Products at a Glance
How we picked the best motherboards for Core i9 12900K
We looked at a range of needs for anyone wanting to build a PC around the Core i9 12900K. Because Z690 motherboards can theoretically support the new Raptor Lake CPUs, you may want a board that offers DDR5 support, or just one that is DDR4 focused but offers overclocking to optimize performance.
We considered options that offer reliable performance and caliber, at a range of prices, and with a variety of connectivity. The list is Z690-focused, but we also wanted to include a B660 chipset board because overclocking isn’t for everyone.
Product Reviews
- An affordable option
- A total of five M.2 sockets
- Suitable for gamers
- 11 USB ports at the back
The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master Gaming can be a good choice if you want to overclock your i9-12900K Core system processor or even any other K series CPU.
The board will offer a suitable home for the processor, at the same time, providing exceptional qualities at an affordable price. You can consider it an excellent option for the Intel platform, despite the Gigabyte AUROS line being more closely linked with AMD.
At the rear, it has an Aquantia 10GBe LAN port for smooth connectivity. Another remarkable feature is that the board offers wireless connectivity through standard Wi-Fi 6E.
There are 11 UB ports at the back I/O side, including 2 USB-C type models, and you will not face the typical storage issue as Gigabyte can offer 4x M.2 drive ports. The board also supports standard PCIe Gen 5 protocol by default.
Overall, the Gigabyte Z690 Master motherboard delivers a wide variety of interesting and unique features. This includes incorporating heat emitters with an all-metal heat sink to cover the entire front area of the board. There’s also support for DDR5 RAM up to 4800, and then from 5200 to 6400 (overclocked).
Ultimately, this is a fantastic choice and top of our list of best motherboards for Core i9 12900K systems.
- Looks great
- Wi-Fi with an extendable antenna
- Solid overclocking options
- Very good for gaming
- Pricey for a DDR4 board
The Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A has a standout white-colored finish that comes with all the modern features a gamer can wish to have, and it contains the classy layout look of their Asus A gaming series models.
This STRIX board offers only DDR4 compatibility. However, it is arguably the most fully-featured DDR4 model of all the motherboards with a Z690 chipset.
The STRIX Z690-A DDR4 features decent VRM and nice over-clocking capability in RAM support of 5333MHz (OC) with an XMP profile. It is one of the best Alder Lake boards, with enough DDR4 capability to make it one of the best motherboards for a core i9 12900K system. However, it doesn’t offer DDR5 support.
To overclock the processor, you can use AI Over-Clocking. In addition, the board’s 16+1 offers the potential for power delivery through DrMOS and ProCool II VRM. Like the Aorus Master, you et 4x M.2 slots, and the Strix offers WiFi 6 (not 6E support).
The STRIX-A can be a fantastic option for gamers and those wanting to get the most from a core i9 12900K-based system. And if you can spare some extra bucks, we would recommend this motherboard – although conversely, it’s not the most affordable.
With this board you can spend less by avoiding DDR5 memory which is pricey, and instead, use DDR4 from your previous system. But its price keeps it off the top spot.
- Steel Armor PCI-E protects against bending
- Core Boost Technology
- Only Wi-Fi 6 availability
- Aesthetics not for everbody
MSI MPG Z690 motherboard supports 12th gen Inter Core system, Pentium, and Celeron processors with LGA 1700 sockets. A perfect choice if you are looking for a rich Z690 board at a reasonable price.
It offers and maintains maximum performance with an aggressive architecture using 16+1+1 direct phases. In addition, this series has two motherboard 8-pin power connectors equipped with exclusive Core boost functionality to handle those demanding daily tasks.
Performance and effectiveness are likely to be high for MPG Z690 Edge, thanks to its XMP memory profile. It’s very simple to activate the XMP profile with automatic power options to get the fastest and most stable memory.
Although it lacks PCIe 5.0 M.2 and DDR5 direct support, you still have four M.2 sockets with convenient clips, a high-quality audio codec and not to mention the 75A SPS MOSFETs. It also offers an extraordinary USB speed of up to 20Gbps with the help of Type-C slots.
In fact, the Z690 edge motherboards offer a wide range of options for connecting and enhancing your USB devices.
Furthermore, to fulfill the premium requirements of demanding consumers, MSI has provided an incredible 2.5 GB/s LAN port – 2.5x faster than ordinary Gigabit LAN.
- USB Type-C 20 Gbps back IO port
- Decent performance overall
- M.2 Screw free Q-latch
- Old-fashioned audio codec
The ASUS TUF Gaming B660M is a very strong motherboard that is simple to set up, even for novice builders. You can easily customize it as you want, and the TUF Gaming Alliance makes it very easy to choose compatible components.
Asus’ ROG Armoury-Crate software fully allows the control of Ai Noise cancellation, peripheral settings, and RGB lighting. Additionally, Fan Xpert 2+ and hardware information comes from the ROG Armoury-Crate software. The TUF Gaming platform offers the tools to construct your ideal gaming system without being complex.
An 802.11ax-compliant standard Intel Wi-Fi 6 module increases the maximum theoretical peak bandwidth to 2.4 GBPS. And your LAN connection receives a boost to 2.5 G onboard ethernet due to a 2.5x bandwidth increment. The powerful ASUS TUF Gaming B660M even offers a huge deep-learning database that helps to reduce background noises and incoming audio.
This motherboard supports PCIe 5.0 and is ready for 12th Gen (and 13th Gen) Intel Core systems, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors – as well as offering Windows 11 out-of-the-box compatibility.
In addition, the integrated VRMs have 10+1 DrMOS power phases, which provide the energy and efficiency required by 12th Gen Intel Core processors by combining high- and low-side MOSFETs and drivers into a single complete unit.
All in all, the ASUS TUF Gaming motherboard is a capable unit at a reasonable price.
Features and considerations
There are plenty of options when it comes to finding the best Core i9 12900K motherboards. Really you must consider several key factors.
First, as Z690 motherboards have been superseded by Z790 due to the release of Raptor Lake, Z690 motherboards can be found cheaper. However, if you may want to move from a 12900K to a 13th Gen processor, you will need a BIOS update for that upgrade path.
Secondly, you may also want to pick a board that supports DDR5 RAM as Intel 13th Gen can make use of DDR5, while the 12900K supports both DDR 4 and DDR5.
Finally, with regards to PCIe Gen 5.0, this is on a motherboard-by-motherboard basis, but for Z690 there is only support for PCI-Express slots – and not M.2 or storage slots.
Consider what connectivity you require, your budget, and whether DDR5, overclocking, and potentially upgrading to a 13th gen processor are important to you.
What chipset for Intel i9 12900k?
Intel’s i9 12900k leverages the unlocked LGA1700 600 series chipset at 125W with dual 8 P cores and 8 E cores for up to 5.2 GHz of processing power.
Is i9 12900K high end?
As its numerical namesake implies, the i9, as is tradition, is the most high-end processor available out of Intel’s continued lineup. Thus, the i9-12900K is the firm’s highest end model via its 12th generation of processors.
Our Verdict
The purpose of this article was to help you choose the best motherboard for Core i9 12900K use – and a board that is best for your gaming and professional needs. We recommend Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master Gaming Motherboard as it ably supports both uses with smooth functionality, and a strong feature set at a reasonable price.
However, there are a few good options on this list. Whichever you choose, ensure that features and functions are what you require, and at a price you are happy with.