The Core i7 9700K was launched last year in October, since then it has a huge demand in the PC gaming industry. Now, this is a powerful gaming processor from Intel with 8 cores and overclocking capability right out of the box. Although you can install this on an ordinary motherboard as well, if you want more juice out of this CPU, you need to have the right gaming motherboard for it.
Core i7-9700K allows you to enjoy higher clock speeds up to 4.9 GHz. To get the taste of higher clock frequencies of 9700K, you will need the best gaming motherboard available in the market. Now there are tons of options available in the market when it comes to buying the right motherboard for your i7 9700K.
Although the 9700K is compatible with chipsets like H310, H360, and H370, we always recommend you to stick with Z370 or Z30 at this point. The H-Series boards limit the overclocking capability of 9700K, so we will ignore them. If you are a gamer, you need to get the motherboard that allows you to throttle up your CPU.
So we did a research and listed some of the best gaming motherboards for i7 9700K in this buying guide. It is up to you to choose the right motherboard that falls under your budget and needs.
Top 5 Best Gaming Motherboards for i7 9700K
Here are top of the line gaming motherboards for the Core i7 9700K.
1. MSI Z390 Gaming PRO Carbon | Highly Compatible Motherboard for 9700K
Key Specs
Socket LGA 1151
Z390 Chipset
DDR4 Up to 128 GB
6 SATA & 2 M.2 Slots
2 SLI & 3 Cross Fire
With MSI Z390 Pro Carbon, you can enjoy the higher clock speeds of your gaming processor at an affordable price. Z390 Pro Carbon might not be the most powerful gaming motherboard for your i7 9700K, but it offers considerable performance.
It comes with appealing features like onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and amplifier. Moreover, it packs some high-end features like M.2 Shields and powerful design for the more overclocking room. It stays cooler and works perfectly under heavy loads and intense gaming.
The MSI Z390 Pro Carbon gives you more space to install DDR4 4400MHz memory modules up to 128 GB. Moreover, you get your hands on 6 SATA slots and 2 M.2 slots as well. However, out of 2 M.2 slots, only one is armored.
To improve the graphical performance of your gaming PC, Z390 Pro Carbon offers 2-SLI and 3-Crossfile support. For faster data transfer, you will find 3 USB 3.1 Gen 2, 2 USB 2.0 and one USB Type-C slots at the back as well. And to add more colors to your 9700K gaming rig, the board comes with Mystic RGB lights with different effects.
Apart from its compelling features, Z390 Pro Carbon still shows up as power-hungry motherboard when under peak loads. However, we praise it for its performance when it comes to its affordable price as compared to its competitors.
2. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO | Best Motherboard For Core i7 9700K with Efficient Heat Management
Key Specs
Socket LGA 1151
Z390 Chipset
DDR4 Up to 128 GB
6 SATA & 2 M.2 Slots
2 SLI & 3 Cross Fire
GIGABYTE Z390 Auros has been the favorite motherboard of gamers due to its VRM phase design and expansion. This gaming motherboard is highly compatible with Intel’s 8th and 9th generation CPUs. We love the model of this motherboard that has everything well apart to install more bulky peripherals like aftermarket CPU coolers.
Z390 AORUS PRO comes with 4-DIMM slots that support DDR4 ram up to 128 GB. Moreover, you have your hands on 6 SATA and 2 M.2 memory slots for an improved and faster experience. Both the M.2 slots in GIGABYTE AUROS PRO are armored, unlike the MSI CARBON PRO Motherboard.
The motherboard also excels in the audio department with a 7.1 Channel built-in ALC1220-VB sound card. It means you don’t need to spend on external gaming sound cards anywhere shortly. For efficient and faster data transfer, you get 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2, 2 USB Gen 1, 4 USB 2.0’s, and one USB Type -C port.
Moreover, the GIGABYTE has installed the Intel CNVi 802.11AC 2×2 wave 2 Wi-Fi on this motherboard to stay connected to the outside world. Now, this is one of the fastest on-board Wi-Fi chips that you can get on a gaming motherboard.
Efficient Thermal Management
The GIGABYTE AUROS PRO is equipped with Smart Fan 5 technology to keep your gaming rig cooler even under heavy loads. For Core i7 9700K, you definitely need a gaming motherboard like this that takes care of the extra heat rising up from the surroundings.
We liked the thermal management on this motherboard that matters when you are installing high-end CPUs like i7 9700K. So we appreciate the efficient temperature controls on this motherboard, thanks to the Smart Fan 5 technology.
On top of all, the overall build quality of this motherboard is excellent in all terms. You can install your 9700K and overclock it to maximum clock speeds without any problem. Overall, this is the best gaming motherboard for 9700K if you really care about heat management and step up from native clock speeds.
3. ASRock Z370 Extreme4 | Best Low Budget Motherboard for 9700K under $100
![Best Gaming Motherboards for i7 9700K [2021]](https://idealcpu.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/image-3-1.png)
Key Specs
Socket LGA 1151
Z370 Chipset
DDR4 Up to 128 GB
ASRock USB 3.1 Gen2
SLI & CrossFire
There’s a lot of confusion between gaming PC builders when it comes to choosing the motherboard for 9700K. Some people think that Z390 chips are better than the 370 chips in terms of price. But ASRock Z370 breaks down this myth as it comes under an affordable price range.
Though ASROCK Z370 Extreme 4 gaming motherboard comes for a low budget, it still has a stable performance when paired with gaming CPUs like 9700K. To make things more powerful, it comes with 12-phase power design and up to three PCIeX16 slots.
Obviously, on a lower price range, this motherboard lacks built-in WiFi/Bluetooth and some other high-end features. However, it still competes in performance with some top of the line motherboards like MSI Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon.
Another thing that we found in our test was the rising temperatures of the low-quality VRMs while running benchmarks. However, the thermal graphs showed that the temperatures were still under a comfortable range for a low budget motherboard.
Apart from the thermal management, this gaming motherboard stands out to overclock your 9700K without any issue. With a motherboard like this, you can spend extra cash on gaming rams, CPU coolers, and power supplies.
4. MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE | Best Overclocking Motherboard for i7 9700K
Key Specs
Socket LGA 1151
Z390 Chipset
Excellent Ten Header Fan Cooling
16-Phase Power
Well, if you do not care about money and willing to throw plenty of cash in buying the high-quality motherboard for 9700K, then MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE E-ATX might be your final bet. Buying an E-ATX motherboard changes the whole geography of your custom PC.
You may need to spend more money on buying a spacious PC case for mounting this motherboard. But spending a huge amount of cash takes your gaming experience to the next level as well. With MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE E-ATX you get the freedom to install 4 ram sticks up to 4600 MHz (OC).
With 16-phase power design, 4 PCIeX16 slots, 3 PCIe M.2 ports, built-in WiFi, and ESS Sabre Hi-Fi Audio DAC you can expect your build to last for years before you upgrade to a next-gen PC. It is an ideal motherboard for 9700K CPU to get the maximum performance.
With this motherboard, you can test the overclocking capability of your 9700K. As the 9th generation processors have a decent room for achieving higher speeds, MEG Z390 GODLIKE E-ATX is all about speed. Moreover, the 16-phase power motherboards are trending in the industry at the moment.
Being a power house means more heat dissipation when dealing with intense workloads. However, MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE E-ATX comes with a solid plan to deal with excess heat by using 10 header fans. Every peripheral that you connect with this gaming motherboard operates at a comfortable temperature.
This motherboard packs excellent features, but it misses out on built-in onboard graphics. But this is what gaming motherboards are about in the present time. If you are buying a motherboard for 9700K, you won’t play games on built-in graphics, right?
This motherboard is all about performance, so if you use a high-end graphics card like Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti with this motherboard, you can expect outstanding performance. If you are building your dream gaming PC with RGB lights on-board, then we highly recommend going with MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE E-ATX.
5. ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming | Recommended Motherboard for Mini-ITX Cases with 9700K CPU
Key Specs
Socket LGA 1151
Z390 Chipset
Heat Shield
Gamers with mini-ITX or SFF PC cases find it difficult to fit in the robust gaming motherboards for their i7 9700K CPUs. ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I easily fits in small PC cases where is limited space to install other essential peripherals for gaming.
Despite its price factor, which is over $200, this gaming motherboard delivers an exceptional performance with top-rated gaming CPUs, especially the 9th generation line-up. The small dimensions of this motherboard cut out some extra features like SLI & CrossFire support and leave it with just 2 DIMM slots.
However, you will still find USB 3.1 Gen 2, SupremeFX audio, and huge heat shield. The reason behind the enormous heat shield on this mini-ITX may be due to the extra heat dissipation. However, in terms of performance with i7 9700K, this mini-ITX gaming motherboards excels by all means.
The placement of the ram slot, PCIeX16, and CPU socket are well apart. this means you can install high-end aftermarket CPU coolers, bulky graphics cards and ram modules without any problem.
The Bottom Line & Final Recommendation
Finally, these were some of the best gaming motherboards for i7 9700K on the market. Now it entirely depends on your budget and needs to choose the best one for your custom gaming rig. If you are low on budget and upgrading from an older CPU to i7 9700K, then choose the ASUS ASROCK Extreme 4 which comes for a low price and has decent features.
If you can spend more budget, then our final recommendation goes for MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE or GIGABYTE Z390 AUROS PRO. With these motherboards, you can achieve the best out for your 9700K CPU as well as other gaming peripherals.
