Best Motherboard for i7 9700K Review Guide

If you are looking for the best motherboard for i7 9700K then this review guide is going to let you find the one. The Intel Core i7-9700K is one of the absolute best gaming CPUs in the market. It comes with eight powerful cores and it can also turbo boost up to 4.9GHz.

But if you want to unlock the full potential of this CPU, then you will need a good motherboard. Today, we are going to take a look at some of the best motherboards for i7 9700K in 2021 that you can buy right now.

 

Best Motherboard for i7 9700K

Motherboards	Rating out of 5	Price
ROG Strix Z370-G	5	Amazon Price
MEG Z390 Godlike E-ATX	4.9	Amazon Price
Z370 Aorus Gaming 7	4.9	Amazon Price
ASRock Z370 Extreme4	4.8	Amazon Price
MSI MPG Z390	4.8	Amazon Price
ASRock Z390 Phantom	4.8	Amazon Price

Here is the detailed review of top 6 best motherboards for i7 9700K processors.

 

1. ASUS ROG Strix Z370-G Gaming

 

The Strix Z370- G Gaming from ASUS has a very aesthetic look to it. It has a micro-ATX form factor so if you are like to build small pcs then this is one of the best that you can get in the market. It is the best micro ATX motherboard for i7-9700K.

You get ASUS’s UEFI on this motherboard which is considered the best. There are a lot of things available to you. You can easily control the fans either by using a menu or a graph.

If you don’t know much about overclocking then the Strix Z370 has one trick up its sleeve. It comes built-in with a 5GHz OC profile. So, if you don’t like to tinker around yourself, then you can easily use this OC profile for getting maximum performance. But if you are one of those persons who like to overclock their CPUs then you are in the right place.

The overclocking capabilities of this motherboard are really great. You can easily push an Intel Core i7 processor at speeds up to 5.0GHz using a good cooler. It is a pretty good motherboard for overclocking. On the performance side of things, there aren’t any issues. You get a solid experience in gaming as well as other productivity tasks.

There are four memory slots present here so you can install more memory for better performance. The audio performance is also excellent on this motherboard due to the 8-Channel HD Audio. There are two M.2 slots if you want to use high-speed SSD storage. The VRM is great on this motherboard and there are also no signs of excessive heating as well. Overall, it is the best motherboard for i7 9700K.

 

Specifications:

• Support for 8Th Gen Intel Core Processors
• Dual M.2 Slots
• 4 DDR4 Memory Slots
• 8-Channel HD Audio
• 5-Way Optimization
• Micro ATX Form Factor

 

 

 

2. MSI MEG Z390 Godlike E-ATX

 

If you don’t have a budget limit then the MEG Z390 Godlike is one of the best motherboards for i7 9700k. It comes in an ETAX form factor which means that it is bigger than the standard ATX motherboards. You will need to have a spacious case for the Z390 Godlike. This is a board that comes with no compromises at all. You can put memory up to 4600MHz in the four memory slots present.

The Wi-Fi module on this board is also really great and provides excellent internet speeds. It can also be used as a booster and you will be able to boost your home or office’s network signals. Storage isn’t a problem with this motherboard as you can install up to three SSDs in the triple M.2 slots. The Z390 Godlike comes with 16-phase power which is one of the best in the industry.

Due to the immense amount of power that this laptop produces, you also expect a lot of heat. But this is not the case due to the effective cooling on the motherboard. There are heatsinks present on the board alongside 10 fan headers. You can even keep your SSD storage cool as there are heatsinks present on the M.2 slots.

If you want to get one of the best experiences of using an Intel Core i7-9700k then the MSI MEG Z390 Godlike offers you that experience. Overall, it is one of the best high-end i7 9700k motherboards.

 

Specifications:

• Support for 8th and 9th Gen Intel Processors
• 4 PCIe 3.0 x16 Slots
• 4 DIMM Slots
• 3 M.2 Slots
• RAID 0 Support
• Killer Wi-Fi AC 1550

 

 

 

3. Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 7

 

The Gigabyte Z370 Aorus is a fantastic option for people who are looking for a great gaming motherboard. Even if you are using the 9th Gen Intel CPUs then this motherboard makes quite a lot of sense. This board provides high-end features of the more expensive motherboards at a fairly lower price point. The CPU performance is great on this board due to its excellent overclocking capabilities.

There is a lot of headroom present on this board when it comes to overclocking. Even if you are using an Intel Core i7-9700k, this motherboard has the capability to push the CPU to its limits. You can easily boost your clock speeds in order to get better performance in games and multithreaded workloads. There is also an ESS Sabre Audio DAC present which provides excellent sound output.

If you are looking for the best networking experience, then the Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 has also got you covered. It comes with two Gigabit Ethernet ports which you don’t generally see on motherboards at this price range. There is a 10-phase power delivery system onboard this motherboard which provides the good overclocking potential for gamers.

Overclocking is also very easy to do on this board. You can overclock your CPU with the push of a single button present on the board. In this way, you can quickly jump into gaming without needing to do anything yourself. The RGB lighting is also some of the best on any board. Overall, the Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 is one of the best Mid-Range Motherboard for i7-9700k.

Specifications:

• 8th Intel Core Processors
• ESS Sabre DAC Audio
• Dual Channel Memory
• Multi-GPU Support
• Triple M.2 Slots
• RGB Fusion Lighting

 

 

 

4. ASRock Z370 Extreme4

 

If you are looking for an affordable motherboard that can easily run at Intel Core i7-9700k then the ASRock Z370 Extreme4 should be perfect for you. It has a cheaper price tag than all of its competition and the surprising thing is that the feature set is more or less the same as other expensive boards. The performance is top-notch on this motherboard which makes it best i7 9700k motherboard on a budget.

It comes with a 12-phase power design that provides people with a lot of headroom if they are looking to overclock their CPUs. The 9700k comes with six cores which can be easily boosted to higher clock speeds using the ASRock Z370 Extreme4’s excellent OC potential. You won’t find any lack of performance when running games or any other professional workloads.

The one not so good thing about this motherboard is that the VRM isn’t made of high-quality material. This means that when the CPU is under heavy load, the VRM can become quite hot. The temperature doesn’t reach an alarming level but the VRM gets really hot. Even if you are overclocking, you have to take this into consideration. However, there is are no heating issues under practical loads.

There are three PCIe x16 slots present on the Z370 Extreme4. It can be configured in either x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4. There is also Gigabit internet present on this board so you can get the best possible internet speeds. It is a really well-built laptop that is really beneficial for gamers who are under a budget. Overall, ASRock Z370 is one of the best budget motherboard for i7-9700k.

 

Specifications:

• LGA 1151 Socket
• 8Th Gen Intel Core Processors
• 4x DDR4 Memory Slots
• 10GB/s USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C Port
• ATX Form Factor

 

 

 

5. MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon

 

The MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon isn’t the highest performing motherboard when it comes to performance not it’s the most feature-packed. But instead, you get a really great balance of everything. It has a really good feature set that will appeal to most gamers. You get useful features on this board like Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

There is also no lack of premium features on the Gaming Pro Carbon. Some of the most high-end motherboard features are available on the MGP Z390 like the 11-phase power delivery system. You can easily push your i7-9700k to the max due to the excellent overclocking offered by this board. For getting the best consistent SSD speeds, there is a shielding present on them.

When it comes to memory capacity, you can upgrade it up to a whopping 128GB memory. This much memory is just insane for an average user who won’t use more than 16GB RAM. If you are a gamer, then you are in luck as there is SLI and Crossfire support present on this motherboard. You can install multiple GPUs in order to get the maximum frame rates in 3d games.

It can easily handle any type of productivity as well. You have to keep in mind that it becomes a little more power-hungry than other boards but still does a commendable job at keeping low temperatures of the VRM and the motherboard itself. There are two M.2 slots for higher storage expansion as well. Overall, the MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon is a great motherboard for an Intel Core i7-9700k.

 

Specifications:

• LGA 1151 Socket
• 4 DIMM Slots
• Maximum 128GB Memory
• SLI & Crossfire Support
• 2 M.2 Slots

 

 

 

6. ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac

 

If you are looking to build a compact setup then the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac is one of the better choices of a motherboard. If you specifically want a motherboard for a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700k then this is definitely a great choice. It comes in a mini-ITX form factor so you can build a very lightweight and small pc using this motherboard.

Generally, in mini-ITX motherboards, then VRM is very bad as there isn’t enough space to cool them properly. But in the case of the Z390 Phantom Gaming, you get a really good VRM. For powering a processor like the six-core i7-9700k, you need a good VRM for getting the best performance. This board can easily power and handle the i7 processor under heavy loads. It is also considered as one of the best motherboards for i9-9900k.

This motherboard comes with a 5 phase VRM design and a big heatsink that provides really good cooling under heavy usage. Another great thing about this board is that you can use high-speed memory up to 4500MHz. You also have the option to expand the memory up to 32GB which is great on its own. If you want high-speed SSD storage then you can also get that from the two M.2 slots.

You get a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot on this board. There are also fast USB 3.1 ports present on the backside. You also get a thunderbolt 3 port for getting the best file transfer speeds. If you want high-quality sound during gaming then you also get 7.1 surrounds sound support. If don’t want to plug in an ethernet cable then you can use Wi-Fi.

There is also Bluetooth 5 support which allows you to remain connected to multiples devices at the same time. There are a lot of heat pipes present for maximum heat dissipation. If you want to get the best mini-ITX board in the market then the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming is the best out there.

Specifications:

• LGA 1151 Socket
• 2 DIMM Slots
• 32GB Max Memory
• 2 M.2 Slots
• Type-C Connectivity
• Wi-Fi Support

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

The Core i7-9700k is a really powerful processor that provides top of the line gaming and general productivity performance. All of the above-mentioned motherboards are great for this processor and have good quality VRMs that provide great overclocking.

After reading all specs, pros and cons you can now pick the best motherboard for i7 9700K. In the end, it entirely depends upon a person’s requirements and what kind of setup he is going for.