Best motherboard for Intel Core i9 10900k (i9 10th gen)

‘What is the best Motherboard for Intel Core 10th Gen i9 10900k?’ We keep hearing this a lot from our readers. People keep flooding our mailbox asking for it. Having heard you constantly, we have finally come up with this post to help you pick the best motherboard for your i9 10th generation CPU.

Best motherboard for Intel Core i9 10900k (i9 10th Generation) in 2020 – MOBO With LGA 1200 Socket

The toughest thing about choosing a motherboard is understanding the compatibility factor. For the fact that the motherboards come in different form factors, with different sockets and different chipsets, choosing the one that fits your processor demands knowledge about a few things. As always, we at CPUsage have had your back. We brought to you a few good motherboard recommendations for the Intel Core i9-10900k and also tried breaking the jargon at the end of this post. With that said, let’s move ahead!

But why the Intel Core i9-10900K in the first place?

The Intel Core i9-10900K is the best gaming CPU that you can buy on the market right now. It is light years ahead of AMD’s flagship, the 12 core Ryzen 9 3900X when it comes to single-core performance. Intel has mastered the art of producing CPUs with high single-core scores. As most games in this generation are dependent on the single-core score, one can yield a jaw-dropping gaming performance with the Intel Core i9-10900K when paired with a good motherboard and graphics card. Besides gaming, the 10900K competes well with the 3900X or the 3950X when tested in terms of multi-core performance.

New Chipset and Socket –

The Intel Comet Lake (10th Generation) CPUs use the new LGA 1200 socket which is different compared to its predecessors. The LGA 1200 is a modified version of LGA 1151 with an additional 49 pins that are intended to improve power delivery and provide support for eventual updates with I/O features.

Socket keying on the new LGA 1200 is now moved to the left which was to the right in the previous generation CPU sockets. Also, these motherboards use Intel’s latest Z490 Chipset. This technically means that the Intel 10th Generation CPUs are not compatible with the older motherboards and the older CPUs are not compatible with the new LGA 1200 motherboards. In simple terms, if you wish to have a 10th generation Comet Lake CPU in your PC, you should invest in a new motherboard as well.

This brings us to ‘choosing the best motherboard for Intel Core i9 10900k’. As the comet lake CPUs have limited compatibility, choosing the right motherboard for the i9-10900k can be tough. As always, CPUsage has your back. We have curated the list of best motherboards for Intel Core i9-10900k below.

1. MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE – Best High-end Motherboard For Intel Core i9 10900k

The board itself is a massive built with an 8-layered black and chrome themed PCB. In the first impression, the board felt very sturdy and premium. Talking of the VRM, it is a beasty 16-phase solution powered by Intersil PWM with 16 90A power stages. The VRM build quality seems premium with the MSI’s very own Titanium Choke III. MSI incorporated a 7W/mK thermal pads on the VRM cooler to ensure optimal thermal transfer. Besides this, hidden are dual fans under the cover on the I/O side of the VRM heatsink that turns on if the measured VRM temperatures go over 60C.

The MSI MEG Z490 boasts a total of three full-length x16 PCI where the top slot is attached directly to the CPU whereas the below two share lanes with the top slot. There are three M.2 slots with a dual-sided cooling solution. MSI has thought advanced and incorporated the compatibility for PCIe 4 which is a clear sign of future-proofing to support next-gen CPUs.

Speaking of the connectivity, the MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE offers an incredible set of connectivity options. It features a dual NIC with 10Gbps and 2.5Gbps LAN and boasts the cutting edge Wi-Fi 6 protocol and has support for Bluetooth 5.1. MSI offers a LAN management software, which plays with the network slack to give packet polarization. The I/O accommodates vast connectivity from 6 USB 2.0 ports, eight USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports, to 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) ports and also a dual Thunderbolt 3 ports. The USB 3.2 is controlled by the ASMedia ASM1074 controller/hub.

The Wi-Fi on this board is handled by Intel’s popular AX201 Wi-Fi 6 controller. MSI boasts the MU-MIMO technology along with the OFDMA that lets multiple users share network bandwidth streams without any latency which is usually a result of intelligent balancing and management. The shark fin styled Wi-Fi antenna on this device doubles up as a headset hook.

Technical Specifications, Pros & Cons of – MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE Motherboard

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2. ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming – Best Affordable motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900k

The entire body is themed in black with an occasional splash of chrome. You should look at the mirror-purple acrylic cover over the I/O shroud to believe its beauty. The acrylic cover has a set of RGB LEDs that diffuse and shine through the lighting display. The awesomeness doesn’t stop here, the lighting extends down to the PCH area and shines through the M.2 ports. If you choose to add additional awesomeness to your setup, you can do it through the four RGB headers present on the PCB to control your own LED strips. The board has 3-pin and 4-pin headers included.

The motherboard has 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 (x4 mode), 3 x PCIe 3.0 x1. As far as the storage goes, it has 1 x M.2_1 socket 3, 1 x M.2_2 socket 3, 6 x SATA 6Gb/sec ports. The board has a 14+2 power stage arrangement derived from 8 phases. The heatsink on the VRM felt hefty and comes with a large heat pipe that spreads around the CPU socket surrounding it from 3-sides covered in three heatsinks.

The thermal management concept has a clear focus while committing to the design of the ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E gaming motherboard. The VRM fan has a dedicated 4-pin header and the fan sits comfortably well over the heatsink. However, the fan can be whiny at full speed. It is recommended to adjust the fan curve to roll smoothly while being good with its job. A 50% speed control should do the job. However, if you are gunning for a maximum overclock with your CPU, it is advised to leave the fan as it is and expect it to do the best.

Talking of its connectivity, the rear I/O panel has a total of 9 USB Type-A ports, out of which two are USB 3.2 Gen, one USB 3.0 and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports as well as a Type-C port. Apart from this, the motherboard boasts a 2.5 Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) support, and the latest Bluetooth v5.1. It comes with the ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220A. You will also get to see an HDMI port accompanied by a Display port at the rear.

Technical Specifications, Pros & Cons of – ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming Motherboard

3. Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Elite AC – Best Cheap Motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900k

The thermal performance on this motherboard is decent with mounted heat sinks and thick thermal pads all over. That makes this mobo an ideal choice for enthusiasts, overclockers, and gamers. There are a total of four DIMM sockets with cumulative support up to 128 GB of system memory with a maximum of 32GB on a single slot. It has 4 PCIe slots with one PCI Express x16 slot that is running at x16, one PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 and two PCI Express x1 slots.

Speaking of the storage, the Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Elite offers dual M.2 slots all covered in thermal guards to help prevent throttling and bottlenecks from high-speed M.2 SSDs by evenly dissipating heat. It has a total of 6 SATA (6GB/s) ports with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10.

On the networking side, it features the Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN chip and the Intel® Wi-Fi AC 9462 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with support for 2.4/5 GHz dual-band support. It has on-board Bluetooth 5 support.

The AORUS motherboards feature a combination of Hi-Fi grade WIMA FKP2 capacitors and high-end Chemicon audio capacitors which are known for producing high-grade audio equipment. The WIMA FKP2 capacitors are widely used in premium grade Hi-Fi systems. The Realtek® ALC1200 codec High Definition Audio 7.1-channel on the other hand ensures an immersive overall audio experience.

Speaking of the connectivity options, this motherboard isn’t gonna let you down here. It has two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A on the back panel, one USB Type-C port with USB 3.2 Gen 1 Support, 6 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header), 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers). It also offers two headers for each, the addressable LED strip and RGB LED. Gigabyte offers a software tool called the RGB FUSION well as a mobile application for easier control of the lighting on the PC.

Updating the BIOS is made simple with the Q-Flash Plus. You no more need to install the CPU, memory, and Graphics card nor enter the BIOS menu to flash the BIOS. All you gotta do is to download the latest BIOS file, send it to a USB flash drive and rename it to gigabyte.bin, plug it to the motherboard and press the dedicated Q-Flash Plus button. Boom! It is done. As simple as that.

Technical Specifications, Pros & Cons of – GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Elite AC Motherboard

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4. GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme – Best Premium Motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900k

The AORUS Xtreme has an aesthetically pleasing design with a black and gunmetal color scheme that blends well with most gaming setup themes. Being one of the costlier options, this motherboard comes packed with a plethora of accessories. The PCB feels thick, sturdy, and durable for the initial impressions. It has a whooping 16-phase 90A power stages to assure you the power you will be needing for unleashing the hidden monster in your processor.

The VRM sports a twin heatsink and a thick copper heat pipe. You will find 2x 8-pin CPU power connectors just behind the heatsinks. You will also find a different set of CPU fan headers across the board – 1 x Water cooling CPU fan header, 4 x System fan headers, 2 x System fan/water cooling pump headers, 2 x Addressable LED strip headers.

Speaking of the slots, it sports a total of four DIMM slots with support to 5000MHz (OC) and has a maximum capacity of 128GB. The slots are reinforced with steel to ensure longevity. It is thoughtful of the GIGABYTE for taking of certain small things like the Debug LED, OC Ignition, and onboard power/reset buttons. These small things bring in a huge overall impact.

As far as storage is considered, the GIGABYTE Z490 boasts a total of 6 SATA (6GB/s) ports and three M.2 slots which are PCIe driven. There are no PCIe x1 slots on the XTREME, you will only find three PCIe Gen 3×16 slots each wired for 16, 8, and 4 lanes. It is again thoughtful of the GIGABYTE to incorporate support for the upcoming PCIe 4.0 standard.

Speaking of the Audio on this device, GIGABYTE has armed this device with ESS USB DAC and a flurry of other components like the Anti-pop circuit, OP AMPs, ESS Sabre, Auto impedance sensing, TXC oscillator, WIMA CAPs, Separated left/right channels and isolated circuitry to give users an immersive audio experience. GIGABYTE equipped the Realtek ALC1220-VB Codec.

The motherboard also sports a dual-LAN with both Intel 2.5Gb and Aquantia 10Gb. It has dual onboard Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Technical Specifications, Pros & Cons of – GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Xtreme Motherboard

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5. MSI MEG Z490 ACE – Best mid-range Motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900k

Coming to its capabilities, the motherboard has a whooping 16+1 phase PWM controller with 90A power stages and an adequate cooling solution. Running the Core i9-10900K CPU to its thermal limits is a cakewalk with the Z490 ACE.

Speaking of the design and quality, the motherboard itself feels very sturdy with black and chrome themed thick PCB and ample slots and connectors lying around the board. This motherboard features three M.2 slots with an included heatsink to help dissipate the heat evenly. The center of attraction on this board is the RGB lighting zone with the Ace name shining through within the chipset heatsink.

There are a total of four DIMM slots that are protected by MSI’s DDR4 Steel Armor and have maximum support for 128 Gb with access speeds up to 4800+. The VRMs feel rugged with the power flowing from the EPS connectors to an Intersil ISL69269 Digital PWM controller, on to a phase controller, then the Intersil ISL99390 90A power stages and finally to the titanium chokes. To avoid the propagation delay and to achieve a lower dynamic ripple, and to help deliver identical power to the phases, MSI has adopted a phase controller/mirroring instead of the traditional doublers.

MSI boasts three full-length PCIe slots which are metal reinforced to ensure durability. The top two slots are connected to the CPU and work in x16/x0 or x8/x8 configurations while the bottom slot is fed from the chipset and supports x4 speeds. It is very thoughtful of MSI to incorporate support for PCIe 4.0 which ensures a touch of futureproofing to the build.

Speaking of the storage, the MSI MEG Z490 ACE Gaming Motherboard has a total of three M.2 slots with the top slot supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA storage devices up to 110mm. While, M2_2, the middle slot, supports up to 80mm modules and PCIe/SATA devices and the bottom slot, M2_3, only supports PCIe storage devices and up to 80mm in length. All three slots have got their heatsinks meaning you don’t have to disturb the rest for accessing one of them. The motherboard boasts a total of 6 SATAIII 6 Gb ports.

Technical Specifications, Pros & Cons of – MSI MEG Z490 ACE Gaming Motherboard

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Top Motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900K – Buying Guide

Now that you are here, let me take the privilege of educating you with the important considerations that are to be looked into while buying a Better motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900K. We tried explaining it without getting into the difficult terms for your better understanding.

Understanding the Chipset –

The chipset is a controller that lies on the motherboard and commits to the communication between the CPU, RAM, storage, and other peripherals. Chipsets usually consist of one or more chips and feature controllers for commonly used peripherals like the keyboard, mouse, or monitor. The chipset determines the number of high-speed components or USB devices that the motherboard can support.

Though the Chipsets are seen on the motherboards, they are designed by the CPU makers AMD or Intel. Different CPUs work with different chipsets. So, it is important to check the compatibility of the processor with the motherboard’s chipset before buying.

For instance, the 10th Generation CPUs from Intel requires a motherboard from the latest Z490 chipset to work.

CPU Socket –

CPU Socket is the next biggest thing to consider. The CPU Socket is the space on your motherboard where your CPU fits in. The pins present on the processor should be aligned perfectly with the pins on the CPU Socket. Different CPU sockets come with different pin counts and structures. So, it is important to understand the compatibility of your CPU with the CPU socket on your motherboard.

For instance, the Intel Core i9-10900k uses LGA 1200 CPU socket. If you are planning to use the i9 10th Gen CPU in your build, it is important to go for a motherboard with an LGA 1200 CPU socket.

DIMM Slots –

The dual in-line memory module slots on the motherboard are where you place your RAM sticks. They come in different generations and the latest is the DDR4 (dual data rate 4) memory. However, there are still some last-generation motherboards that are still running DDR3.

PCI Express (PCIe) Slots –

The PCI Express slots are most commonly known as PCIe slots are the expansion slots on the motherboard that support different additional components for extended functionalities. These components can be Video Graphics cards, TV tuner cards, and other board based components. The most common PCIe slots these days are the x16 and x1. The number after the x denotes the length of the slot. You should match your card’s length with the slot’s length to use it with the board. However, a small card can fit in a large slot but the reverse isn’t possible.

M.2 slots –

M.2 is the new form factor of solid-state drives that are being used extensively these days. They have an advantage when it comes to size and performance as they are much smaller compared to the traditional solid-state drives. May motherboards these days are coming with the M.2 slots that can take in M.2 SSDs and faster access while saving space.

FAQs on How to Choose Good motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900k

The following are some of the questions that we keep listening to so much on the Best Motherboard for Intel Core i9-10900K.