Best Z390 Motherboard for Gaming in 2022
We take a closer at today's market to find only the best Z390 motherboards for your Intel builds
The Z390 is Intel’s latest generation of motherboard’s which have been purpose-built to work alongside their 9th gen range of Coffee Lake processors. They were first released at the back end of 2018 and are widely considered to be one of the most powerful motherboards in today’s market.
Intel has equipped their new series of boards with a variety of powerful upgrades such as USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, CNVI link support, and even more headroom for outstanding levels of overclocking potential. If you’re looking to maximize the performance power of your new 9th processor then the Z390 is certainly the board to go for.
Unfortunately, choosing which one is right for you can be a fairly strenuous task. It usually required hours of tireless research browsing various websites, forums and review pages in the hope you can extract enough information to make the proper informed decision of which one to go for. Well here’s the good news. Here at WePC, we do all the leg work for you.
We have a team of dedicated computer enthusiasts that spend their days testing and working with the latest and best hardware tech on the market. They’re bang up-to-date with the latest manufacturer announcements ensuring all of our recommendations meet strict criteria categories before reaching the consumer.
So, if you are building around one of Intel’s latest 9th gen chips, sit back and relax, the following is our list of the best Z390’s available in today’s market.
Our Top Picks
Best Z390 Motherboard in 2022
In-depth Review
MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE
MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE
Specs
- Socket: LGA1151
- Chipset: Z390
- Memory Slots: 4 x 288-pin DIMM
- Max Memory: 128GB Dual Channel
- Max memory frequency: 4,600MHz
- PCIe slots:
- 4 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
- 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1
- SATA ports: 6
- M.2 Ports: 3
- USB Ports:
- 1 x USB Type C
- 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (additional 4 x USB 3.1 gen 2 via internal connector)
- 2 x USB 3.0 Gen 1
- 4 x USB 2.0
This hugely impressive motherboard from MSI tops our list as the ultimate Z390 motherboard and for good reason. The GODLIKE is, without doubt, the most powerful board in our list thanks to the 18 phases VRM which has almost unlimited performance potential thanks to the overclocking headroom.
Performance a side however, MSI have gone with what they like to call the new infinity design which again only further symbolizes the performance potential. The board features Mystic Light RGB, Dynamic OLED dashboard, triple turbo M.2 support with Shield Frozr heat sinks, XTREME audio DAC and an impressive list of slots.
The Mystic Light RGB can be tailored to your specific style and has been equipped with 16 million different colour combinations creating endless possibilities to choose from. Further to this, the board has a OLED dashboard which shows the status of the board, it can also display uploaded GIF’s if that’s your thing.
The triple turbo M.2 support means you have a huge capacity for future expansion if required and their Shield Frozr cooling will ensure everything stays icey cool.
Overall this is one of the best motherboards you can buy for Intel and takes our top spot for best Z390 in 2019 so far.
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Code
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Code
Specs
- Socket: LGA 1151
- Chipset: Z390
- Memory Slots: 4 X 288pin
- Max Memory: 64GB Dual Channel
- Max memory frequency: 4,133MHz
- PCIe slots:
- 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, or x8/x4+x4)
- 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)
- 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1
- SATA ports: 6
- M.2 Ports: 2
- USB Ports:
- 1 x USB Type-C
- 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
- 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
- 6 x USB 2.0
The ROG range has been developing high end gaming hardware since it’s creation in 2006 and never fails to produce quality components. We’re huge fans of ROG at WEPC and for good reason, they churn out quality and reliable hardware offerings which look fantastic.
The CODE, as we like to call it, comes equipped with ASUS’s signature Aura Sync RGB and a newly enhanced distinctive design with ROG armor. The cooling system has independent temperature control and flow headers ensuring consumers receive the best cooling possible.
Most impressive for us is the newly enhanced 5 way optimization tool which makes overclocking as simple as turning the volume up on your music. To allow the CODE to reap maximum overclocking potential, developers have equipped it with dedicated onboard clock generators that supply dynamic reference clocks to the CPU cores and major subdomains. This gives consumers the freedom to coax ever MHz of headroom out of their build.
Ultimately, what we have here is a high powered, gnarly looking motherboard which is going to not only make your rig look impressive but also make it performance just as well.
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Xtreme
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Xtreme
Specs
- Socket: LGA1151
- Chipset: Z390
- Memory Slots: 4 X 288pin
- Max Memory: 128GB Dual Channel
- Max memory frequency: 4,400 MHz
- PCIe slots:
- 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16, x8, x4
- 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
- SATA ports: 6
- M.2 Ports: 3
- USB Ports:
- 3 x USB Type-C
- 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
- 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
- 6 x USB 2.0
The Gigabyte AORUS Xtreme is another superb motherboard from the Z390 chipset range. This gaming motherboard comes with 16 phases IR Digital VRM for impressive overclocking potential, Fins-Array heatsink’s, Gigabytes legendary FUSION 2.0 RGB and a whole bunch of slots making it super versatile and compatible.
Gigabyte continue to impress in the hardware universe and with their newly designed Z390 motherboard comes another entry into our best of guide. They have described the AORUS Xtreme as the new definition of a flagship motherboard and it’s hard to disagree, its a brilliant board. The innovative design paired with the Fusion 2.0 RGB really make this board stand out from the bunch, it’s definitely the most aesthetically pleasing in this list.
Looks aside however, the performance doesn’t let you down here either. It’s been developed to accommodate 8th and 9th gen coffee lake Intel processors, as you would expect, and seems to have had overclocking as one of it’s main priorities. The VRM is of extremely high quality to ensure stability and the cooling system is extremely efficient. A Nanocarbon backplate and Fins-Array heatsink make the perfect pairing for someone looking to overclock and keep their build running cool.
We were really impressed with the AORUS Xtreme and certainly agree that it’s their new flagship board, however it just misses out of the top spot on this occasion.
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming PRO Carbon
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming PRO Carbon
Specs
- Socket: LGA 1151
- Chipset: Z390
- Memory Slots: 4 X 288pin
- Max Memory: 128GB Dual Channel
- Max memory frequency: 4,400 (OC) MHz
- PCIe slots:
- 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16
- 3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
- SATA ports: 6
- M.2 Ports: 2
- USB Ports:
- 1 x USB C
- 5 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
- 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
- 6 x USB 2.0
MSI’s MPG Z390 gaming PRO Carbon is without the cheapest and best value to performance board in this list. It comes to shevles at a fraction of the price of the 3 above but has been geared towards gaming and doesn’t massively lack on features.
It supports both 8th and 9th coffee lake Intel processors like all the boards on this list alongside 4,400Mhz RAM support meaning you have the potential to build a rapid gaming rig with the PRO Carbon at it’s heart.
It has MSI’s Mystic light RGB which looks superb especially when pairing it with other RGB compatible components, think 2080 ti and the likes. It also comes equipped with the ever popular Shield Frozr feature which is MSI’s take on thermal enhancement specifically targetting your M.2 bays.
It doesn’t quite have as many slots or connectivity options as the picks above, neither does it have the super expensive build quality, but what you do get is all the features you expect from a top end board, for a much cheaper final price tag.
Gigabyte Z390 I AORUS PRO WiFi
Gigabyte Z390 I AORUS PRO WiFi
Specs
- Socket: LGA 1151
- Chipset: z390 (Mini ITX)
- Memory Slots: 2 X 288pin
- Max Memory: 32GB Dual Channel
- Max memory frequency: 3,200 MHz
- PCIe slots:
- 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16
- SATA ports: 4
- M.2 Ports: 1
- USB Ports:
- 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
- 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
- 2 x USB 2.0
Gigabytes I AORUS PRO WIFI is the smallest form motherboard in our list and is the cheapest, as you’d expect, probably. It’s a Mini-ITX board meaning it’s purpose built for small builds that are both inconspicuous and don’t take up much room. A lot of people are building powerful Mini-ITX rigs these days thanks to LAN events becoming ever more popular.
Size is both the pro and the con for this motherboard, on one side of the coin you have something that no other motherboard has in this list, small form. However, compromises are made when reducing the overall dimensions of your component and that is certainly the case here.
Only 1 PCIe slot and 1 M.2 mean future expansion is pretty limited. More importantly for some is the lack of RAM slots as this only comes with 2 and has a maximum capacity of 32GB which basically means you have to go all out first time with 2 x 16GB sticks or be stuck for a while with 2 x 8gb sticks which may eventually become redundant.
Ultimately, I actually really like this board and as far as Mini-ITX go it’s right up there for best in it’s field. It will never compete with ATX boards so there’s really no point comparing them. However if you’re looking to build a mini gaming rig for LAN’s i’d stop searching now, Gigabyte tick those boxes nicely.
Final Word
So which motherboard will you choose? Personally, I really enjoyed the PRO Carbon, firstly because it looks great and had excellent performance levels, but secondly the price. Many who read this will be sticking to a strict budget and being able to justify splashing out $500 on a motherboard is just not reasonable. However, with the Pro Carbon’s price tag I feel it’s a much better fit for myself and other consumers looking to put together a more rounded build.
Let us know which motherboard you chose and why, we’d love to hear from you.