You need to pair a flagship CPU with a motherboard that allows overclocking and stability; that is the only way to get the best performance out of your CPU. Intel Core i9-9900K was one of the best multitasking processors of its time. Not to mention, its price was low enough to make it accessible to many people. Even nowadays, if you want a high-performance budget CPU, Intel Core i9-9900K is an excellent option.
The main question is, what motherboard to choose for this processor? You don’t want to end up seeing stability and performance issues from this beast because your motherboard was not on par. Since there are thousands of motherboards available, we chose the best ones for Intel Core i9-9900K to save you time.
Best Motherboard for Intel i9-9900K
- GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO Wi-Fi – Best Motherboard Overall for Features and Performance
- ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard – Best for Overclocking
- MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus – Budget Motherboard With Gaming Look
- Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula – Best for Water Cooling
1. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO Wi-Fi
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO Wi-Fi – Best Motherboard Overall for Features and Performance
GIGABYTE has been in business for years producing low-priced motherboards for high performance. Their motherboards have been known to provide the best performance and easy control to tweak port settings. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO supports Intel’s 8th and 9th gen processors or equivalent AMD processors.
Pros: Cons:
This should be your first go if you want custom controls over everything attached. Instead of using the remote control to change the LED lights of RAM, fans, or motherboard, you can use the RGB fusion app. This gives you more control and allows you to add more lighting profiles.
Features
The most noticeable feature of this motherboard is customization. You can change everything from the bios, including the fan speed. It even has multiple temperature sensors to ensure no component goes beyond the red mark. There are eight USB-A and one USB-C port for maximum connectivity. You can use the stock Wi-Fi antennas to get better signals, and there is also an HDMI port, which means this bad boy supports CPUs with internal graphics.
It is Intel Optane memory ready, so you don’t have to make changes in the bios. If that is not all, overclocking on this motherboard is child’s play. Simply visit the bios and change the power and performance output as you like. This is hands down the best option if you want your Intel Core i9-9900K to perform like a beast.
2. ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard – Best for Overclocking
ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E might not be the most overpowered motherboard, but its stability is unmatched. This motherboard works on all Windows versions and supports every memory chipset, and you don’t have to find exclusive RAM sticks for this motherboard. With the support for Intel’s 8th and 9th gen processors and easy overclocking capabilities, this motherboard is a delight for gamers. It even has a small fan pre-installed with an RGB ROG logo in the middle. You can change its light and pattern using the remote or the RGB fusion app.
Pros: Cons:
ASUS tried to keep the old-school touch in this hardware by offering PS/2 port connectivity for old mice and keyboards. So, if you have a vintage mouse that you still like to use, there is no need to purchase a separate PS/2 port for a USB converter.
Features
You can find one gigabit, six type-A, one type-C, one HDMI, and one display port on this motherboard with Wi-Fi antenna connectors and audio jacks. Since it has a built-in display port, you can use an integrated GPU processor to run games at a higher refresh rate. Thanks to the display port, you can easily use a 165hz or an even faster screen without the refresh rate restriction.
The Wi-Fi antenna comes in the box, keeping the strength at peak even if you are far away from the router. Most motherboards don’t have a built-in IO shield; this motherboard has one, allowing you to mount it easily without damaging any ports.
3. Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula
Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula – Best for Water Cooling
The MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus is the best option if you want a motherboard for gaming. Since this is built exclusively for gaming, you can install i9-9900K, play games, and stream without any low FPS issues. RGB is missing from this motherboard, but the overall red look gives complete gaming vibes. You need to use a remote control to control the RGB of RAM or fans.
Pros: Cons:
What you will love about this motherboard is its IO layout. There is no protection on IO, so be careful while mounting, but the layout is clean with enough space between ports so you can easily connect USBs or headphone jacks.
Features
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus is available at quite a low price, making it a budget option for your Core i9-9900K. It supports up to 64GB ram running at 4400 MHz, so you can have the best performance while gaming and surfing. However, you might need to overclock your DDR4 RAM to achieve such fast speed.
Every slot on this motherboard features a turbo mode, which means they can run at their peak speed without causing stability issues. This is a problem with most motherboards, where they slow down the speed to prioritize another task. Not to mention it has an extended heatsink to cover the VRM, readily dissipating the heat. The only significant problem with this motherboard is that it only supports Windows 10 or above.
4. MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus – Budget Motherboard With Gaming Look
One of the best but not cheap ways to cool your CPU and GPU is via water cooling. However, you’ll need a motherboard that is designed for water cooling to make things easy. You can’t expect to run tests on any motherboard and get the same results. So, if you want to use water cooling in your setup, Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula can be an excellent option as a motherboard.
Pros: Cons:
Apart from water cooling, this motherboard has the best aesthetics for gamers. The RGB logo, color-changing plates, and a small LCD showing watts are what matters for looks.
Features
What makes this motherboard better than others is the simple overclock dial. Yes, instead of visiting the bios to over/underclock the CPU, you can use the dial and change the power as you like. However, you must not do it so casually, as overclocking can damage the CPU.
On the other hand, its back is filled with a plethora of IO, giving you many options for connectivity. There is a dedicated CMOS clear and bios flashback button, so you won’t have to open the case or visit bios for clearing or updating.
There is also a water monitor to show the temperature and if there is a leakage somewhere, turn off the PC before things get worse. The aura sync RGB lighting makes this motherboard the best for those who like to have the same light pattern and colors throughout their setup.
Buying Guide to Choose the Best Motherboards for Intel i9-9900K
Here are some factors to help you find the best motherboard for your Intel Core i9-9900K.
• Compatibility
You’ll need an LGA 1151 CPU socket to fit in an Intel Core i9-9900K, but that is not all. Make sure that the motherboard you purchase supports 9th-generation CPUs. It is always written in their description, so read it first before deciding.
• Overclocking
Having a K version CPU and not overclocking it means you would never be able to enjoy its full potential. While choosing the motherboard, ensure it has overclocking capabilities without causing stability issues. It would be better if the overclocking process won’t take a lot of time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best motherboard for the Intel i9-9900k?
Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula is hands down the best motherboard for Intel Core i9-9900K because of its overclocking capabilities. It has aura sync allowing you to sync your setup RGB to run in a synchronized pattern. It even has a small overclocking dial, so you don’t have to visit bios whenever you want to overclock your PC. On the other hand, it supports up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, maximizing gaming and streaming performance.
2. Is my motherboard bottlenecking my Intel i9-9900K?
Yes, if you use an old motherboard that isn’t able to handle the speed of your CPU, it will bottleneck it. If you own a Core i9-9900K, you’ll need a motherboard that can easily support up to 5 GHz without compromising the overall performance. This is one reason why you should carefully choose a motherboard for your high-end CPUs and GPUs. It might not be a common problem, but it can happen, and your only option is to upgrade your motherboard.
3. Is the core i9-9900K high-end?
Yes, this processor is still one of the best gaming processors you can find in the market. However, with AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, you might think twice before spending more than $300 for a CPU like i9-9900K. However, if you want the best multitasking performance with Intel Quick Sync, making it a perfect option for all content creators.
Final Words
Having a high-end CPU like Intel i9-9900k but using it on a cheap motherboard can worsen the overall experience. So, we shared four of the best motherboards for Intel Core i9-9900k for maximum performance and stability.
