Top 5 Best Z790 Motherboards for Gaming in 2025

Intel's LGA1700 platform has matured, and the Z790 chipset remains the king for enthusiasts who want to squeeze every drop of performance out of their 13th and 14th Gen Core processors. But with prices ranging from $200 to over $1000, finding the "sweet spot" is difficult.

We've tested the power delivery, thermal performance, and feature sets of the market's leading boards. Whether you're building a flagship RTX 4090 gaming rig or a budget-conscious system, here are our top picks for every scenario.

Quick Comparison

Short on time? Here is the quick breakdown of our top picks.

1. ASUS ROG STRIX Z790-E Gaming

The ROG Strix Z790-E is the quintessential high-end board. It bridges the gap between the ultra-premium Maximus line and the standard market, offering nearly all the same features. In our testing, the 18+1 power stages remained surprisingly cool even when pushing an Intel Core i9-13900K to its thermal limits, hitting a maximum of just 62°C under full load.

ASUS has also refined their BIOS interface, making it significantly easier for beginners to enable XMP profiles or adjust fan curves. The inclusion of the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot ensures you are ready for the next generation of storage speeds, although it does steal some bandwidth from the main GPU slot if populated.

For connectivity, you get everything you could ask for: WiFi 6E, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and plenty of rear USB ports. While the price is steep, the build quality justifies it. You can compare the full specs here to see how it stacks up against the competition.

2. MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi

MSI delivers a visually cleaner board here. The "Carbon" branding lives up to its name with a stealthy black aesthetic that disappears into a dark case, allowing your RGB components to take center stage. The standout feature, however, is the screwless M.2 installation. MSI has designed a latch system for the heat shields that completely removes the need for those tiny, annoying screws.

Performance-wise, it trades blows with the ASUS Strix. The 19+1+1 phase power design is actually slightly more robust on paper, providing extremely stable voltage control for memory overclocking. We managed to push a DDR5 kit to 7600MT/s with relative ease.

The only downside is the price bump over the previous generation. However, if you value a frustration-free build experience and want a board that looks as good as it performs, the Carbon WiFi is a top contender. Read our full teardown review for more details on the VRM components.

3. Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Elite AX

Not everyone wants to spend $400+ on a motherboard, and that is where the AORUS Elite AX shines. It cuts corners in exactly the right places—such as omitting the ultra-expensive PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot (which no drives currently utilize effectively) and using a slightly older audio codec. The result is a board that handles an i9 just as well as the flagship models but costs significantly less.

Gigabyte has massively improved their BIOS over the last few years. The layout is cleaner, and the "Instant 6GHz" feature works surprisingly well for getting a quick performance boost on 13900K chips without manual tweaking. Thermal performance was stellar in our open-bench tests, with the large heatsinks keeping the VRMs under 70°C.

If you are a pure gamer looking to allocate more budget toward your GPU, this is the board to buy. You won't notice the missing features in daily use. Check current pricing on Amazon to see the value proposition for yourself.

4. ASRock Z790 Taichi

The Taichi is legendary for a reason. With its steampunk-inspired "cogwheel" aesthetic (which actually moves on some models!), it is a statement piece. But beyond looks, it is engineered for extreme stability. The 24-phase power design is overkill for almost everyone except competitive overclockers using liquid nitrogen.

ASRock also caters to audiophiles here by including the ESS SABRE 9218 DAC, offering significantly better audio quality than the standard Realtek solutions found on other boards. The dual Thunderbolt 4 ports on the rear I/O are also a massive bonus for content creators who need fast external storage.

Be warned: this is an E-ATX board. It is wider than standard ATX motherboards, so you must verify your PC case clearance before buying. If you have the space and the budget, it is a luxury component that feels premium in every way.

5. ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi

The TUF Gaming Z790-Plus is the reliable workhorse of the group. It lacks the flashy RGB armor of the Strix or the polished finish of the AORUS Elite, but it makes up for it with sheer durability. Using military-grade capacitors and chokes, ASUS claims this board is designed to withstand harsher conditions and longer duty cycles than standard consumer electronics.

It does have some compromises to hit its lower price point. You won't find a Q-Code LED display (helpful for debugging), and the rear USB port selection is a bit sparse compared to the Taichi. However, it still retains the crucial PCIe 5.0 slot for future-proofing your GPU.

We recommend this board for users who want a "set it and forget it" system. It's not for extreme overclocking, but for a stable 1440p or 4K gaming rig, it is arguably the smartest buy on this list.

Final Recommendation

If budget is no concern, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z790-E is our top pick for its balance of premium features and overclocking headroom. However, for most gamers, the Gigabyte AORUS Elite AX offers everything you actually need at a much friendlier price point.