The Intel Core i9-10900K ( Amazon ) is a flagship processor providing users with an exceptional gaming experience. Based on Comet Lake architecture, it has ten cores and 20 threads. It is tested and proved to give gamers unparalleled gaming performance. To unleash its fullest potential, you need to pick the best motherboard for i9 10900k. Due to newly introduced Hyper-threading technology, content creation has become more fast and smooth. It comes with an essential Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics card. In addition, it has tremendous overclocking potential with a boost frequency of 5.3GHz.
To unleash the full potential of this beast-like machine, a suitable and deserving i9 10900K motherboard shall be selected. There are many vital points to be kept in mind while choosing a motherboard for a particular processor. For shortlisting the best motherboard for i9-10900K, we need to make sure that the respective motherboard neither underutilizes nor overkills the potential of this processor. Furthermore, the motherboard shall be future-friendly, allowing you to upgrade your PC in the future. It is like the foundation of a building. If the foundation is strong, then the whole structure will be strengthened. Here are some essential shopping tips described for you to make the best decision regarding your motherboard.
Quick Shopping Tips:
Chipsets and Sockets: The first and foremost thing to select your motherboard is the type of socket your processor has to ensure the motherboard supports the processor and is compatible with it. Intel i9 10900K has LGA 1200 socket type; therefore, we need to select a board with the same socket. Different chipsets provide support to various combinations of components like RAM and GPUs.
Form Factor: The form factor represents the size of a motherboard. In form factor selection, the most important thing is to decide what PC size you want to buy, how many components you will want to configure now, and how much you want to update in the future. Some of the examples of form factors are ATX, mini ATX, and micro ATX.
Expansion slots: Motherboards can accommodate various components. These devices can be a sound card, ethernet controller, graphics card, and storage devices. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express are the slots used for expansion. PCIe comes in 2 sizes, and the most commonly used are PCIe x1 and x16. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have enough expansion slots of an appropriate size suited for your present and future needs.
RAM: Your PC needs to store information while it is performing different tasks. RAM performs this function and is inserted into the motherboard via dual in-line memory modules. RAM plays a vital role in the performance of a PC while gaming. So you need to choose the motherboard according to your usage. If you want to use your PC for high-end gaming and content creation, you shall select a motherboard with more RAM slots and vice versa.
Best Motherboards For i9 10900K at a glance:
- GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme
- ASUS ROG Maximus XII Apex
- MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE
- Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE AC
- MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi
- ASUS Z490-E ROG STRIX GAMING
- ASUS ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming WiFi
- MSI MEG Z490I Unify
The Best Motherboards For i9 10900K You Can Buy Today
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme
Best Premium Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 Express | Form Factor: E-ATX | Voltage Regulator: 16+1 Phases | PCIe x16: 3 | USB Ports: 12 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ WiFi 6 and BT 5.0
✓ Quad-GPU support
✓ Tri M.2 slot and Thunderbolt 3
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCIe x1 slots
✗ Glitchy default BIOS settings
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS XTREME is the best premium motherboard for i9 10900K. Being a flagship and best motherboard for i9 10900k, it offers next-generation network, storage, and Wifi connectivity. The built quality is robust, and the design of PCI connectors is one-piece stainless steel for providing rugged connectivity to graphic cards. BIOS has a new user interface, storage information, changelogs, and much more. This board offers an AQUANTIA ethernet controller to grab media and gaming clients, which supports up to 10 GB of network connectivity.
This motherboard design comprises six SATA ports and three M.2 (speed up to 32Gbps) ports with full SSD thermal guards. There are 4 DIMM slots with clock speeds up to 5000MHz. For the hi-fi gaming experience, it offers powerful quality sound with its onboard sound card. The aesthetics beautifully incorporate the LED lights around the motherboard that the user can control and customize. Full RGB support and fusion 2.0 application give full LED control to the user. This board is an all-in-one package, delivering maximum performance with mesmerizing looks.
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Apex
Best Flagship Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Form Factor: ATX | Voltage Regulator: 16 Phases | PCIe x16: 2 | USB Ports: 11 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Overclockers toolkit
✓ V-Shaped SATA cutout
✓ ROG SupremeFX audio
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCIe 4.0 support
✗ Obstructed CPU heatsinks
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Apex is a top-of-the-line platform for gaming and high-end content creation that has proved itself the best flagship motherboard for i9 10900K among the other flagship options. It offers a significant overclock margin with an AI overclock. Now you can push your CPU to limits with the help of this innovative feature. The board is an ideal choice for DIY users with the X-shaped PCB that lets you personalize your system. In addition, the Q-code LED design displays system design.
The platform is equipped with the best thermal design to dissipate heat in the system and boost its performance as the i9 10900k motherboard. 16 phase VRM provides a powerful engine for overclocking. Overclocking needs proper ventilation, or it will lead to elevated temperatures of motherboard components. AI cooling is incorporated to ensure the optimum operation of motherboard fans according to the type of usage and climatic conditions. The thermal layout design consists of a VRM heat sink, the heat pipe, steel backplate, and M.2 slots heatsink. Lightning-fast connectivity is ensured by Intel 2.5G ethernet and Wifi 6.
MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE
Best Overall Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Form Factor: E-ATX | Voltage Regulator: 16+1+1 Phases | PCIe x16: 3 | USB Ports: 12 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Triple M.2 Slots
✓ 8-Layer PCB design
✓ Unique heat pipe design
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No finned heatsink
✗ High power consumption
MSI MEG Z490 Godlike is a flagship model of ASUS and the best overall motherboard for i9 10900K regarding features and design. It has captured the market by attracting professional gamers due to its more significant potential for overclocking. An efficient cooling system is structured to dissipate the high amount of heat generated during overclocking. The cooling solution consists of a stacked fin array, an efficient thermal pad, a MOSFET baseplate, and a FROZR heatsink design. Apart from this, you can also conveniently control the speed of fans. Furthermore, a 2.5G+10G Ethernet controller along with a Wifi 6 is mounted on board for faster connectivity and online gaming. LAN manager allows you to specify bandwidth for each application and change the traffic priority of applications.
For stable operation of your PC and enhancing performance, the DDR4 RAM has dramatically improved compared to the Z390 chipset motherboards. Good audio quality is an essential element of a smooth gaming experience. That’s why a dedicated audio processor and headphone amplifier have been integrated for game-studio grade sound, making this platform the best motherboard for i9-10900k. Sound quality stands higher as compared to other options in the market. The layout is convenient with the rear I/O panel utilizing the available space it has with a good number of USB ports. Type-A, Type-C ports, and USB 2.0 ports on the back panel for broader and faster connectivity.
Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE AC
Best Enthusiast Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Form Factor: ATX | Voltage Regulator: 12+1 Phases | PCIe x16: 2 | USB Ports: 10 | Warranty: 2 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Three M.2 slots
✓ Steel armored slots
✓ Low VRM temperatures
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No SLI GPU support
✗ No Thunderbolt three connector
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS ELITE AC is an entry-level motherboard by GIGABYTE. It is designed for mid-range gaming with reasonable frames per second. GIGABYTE has perfectly blended features and performance with a decent price tag that makes this platform the best enthusiast motherboard for i9 10900K. Cooling arrangements are pretty efficient, incorporating a PWM Controller that delivers accurate voltage to the CPU. Copper PCB design helps to remove the CPU heat during peak heat loads and overclocks. Built-in M.2 slots heatsink prevents overheating of SSDs. Smart fan 5 provides intelligent control for you to interchange fan headers for efficient and smooth operation.
For online gaming, you need to have speedy and high-end connectivity. 2.5G Ethernet controller and Intel dual-band Wifi enable the users to have fast connectivity. RAM is an essential part of a PC, and the motherboard shall incorporate future-friendly provisions for the RAM. That’s why RAM support is up to DDR4, and the speed up to 5000 MHz, sufficient enough for more incredible performance boosts. With RGB Fusion 2.0 and RGB Fusion application, you can decorate your gaming rig with customized RGB lightning. The audio quality of the board is exceptional due to the audio noise guard and premium quality audio capacitors.
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi
Best Budget Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Form Factor: ATX | Voltage Regulator: 12+1+1 Phases | PCIe x16: 2 | USB Ports: 8 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ 2.5G LAN + WiFi-6
✓ Extended heatsink design
✓ High-bandwidth and low-latency network
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No BIOS flash port
✗ No Electrostatic Discharge protection
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi is an entry-level motherboard for i9 10900K. MPG series is a low-budget i9 10900k motherboard with an incredible price tag. Since its release, it got great reviews from its users, who believe it to be the best budget motherboard for i9 10900K. Aesthetics improvement is extensively focussed on in this model. This motherboard offers variable options for DIY users to personalize their gaming experience with the front LED strip that comes up with in-game and real-time notifications. Talking about the RAM, you can enable Extreme Memory Profile with power settings to get maximum memory speed. The platform also offers multiple GPU support for extensive gaming options.
Smooth networks and connectivity are vital for online gaming and web designing. 2.5G Ethernet LAN and WIfi 6 provide more reliable connectivity in signal density environments. Furthermore, the MSI LAN manager lets you customize connectivity. Cooling arrangements for this motherboard make use of all-metal construction, which allows a larger heat transfer area, making it an efficient and the best motherboard for i9-10900k. The heatsink features M.2 SHIELD FROZR, a thermal solution for M.2 slots to keep them cool during gaming. It enhances SSD performance. You can also control the water pump’s speed to prevent noise and facilitate the cooling of the CPU. Optimal airflow is provided for graphics card cooling.
ASUS Z490-E ROG STRIX GAMING
Best ATX Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Z490 | Form Factor: ATX | Voltage Regulator: 14+2 Phases | PCIe x16: 3 | USB Ports: 10 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ SupremeFX Audio
✓ Multi-GPU SLI/CFX support
✓ AI control of cooling and overclocking
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No AI finetuning
✗ No onboard power buttons
ASUS Z490-E ROG STRIX GAMING is an efficient platform designed for high-end gamers. This platform incorporates excellent provisions for overclocking with 5-way optimization. It is considered the Best ATX motherboard for i9 10900K because of its price tag and features. It is a tool to overclock the processor and works the same as AI overclocking. TPU insight is a system that provides AI-based intelligence to tune voltages, system stats, and adjust overclock settings. An efficient cooling arrangement is designed with three heatsinks around the CPU to keep the CPU well ventilated during extreme overclocking. In addition, there is a fan bracket on one side of the CPU to further assist in heat transfer.
Onboard connectivity options include a 2.5Gbps Intel Ethernet chip and Wifi 6 wireless controller. With these high-end options for connectivity, you can take your online gaming experience to the next level. The audio arrangements consist of a ROG supremeFX audio solution. The audio formats are improved by EMI shielding, dual OP amps, and gold-plated jacks. It has a mirrored stainless steel finish with diagonal lines across the IO shield to highlight the aesthetics. Energy Power Unit facilitates you with saving energy by optimizing the energy consumption according to needs. UEFI BIOS provides everything you need while tweaking and overclocking.
ASUS ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming WiFi
Best mATX Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Z490 | Form Factor: mATX | Voltage Regulator: 12+2 Phases | PCIe x16: 2 | USB Ports: 8 | Warranty: 3 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Ultra-robust VRM
✓ Gold-Plated Audio Jacks
✓ Most flexible M.2 interface
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No PCB backplate
✗ No 8-channel audio support
ASUS ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming WiFi is a small-sized micro ATX fully loaded motherboard. It uses the same 16 phase power as an ATX size motherboard, making it the best mATX motherboard for i9 10900K. The motherboard is DIY friendly, providing the users with a bunch of customizations. Now you can easily customize overclocking, cooling, lighting, and network settings. Cooling arrangements are configurable via Fan Xpert 4 and UEFI BIOS. The cooling format consists of a CPU fan header, water-pump header, M.2 heatsink, VRM heatsink, and thermal pads. All these components work together to keep your PC cooled down during heavy gaming.
It has proved itself the best motherboard for i9 10900k with WIfi 6.0 and Intel 2.5G Ethernet controller providing the users with high-end connectivity. A noise-free audio environment is mandatory for a better gaming experience. That is why audio quality is primarily focused on the built-in SupremeFX audio technology. Premium Nichicon audio Japanese capacitors increase the sound quality by producing a natural sound with enhanced clarity. The memory supports up to 128GB of DDR4, having a speed up to 4600MHz. Optimum II technology boosts memory stability and provides higher frequency margins.
MSI MEG Z490I Unify
Best mITX Motherboard for i9 10900K
SPECIFICATIONS
Socket: LGA 1200 | Chipset: Z490 | Form Factor: Mini ITX | Voltage Regulator: 8 Phases | PCIe x16: 1 | USB Ports: 6 | Warranty: 2 Years
REASONS TO BUY
✓ Thunderbolt 3 port
✓ Dual-channel memory support
✓ M.2 shield frozr with chipset heatsink
REASONS TO AVOID
✗ No USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port
✗ No memory VTT voltage option
MSI MEG Z490I Unify is a mid-range motherboard tailored for gamers, enthusiasts, and overclockers. It offers excellent performance and speed, so it has been awarded the best mITX motherboard for i9 10900K. The motherboard introduces core boost technology, which assists overclocking. Such extended overclocking potential makes it the best motherboard for i9-10900k Thermal design consists of an M.2 Frozr heatsink, aluminum cover, and thermal pads. For convenient heat transfer, the creation of the motherboard is of multi-layered PCB type. Fast data transfer is the essence of a gaming PC. Keeping this in mind, the board manufacturers introduced Thunderbolt 3 port and a Twin Turbo M.2 connector for faster connectivity and data transfer.
For uninterrupted online gaming, 2.5G LAN and Wifi 6 are added to the package. LAN manager enables to control online gaming traffic for low latency. To escalate the gaming experience with high-quality sound, high definition audio processor and audio capacitors are incorporated. There are golden audio jacks with S/PDIF. Audio-related components are segregated on a different section on the motherboard for electrical isolation. Motherboard protected by double ESD protection, which protects it from static charges.
Conclusion
The above-reviewed motherboards are top-notch gaming platforms. It is hard to choose the best among these performers. Anyhow, we will shortlist two motherboards for you, depending upon your usage. MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE is the best motherboard for i9 10900K in terms of performance. It is designed for high-end gamers and overclockers as it features top-of-the-line features coupled with a highly innovative design. It has a high TDP rating which requires an equally efficient cooling arrangement.
Therefore the heatsink is designed in such a way that it can dissipate a large amount of heat. It is a blockbuster motherboard with unmatching features. MSI MEG Z490I Unify is an impeccable gaming platform designed for mid-range gamers and enthusiasts. It has a hefty combination of features badged with a reasonable price tag, making it a budget i9 10900K motherboard. Despite having an mITX form factor, the board’s design is such that it holds the same features as any other high-end ATX motherboard. Powered with a 16 phase VRM supply, it has the muscle for hardcore gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best motherboard for i9 10900k?
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme is the best premium motherboard for i9 10900K. Being a flagship motherboard, the built quality is robust. It offers next-level network, storage, and Wifi connectivity. This board provides an AQUANTIA ethernet controller for better connectivity, which supports up to 10 GB of network connectivity. BIOS has a new user interface, storage information, changelogs, and much more. For the hi-fi gaming experience, it offers powerful quality sound with its onboard sound card. This board is an all-in-one package, delivering maximum performance with mesmerizing looks.
What chipset is the i9 10900k?
Core i9 10900K is an Intel’s 400 series chipset (Z490), supported by high-end motherboards like the ASUS ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming WiFi. It used the Intel UHD 630 graphics chipset having a base frequency of 350 MHz and a maximum of 1.2 GHz. It is a premium chipset of Intel using high-end graphics. It is the latest chipset designed to support the latest processors.
Which motherboard is best for the i9 10900k processor?
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Apex is the best motherboard for i9 10900K. This motherboard is trusted as one of the high-performance motherboards among the other flagships. It offers a significant overclock margin with an AI overclock. The board is an ideal choice for DIY users with the X-shaped PCB that lets you personalize your system. The motherboard is build with the excellent thermal design to dissipate heat in the system and maximize the performance. Inten 2.5G ethernet ensured the fastest connectivity.
What is the cheapest motherboard for the Core i9-10900K?
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi is the most pocket-friendly motherboard for i9 10900K. Having a reasonable price tag is the best deal, considering the features it is offering. Aesthetics are incredibly focused on in this model. The motherboard provides variable options for DIY users to personalize their gaming experience. The platform also offers multiple GPU support for extensive gaming options. High bandwidth and low latency network connectivity are equipped with 2.5G LAN with Wifi 6. The heatsink features M.2 SHIELD FROZR.
