5 Best Z390 Motherboard for your Gaming PC – Best of [2023]

Buying a gaming PC in 2023 can be a bit tricky because you have so many options and you get confused. Here you will know all about the best Z390 motherboard and how good they are for your gaming PC setup.

There are high chances that you might land up buying the wrong components in the crowd of so many products. Thus, it is best if you do your research properly before putting money into your gaming PC setup.

Despite the motherboard being the most important component people try to save on it. It’s not good because of the fact that your graphics or wifi card will go useless if your motherboard malfunctions.

We have prepared a full-fledged article about the Z390 motherboard with the top features it possesses and a buyer’s guide for it.

Before we tell you about the 5 best Z390 motherboards, let’s know a little more about the Z390 motherboard and also about why it is a good pick for your gaming PC setup.

Why Buy the Best Z390 Motherboard for Gaming PC

The Z390 Chipset is designed by Intel to enable the motherboards to get most of their 8th and 9th gen CPUs. There is no doubt that the Z390 is an excellent chipset. However, in a sea of motherboards justifying one as the best is a bit tough.

Moreover, when you get the same Z390 chipset coming in different shapes and sizes, with a bit different features, it is not for us to decide which brand has made the best out of this chipset.

It depends on the users and their preferences. And this is the reason why we have compiled a list of the 5 best Z390 motherboards.

Also, we have elaborated on their features and build,  to help you decide which one suits your preferences.

The overall review of this board is pretty nice and there are plenty of reasons why you should pick this motherboard for your gaming setup.

Here are the reasons that make the Z390 one of the best motherboards for your gaming PC:

The architecture of the Z390 is something that makes the board pretty efficient and a high-performing one. Moreover, since the chipset is from intel, the doubt about the quality and durability is vague.

At a Glance | 5 Best Z390 Motherboard

Here are the top 5 picks for the best Z390 keyboard that are there in the market. These picks have been made after a lot of consideration and expert advice. We have also allocated a title to each one of them.

So, here you can have a glance at all the 5 boards at once. However, we will be describing each one in detail in this article.     

S No	Best Z390 Motherboard	FORM FACTOR	TITLE
1.	GIGABYTE AORUS Elite	ATX	Best Overall
2.	GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS Xtreme	ATX	Best Runner-Up
3.	MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE	E-ATX	Best Premium
4.	GIGABYTE Z390 M Gaming	ATX	Best Budget
5.	ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac	ATX	Best Premium ATX

While picking these motherboards it was made sure to consider that it is going to be fitted in a PS, developed with a motive of heaving gaming.

Hence, we tried and tested different components and their performance with respect to some of the latest games. The board actually performed up to the expectation.

Detailed Description | 5 Best Z390 Motherboard 

As informed earlier that buying a motherboard can be a tricky task. Keeping this fact in mind, we have elaborated on each motherboard and added it to our list in a detailed manner.

On top of that, we have provided the top features that make these Z390 chipset-based mainboards special for a gaming setup.

1. GIGABYTE AORUS Elite | Best Z390 Motherboard (Overall)

BRAND: GIGABYTE | VERSION: AORUS ELITE | PRICE: 💰💰💰

This motherboard is one that has a few cons that many people won’t like. The GIGABYTE AORUS Elite does not feature the best VRM that a Z390 chipset-based motherboard can have.

Nor does it have the fastest connectivity adapter or is highly feature-filled. So, you must be thinking why did we place it at the help of our best z390 motherboards list? 

The sole reason is its costing for the product that you get. The GIGABYTE AORUS Elite is the best you can get for the money that you are investing.

Its value-per-dollar is the best among any Z390 motherboards and this matters a lot to many of us who have to invest in the top graphics and top processor.

While we may say that the VRM that comes with this board is not the best that a Z390 chipset mainboard can offer but this doesn’t mean that it’s not worth it. Actually, the VRM used in the GIGABYTE AORUS Elite is the best you can get in its price range.

Moreover, the VRM in this board is the same 12+1 phase VRM that is used in the GIGABYTE AORUS Ultra, which costs you 90 USD extra and is considered the best in its bracket. This is a feature that serves as a boon to anyone who is looking for good overclocking. 

With the top ports and slots, the GIGABYTE AORUS Elite is the best Z390 motherboard that you can get for under 200 USD.

Additionally, this is also one of the few that you can trust to overclock a 9900K. This is why we have kept it at the top.

2. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS Xtreme (Premium ATX)

BRAND: GIGABYTE | VERSION: Z390 AORUS XTREME | PRICE: 💰💰💰💰

You might take it as fanboy stuff, but isn’t it an injustice to not include an ASUS product in a line-up suggesting the best Z390 motherboard for gaming? We think that it is! And the reason behind this is the trust the barn has established among the gamer community.

The quality and services that ASUS has delivered in all the years of its presence in the gaming hardware market are commendable. 

This motherboard delivers top-of-the-line performance in an ATX form factor. You generally will get performance similar to this motherboard in the ones that have a comparatively much bigger form factor.

However, most of us are aware of the fact that many PC builders these days are concerned about the aesthetic. This is just like the ones who hunt for the best white motherboard for their theme gaming PC.

The ASUS GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS Xtreme is something that gives them no option to point out any cons related to Aesthetics, performance, and output delivery.

Despite being an ATX form factor-based motherboard, this one has got some excellent overclocking capability.

This is the only ATX motherboard in the market, as far as our knowledge is concerned, that can take a challenge with the unified VRM of MSI GODLIKE.

The VRM of this ASUS mainboard is a 16-phase VRM that features a top-class, latest thermal design with a pretty hefty heatsink and a cooling mechanism.

The LAN support of the board can easily handle the worst of the network woes. The mainboard has 10GbE BASE-T LAN. Additionally, it also supports 3X M.2 drives. 

Moreover, since we are talking about the ASUS motherboard based on the Z390 architecture you might also prefer to look at the ROG Maximus IX Apex.

3. MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE | Best Z390 Motherboard

BRAND: MSI | VERSION: MEG Z390 GODLIKE | PRICE: 💰💰💰

This MSI MEG Godlike is the best Z390 motherboard because of its capability of overclocking. This is because it has no small part in its 16+1+1 VRM and it performs as an absolute unity.

This makes the VRM of this motherboard quite capable. Additionally, the board comes with 4X PCIe slots, 4X M.2 slots, 6X SATA ports, and many other ports and slots.

These options enable an array of possibilities for a hardcore gamer like you to add maximum extensions to your gaming PC setup and get the absolute best out of it.

In addition to the above-mentioned capabilities, you will get the best features like the Killer xTend network extender, Triple Turbo M.2, Xtreme Audio DAC, among many other top ones.

To make sure that the users don’t face overheating issues, MSI uses powerful, solid, and heavy heatsink technology in this mainboard.

Other than all the aforementioned stuff, you get Killer Wi-Fi AC 1550 for a high speed, top class, and hassle-free wireless connectivity.

The board also features a mini OLED display designed for easy status monitoring.

In simple and true words, the MSI MEG Z390 Godlike is a motherboard that gives us features and performance that more than 90 percent of us don’t even need in our daily heavy gaming or production.

So if you have this board and you are playing an MMORPG, or graphics dedicated FPS games, you don’t have to worry, as this board can handle a reddening in the background or a live HD streaming session along with such CPU and GPU intensive gaming.  

4. GIGABYTE Z390 M Gaming (Micro-ATX)

BRAND: GIGABYTE | VERSION: Z390 M Gaming | PRICE: 💰💰💰💰

Many times it has been seen that gamers go for a small cabinet for giving a smarter and elegant yet appealing look to their gaming setup.

However, with a smaller CPU setup, the problem is that you cannot fit the larger motherboards that provide you with numerous ports and slots for adding components to your CPU.

So, if you are planning to get a smaller cabinet and still use the Z390 architecture to draw maximum performance out of your processor, then you don’t need to worry.

The  GIGABYTE Z390 M Gaming offers you a Z390 chipset-based mainboard in a micro-ATX form factor.

This is the only high-performing motherboard in the micro-ATX form factor that you will get. Others don’t offer as much as this one does.

However, since it is a micro-ATX mainboard, it is likely that some ports and slots have to be shed to utilize the space available effectively.

The VRM in the board has a commendable 10+2 phase digital PWM design. This is a factor that you will not find easily on these boards.

The  GIGABYTE Z390 M Gaming features high-quality audio capacitors, 2X M.2 ports, 6X SATA III ports, and 1GbE LAN. These features are enough for a micro-ATX board.

However, the design of the board is pretty basic and you won’t get the most elite look. But at this price point, you really can’t complain about it.

We Believe you are a Gaming Enthusiast, You Might like Best Low Profile GPUs

5. ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac | (Mini-ITX)

BRAND: ASROCK | VERSION: Z390 PHANTOM GAMING ITX/ac | PRICE: 💰💰💰

To be very honest, there is very limited availability of Z390 chipset-based motherboards in this form factor category. There are very few companies that make a Mini ITX form factor-based motherboard with the Z390 chipset.

However, you get the fabulous ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac which gives you a good feel of the Z390 in such a small form factor.

Though not so famous and popular among gamers, ASRock is making some really good products to get the desired attention.

One of those is the Z390 chipset based with an ITX form factor is the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac. 

This motherboard is a 5 phase VRM enabled motherboard as it is the smallest VRM available. Despite the limited space the board is pretty impressive and has some of the top techs.

This motherboard offers you gigabyte LAN support,  DIGI Power Design, full spike protection, and more

Since the brand manufacturing, this mainboard is not that well established, So from the pricing point of view, the board is cheap.

However, this does not mean that the Quality and durability of this motherboard is something to question. The board has a great build quality.

The  ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac boasts rugged hi-density gaming armor, the credit for which goes to the ASRock Super Alloy.

This alloy delivers nan unbeatable protection to the board. Additionally, when we talk about the look and feel of the board, the matte black design which is enhanced by Polychrome SYNC gives it a premium kind of look.

Additional Info about the Z390 Motherboards

Now that you know about the motherboards that you were looking for, here is a little more about the Z390 motherboards and general topics related to them.

1. What is the meaning of ‘Z390 Motherboard’?

Z390 motherboard means a motherboard that has been designed on Intel’s Z390 architecture. The name Z390 is a lineup name allocated to a particular chipset type.

These motherboards have been designed specifically for high-end gaming PC setup or heavy CPU and GPU intensive work and they offer features like upgraded I/O connectivity, built-in Wi-Fi, multiple connectivity ports, and slots, among many other output-related features.

The rich features embedded in these boards ensure a remarkable performance and best-in-class hardware compatibility.

2. How do the Z390 Motherboards work?

The layout of the Z390 motherboards features a unique chipset or say a circuit design. This unique chipset is designed to integrate with the 8th and 9th generation Coffee Lake processors.

This design controls the flow of information between the different computer components in a more efficient manner as compared to the older circuit designs.

Also, since this is a product of the Z series lineup of intel, the motherboard designed around this chipset is explicitly good at Overclocking. The Z series lineup is specialized in producing overclocking-focused products.

3. Why is overclocking needed? How is overclock important in a CPU?

Using overclocking, you get the feature to extract the most out of your processor (CPU). You get to run your processor at maximum capacity.

It is called overclocking because, when you are running heavy programs or software your processor tends to work at a higher speed exceeding the official speed grade set by the manufacturer. 

So, if you don’t have a motherboard that has an overclocking feature then you won’t be able to leverage a speed higher than the official limits.

Having an overclocking feature allows you to use your software and play games at the highest possible settings. And if you are using a top-end processor, GPU and mainboard then you can use the top settings of the software.

The main component that one should look for when going for a motherboard with good overclocking is the VRM.

VRM is a voltage regulator module and is responsible for controlling the energy levels and stability of power distribution allocated to your CPU and GPU.

So, it is important to have a good VRM for a smooth overclocking experience.  

How to Choose the Best Z390 Motherboard for your Setup?

As we told you that buying a motherboard is the trickiest part of building a gaming PC. This is due to the reason that the motherboard serves as the pathway that connects all your PC components.

So you must know what are the things that are important to look for in a motherboard before you buy it.

Important parts and components of a motherboard that you should know about before buying a Z390 motherboard for your gaming PC setup are:

1. Socket Compatibility

The most important thing about buying a mainboard is checking compatibility with other components that you have decided to add to your gaming PC setup.

If you have bought components before deciding on a mainboard then you might land up in trouble.

So, it is advised that buy the mainboard as the first component to decide what you want to add. In short, you must build your gaming PC around its motherboard.

All the boards that we have mentioned in our list of best Z390 motherboards, utilize standard LGA 1151 sockets. These sockets are highly compatible with all the 8th and 9th generation intel processors from i5 to i9. 

So make sure to check for the socket that a motherboard is utilizing and also its compatibility with other components.

2. Price

One wrong move can destroy your whole budget. So it is important to allocate a budget to each component.

Since we have asked you to build your PC around your mainboard, it doesn’t mean that you will spend a fortune on your mainboard and cut the cost of other essential components.

You need to balance out everything and see how these companies can best complement each other. So, it must be your top priority to find a budget Z390 motherboard. 

Make sure to not cut the cost on CPU GPU Power supply and other essentials for getting a branded top-class high-end motherboard.

Trust us it will do more harm than good for you because many features of the mainboard will be left unused.

3. Size of the Motherboard (Best Form Factor for You):

So, here is a catch. Since we asked you to build your PC around your motherboard, it is important that you also note a basic factor related to it.

The motherboards come in different sizes. Now, if you go for a motherboard too small for your CPU cabinet, or you buy a small cabinet for a larger mainboard then you might land in trouble.

Motherboards come in basically 3 sizes. They are also known as the form factor of the motherboard. These 3 sizes are 

You will have to understand that if you buy an ATX motherboard it is not going to fit in a cabinet/case made for micro ATX form factor. Although, a Micro-ATX will fit in a cabinet designed for an ATX motherboard.

So make sure to buy a CPU case accordingly. If you go for a small motherboard in a larger case, it will hamper the aesthetics of your gaming PC setup.

4. Top Features

More or less, any motherboard you will buy will have features similar. But, to decide the best one, identifying the top features is an ideal thing to do.

So if you want a board that features an AM4 socket for your Ryzen processor, you will have to check it. Similarly, make sure that before buying it you check for the following features

5. I/O 

Though it is not the most important thing that you should be highly bothered about, it has a good relevance to the functioning of the motherboard.

The Input/Output port is a section of your mainboard in a small metal plate that handles the flow of input and output of your motherboard.

So, all you have to check in IO is that it has enough connections and the right kind of connection for everything that you expect from the mainboard.

6. Brand

Although there are a number of brands that give you amazing quality motherboards. Out there, many are well established while others are new to the industry.

We recommend that before buying a motherboard, you check the service provided by the manufacturing brand of the motherboard. 

So, there is a higher probability that a well-known and established brand will give you a better service.

Although at the same time, the cost of their motherboard will be a bit higher in comparison to the one from the brands that are new to this market.

You will get better service and features in brands like ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, etc. SUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, and ASRock are all reputable manufacturers of motherboards.

Whereas brands like the ones from china are not good with service and hence less reliable.

7. Aesthetics and Appearance

Aesthetics are one of the important aspects of your gaming PC setup. So make sure that you pick the one that best suits your Gaming Rig setup.

You must make sure that the look, feel and the color goes in sync with your setup. However, it should be your second preference after the performance of the mainboard.

Conclusion

We hope that you found the right Z390 motherboard for your gaming setup. It would be great to hear about your experiences with the motherboard mentioned in our list.

You can share it in the comments box below. This will also help our readers have feedback about these motherboards.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is the Z390 compatible with the 10th gen?

The most simple answer to this question can be “NO”. However, a wide range of tasks are still possible with the Z390 motherboard and it can be used with the 8th as well as 9th generations of processors. In fact, core i9 processors can be overclocked by certain motherboards from the Z390. The Z390 might not be able to support the 10th generation processors, however that’s not the case with the Z490. Because of its enhancements, this model is marginally superior to the previous model.

Q2. Do Z390 motherboards work well for gaming?

Z390 motherboards are designed to be compatible with Intel’s eighth and ninth generation of Coffee Lake CPUs. They’re designed for top-end designs, with features like modern I/O connectivity, integrated Wi-Fi and more. This guarantees robust performance and the latest in hardware compatibility.

Q3. Should you buy a Z390 or Z370?

Go for the Z390 model and its many USB 3.1 ports in lieu of Z370 when you’re developing an entirely new device or if you can locate an identical Z370 board at an enticing price. If you already own a Z370 board, moving to Z390 does not make sense. Its built-in USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10gbps) as well as wifi 802.11ac connection are two of the biggest differences between the Z370 and Z390. Z370 had none of these.