The Intel Z390 Chipset is the successor to the Z370 Chipset and is basically an updated version of the latter with added support for CNVi link & USB 3.1 Gen 2 and a maximum memory of 128GB. If you want to build a gaming PC using an 8th or 9th Gen Intel Processor, the Z390 is a very versatile board to go with.
The GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE is easily the best overall Z390 gaming motherboard on the market in 2024. Following up closely is the MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE which is a beast of its own in terms of overclocking.
Top Z390 Gaming Motherboards: Quick Comparison
BEST RATED  |
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE
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RUNNER UP  |
MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE
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GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS MASTER
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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WiFi)
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ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming
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Best Z390 Motherboard 2024: Reviews
1. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE
Best Rated
The gaming-focused AORUS XTREME features a 16 Phase IR Digital VRM that allows for extreme overclocking without any worries about voltage issues.
The presence of integrated PowlRstage synchronous buck gate driver enables the Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE to do a fine job in regulating power during stressful usage.
Power efficiency has been given top priority with the use of a 37% larger power plane and two times more copper area in the PCB.
Thermal management is done on the Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE using a water cooling system and use of a NanoCarbon baseplate..
Usage of 5W/mK thermal conductivity pads also helps keeping the temperature in check during continuous usage.
High speed M.2 SSD are protected from thermal throttling with the presence of thermal guards on all three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 connectors.
GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE outputs epic gaming audio with the inclusion of ALC Audio Codec, ESS SABRE DAC, Audiophile grade capacitors and Anti-pop relay.
The front headphone output also has gold-plated jacks and comes with auto-impedance sensing circuitry for using a wide range of headphones.
Connectivity options are also top notch with CNVi 802.11ac 2×2 Wave 2 WIFI and Bluetooth 5.0. Onboard RGB lighting looks amazing and comes with a ton of customization options.
For those of you who can take case modding to the next level, the AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE provides a wide range of provision with 8 no.s each of hybrid han headers, RGB LED headers and Addressable LED headers.
Overall, the GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE is undoubtedly the most extreme and high performing Z390 gaming motherboards you can buy in 2024
Pros
- High capacity 16 Phase VRM
- Ultra High Grade Audio
- Elaborate case modding provisions
Cons
- Very expensive
2. MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE
Runner Up
The Z390 GODLIKE lets you do thermal management big time with provisions such as an all in one pump header, eight system fan headers, eight temperature sensors and two extension thermal headers.
The board comes with M.2 SHIELD FROZR to prevent thermal throttling of high-speed SSDs using double side thermal dissipation design.
The BIOS lets you control the fan speeds and temperatures and even set upto 4 temperature targets for CPU and motherboard using the MSI Dragon Center.
Being designed with support for customized water cooling systems in the market, you get a water pump PIN header that supports up to 2A for controlling pump speed.
I/O shielding on the MSI MED Z390 GODLIKE is neat and comes pre-installed. It has even been designed to protect against electrostatic discharge damage.
For serious gamers, the MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE features Triple Turbo M.2, xTend network extender, high performance Xtreme Audio DAC and also WiFi AC 1550 for an ultrafast network connection.
There is onboard RGB lighting along with support for single color LED strip extension upto 3 meters.
With all the bells and whistles of a top of the line MoBo, the MSO MEG Z390 GODLIKE is one of the best Z390 gaming motherboard money can buy in 2024.
Pros
- Hulk like VRM
- Great Audio Output
- Top notch connectivity
Cons
- Expensive
3. GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS MASTER
The VRM system is designed to provide power in a highly precise manner to energy sensitive parts thus allowing tinkerers to get the maximum juice out of the processor.
Generous usage of copper in the power plane results in better power efficiency and gives a lower impedance.
Gigabyte has put much importance on reduction in power wastage and increasing cooling performance on the Aorus Master and that is clearly shown during usage.
The Z390 AORUS MASTER is constructed using a thermal base plate, a heat pipe and fins-array heatsink to provide maximum heat dissipation to maintain lower MOSFET temperatures.
Usage of a direct touch heatpipe to transfer heat from MOS to heatsink and 5W/mK thermal conductivity pads helps maintain temperature within limits in most scenarios.
The integrated base plate also ensures a sturdy platform to build hardware on the motherboard and with an integrated I/O shield the building process is less tedious.
The Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master leaves no stone unturned in terms of thermal management by providing a highly efficient thermal guard for the three M.2 SSD ports. This ensures that you face less time getting your SSD throttled due to high temperatures.
The Z390 Aorus Master has dedicated high performance audio DAC and built-in support for Bluetooth 5 and 802.11.a/b/g/n/ac Wireless.
By providing high quality audio also to the front side jacks, the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master enables you to have a clear and enjoyable in game chat experience.
And to add icing on the cake, the board comes with onboard RGB lighting which is highly customizable via Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion app which is available both for iOS and Android.
To sum up, the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master is one of the most thermally reliable and high performing Z390 gaming motherboards available in the market right now.
Pros
- Efficient and precise VRM
- Solid thermal management
- RGB Lighting
Cons
- Expensive
4. ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WiFi)
The HERO has only a meagre 4 Phase VRM which might be disappointing but it makes up for it with its amazing 5-Way optimization system.
It is basically a collection of powerful tools which enable automatic tuning, AI overclocking and optimized cooling profiles to suit your own setup. And it works brilliantly when you do some actual overclocking.
The ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO has dedicated water cooling zones, four temperature sensors, five fan headers, a fan extension header and a dedicated header for all in one water cooling setups.
Dedicated ICs are provided to ensure individual fan headers from getting affected due to high temperature or current.
Only two M.2 slots are available and both of them are protected against thermal throttling by the use of solid heatsinks.
Gaming specific features such as GameFirst V helps in optimizing network traffic to ensure a nearly lag-free online gaming experience by de-prioritizing bandwidth hungry apps as and when needed.
Another feature called Extreme Mode helps reduce latency by optimizing network packet delivery.
The ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO comes with integrated I/O Shield which feels very premium.
The onboard RGB lighting is neat & subtle and the board supports addressable ROG strips using ROG components like monitors, keyboards etc..
Audio on the ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO is handled by the S1220 SupremeFX codec which delivers a neutral and highly detailed output. Front panel output is driven by dual op amps which can adjust its output based on the headphone’s impedance.
One area that the ROG delivers is in consistency. The board delivers class leading speeds consistently on a wide variety of tests and thus makes you forget about the mediocre 4-Phase VRM setup very quickly.
Pros
- Gaming performance
- Intelligent AI overclocking
- Well design UEFI
Cons
- Lack of 2.5 Gigabit NIC
- 4-Phase VRM system
5. ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming
For any entry level gaming enthusiast, the ASUS TUF Z390-Plus provides an incredible package with an affordable price tag.
The TUF series provides a rugged setup with highly reliable components which lets you keep gaming for long hours without any performance lags.
Several levels of power management are baked into the board such as DDR4 overvoltage protection and Digi+ VRM. This lets you tinker with clock speeds with confidence.
Memory overclocking is also made easy with help of OptiMem II and MemOK II ensuring signal integrity and automatic boot fixes during overclocking failures.
With the ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming you get a S1200A Realtek codec with a high SNR of 108dB for line out and 103dB for line-in. This along with DTS custom audio modes ensure a high quality thrilling audio experience.
Onboard RGB light is pretty minimal but you have to provision to connect Aura compatible hardware for synchronized lighting.
Turbo LAN and Game Mode help reduce network lag and prioritize game data transmission during gaming sessions.
The ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming motherboard gives the entry level budget conscious gamer an incredibly high value for money package that is well enough for most overclocking scenarios.
Pros
- Feature rich
- Good build quality
- Great performance
Cons
- Limited overclocking abilities
Buying Guide for Z390 MOBO
Size
All motherboards come in either of these three form factors:- ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini ATX, with ATX being the largest and Mini ATX being the smallest.
If you are building a gaming rig having the largest size (ie) ATX will be your best bet as it is likely to have better cooling provision and more capacity to add hardware.
Especially if you want to do heavy overclocking, you’ll need to keep the cabin cool with multiple fans inside the case, in which case again, an ATX will suit you better.
VRM
VRM or Voltage Regulator Module regulated the power consumption on individual comments connected to the motherboard.
Having a capable VRM lets the motherboards continue to provide stable and precise power to sensitive components even under heavy overclocking.
Motherboards with a higher no. of phases VRMs tend to be more capable of overclocking assault than lower ones.
Thermal Management
This is a key factor which will determine how long and how far you can extract performance out of your PC. Having provision for water cooling usage might be only needed for those who are planning to do heavy overclocking.
It is important though to have thermal cooling provision for M.2 based SSDs as they might get throttled under high temperatures.
Look for MoBo with ample no.s of fan headers and temperature sensor so that you can manage temperature in an efficient manner with as much less fan noise as possible.
Connectivity
If you are planning to do eSports or MMPGs then a high quality network connection becomes very critical.
In order to experience a lag free gaming experience, you need both consistent bandwidth and ultra low latency.
Advanced Z390 motherboards provide dedicated features which can improve latency by managing gaming packet data and also can de-prioritize non gaming applications to preserve bandwidth.
Audio
Realistic and powerful udio is a crucial visceral part of the whole gaming experience. Having support for 7.1 channel really helps in creating a true surround environment.
If you are really particular about hearing the best grade audio during gaming, then make sure you pick a Z390 gaming motherboard with a dedicated audio DAC.
Also, having an impedance sensing front headphone jack will go a long way in ensuring compatibility with a wide range of gaming headphones.
Final Words About The Best Z390 Motherboards in 2024
The Intel Z390 chipset has given rise to some of the very best gaming motherboards ever, especially if you happen to own a high performance processor like the 9900K.
If you want to build nothing less than the best gaming rig possible then the GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE is one for you. It is simply the motherboard of all Z390 motherboards currently available.
The MSI MEG Z390 GODLIKE is a close contender with incredibly strong overclocking capabilities and thermal management suite.
The GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS MASTER and the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO are both great mid range contenders which have specifications that suit the mass of the gaming community.
Finally, if you are an entry level gaming enthusiast and don’t want to shell out much more before testing the waters then the ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming makes for a very convincing deal.
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