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The i9 9900K is designed to create the most extreme builds in 2021. It has a mind-blowing performance in terms of gaming and applications. It is considered to be the best processor if you’re looking to build the best gaming system.
The i9 9900K is capable of delivering extreme speeds and overclocking capabilities, however, it requires a motherboard that is able to deliver that juice to keep the i9 9900K running.
It is not just power that the i9 9900K requires, but also substantial cooling capabilities, airflow and more. In this guide, we will discuss the 10 best motherboards for i9 9900K.
Most of these motherboards are the Z390 chipset which is highly recommended for i9 9900K builds.
The guide will only touch upon some of the main features of a particular board that sets them apart from others or makes them unique. Besides that, the Z390 boards all share similar standard features which includes the following:
- DDR4 Memory
- PCIe 3.0 x16
- PCIe 3.0 x4
- M.2 Slot
- SATA with speeds up to 6Gbps
- Audio Codec
- USB 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1
- Water cooling, system fans and additional fans header
- RGB headers
- Analog Audio Jack
- PS/2 Port
- HDMI/DVI-D and VGA
- Gigabit LAN port
Before we get into the guide let us go over some details about the i9 9900K and how good it actually is for gaming.
Our Top Picks
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About i9 9900k
The intel core i9 9900K is somewhat similar to its predecessors in terms of architectural structure. However, it has improved its cores and threads allowing it to push past the older versions in terms of raw performance.
The i9 9900K is 33% better in terms of performance than its predecessors. It has a boosted clock speed of 5Ghz making it much faster than anything on the market, even when compared to Ryzen. It is great for multi-tasking, media editing, and complex games.
Is i9 9900k Good For Gaming?
Yes, it is the best gaming CPU available on the market right now. You don’t even need to upgrade your motherboard from Z370 to a Z390. Just update the BIOS and you’re on your way.
With the i9 9900K, intel offers the absolute best of both worlds, more cores, and higher clock speeds. The normal performance and when overclocked is unmatchable creating a seamless gaming experience.
List Of The Best Motherboards For i9 9900k
1. ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero
5-Way Optimization
The AUS ROG Maximus XI Hero comes with 5-way optimization that allows gamers to control every aspect of their system through the intuitive BIOS. You can either do it manually or let the board decide what is right using intelligent sensors and flexible tools.
Aura Sync
This is Asus signature in terms of RGB. It takes RGB lighting to a whole new level by allowing gamers to control each light individually through the various headers. The system is able to sync RGB to the entire ecosystem of the computer and hardware within the case.
Overclocking and Cooling
The motherboard is rigged to cater to overclocking capabilities. It can overclock CPU and RAM with a single click of a button. To ensure that the system doesn’t overheat, it has temperature sensors that control the cooling and airflow maintaining temperatures across the board.
Our Thoughts
The ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero works well with i9 9900K intel core processors and is a superb motherboard that has enough ports and connectivity options for the average user. A prosumer might find that the options are not sufficient enough but it has great specifications for the majority of the builds.
The performance is way ahead of its closest rival, ASRock in terms of benchmarks. The ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero is a well-balanced option that provides great features and specifications allowing gamers to build an all-rounder and powerful gaming system. The board is capable of a 2-way SLI or 3-way Crossfire configurations. This is the best motherboard for i9 9900K in terms of features and available options for upgrades.
2. MSI MEG Z390 ACE
Mystic Light Infinity
This board targets gamers in a way like no other. It has a reflective mirror, an innovation straight from MSI, that has RGB lighting. These lights can be customized according to any profile as it has more than 16 million colors.
Dual Front Type-C
Usually, Type-C is not a jaw-dropping feature, however, the MSI makes it stand out. The board is capable of providing two Type-C USB connections at the front panel using internal headers. This is a superb addition to the gaming motherboard.
Triple Turbo M.2 with Shield Frozr
This feature makes the MSI stand out. MSI has focused on their M.2 slots for the past few years and have perfected it. The M.2 slots are capable of delivering faster speeds than the average M.2 allowing users to utilize their SSDs to their maximum potential. In case of overheating, MSI has introduced Shield Frozr, a large heatsink that ensures the M.2 slots perform well without heating up too much.
Our Thoughts
The MSI MEG Z390 ACE is a high-end board aimed at gamers and works well with intel i9 9900K core processors. It is competitively priced from its competitors and has a hoard of gaming features like killer LAN, Nahamic 3 Audio, and more.
It is capable of overclocking and is able to deliver the power to the core instantaneously. The board also supports SLI and Crossfire configurations.
The performance of the board shines through under stress testing meaning it will handle whatever you throw at it. It has many different connectivity options but a Type-C USB port is an exceptional addition at such a price point.
The MSI MEG Z390 ACE is clearly the manufacturer’s highlight and is nothing too short of becoming a champion, even among high-end boards. The board does lack display options, but if you’re buying a gaming board then you would definitely be using a dedicated graphics card. The MSI MEG Z390 ACE is one of the best i9 motherboards for gaming available on the market right now.
3. Asus Prime Z390-A Motherboard
AI Overclocking
Asus Prime Z390-A motherboard has an intelligent AI that recognizes the capacity of the CPU and Cooler. It is able to push the two into synergy with each other to reduce throttling or game lag within a game. The AI overclocking is so intelligent that experts have said it’s almost similar to manual tuning.
Fan Xpert 4
The board has a lot of headers for cooling options that can be controlled via their intelligent software. The software looks into the board’s situation and optimizes cooling wherever necessary regardless of it is a fan or watercooler. With a single click, users can control all the fans and water-cooling solutions and even minimize the sound it produces by going into quiet mode.
Crystal Sound 3
The board separates analog and digital signals delivering crisp and sharp audio. It is able to minimize cross-talk among audio layers and has an integrated amplifier for headphones. The board uses premium Japanese audio capacitors to deliver an immersive audio experience.
Our Thoughts
ASUS is known for its gaming peripherals and the Z390-A is no exception. It deserves to be on our list as it is a much more durable board than its predecessors and has the features to please the gaming community.
The motherboard has lightning speed and superior performance above the other options on the market. The board also supports overclocking capabilities meaning that it is able to provide the necessary power to its core.
ASUS Prime Z390-A motherboard features 3 PCIe slots for 2-way SLI and 3-way Crossfire configurations. It also has several connectivity options too making it a solid buy in terms of price, performance, and features.
4. Asus ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming
Ultra-Wi-Fi
The ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E gaming comes with an intel wireless AC 9560 adapter which is faster than the average wireless adapters. It is capable of supporting 1.7Gbps of internet speed wirelessly. The chip even offers Bluetooth 5.0 expanding the range of features offered at such a price point.
Opti Mem II
The board uses its new Opti Mem II technology to reduce vias by carefully mapping signals over the PCB. It even adds shielding zones that help in cutting down any interference or distortions. With proper signal mapping, the board becomes great hardware for overclocking memory configurations, boosting speeds.
Our Thoughts
The ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E gaming is a strong motherboard aimed at gamers. The board has enough power to overclock your system and comes with various cooling options to maintain favorable temperatures. There are sufficient RGB headers to pump out your board the way you like it and have extremely fast memory support.
It comes with a suite of software to customize your gaming experience and develop a system that is catered to your needs. The up-gradation options are sufficient for a mid-range gaming motherboard; however, the board is slightly pricier than its competitors.
This shouldn’t bother anyone since the ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E gaming has premium features and more robust components than its competitors, so you get your price worth.
The heatsinks are fantastic and also cover M.2 slots for optimum performance during load. If you’re looking for a great quality gaming motherboard for your intel i9 processor, then look no further, the ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E gaming is the board for you.
5. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI
12+1 Phase Digital Power Design
The Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro uses a 12 plus 1 phase design. It also includes a digital PWM Controller and DrMOS. The components ensure power is delivered to all the power-hungry components and pushes the CPU to the max delivering more than 5Ghz of speed.
Advanced Thermal Design
The board has a unique thermal design that incorporates two heat sinks and a copper pipe. The pipe transfers excess heat from one part of the board to the other maintaining a balance of thermals across the board. The board even has 1.5 mm thick thermal pads for more efficient heat dissipation.
ALC 1220VB
The board uses the ALC 1220VB audio codec with a smart headphone amp that eliminates any distortions or static associated with audio. It has a front and rear microphone port to allow gamers to send their voices far and beyond. A superb and immersive audio experience will leave gamers wanting more.
Our Thoughts
Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi provides all the premium features at a fraction of its cost. It is highly competitively priced and aimed at gamers looking to use 8th and 9th generation Intel core processors.
The board has a decent controller set and features several options and support for RGB lighting. It has a lot of USB connectivity options as well.
The board goes above and beyond by providing a thunderbolt card connector which can be found in its expensive variant the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master. Gigabyte Aorus has made sure that with the Z390 Aorus Pro stands out from the crowd establishing the brand as a superior.
6. MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge
PCIe Steel armor
MSI takes protection and durability to a whole new level by covering the layers of its PCIe slots with reinforced steel. This is great for GPUs that are heavy reducing any strains on the slot or board itself. The steel keeps any size or weight GPU in place without causing any damage to the GPU or the board.
Audio Boost 4
The audio boost 4 pushes the powerful audio chip to the max with its Nahimic audio software. It offers incredible audio and voice performance during gaming while supporting 7.1 virtual surround sound. The audio boost 4 provides a complete gaming experience and an immersive audio feel.
Our Thoughts
The MSI Z390 gaming edge is a decent mid-sized value gaming board for those looking to get into gaming without having to spend large sums of money. It has great RAM overclocking increasing the processing speed. The board supports SLI and Crossfire configurations and comes with built-in Wi-Fi. At this price, it is very difficult to find a decent gaming board with Wi-Fi.
It does require cooling for CPU overclocking but for a few, the cooling options might not be as much as they would want. Bear in mind this is a budget mid-sized board that saves on space and money, there is still a good number of cooling options with this board.
It beats its rival hands down in terms of pricing and features making it a great addition to our list of 10 best motherboards for i9 9900K.
7. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS ULTRA
Aorus M.2 Thermal Guards
In order for the M.2 slots to achieve maximum speeds for SSDs, the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra provides a thermal solution. These guards ensure that the slots and SSDs don’t throttle when operating at full speeds. It is able to maintain a stable performance with the thermal guards.
Triple NVMe M.2 PCIe SSDs
The Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra has the best compatibility with NVMe storage. The PCIe can deliver speeds up to 3511Mbps catering to all those gamers seeking the best performance. The NVMe fast storage makes it an ultimate PC and gamer’s obvious choice when it comes to PCIe slots.
Ultra-Durable Memory Armor
The board has a single-piece design that shields the memory slots preventing any harm to the PCB like distortions and bending. It has anti-plate bending properties that are not found in other boards. Shearing tests show that the board is 1.7 times stronger than other boards and retention force tests indicate that the board is 3.2 times strong.
Our Thoughts
Another amazing entry by Gigabyte Aorus with their Z390 Aorus ultra motherboard that works well with 8th and 9th generation intel core processors. The design stands out and the features, well, Gigabyte stands out once again. Each slot comes with an M.2 heatsink and the board features a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.
The audio capacitors are of high quality and comes with many internal USB headers for USB connectivity. It even supports the Type C connection.
The board provides enough power for overclocking capabilities while the BIOS keeps everything simple and easy to use. There is a couple of software installed that makes life simple providing enough customization for a gamer.
It is a great board for beginners and also intensive gamers. It has all the necessary features at a fraction of the price.
8. MSI Z390-A PRO
Multi-GPU Steel Armor
The PCIe slots on this board is reinforced steel meaning its much stronger than your average steel. This ensures that the board doesn’t bend during 2-way AMD crossfire configurations keeping your board and GPU safe at all times. The steel armor holds the GPU in place by locking on to it.
2nd Gen Intel Turbo USB 3.1
The MSI Z390-A Pro provides more stability and high speeds in their USB 3.1. They’re faster and more durable than what other boards have to offer. The USB controller ensures uninterrupted connectivity at all times and zero choking or bottlenecks.
Our Thoughts
The A version of the MSI Z390 Pro is targeted toward gamers. It supports 8th and 9th-generation intel core processors. The board is well known for its selection of different types of controllers like the ethernet controller, audio codec, and more.
It is a bit more expensive than other Z390 models, however, it has decent controllers that are aimed at improving the gaming experience. This can be in the form of low latency through LAN controllers and HD-quality audio.
If you’re looking to put in the extra cash to get decent controllers and ample USB options, then the MSI Z390-A pro is the one for you.
9. MSI MPG Z390 Gaming PRO Carbon
Lighting Fast Gaming Experience
The MSI MPG Z390 gaming pro carbon aims at providing a complete gaming experience. The board has turbo M.2 slots that work in synergy with intel optane memory ready, shield frozr 2, and turbo USB 3.1. All of these together create a fast system that can run anything you throw at it.
Pre-Installed I/O Shielding
The board ensures durability by having a solid I/O shield pre-installed that can not be taken out. The shield delivers superb strength and protects all the rear I/O components at all times. It is capable of better EMI protection and is convenient during motherboard installations.
Our Thoughts
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon supports 8th and 9th generation intel core processors. It is priced competitively and is a great bang for buck motherboard.
The board has superb CPU overclocking capabilities and has temperature sensors across the board to keep the temperatures stable.
It does have some limitations like fewer I/O panel USB headers when compared to its competitors and also poor RAM overclocking.
However, these should not bother since the price of this board is absolutely unbeatable. The features and performance are up to par and it is a great piece of hardware for gamers who are looking toward CPU overclocking without any throttles.
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon is recommended to all those who are looking to upgrade from the MSI Z370, it’s a thumbs up from us.
10. ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene
Ultimate Power Performance
The ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene is a beast when it comes to performance. The board with its optimized layout and liquid nitrogen cooling has broken 10 world records reaching 5566Mhz on RAM and 7.61Ghz of CPU speed. This is an absolutely phenomenal piece of hardware.
Comprehensive Cooling Design
To ensure that the board remains cool during stress testing or heightened performances, it has several cooling options controllable via software. Users can control CPU fans, Water pumps, AIO pump, water flow, speed of fans, and more. You can even let the intelligent AI control these options efficiently ensuring full performance whenever required.
Our Thoughts
The ASUS ROG Maximum XI Gene is the only micro ATX board on this list of 10 best motherboards for i9 9900K and it is here for a reason.
Since it’s a micro ATX board we will not compare it directly with the other boards mentioned but we will compare its features with other micro ATX boards. There is a lot to like about this board.
Yes, there are a couple of compromises to make since the board is already compact. Rest assured; it is a superb piece of hardware.
The board has great overclocking capabilities, not just the CPU but also the RAM. VRM heatsinks keep the board cool and there is RGB lighting giving it a good vibe. It has enough ports and slots with USB connections to satisfy any type of user, even gamers when it comes to compact builds.
It even has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth which is an added advantage. It is perfect for those looking to make a high-end compact built system that is efficient and durable.
The ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene is our top choice micro ATX motherboard as it is, hands down, the best micro ATX motherboard for i9-9900k available on the market.
FAQs
What Is The Best RAM for i9 9900k?
There is also Corsair Vengeance RGB which is an affordable option and has RGB lights to pimp up your system. GSkill Trident Royal Gold looks fantastic too. Any 16GB DDR4 RAM and above would do the system justice.
Does z370 Support i9 9900k?
What Is The Difference Between i9 9900k and i9 9900kf?
How Long Will The i9 9900k Last?
In Conclusion
The i9 9900K by Intel is the fastest CPU on the market. The processors excel at hyper-threading with its eight cores and a base frequency of 3.6Ghz. It is capable of touching a maximum clock speed of 5.0Ghz.
To go beyond in terms of overclocking capabilities, the i9 9900K requires a powerful board that supports overclocking. It will be able to run on Z370 motherboard after BIOS update, however, a Z390 motherboard and i9 9900K is the perfect combination of system hardware.
We have narrowed down the list of motherboards that are capable of running the i9 9900K for you. The main features have been highlighted in the article so that you can differentiate between the boards and compare them. Let us know if the article helped you find the right motherboard for your i9 processor.
