With the arrival of Core i9 CPUs in the market, Intel has leapt ahead in the gaming industry. On top of that, the Z390 chipset has proven to be the best pair for the i9 builds so far. Definitely, for gaming CPUs like i9 9900K, you will need the best gaming motherboard if you want extreme performance.
A highly compatible motherboard plays a vital role in pushing the limits of your CPU. Therefore, in this guide, we will review some of the best gaming motherboards for i9 CPUs. No doubt, the Z390 chipset is the winner when it comes to testing the limits of your CPU.
Z390 chips are reliable and efficient when paired with CPUs from the Core i9 family. There are many factors to consider when buying gaming motherboards for your i9 CPU, which we will cover later in this guide.
Best Gaming Motherboards for Core i9 CPUs
Let’s review some of the top-rated gaming motherboards that are highly compatible with Core i9 CPUs.
1. Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro | Best Budget i9 Gaming Motherboard under $200
Key Specs
- Advanced Heatsink Design
- DDR-4 x4 DIMMS
- RGB Fusion Lights
- Intel Optane Supported
- VRM Design
- Dual M.2 Support
- Auros 360 Armor
- Multi GPU Support [Nvidia + AMD]
Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro is one of the most wallet-friendly motherboards to pair with the Core i9 processors. This motherboard is specifically meant for gamers who are low on budget and want to enjoy higher clock speeds.
Under $200, Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro has almost the same features of a high end motherboard. With advanced VRM design, RGB lights, 4 DIMM slots, and support for M.2 SSDs, Z390 Auro Pro is the best motherboard for your money.
The Auros Pro looks like an upgrade over the previous model, the Auros Elite. But Gigabyte has done a great job in upgrading these motherboards with VRM cooling and high-quality capacitors.
In our test, we found that this motherboard can easily handle the clock speeds over 5.1 GHz without any problem. Moreover, this motherboard supports high-speed DDR4 ram for your i9 CPU.
Lastly, it has adequate space for mounting third-party CPU coolers. You can easily install other peripherals independent of their width and height. This motherboard has tons of headers for fans, USBs, and RGB lights.
If you are overclocker who loves test the limit of CPU, this i9 gaming motherboard might be the best bag for your buck.
The only downside that we have noticed so far is the bios settings layout. It is hard to navigate through the bios of Z390 Auros Pro. However, once you get used to it, it won’t be any problem for you in the future.
2. Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Xtreme | Best i9 Gaming Motherboard for Overclocking
Key Specs
- 3 X M.2 Thermal Guards
- X 4 Unbuffered DDR4 DIMM Slots
- On-board WiFi
- Multi GPU Support
- 16 Phase VRM
- RGB Fan Commnader
- Front USB 3.1 Gen 2 Header
- Smart Fan 5
For extreme performance, you have put a lot of cash on the table. This is what Gigabyte Z390 Auros Xtreme is all about, the high-end performance. It is one of the most expensive i9 CPUs to grace our list, but it highly reflects the price you pay for it.
Thanks to the advanced VRM design and quality of other components, the Auro Xtreme is meant to test the overclocking limits of your Core i9 CPU. We compared this motherboard with some top-notch gaming boards in the market. To our surprise, we found the Auros Xtreme more promising than MSI GODLIKE and EVGA Z390 Dark.
There are endless gaming possibilities associated with this motherboard. It has a super awesome design in terms of cooling and installing third-party gaming peripherals. One of the most amazing features in the presence of three M.2 slots with the heatsink.
Overall, you will witness the motherboard covered in a cloud of heatsinks for better cooling. For i9 builds, a motherboard like this is a one-time profitable investment. Nor does motherboard is excellent at overclocking i9 CPUs, but it also overclocks your ram modules to higher frequencies as well.
3. ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate | Best Value ATX Motherboard for Core i9 Lineup
Key Specs
- 3 X M.2 SSD Slots
- Multi GPU Support
- 3 X USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A
- 1 X USB Gen 2 Type-C
- WiFi
ASRock Z390 Taichi is an ideal gaming motherboard to pair with i9 CPUs. Not only it comes under affordable price tag but is also holds high-end features to be on our list of best i9 gaming motherboards. We found this motherboard feasible for online gaming and streaming due to a 10GB Ethernet chip.
Furthermore, this i9 gaming motherboard allows you to install multiple GPUs for improved performance. The Z390 series motherboards are ideal for powerful gaming GPUs like RTX 2080 Ti. The ASRock Z390 allows you to install up to 3 M.2 SSDs, which is quite hard to see in gaming motherboards at this price point.
The Taichi Ultimate allows you to install a faster ram module with speed up to 4200MHz. Now, this is something that most motherboards lack on a tight budget. Fortunately, the ASRock Taichi Z390 motherboard makes is it up to the sweet spot between price and performance.
ASRock Z390 Taichi allows you to overclock your i9 CPU as well as your ram module. Overclocking your i9 processor on this motherboard is quite easy when compared to other low budget gaming motherboards.
This motherboard does support automatic overclocking, but we recommend you to stay away from it due to voltage issues. If somehow you could manage the voltage around 1.3V, you can easily overclock your CPU up to 5GHz. But if you are a newbie, we advise you to manually overclock your CPU on this motherboard.
4. Asus ROG Maximus XI Gene | Best i9 Gaming Motherboard for Micro-ATX Builds
Key Specs
- USB 3.1 Gen 2
- WiFi 802.11 AC
- Supports 32GB Memory per DIMM [2 DIMMS Slots]
- RGB
- DDR4 Support up to 4500MHz
High-end gaming motherboards for your i9 build if you want to save a few bucks for other gaming devices. Asus ROG Maximus XI Gene is great at handling higher clock speeds even in the Micro-ATX dimensions.
This motherboard has revealed all the myths that once prevailed in the gaming industry regarding the performance of micro-ATX motherboards. The only thing that limits the micro-ATX in gaming is the expansion slots. You get fewer slots in micro-ATX gaming boards are compared to standard ATX boards.
However, the Asus ROG Maximus XI Gene is good enough to pump the gaming juice in your i9 CPU even with fewer features. Furthermore, this motherboard gives you freedom to install more than one GPU for best gaming performance.
Choosing this motherboard might limit you to use the built-in sound card of this motherboard. In addition to this, you get 2 DIMM slots each supporting ram module up to 64 GB and 4500MHz.
Well, comparing with other motherboards on our list, this one has relatively less space. But for gaming, 64GB memory won’t bottleneck your i9 anywhere soon. Moreover, under the heat spreader you will get access to two M.2 SSD slots.
In the overclocking department, this motherboards reflects its price and delivers reliable performance to achieve higher clock speed. In addition to this, some other features worth mentioning at this point are USB 3.1 Gen 2 slot and onboard Wi-Fi for playing and streaming games online.
5. MSI MEG Z390 ACE | Top-Rated Core i9 Compatible Motherboard
Key Specs
- DDR4 Support up to 4600MHz
- 4 DIMM slots
- X 2 front USB 3. 1 Gen2 Type-C
- Mystic RGB Lights
- Hardcore Gaming
- On-board WiFi
- Advanced Heatsinks
- X 3 M.2 SSD ports
For under $300, you get this affordable i9 motherboard for gaming that holds nearly the same features that you find on a high-end chipset. To get most out of your i9 CPU, MSI MEG Z390 ACE comes with a Game Boosting software for safe overclocking.
We really appreciate the build quality of this board that comes with tons of accessories in the box.
For more storage, you get access to three super fast M.2 ports with Shield Frozr for thermal management. The Shield Froze comes with two mounting screws, one for 2260 SSD and another for 2280.
One of the amazing features of this motherboard is the mystic RGB lighting. You get the freedom to customize your gaming rig with almost 16 million colors.
Lastly, it features onboard Wifi, LAN card, and audio to save you a few bucks on buying external ones. And with dual USB 3.1 Gen 2 panels at the front, you can transfer your data at lightening-fast speed.
No doubt, MSI MEG Z390 ACE is an excellent gaming motherboard for 9th generation Intel processors. Overall, it’s an ideal chipset for testing the maximum capability of your Core i9 CPU.
Factors to Consider Before Buying a Gaming Motherboard for i9 Processor
Before picking the right gaming motherboard for you Core i9 CPU, there are certain factors worth mentioning before making your decision. These factors will help you choose the motherboard that falls under your budget and needs.
Form Factor
Motherboards with ATX form factor have enough ports and space for installing external peripherals. Micro-ATX motherboards are best for SFF PC cases where there is limited space for installing external devices. However, on micro-ATX boards there are few slots available, therefore choose these boards wisely according to your needs.
Socket
Almost every CPU in the Core i9 family comes is compatible with socket LGA 1151. Therefore, the motherboard that you will choose must come with LGA 1151 for proper working. Therefore, you need to be careful while choosing the motherboard for your i9 CPU.
Chipset
The most supported chipsets with i9 processors are the Z370 and Z390. The Z390 are way better in performance and reliability as compared to the older models.
Ports & Connectivity
The best gaming motherboards for i9 builds come up with enough ports so that you can toss in external peripherals later on. Look out for adequate DIMM and PCIe16 slots are they matter a lot in gaming. If you want to install more memory, you will need to have more than 2 DIMM slots on your motherboard.
For gaming motherboards, we highly recommend going with at least 2 PCIe16 slots for SLI or Crossfire your graphics cards. Many motherboards are coming up with M.2 SSD slots, so look out for these options as well.
Lastly, if possible, look out for USB 3.1 Gen 2 slots on the motherboard. If you are stream games online, it is worth buying a gaming motherboard that has a on-board WiFi adapter.
You can also consider a fancy feature like RGB lights as they make your rig appealing from outside. On the other hand, choosing a non-RGB board will save you a few bucks if you are not a fan of fancy lights.
Overclocking
Gaming motherboards with advance VRM at excellent for overclocking. VRM is the way through which motherboard transforms voltage suitable for higher clock speeds. Motherboards with 12 Phase are considered best for overclocking CPUs like i9.
Extra heatsinks on the motherboard also play a great role in overclocking your CPU. Motherboards with heatsink guards on DIMM and SSD slots keep your system from frying up while overclocking.
Recommendation and Final Words
Finally, these were some of the best gaming motherboards for i9 gaming builds. If you are a beginner, we recommend you Gigabyte Auros Pro as it gives you the taste of all the features that a true i9 gaming motherboard should have. If you are a professional gamer and overclocker, the Gigabyte Auros Xtreme might be your final bet in building your next-gen i9 gaming PC.
