Best Z790 motherboards in 2024
Until the arrival of Metero lake, Raptor Lake is the best piece of Intel consumer tech you’ll find on the market. As always, this technology calls for an upgrade on older PC components, particularly if you don’t want to be flashing your BIOS. The Z790 chipset is proof of the constant improvements and responsiveness on the market.
So, should you want to get the most out of PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory, and the LGA 1700 socket, you’ll have to get yourself one of the best Z790 motherboards. If you’re still undecided on upgrading and may want to go with a Z690 board instead, find the best ones to buy here. Below, we’ll uncover the absolute best Z790 motherboards.
Products at a Glance
Features and considerations
When choosing a Z790 motherboard, you are going with cutting-edge technology, so you’ll need the fastest DDR5 RAM and a strong PCI Express to reduce any latency and increase bandwidth. The first thing to consider is overall power and speed. A Z790 motherboard has to be capable of handling swift information transportation speeds and immense heat condensation.
One of the biggest changes with the new CPUs and GPUs is the amount of heat they emit. Although manufacturers have tried their best to improve this aspect, heat production via PC components is even greater than it used to be, hence the advances in cooling systems and heat dissipation. So, make sure to consider a board with a lot of space for cooling.
Moreover, you’ll also need to consider features such as the board’s form factor. You can find the standard size (ATX) and smaller sizes, micro-ATX and mini-ITX, as well as another form factor called E-ATX.
The standard ATX is the most common size. It works perfectly for gamers and the mass majority of PC enthusiasts. However, most motherboards you’ll see on this list will be E-ATX (Extended ATX), which are larger boards that allow more room for vital components to breathe and cool. Thus, you’ll get better performance overall from these, but they are more expensive.
Product Reviews
- Non-ECC, Un-buffered DDR5 Memory supports
- 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports
- PCIe 5 Gen support
- 10 GbE LAN port
- Pricey
- Overkill for some
The key to success is consistency, and that’s the reason why Asus ROG motherboards are an example of greatness. This board is perfect for you if all you care about is top performance and breaking the limits of possibility with your PC. By the way, this ATX board is designed to create the perfect environment for overclocking.
You may need to grab a big case but, more importantly, you’ll need the best CPU and GPU on the market to match the board’s value. Otherwise, it’ll be a major overkill to even think of getting a PC component like this one.
The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero has 20+1 power stages rated for 90A with Dual ProCool II power connectors, high-quality alloy chokes, and premium metallic capacitors to support multi-core processors. This is what will allow your rig to run at increasing amounts of power while keeping it stable and safe. Besides the VRM, thermals are optimized with massive heatsinks integrated with the I/O cover, all connected to the power stages with high-conductivity thermal pads, a physical masterclass of high-end design and architecture.
Support-wise, the Maximus Z790 EXTREME supports PCIe 5.0. It has 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, 1 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, total support of 5x M.2 slots, and 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports. Additionally, it supports 4x DIMM for a maximum of 128GB, DDR5 7800+(OC), and dual-channel memory architecture. It has everything you’ll need and much more. If you’re looking to feed those high-end components with immense power and efficiency, then the Maximus is the one to go with.
Not only is this the best Z790 motherboard, but for our money it’s the best board available for Intel 13th Gen across Z790 AND Z690.
- Great UBS port availability
- Strong 10GB ethernet connection
- PCIe release button
- Outstanding memory support
- It lacks USB4 ports
- Audio codec could’ve been better
Gigabyte does not fall far behind in the competition among the best Z790 mobos. The Aorus Master is a top-tier Z790 motherboard in its stock. It wields 14 USB ports, three 20Gbps USB-C type ports, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and three more available ports.
The Aorus Master is an E-ATX board, so it’s going to give a lot of headroom for cooling systems and heat dissipation. After all, it’s a motherboard built for overclocking. Besides the increase in space, it also has 23 power stages rated for 105A SPS MOSFETs for Vcore, 8-layer PCB, and PCIe 5.0-ready low-loss PCB. The design-ready PCIe 5.0 supports double the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0.
You won’t have any compatibility problems for the next few years regarding cutting-edge SSDs and GPUs. It also has ultra-durable PCIe 5.0 M.2 connectors that support the latest M.2 25110 form factor and reinforced PCIe 5.0 M.2 connectors with metal shielding to provide improved strength. Last but not least, it has a native DDR5 overclocking up to 8000+ thanks to its exclusive DDR5 circuit design.
The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master is one of the best options if you’re looking for a reliable, strong, and high-end motherboard, built with the best materials, especially if you don’t want to spend too much on a new board.
- Great VRM and onboard cooling
- Versatile I/O
- WiFi 6E
- Bit pricey for what you get
- Lacks PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket
- No RGB
The MSI MAG Z790 is a top-tier addition among the best Z790 motherboards, offering quality onboard audio with Realtek’s ALC4080 codec, seven SATA 6Gbps ports, and a ton of additional I/O support. With heatsinks on each M.2 port and incredible VRM cooling, the MAG Z790 is certainly one of the best choices to make, especially given the fact that it’s relatively new.
Despite that newness, this motherboard is only priced at $269, making it rather affordable for those looking to tap into all-new builds. The MAG Z790 does, however, only support DDR4 RAM, so for those looking to future-proof their full PC, it might not be the best pick.
Still, with exceptional audio, an unreasonable amount of I/O ports, and tons of cooling options, the MAG Z790 is a well-balanced option among the best Z790 motherboards.
- AI cooling control
- PCIe support
- Personalized lighting features
- Thunderbolt USB connector
- No Gen5 compatible M.2 slots
ASUS enters the list once more. This company proves to be at the forefront of the motherboard design ethos. On this occasion, the PRIME Z790-A WiFi is an affordable option to enter the realm of next-gen technologies. This board is backed by the reliability of one of the most trusted manufacturers on the market. The board has an ATX form factor, hence its price point. It’s not built for high-end overclocking, but its first-hand materials deliver outstanding performance metrics.
The Prime Z790-A is engineered to leverage a robust power design and a comprehensive cooling solution. Although we’ve seen big numbers on this list, not everybody will squeeze the best out of these motherboards, so the Prime Z790-A is here to balance them all out. It has 16 + 1 Teamed Power Stages (60A) with Enlarged Heatsinks, Gen 5 PCI Slot for Graphics Cards, and AEMP II for the ultimate DDR5 performance. Besides, it has the well know Asus AI cooling system behind it, in addition to WiFi 6E and 2.5GB Ethernet.
If you’re not an overclocker and know by heart you won’t be trying to exploit your PC, this is a great option. You’ll be able to run practically any game you want, complete almost any workload, and do it all while running both a cool and safe rig, without giving up an arm and a leg for it.
How we picked the best Z790 motherboards
To pick the best motherboard, we checked connectivity and connection speeds on the component’s ports. Top Z790 motherboards can leverage some incredible RAM speeds. Once we selected the best competitors, we categorized them in accordance with the amount and type of sockets, form factor, ports and slots, aesthetics, WiFi speed system, and ethernet velocity.
Is Z790 better than Z690?
While PCIe 3.0 lanes have been slashed from 16 on the Z690 to 8 on the Z790 boards, the total number of PCIe 4.0 lanes have been bumped from the Z690’s 12 to 20 on the Z790. Thus, the Z790 has a wider range of connectivity options.
Does Z790 support DDR4?
Some do support DDR4 memory, such as MSI’s Z790-P, which is designed specifically for this very memory capacity.
Our Verdict
Intel 13th Gen CPUs came with a multitude of promises. To reach those heights and see the future now, you’ll have to nab the best possible components to fit those benchmarks. One such component is a board among the best Z790 motherboards. If you choose any one of these components, you’ll be more than satisfied for quite some time.
If money isn’t an issue, and you want to get the most out of your new rig, the Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero is the best choice. It’s the kind of component that costs a ton but is worth every single penny, and is also a bit of an overkill if you don’t know how to overclock.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Asus Prime Z790-A WiFi is a choice budget motherboard, one that offers a great bang for your buck. If you have already invested in a high-end CPU and GPU and want them to work perfectly in tandem without overspending, you should go for this mobo. For the majority of users, it’s the best possible option.