The choice between Intel and AMD can be a tough one since they both now offer motherboards that are almost on par with each other. However, if you’ve already got your mind set on an Intel board, you’ll want to find the best of the best.
For gamers, it’s important to select an Intel motherboard that’s future-proof, saving you money in the long run. However, if your budget doesn’t quite stretch enough to allow for this, there are still some great DDR4 motherboards that won’t be good as those that support DDR5 but are still perfectly sufficient for gaming.
Here are the best Intel motherboards for gaming available today.
If you’re looking for an Intel motherboard that isn’t just powerful but incredibly stylish too, you’ve come to the right place. The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Xtreme is easily one of the most stylish Intel motherboards out there, as well as being packed with tons of next-gen features.
The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Xtreme rocks Intel 12th-gen compatibility, as well as DDR5, making it very easy to build a powerful, future-proof PC. It also features built-in Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth, giving you cutting-edge internet speeds, as well as letting you use Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as gaming controllers on your PC.
Thanks to the incredible thermal design, the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Xtreme has been designed to run cool, no matter what hardware you throw at it. And with a whopping four M.2 slots, you’ve got plenty of room to upgrade your computer’s storage capabilities.
- Wi-Fi 6E
- USB 3.2
- DDR5
- Intel Thunderbolt 4
- EATX form factor
- PCIe 5.0
- Brand: Gigabyte
- CPU Included: No
- Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 5.0
- Memory Slots: 4
- Memory Type: DDR5
- Form Factor: EATX
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- USB Ports: 10 + 2 USB-C
- RBG Support: Yes
- M.2 NVMe Connector: Yes
- CPU Support: LGA 1700
- Four M.2 slots offers plenty of room for storage
- Next-gen Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Stunning design
Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Xtreme
The MSI MEG Z690 ACE is a sleek EATX motherboard designed to work with the latest 12th gen Intel processors, as well as DDR5 RAM. The 24K-gold foil heatsink makes this one of the most elegant-looking motherboards on the market, without needing to cover the board with RGB lights, perfect for those that don’t want an RGB gaming setup.
For those that need extra storage for both work and their favorite games, the MSI MEG Z690 ACE comes with an impressive five M.2 slots. With built-in Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, the MSI MEG Z690 ACE offers next-gen connectivity, reducing lag and giving you the edge in competitive games, without needing to worry about connection issues.
The MSI MEG Z690 ACE’s stylish IO panel features dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, offering impressive 40Gbps speeds. MSI has become an extremely popular choice for gamers over the years, and the MSI MEG Z690 ACE is a great example of why MSI motherboards should be top of your list when picking a new one this year.
- DDR5 compatible
- Thunderbolt 4
- Five M.2 slots
- 8K display support
- 24K-gold foil heatsink
- Brand: MSI
- CPU Included: No
- Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 5
- Memory Slots: 4
- Memory Type: DDR5
- Form Factor: EATX
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- USB Ports: 7 + 3 USB-C
- RBG Support: Yes
- M.2 NVMe Connector: 5
- CPU Support: LGA 1700
- Sleek design
- Room for 5 NVMe SSDs
- Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Includes Bluetooth 5.2
The MSI MEG Z590 Unify is perfect for those looking to build a gaming PC on a budget. While it might not be the cheapest motherboard out there, it strikes the perfect balance of quality and price.
With Wi-Fi 6E and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, it offers many features you would expect to see from the top high-end motherboards, but at an incredibly low price. Of course, with Intel 11th Gen support, you are missing out on the latest Intel CPU release, as well as DDR5, but if you’re on a budget, it’s still a great option.
As with most MSI motherboards, the MSI MEG Z590 Unify has outstanding cooling efficiency. Thanks to the Frozr heatsink and aluminum cover, the MSI MEG Z590 Unify is able to maintain constantly cool temperatures, making it a great motherboard for those that love overclocking their gaming PCs.
- 10th and 11th gen Intel CPU support
- Supports DDR4 up to 5600(OC)
- Thunderbolt USB-C
- Frozr heatsink
- Brand: MSI
- CPU Included: No
- Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 4
- Memory Slots: 4
- Memory Type: DDR4
- Form Factor: ATX
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- USB Ports: 11 + 1 USB-C
- RBG Support: Yes
- M.2 NVMe Connector: 3
- CPU Support: LGA 1200
- Great thermal efficiency
- Plenty of USB ports
- No 12th gen Intel CPU support
The ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming Wi-Fi is a high-end Intel 12th Gen compatible motherboard that comes at a reasonable price. With DDR5 compatibility, Intel 12th Gen processor support, and Wi-Fi 6E, it’s built to be an impressive high-end gaming motherboard.
With AI overclocking, cooling, networking, and noise cancelation, it’s a smarter motherboard that makes pushing your gaming PC even further. This makes maintaining solid frame rates easier than ever. And thanks to the optimized thermal design, the motherboard can handle overclocking with ease, while maintaining steady temperatures that won’t affect your game’s performance.
While the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming Wi-Fi is a great Intel motherboard, it’s not without faults. The VRM heatsink, which is placed close to the CPU socket has been known to cause some CPU coolers not to fit on this motherboard. So make sure to check the size of your cooler before buying this motherboard, just to be safe.
- DDR5 compatible
- Thunderbolt 4
- AI cooling and AI networking
- 16+1 power stages
- VRM heatsink
- Brand: Asus
- CPU Included: No
- Graphics Card Interface: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot
- Integrated Graphics: No
- Memory Slots: 4
- Memory Type: DDR5
- Form Factor: ATX
- Wi-Fi: Yes, Wi-Fi 6E
- USB Ports: 3x USB Type-C, 4x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 5x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4x USB 2.0
- RBG Support: Yes
- M.2 NVMe Connector: 4x PCIe 4.0 x4
- Thunderbolt 4 support
- Powerful
- Looks stylish
- Some coolers won’t fit due to the VRM being so close to the LGA 1700 socket
- BIOS update likely required out of the box
ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi
The NZXT N7 Z690 is a great choice for those looking for a powerful mid-range gaming motherboard. With support for the latest 12th Gen Intel processors, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 you get some great features, at an affordable price.
The only major downside to the NZXT N7 Z690 is the lack of DDR5 support. But if you’re happy with rocking DDR4 RAM, you can save some serious money, and on a motherboard that is more than capable of working with most next-gen gaming hardware.
The black and white design makes this one of the sleekest motherboards around and goes great with white cases. But if you prefer, you can go for the standard gaming black version, to match the rest of your hardware.
- NZXT CAM software compatible
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Brand: NZXT
- CPU Included: No
- Graphics Card Interface: PCIe 5.0
- Integrated Graphics: Intel Xe Graphics
- Memory Slots: 4
- Memory Type: DDR4
- Form Factor: ATX
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- USB Ports: 1x USB-C, 2x USB-A (Gen2 ), 3x USB-A (Gen 1)
- RBG Support: Yes
- M.2 NVMe Connector: 3
- CPU Support: LGA 1700
- Stylish black and white design
- Great connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2
FAQ
Q: Do All Motherboards Have Wi-Fi?
Not all motherboards include Wi-Fi, but it is much more common to see gaming motherboards with Wi-Fi built-in.
Most good high-end motherboards will come with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 built-in.
Q: What Is the Biggest Size Motherboard?
E-ATX or extended-ATX is the largest of the motherboard sizes. While these boards off much more room to work with, you will need to make sure that you have a case that can accommodate a motherboard of this size.
The next size down is ATX, which is the most common size of motherboard.