The Intel Core i9 14900K is the flagship CPU of the 14th generation, the last generation to use the LGA 1700. That said, to get the most out of this beast, it must be paired with a motherboard that can take advantage of its high clock speeds and powerful performance.
Any motherboard with an LGA 1700 socket would work. Still, if you want to take this powerhouse’s performance to the next level by overclocking it, you’ll have to invest in a motherboard with a high-end chipset and cooling solutions to handle the heat. That said, we’ve selected a handful of options based on their price, features, size, and the performance they displayed during our in-house testing. So, without wasting another moment, let’s get right to it, shall we?
- Best overall
ASUS PRIME Z790-A WIFI
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : DDR5 7200+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB
- Best high-end
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 5 storage, Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : 8000+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB, DDR5
- Best budget
MSI B760 Gaming Plus WiFi
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: B760
- Form Factor : mATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 storage, Gen 4 GPU
- Memory speed : 6800+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 256GB, DDR5
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Best overclockingASRock MB Z790 Taichi R
How we picked the best motherboard for Core i9 14900K
Our process of selecting the best motherboards for the Core i9 14900K is rooted in thorough research and an understanding of the evolving demands of the tech community. We begin by analyzing publicly available benchmarks and our very own review of the i9 14900K, ensuring that we consider real-world performance and not just manufacturer claims. Additionally, given that the architecture of this 14th Gen chip isn’t too dissimilar to its 13th Gen predecessor, we can also draw on the best motherboard for Core i9 13900K extra insight.
Furthermore, we factor in the board’s feature set, assessing its capabilities in terms of expansion, connectivity, and power delivery. Ultimately, the board needs to keep up with the i9-14900k’s 6GHz overclocked turbo boost speed and high specs. Understanding the needs of both gamers and professionals, we look for motherboards that strike the right balance between performance and features, ensuring that they can cater to a diverse range of requirements. Plus, drawing from our motherboard reviews, we have hands-on experience with what they are capable of and how they perform, so they can be an appropriate solution.
Our top picks
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : DDR5 7200+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB
- Inexpensive
- Offers a lot for the price
- Great design and aesthetics
- Other boards offer more features
- No pre-installed I/O shield
- Lacks extensive OC support
We reviewed the Prime Z790-A WiFi and found it to be a greatly competent option for an LGA 1700 processor and keep things simple doing so. With a white thermal playing and I/O shield, it is a bit more in unison to offer something simple and easy to use, especially if it means you don’t forget the shield install. But it does come in white, so as long as you go for a whole build or are not too bothered by the color of the inside, it’s nothing too intense to worry about.
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But then, looking at the performance of the motherboard, we tested its capability in the review with an i5-14600K on board. This showed off its capability of providing plenty of power to the processor and doing so over sustained periods with fairly decent efficiency. The test showed its package power runs up to even 160W for the i5 CPU whilst it never breached 45°C across the motherboard, which is very important for keeping the power delivery on point.
The ASUS Prime Z790 is a no-thrills motherboard that can give you the best price to performance ratio of any Z790 on the market. It’ll allow your CPU to stretch it’s wings, and the design fits almost any build aesthetic.
Jack Howarth, PC Guide
There are also plenty of nice-to-haves on the motherboard, including the ports available to you. There are seven USB Type A and one Type-C port for any peripherals and plug-ins you want, along with both DP and HDMI ports for any onboard graphics connection. There is also a strong selection of audio jacks and even a PS/2 port. Then, there is a surprisingly strong internet setup with both a WiFi 6 module and 2.5Gbps ethernet for a rather fast connection.
Along with the inclusion of a PCIe 5 GPU slot, it has a solution for next-gen graphics, even if the three NVMe slots are all only PCIe Gen 4. But overall it provides a great middle ground for what motherboards offer, without charging near the price of the CPU at the same time.
This motherboard also has a robust power delivery system. The 14 + 1 DrMOS delivery system ensures the power gets adequately filtered and stabilized before reaching the CPU. This is crucial if you plan on overclocking your CPU, and given how power-hungry the 14900K already is, the cleaner power it gets, the better it’ll perform.
What users say
On Amazon, the motherboard has an average of 4.3 stars from 892 reviews. Primarily, it is praised for its organization, connectivity, ease of installation, value, and ease of use. But the quality and warranty can be a drawback, it seems primarily from the specific one they received due to damage on it specifically the pins inside. Also, the fact there’s no postcode or lights to help with diagnosing which should be there and not just on top-end options.
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 5 storage, Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : 8000+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB, DDR5
- High performance
- Great power delivery
- Superior build quality
- Expensive
- Heavy to pick up if you struggle with wrists
- ASUS Armoury crate is still bad
On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero is quite the high-end and expensive motherboard you may consider for the 14900k. It bulks up in thermal cooling with dark plates and LED screens all over, spiking up the price and quality. Certainly making it a lot heavier, and much harder to install and move around, but a lot easier to use and get more out of it thanks to the features on board.
As you can expect there’s plenty of power and performance on board you can take advantage of. The package power with two EPS power connectors to the 14600K (in our tests) is capable of supplying over 180W to it, letting it unleash its full potential as long as you have it all unlocked, just don’t go overboard burning out your processor. Even so, it has bulky cooling on its VRMS and power delivery as they reach even 50°C, running all that power.
However, since our test bench is open and not inside a PC case, the cooling isn’t as efficient as it would be inside a case with properly oriented case fans. So, if you’ve got good fans like the 140mm case fans, you should be able to keep this board running even cooler.
The Dark Hero is one motherboard that means business, it is built for enthusiasts who want to make the most out of their CPU with overclocking. The motherboard’s robust power delivery system facilitates this beautifully, and it’s packed with all the lastest high-end features and connectivity.
Jack Howarth, PC Guide
Thanks to its high-end specs and features, there are plenty of IO options to utilize and plug in all your accessories and peripherals. It offers a total of six 10Gbps USBs (5 Type A, 1 Type C), four 5Gbps Type-A USBs, and two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C USBs. Along with that, the connectivity is speedy and robust with both a 2.5Gbps ethernet port and WiFi 7 offering a top way of connecting up to your motherboard and doing tasks on the net and home network.
Furthermore, the inclusion of gold-plated audio jacks and S/PDIF out ports provides a premium offering for those who know what they want and what they are doing. But also the BIOS Flash and Clear CMOS button makes it so much easier to build with it and diagnose any issues, which the error codes inside help with.
The premium features also come with the onboard features. There are both a PCIe Gen 5 slot for your NVMe SSD and GPU, giving you the fastest option available even for years to come. So combined with the overclocking potential on the motherboard with its 20+1+2 power stage setup and cooling on those and all the fan connectivity lets you create quite a powerful and top-end machine.
What users say
The Maximus on Amazon has an average rating of 4.2 stars from the 569 reviews. In general, praising the appearance and ease of use of the motherboard. However, its value is rather low considering the high price it asks for. Along with some problems with the stability, which may be down to other components too. But it still is a powerful option in general.
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: B760
- Form Factor : mATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 storage, Gen 4 GPU
- Memory speed : 6800+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 256GB, DDR5
- Inexpensive
- Very good performance
- lightweight, small
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Not as many features as other motherboards in price range
- No protective backplate
- Gets hotter than some motherboards
- Only 2 M.2 slots
Whilst if you’re going for cheaper yet still good value, the MSI B760 Gaming Plus might be more down your street. Keeping things simple and nonfancy, it foregoes any extras on top, as it’s mostly barebone PCB in its design. However, it is important to ensure the chipset and VRMs are still passively cooled, at least with some substantial heatsinks on some of those. However, it does omit some nice-to-have features, including a preinstalled IO shield onto it.
In our review, we see the power and temps jump up high, but surprisingly, a lot. Considering it has one and a half EPS ports for the processor, you can still supply a lot of the power requirement without overheating, as the cooling is clearly substantial enough for the power solution it uses.
This motherboard is a fantastic pick for those looking for performance on a budget, it doesn’t offer a lot in terms of features but it makes up for that in terms of power. The cost is low and the potential is high, what’s not to love?
Jack Howarth, PC Guide
As for connectivity, it doesn’t cut as much as we’d expect. It has six rear USB A ports ranging from 2.0 to 10Gbps, which does lack any USB C but still has a good number of speed options. It also offers a WiFi 6E module on board and a 2.5Gbps ethernet port, making it a speed solution for the small motherboard. Along with a couple of HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4 for onboard graphics, it has a couple of HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4 for onboard graphics.
As for the PCIe lanes, being a cheaper option, it lacks any PCIe 5 support. Instead offering just X4 for both graphics and storage options. Not only does this save costs but also space considering the micro motherboard does save some space. So altogether that does limit its features and capabilities.
The MSI B760 has a 12 + 1 + 1 power delivery system. The triple design means the power gets filtered thrice and through multiple stages. While it isn’t at the same level as the high-end board with 20+ stages, it still got the 14600K to perform the best out of all the boards we tested.
That said, during our testing, we saw a maximum power draw from the wall socket of 337.9W, while the CPU got a maximum of 194.4W while running Blender Classroom, which is 13.4W higher than this processor’s PL1. This goes to show that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get the best performance.
What users say
Looking at the Amazon reviews, it is a well-liked motherboard solution. With a 4.5 star rating from over 1,000 reviews, it clearly is a strong choice to go for. With high praise coming for everything that you might need from it including the quality, value, features, and performance. With most of the bottom scores coming from just not working it’s mostly a positive in score to opt for.
How to pick the best motherboard for 14900K
There are a handful of factors that you need to keep in mind before purchasing any motherboard, whether for the 14900K or the 7900X. We’ve listed some of them below to help you make an informed decision.
Budget
The Intel Core i9 14900K is the flagship processor of the 14th generation, and that means it isn’t cheap. That also means that to get the most out of it, it needs to be paired with the right components that complement its performance and help it push its limit.
So, if you’ve got the funds, you can go for a motherboard with a high-end chipset, as it would have all the features and cooling solutions to get the most out of this chip. However, if you’re operating on a budget or don’t have enough on hand after purchasing the 14900K, it would be best to filter the options available based on your budget.
This will help you filter your options and present those boards that offer a good balance between performance and value.
Expansion slots
The expansion slots somewhat go hand in hand with the motherboard’s form factor. For example, an ATX motherboard would have more RAM and M.2 slots than a Micro ATX board. That said, many would rather have more expansion slots to build the ultimate overkill build with this CPU, but there is nothing wrong with opting for a board with fewer slots.
64GB of DDR5 RAM should be more than enough for productivity and gaming, but you would still have the option to increase it by purchasing higher-capacity RAM sticks. The same goes for storage devices, which also depend on your PC case. If you’ve got a micro ATX case, you’ll have to get an M-ATX board and powerful cooling solutions like the best CPU cooler for 14900K to ensure it doesn’t overheat, as in a low-profile build, components are cramped together.
