Though there are many high-end gaming motherboards on the market, not everyone falls to your expectations. However, the Intel Z390 is one of those motherboards from Intel that supports the Core-i9 CPUs and is highly-rated by the gaming community since its release back in 2018. There are tons of features that make this motherboard worthy of high-end gaming like overclocking, USB 3.1, and support for Intel’s latest gaming processors.
Choosing the best Z390 motherboards matters a lot when it comes to hardcore gaming. Some companies manufacture Z390 chipset with more DIMM slots, more room for CPU coolers, and SLI/Cross-Fire slots. Therefore, you need to choose the motherboard that you think falls under your budget and needs.
So, we did research and found some of the best Z390 motherboards for gaming at extreme level. We will review all of them and recommend the one that suits you well.
Top 4 Best Z390 Motherboards for Gaming
Here are some of our top picks when it comes to top-rated Z390 motherboards in the gaming community.
1. ASUS TUF Z390M Pro | Best Budget Gaming Motherboard
Key Specs:
No matter when it comes to gaming motherboards, ASUS always tops the list. The reason behind this is the versatility and features it allows you to take gaming to the next level. ASUS TUF Z390M Pro is one of the highly-rated motherboards that support Intel’s latest Core-i9 CPUs.
If we quickly fall on to the design, then this motherboard has a tough built. Made up of military-grade components that make it an appealing choice despite its high price. On top of it, the ASUS Optimum Memory 2 delivers unbeatable and fast performance to have the best gaming experience.
ASUS TUF Z390M Pro comes with 8-Channel Realtek S1200 A onboard soundcard for crystal clear audio. This eliminates the need of spending extra money on a third-party soundcard. To add more colors to your rig, the ASUS TUF Z390 Pro is equipped with Aura Sync for customization right away.
2. GIGABYTE Z390 Aorus Ultra | Best High Performing Motherboard
Key Specs:
GIGABYTE motherboards are reliable and ready-to-go for gaming right out of the box. We loved the heat efficient design of the motherboard with the latest thermal heatsinks. This is the right choice for the gamers who worry about the cooling features when buying a motherboard, thanks to Smart Fan 5.
It is powerful and packs 6 PCIe slots to add extra components that you need. Moreover, the built-in Wifi and support for Quad Crossfire/SLI make it one of the best motherboards if you own an RTX 2080 Ti graphics card. To make your rig look stylish, GIGABYTE has added RGB Fusion 2.0 customizable lighting.
If we talk about the performance of this motherboard, it is exceptional. You can overclock each core to 5GHz without any problem. Moreover, the support for 4400MHz DDR4 ram ensures that you won’t need any motherboard upgrade in the next few years. Best of all, the space between the ram slots and CPU socket is good enough to install high-end CPU coolers without any problem.
It’s a high-quality gaming motherboard that allows you to customize it the way you like. It comes with USB 3.1 and Intel Optane Memory support for fast performance.
3. ASRock Z390 Phantom | Best Motherbord for Overclocking
Key Specs:
Although the Z390 motherboard comes at a higher price, ASRock breaks this tradition with Phantom. The Phantom Z390 sits well under $200 range with almost significant features that your need in a gaming PC. It supports Intel’s 8th and 9th generation CPUs along with DDR4 ram up to 4300 MHz.
This motherboard is packed with lots of features like I/O connectivity, fast ethernet connection, and overclocking. It has a very solid design protected by gaming armor that adds more durability to its entire structure. For improved connectivity and faster data transfer, it features Thunderbolt 3 Type-C.
Moreover, it has built-in Wifi to connect to your home network. The CPU socket and ram slots are well apart from each other, but some high-end liquid coolers might not fit well. As far as the air coolers are concerned, you are good to go. It has a nice spacing for extra peripherals, so you can choose this motherboard without thinking any further.
To add more feel to your rig, you can customize the onboard RGB lighting from the BIOS. ASRock Phantom motherboard is a unique choice if you are a gaming geek and low on budget.
4. MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE | The Most Powerful Gaming Motherboard
Key Specs:
If you do not care about spending money and need a gaming motherboard that lasts for years, then MSI MEGZ390 Godlike is for you. It is a motherboard specifically meant for hardcore gaming. Pairing this motherboard with Intel 9th generation CPUs will deliver optimal performance.
This motherboard supports dual channel DDR4 memory up to 4600 MHz for extreme performance. To max out your gaming experience, it supports 4 PCIe slots for SLI/Crossfire. Moreover, 4 M2 slots for SSD and 6 SATA slots make it the most versatile motherboard on our list.
We loved the option that MEG Z390 GodLike carries to customize your motherboard. It features Mystic lighting Infinity to create a vibrant colorful effect on your overall rig. You can choose different color schemes with the help of Mystic Lighting App.
This motherboard is a beast when it comes to high-end gaming performance. If you install Core-i9 CPU with a minimum of 64 gigs of ram, then you will witness the performance by yourself. It’s an incredible motherboard that we recommend if you are a serious gamer.
Factors to Consider When Buying Z390 Motherboard for Gaming
Z390 is one of the most powerful motherboards for extreme performance. Though this motherboard is now almost 2 years old, it still packs a lot of value in the gaming industry due to its overclocking and more memory support option. However, purchasing a Z300 series motherboard for gaming is quite hectic if you don’t know these important factors.
Socket
The Z390 motherboard comes with LGA 1151 socket support. Therefore, the motherboard that you choose for gaming must support LGA 1151 socket. Otherwise, it won’t be possible for you to fit in your favorite 8th or 9th generation processor on the motherboard.
Form Factor
Another important factor is to look out for the form factor of your motherboard. From Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX to E-ATX boards, everyone has its own dimensions and fitting technique.
Features
Gaming motherboard comes with unique features like built-in Wifi, RGB lights, etc. You can ignore these features if your concern is only to play games. However, if you showcase your PC in your videos, then these features will quite make your rig appealing.
A good quality Z390 motherboard always features USB 3.1, numerous M2 slots for SSD and SATA drives. Moreover, a built-in 5 or 8 channel soundcard can also be a good option to look for.
SLI/Crossfire Support
A single GPU cannot provide enough power to your games if you are a hardcore gamer. You will need more than 1 GPU for stable fps and a smooth gaming experience. For this purpose, you will need a motherboard that supports more than one PCIe slot.
The best Z390 motherboards for gaming come with at least 2 PCIe slots. To us, more than 2 or 3 SLI/Crossfire slots are useless.
Overclocking
Of course, the main concern of buying a Z390 motherboard is for overclocking. Almost, every motherboard in Intel 300 Series lets you enjoy the higher clock speeds.
DIMM Slots
Ram slots allow you to add extra memory sticks to your gaming rig for better performance. Make sure the Z390 motherboard that your are buying comes with at least 3 DIMM slots to expand the memory later on.
Verdict
Finally, finding the best Z390 motherboard for the purpose of gaming can cost you a bit more money as compared to the previous models. However, if you are on a budget, then you can go for ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming motherboard can be your last bet. If you do not care about money and need a motherboard that lasts for years, then MSI MEGZ390 GodLike has no parallel in performance.
