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In this buyer’s guide, we shall review the key characteristics of the best motherboards for i7-9700k. Intel released the core i7-9700k in October 2019. Generating a lot of interest in technology circles due to its 8 cores and frequency max of 4.90 GHz, the core i7-9700k quickly became the toast of those seeking the best, most current motherboards.
Related: Best CPU Coolers for i7-9700k
The best motherboards are expected to have speed, memory, and bandwidth for gaming, video streaming, editing high-end graphics, and real-time online communication. The motherboards we shall review in this article have all these characteristics.
Quick Overview: Top Motherboards for an i7-9700k CPU
- MSI MPG Z390 – Best Overall Motherboard
- Asus Prime Z390-A – Best Budget Motherboard
- Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero – Premium Motherboard
- Gigabyte Z390 Designare – Best for Graphic Design
- Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master – Best Motherboard for Overclocking
Why the drive for i7-9700k?
The drive for core i7-9700k was borne out of the perceived need for Intel to increase the core count in the processors to be able to compete with AMD Ryzen processors. Thus, the Core i7 processors came to have eight cores.
The i7-9700k processors turned out to be powerful processors. From the 9th generation, Hyperthreading was removed from the Core i7. This processor has a base clock of 3.6 GHz, and a turbo clock of 4.9 GHz.
Related: Best i9-9900k Motherboards
This is excellent for gaming owing to its high core count, and increased operating frequency. It also has Intel UHD Graphics 630 for graphics, an L3 cache of 12 MB, and a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 95 watts.
Now, let’s look at the top 5 best motherboards for i7-9700k.
Motherboards for i7-9700k in 2021 Selection
| Image | Product | Rating | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | MSI MPG Z390 Gaming PRO Chipset: Intel Z390 | 9.7 | Check On Amazon |
Best Bugdet  | Asus Prime Z390-A Chipset: Intel Z390 | 9.5 | Check On Amazon |
Premium Board  | ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero Chipset: Intel Z390 | 9.1 | Check On Amazon |
Designers’ Choice  | GIGABYTE Z390 DESIGNARE Chipset: Intel Z390 | 8.8 | Check On Amazon |
Overclocking Beast  | Gigabyte Z390 AORUS MASTER Chipset: Intel Z390 | 8.6 | Check On Amazon |
1. MSI MPG Z390 Pro Carbon AC – Best Motherboard for i7-9700k
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming PRO Carbon AC
The MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard ranks as the best overall motherboard for Intel Core i7-9700k.
One of the key features of the MSI MPG is the inclusion of Intel Wi-Fi / Bluetooth solution that uses MU-MIMO technology to deliver speeds of up to 1.73Gbps.
To prevent thermal congestion and maintain maximum drive performance, the M.2 Shield Frozr spreads the motherboard’s heatsink over the M.2 SSD.
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard, with the aid of a Mystic Light App, personalizes your PC with about 16.8 million colors and 29 effects.
Core Features
The high audio capability of this motherboard is due to its Audio Boost 4 made up of an isolated audio circuitry, an ALC1220 audio processor, a dedicated amplifier, and very good audio capacitors.
Related: Best i7-8700k Motherboards
The MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard is built for high-performance gaming. Thus, it has an ATX form factor – ready for multi-GPU.
- Supports about 16 million colors and 29 effects
- Supports intense gaming
- High audio capability
- Supports CPU overclocking
- Good voltage regulation
- Less I/O ports than its predecessor
2. ASUS Prime Z390 – Best Budget Motherboard for i7-9700k
Asus Prime Z390-A
The best budget motherboard for i7-9700k is undoubtedly the Asus Prime Z390-A.
ASUS takes pride in providing premium motherboards with the solid foundation required for your first build, and then they give you the ability to add flexibility to grow the system according to your future needs.
This motherboard has all of the essential ASUS design and innovative engineering attributes – automated system tuning, thorough cooling controls, and exciting onboard audio.
Core Features
The Asus Prime Z390-A is designed for 9th generation Intel Core processors. It delivers supreme performance with a customizable style.
We were excited to see how the ASUS Prime Z390 board uses a 5-Way Optimization to deliver AI overclocking. Overclocking a CPU is based on smart prediction and incisive thermal telemetry. This board delivers overclocking results fast, something that would usually take days of manual fine-tuning. This motherboard’s dual M.2 and USB 3.1 Generation 2 conveys data at very high transfer speeds. For its low price, this board is a steal.
Related: Best Motherboard with Bluetooth and WiFi
Its audio is unrivalled. It uses a unique audio codec created in close collaboration with Realtek to attain an exceptional 120dB signal-to-noise ratio for the stereo line-out. It also hits 113dB SNR for the line-in, giving pristine audio quality.
The Asus Prime Z390-A motherboard is clean, aesthetic and an appealing visual beauty.
- Fast booting
- Easy to assemble and install
- Easy to navigate BIOS
- Two onboard M.2 Slots
- Automatic overclocking
- Only one internal USB 3 header
3. Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero – Premium Motherboard for i7-9700k
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero
Another top-class motherboard for i7-9700k is the Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero. A premium and high performing board, it allows fine-tuning of almost every system aspect to your taste with really cool tools.
Its 5-Way optimization technology provides intelligent automated tuning, allowing you deep dive into the respected ROG UEFI BIOS. The system also allows for fine-tuning other aspects, like audio and storage.
The use of OptiMem II technology is also significant in this board. Carefully mapped memory signal paths crisscross different PCB layers, adding shielding zones to reduce crosstalk.
Core Features
The Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero is built for overclocking. It has a reserved onboard clock generator that provides changing reference clocks to the CPU cores and other major sectors. This gives maximum performance, even beyond system design.
This board also features comprehensive cooling controls that can also be configured. It has a Fan Xpert 4 (or UEFI) for cooling, and 3 thermal sensors can be regulated for workload-based cooling.
To produce delightful sounds, this board’s SupremeFX facility uses the S1220 codec, an integrated audio solution. Also, the front-panel sound output is propelled by dual op-amps, providing sounds with the beauty and illusions of virtual worlds.
- Allows fine-tuning in almost every aspect
- Comprehensive cooling controls
- Good support for overclocking
- Excellent audio capabilities
- Attractive RGB LED
- Very good BIOS with easy navigation
- Less connectivity options compared to some competitors
4. Gigabyte Z390 Designare – Best i7-9700k Motherboard for Graphic Design
GIGABYTE Z390 DESIGNARE
User reviews place Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard for i7-9700k among the top-level motherboards in the business. It is based on the new 9th Generation Intel Core processors.
This motherboard uses a 12+1 phase digital CPU power plan that includes digital Controllers and CPU Power Connectors. These devices offer incredible precision in conveying power to the motherboard’s power-hungry and energy-demanding components.
This is responsible for the high performance and smooth functionality of this board.
Core Features
Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard uses a high-performance thermal design for heat control. It combines a massive heatsink with a Direct Touch Heatpipe and a thick thermal pad to give its high cooling power. This is a boom for hardcore gamers and video streamers.
This board uses a 3D Professional Graphics Solution provided for serious artists, graphic designers, video editors, architects, and structural engineers. It is able to power more than 100 professional design apps in diverse industries.
Related: Best Motherboards with WiFi 6
Examples of Apps that work best in this motherboard are Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Suites, Avid Media Composer, CATIA and SolidWorks.
Gigabyte’s Z390 Designare motherboard’s unique design provides the first-ever direct CPU attached PCIe AIC SSDs for users who need high volume and best performance. Without a doubt, this motherboard is the obvious choice for the most demanding of content creators using a PC.
- Incredible power management
- Professional graphics support
- Excellent thermal design for heat control
- Thunderbolt 3 ports
- No high-speed Ethernet
- Not the most efficient overclocking capabilities
5. Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master – Best i7-9700k Motherboard for Overclocking
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS MASTER
For its unique provisions, the best motherboard for overclocking in our review of Core i7-9700k motherboards is the Z390 AORUS MASTER by Gigabyte.
This motherboard delivers the perfect balance between style and performance.
In the advanced thermal design of this board, it combines the renowned Fins-Array heatsink, an effective heatpipe, and a thermal baseplate to give 30 percent lower MOSFET temperatures.
This keeps the entire system going calmly, even during demanding or intense operations.
Core Features
For sound, this board uses a Comprehensive Audio Suite of facilities comprising the ESS SABRE DAC audio suite with the Realtek ALC1220 Codec. This grants playback for surround speakers. WIMA and Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors then provide power to the entire system, making it to dish out that special studio-quality sound we all desire.
Overclocking in the GIGABYTE Z390 Aorus Master is quite exciting. This is the practice of increasing the clock rate to surpass the manufacturer’s specs. The voltage is also increased to maintain the component’s operating stability at higher speeds.
GIGABYTE’s UEFI firmware employs a simple and adaptive layout. All the required overclocking settings for frequency, memory, and voltage are located separately. There are 3 different predefined overclocks to choose from. To make overclocking easier, users need the HWINFO monitoring utility.
- Good support for overclocking
- Excellent temperature control
- Comprehensive Audio control
- Strong, solid design
- 3 M.2 slots with heatsinks
- Comes with a rather spicy price
To conclude – What’s the top motherboard for i7-9700k?
Now that you have a list of some of the top i7-9700k motherboards in 2021, it is important to choose out the perfect one that you find fit for your needs and budget. We recommend the MSI MPG Z390 Pro Carbon AC as the best motherboard for i7-9700k. However, you should carefully go through the specs of each motherboard before placing an order.
