Intel Z390 Motherboard Overview: 50+ Motherboards Analyzed

Choosing The Right Z390 Motherboard: Features vs Price

With more than 55 motherboards at launch and more certainly to follow, actually whittling down the list can be a bit of a challenge, as there are quite of lots of different factors to consider. Of course, for a lot of users it comes down to the best feature set for the lowest price, but other variables include the quality of core components (networking, audio, Wi-Fi, etc). So just like our Z370 motherboard round-up from last year, we've taken the most specific of requirements and narrowed them down below to a smattering of options to make the task easier. 

Before we get too deep here, there are a few notable trends across the board (sorry) in Z390 board designs. The general feeling is that Z390 is the chipset Z370 should have been, as not only does the newer Z390 'feel' a lot better quality from the perspective of an outsider-looking-in, but feature selection among boards benefits greatly from the Z390 chipset's native USB 3.1 Gen 2 support along with the now-integrated 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.

From looking at the specifications of all of the available Z390 motherboards at launch, it seems a lot of the manufacturers have taken advantage of this fact. Some of the higher-end boards offer up to three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports, with an accompanying USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port to boot. In fact quite a few Z390 motherboards have completely done away with USB 2.0 on the rear panel; though there are still headers available, which is handy for users who make use of them for front panel connectors on cases.

Normally we would note which boards include a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec in the table, but it's actually quicker and easier to list which boards don't have it, as it's now a regular feature on Z390 boards. Only a limited number of boards in the entry-level segment feature a non-ALC1220 codec.

Another important aspect of choosing between motherboards is of course the cost; or really how much of the total system budget it's going to swallow. Because so many of the baseline features of a board are just that – baseline and found in every board – many motherboard manufacturers are now using fancy fluffy features (TM) as key differentiating factors to up-sell users into more expensive boards. Aesthetics are one of the most common (and least frugal) examples, as vendors are fond of putting in RGB lighting for this reason. And while there's nothing wrong with a beautiful system, it won't add to performance nor to ease of use. Judging from the Z390 boards we're seeing today, RGB lighting is starting to become more common than not, as those boards not equipped with it are typically either considered 'basic' or designated as professional boards

Moving on, as part of this Z390 motherboard roundup, most of the boards listed in the tables throughout this overview are available for purchase. Though some models listed many either be only available for pre-order, not officially announced, or region locked – such as the MAXSUN iCraft Z390, which can only currently be purchased in the Asian market.

Starting in alphabetical order, ASRock offers 12 different motherboards, with two of those coming in the smaller mini-ITX form factor, and a single micro-ATX offering rounding out the collection. As noted in our overviews, the ASRock boards are likely to be popular with gamers after dropping the Fatal1ty brand in favor of the Phantom Gaming series. Some of the higher-end Z390 Phantom Gaming based models feature the brand new Realtek RTL8125AG Gaming 2.5 G NICs, and the Z390 Taichi Ultimate goes one step further with a triple LAN setup composed of 2 x Intel Gigabit LAN and an Aquantia 10G port.

The vast majority of the ASRock Z390 stack is available for under $200, with the only four of their models above this. These include the Z390 Phantom Gaming 6, the flagship Z390 Phantom Gaming 9, and the Z390 Taichi & Taichi Ultimate motherboards.

Onto the ASUS models, there are 17 new models to choose from, with the vast majority including integrated Wi-Fi. ASUS also has one of only three extended-ATX motherboards on the Z390 chipset, in the form of their flagship ROG Maximus XI Extreme.

ASUS's varied range stretches across all of the three main motherboard segments, with the Maximus XI models occupying the high-end, the Strix catering for gamers in the mid-range, and the TUF Gaming for the entry-level gamers looking to build a budget gaming system. Meanwhile the entry-level and prosumer Prime series offers a good value for the money, and the WS Z390 Pro is one of two Z390 models to offer four PCIe x16 slots.

GIGABYTE has the fewest new boards of the big four motherboard vendors (ASRock, ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI), coming to market with 10 models. The chief of these is the flagship E-ATX Z390 Aorus Xtreme, which is expected in late October or November.

GIGABYTE has gone a different direction with its branding, with a more wordy naming scheme as opposed to numbering their models. When multiple manufacturers call their boards Gaming 3, Gaming 5 etc, it's not great for brand awareness or consumer clarity. The highest spec of GIGABYTE's Z390 arsenal isn't due to be released right away (Z390 Aorus Xtreme), but the Z390 Aorus Master holds its own feature-wise and offers a blend of Aorus inspired aesthetics and plenty of RGB LED lighting.

Lastly from the big four is MSI, which usually releases a ton of boards to the market. However this time they have taken a more modest approach, starting out with just 10 new models. The most notable of these is the new feature-packed EATX MEG Z390 GODLIKE, which not only includes an M.2 Xpander card, but also includes dual Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codecs and support for three-way SLI and up to four-way CrossFire. But perhaps the most interesting feature of the Z390 GODLIKE is the addition of a dedicated capture and streaming card. Though this means the flagship board costs an arm and a leg; its $600 price tag makes it the most expensive Z390 board at launch.

Meanwhile the entry-level MSI Z390-A PRO has an MSRP of $140, while the rest of the range costs between $145 and $290. And the ATX form factor MEG Z390 ACE, which is essentially a slightly scaled down version of the GODLIKE, halves its price down to $290.

Other manufacturers launching boards outside of the first-tier motherboard vendors include EVGA with a pair of ATX sized refreshed models, which are the Z390 Dark and Z390 FTW. NZXT plans to launch a new version of their previous N7 Z370, the new N7 Z390, where NZXT has stuck with ECS as their OEM of choice. And highly renowned enterprise-level manufacturer Supermicro has a quartet of new models launching. The most notable of the four is the Supermicro C9Z390-PGW, which includes a Broadcom PEX8747 PLX chip allowing for four-way SLI across four full-length PCIe 3.0 slots.

The other obscure offering comes from Chinese manufacturer MAXSUN, which is refreshing their Z370 board with the new Z390 chipset and giving us the iCraft Z390. In terms of aesthetics this is one of the most unique boards I've seen thus far, with waves of overkill RGB LED lighting all over the board. This model is designed for the Asian market and I don't expect will be sold in other regions.