Supports dual channel DDR4 memory, up to 4600(OC) MHz
- Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wi-Fi, 2x Killer E2500 LAN, Turbo U.2, 3x Turbo M.2 with M.2 Shield Frozr, Dual Front USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C
- Mystic Light Infinity: 16.8 million colors / 29 effects. Connect RGB or RAINBOW LED strips with addressable headers and create an RGB gaming PC. Control Mystic Light SYNC enabled products
- Built for hardcore gaming, extreme overclocking, and demanding content creation. DirectX:12
MSI Z390-A PRO Motherboard
About this item
- Supports 9th i9-9900K, i7-9700K, i5-9600K and 8th Generation Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron processors for LGA 1151 socket
- Supports dual channel ddr4 memory, up to 4400(oc) MHz
- Turbo M.2: PCI-E gen3 x4 interfACe maximizes performance for NVME SSDS
- Core boost, 8+4 pin CPU power connector, ddr4 boost
- Built for reliable operation
- Operating system – Support for windows 10 64-bit
- Intel turbo USB 3.1 gen2: powered by intel USB 3.1 gen2 controller, turbo USB ensures an uninterrupted connection with more stability and fastest USB speeds
- Multi-gpu: With steel armor pci-e slots. Supports 2-way amd crossfire
- Extended heatsink design: msi extended pwm and enhanced circuit design ensures even high-end processors to run in full speed.
ASRock Motherboard
About this item
- LGA1151 Supports 9th and 8th Generation Intel Core Processors
- Chipset: Intel Z390.Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- Memory: 2x DDR4 DIMM Slots, Dual Channel, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, Max Capacity of 32GB.Supports Bluetooth 5.0 + High speed class II
- Slots: 1x PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Slot
- SATA: 4x SATA3 Ports Support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10
Motherboards are subjected to a demanding suite of benchmark tests. We run Geekbench 4 to test the speed of single-core and multi-core applications, and Maxon’s Cinebench R15 to test OpenGL processor and GPU performance.
We use CrystalDiskMark to test NVMe and SATA storage speeds, and SiSoft Sandra to assess memory performance and processor arithmetic speeds.
3DMark: Fire Strike, 3D Mark: Time Spy, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are run to assess the playing ability.
Then we test the energy efficiency by measuring the power consumption of the card when idling and when running Prime95’s CPU performance test.
The test bench uses:
- Intel Core i7-9700K processor running at original speed (3.6 GHz)
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
- Samsung 970 Evo M.2 SSD
- Samsung 860 EVO SATA SSD
- 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz memory
The Intel Z390 chipset
The Intel Z390 chipset was introduced in October 2018 and is a revision of the Z370 chipset introduced in 2017.
So this is an upgrade to existing hardware rather than something new, meaning it still uses the LGA 1151 socket which has been around since 2015.
It also means that Intel Z390 motherboards support 8th and 9th generation Coffee Lake processors, such as Core i5-8600K, Core i7-8700K, and Core i7-9700K.
Keep in mind, however, that the 9th Generation of Coffee Lake has better Turbo speeds, more cores, improved thermal performance, and fixes for the infamous Meltdown and Specter vulnerabilities. If you have older hardware, or just want the newest kit inside your PC, then they are definitely worth the upgrade.
Motherboards that use the older Z370 chipset support 8th gen chips, but they will need firmware updates to support 9th gen hardware. Likewise, you’ll need to use a BIOS update if you want to run an eight-generation processor on a Z390 card.
So what can this chipset handle – and what has changed since the Z370?
Since the Z390 is a revision of the Z370, many chipset upgrades are minor or scalable. You still get support for DDR4, for example, but the maximum allocation of the 64 GB Z370 has been doubled to 128 GB.
Additionally, while the Z370 supports 10 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, the Z390 supports these 10 plus up to six faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports.
The Z390 also maintains the native support for the six SATA 3 ports and also the 14 USB 2 ports, and its PCI and bandwidth also support levels remain unchanged.
In short, you will have no problem running a few graphics cards on any card as long as it supports the relevant AMD CrossFire or Nvidia SLI protocols. Support for SATA RAID and Intel Optane memory remains unchanged.
Intel has added native 802.11ac wireless internet support for Z390, but many motherboard manufacturers will add their own wireless chips, especially on more expensive boards.
This is a review of Intel’s high-end chipset, so it’s no surprise that this platform is well served by beefy processors.
There are currently four 9th generation Core i5 processors available for general purchase. The most common are the Core i5-9400, which costs around £165, and the unlocked Core i5-9600K, which costs around £250. Users of the Core i7 can opt for the Core i7-9700K, which costs around £370. There’s also the Core i9-9900K, which has eight cores and costs £500.
Eighth generation chips will work with Z390 motherboards, which will save you money if you don’t want to buy a new processor alongside a new card. This means that a large number of Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 parts will continue to perform flawlessly on this new motherboard hardware.
However, it’s worth remembering that the versions of the Z370 are still perfectly fine and the Z390 only offers an incremental upgrade over its immediate predecessor – so it’s not worth upgrading.
If you have a relatively modern system.If you’ve got a squeaky old PC, the Z390 is a great upgrade path.
Key considerations on the motherboard
It’s worth thinking about the chipset when buying a new motherboard, but it’s not the only area that deserves special attention.
Pay attention to the memory slots on a new motherboard. Each board in this test has four, which gives a good margin for the future.
Some cheaper or smaller motherboards, however, will only have two slots, and you should check the specifications of any card if you want to run the memory at particularly fast speeds or in huge amounts.
PCI sockets are also important, as they contain graphics cards, PCI SSDs, and wireless cards. Each motherboard will be able to run a single graphics card, but you will need to be more careful if you want to run two GPUs, or if you want to use a large number of M.2 or PCI SSDs in your machine.
Some motherboards don’t have enough bandwidth to bypass all of these components. This means that their performance will be reduced.
Make sure that a motherboard has enough SATA ports and M.2 connectors for all the storage you want to include in a new version. And also verify that the M.2 connectors are able to use all the bandwidth provided by their PCI-E x4 connections – otherwise, storage speeds will suffer.
Motherboards also tend to be covered by tiny connectors. They handle processor cooling, USB connectivity, all of your PC’s front panel connections, and your system’s case lighting and fans.
All motherboards will have enough connections for basic front panel USB connectivity, basic fan bays, and basic cooling.
However, if you want to have synced RGB LEDs, complex water cooling, lots of USB ports, or more fans in your machine, then this is an area worth paying attention to. It is not good to buy a case or charge of water cooling equipment, only to find out that it is not compatible with your new motherboard.
Also take a look at audio and networking. The Gigabit Ethernet and basic audio equipment included in all motherboards will be perfect for day-to-day computing, but if you play online games, handle high-end business tasks, or run creative tools, it’s fine.
Is one area where you will need more grunt. Many motherboards are enhanced audio chipsets with DACs, and many of them have wireless internet. Many also have hardened wired network connections that prioritize gaming traffic or allow higher speeds.
And then, finally, think about the form factor. Most of the cards in this Z390 group test use the standard ATX form factor, which means they fit seamlessly into mid-size and full-size enclosures.