Best Motherboards For Intel i5 11600K

You are going to need a decent motherboard to pair with the Intel i5 11600K. The 6 core, 12 thread CPU is unlocked, so you are going to need a motherboard that supports overclocking. You also need support for PCIe Gen4 in order to take advantage of the higher bandwidth and storage speeds that the Intel i5 11600K support. In this article, I am going to go over some of the best motherboards that you can pair with the Intel i5 11600K.

Best Motherboards For Intel i5 11600K

Z590 is the latest motherboard chipset that supports all the latest features such as 20 PCIe lanes for the CPU as compared to 16 on Z490. Either way, I have included both options so that there is something for everyone. I have also included older Z490 motherboards that support PCIe Gen4. The following are the motherboards that I recommend for the Intel i5 11600K.

1. Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming – Best of the best
2. Asus Prime Z590-A – For the creators
3. Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX – Great alternative to the prime
4. MSI Z490-A PRO – Great for those on a budget
5. MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk – Won’t breat the bank
6. Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra – Ideal for smaller builds
7. Asus TUF Z590-Plus – Best mid-range motherboard

1

Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi

Chipset: Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 5333 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 4 × M.2, 6 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: Yes

• Superfast RAM support
• Impressive overclocking capabilities
• Unique cybertext design
• 4x M.2 slots with heatsinks
• Complicated Storage support

$289.99

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Asus is known for making some of the best motherboards on the market and the Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi is no exception. This is a premium motherboard so you get all the bells and whistles that you would expect including a thunderbolt 4 header, plenty of RGB lighting, and armor.

The Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi has a very unique design with cybertext, which is something that we have only seen on Asus motherboards. The motherboard comes with a Debug LED for easy troubleshooting in case something goes wrong. It also has a USB Type-C header.

The motherboard has plenty of armor and there is plenty of cooling for the VRMs. The CPU is powered by 8+4-pin power connectors so you can get some serious overclocks on your CPU. There is a 14+2 phase digital VRM setup for power delivery. There is an included fan inside the box which you can install on the VRM heatsink for even better cooling.

There are three PCIe slots, the top two are reinforced and support PCIe Gen4. The motherboard also has four M.2 slots and all of them come with heatsinks. Note that only 2 of them actually support PCIe Gen4 and the last one does not. Asus has a very interesting M.2 mounting solution that allows you to install your M.2 drives without having to screw them in.

There are 4 DIMM slots and that support a total of 128GB of RAM and you can overclock the RAM to 5333 MHz. The motherboard comes with an integrated I/O shield for easy installation. In terms of rear I/O, you get DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0, clear CMOS button, BIOS Flash and BIOS USB port, 4x USB 3.2 ports, 2x 2.5G Ethernet ports, 2x USB Type-C ports, Wi-Fi 6 connectors, and your audio jacks. All things considered, this is one of the best motherboards for the Intel i5 11600K.

2

Asus Prime Z590-A

Chipset: Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 5333 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 3 × M.2, 6 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: No

The Asus Prime Z590-A is another motherboard from Asus, that comes with plenty of armor and RGB lighting. Which is something that we are used to by now. The VRM heatsink is beefy and provides ample heat dissipation. There are 4 DIMM slots that support up to 128GB of RAM in a dual-channel configuration and the RAM can be overclocked to 5333 MHz. Do note that you can only hit 5333 MHz on a single stick of RAM. As you populate more slots it is going to decrease incrementally.

There are three M.2 slots on the motherboard which is one more than the previous version of the motherboard. Two of them come with heatsinks. The M.2 slot on the top supports PCIe Gen4 and you can get speeds of up to 64 Gbps. The other 2 are capped at 32 Gbps. There are three PCIe slots that are reinforced for better GPU support but you should use the top x16 one in order to get the best possible performance from your GPU.

The motherboard comes with an integrated I/O shield for easy installation and at the back, you get DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0, 4x USB 2.0, 5x USB 3.2 (including 2x USB Type-C), 2.5G Ethernet port, and the S1220A audio codec. The motherboard has 8x PWM fan headers, 2 of which can support water pumps. There is an EZ Debugger and a soldered power button. The motherboard also comes with plenty of RGB headers, 3 of which are addressable.

3

Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX

Chipset: Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 5000 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 4 × M.2, 6 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: Yes

The Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX has a stealthy back design with matching armor and some RGB lighting as well. The motherboard comes with orange thermal pads that go with the Aorus branding, which is a nice touch. The motherboard has a 12+1 power phase and there is a new cooling solution to cool the VRMs. 8+4-pin power connectors provide power to the CPU, so you will be able to get a decent overclock on your Intel i5 11600K.

There are 4 DIMM slots that are all reinforced and support a max of 128 GB of RAM running up to 5000 MHz. The top PCIe slot is reinforced as well and it is PCIe Gen4. There are three M.2 slots on the motherboard and two come with heatsinks. Fortunately, three of these slots support PCIe Gen4. The bottom one does not support PCIe Gen4.

The motherboard comes with an integrated I/O shield and at the back, you get 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, Wi-Fi antenna connectors, DP 1.2, 4x USB 2.0 ports, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, 3x USB 3.2 ports, 2.5G Ethernet port, and the audio codec. The motherboard comes with 8 PWM fan headers and a total of 4 RGB headers.

4

MSI Z490-A PRO

Chipset: Z490 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 4800 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 2 × M.2, 4 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: No

The MSI Z490-A PRO has an older chipset but it still works with the Intel i5 11600K once you have updated the BIOS. The MSI Z490-A PRO has 2 fewer SATA ports as compared to other models on this list and the USB 3.2 ports are limited as well. This is a pretty basic motherboard but it does come with decent VRM cooling. On the upside, you can get this motherboard at a discounted price. So you can use the money you saved towards a better graphics card or faster RAM.

The motherboard features four DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of RAM running up to 4800 MHz. Do note that if you are interested in going for those kinds of speeds then you will need to sacrifice the timing of the RAM kit. The motherboard features a 12+1+1 phase power delivery system and there are 8+4-pin power connectors that power the CPU, so you should get some decent overclocks.

There are two PCIe slots and the top one is reinforced for better GPU support. The motherboard also has two M.2 slots but only the top one comes with a heatspreader. The motherboard also has EZ Debugger LEDs for easy troubleshooting in case something goes wrong.

If you are looking to save some money and get a basic motherboard then the MSI Z490-A PRO is an option that you can consider.

5

MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk

Chipset: Z490 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 4800 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 2 × M.2, 4 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: No

The Tomahawk has made a name for itself in the market for top-of-the-line features and all the bells and whistles that you can ask for. The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk is no exception. Even though the motherboard has a generation older chipset, you can update the BIOS in order to support the Intel i5 11600K. As this is a slightly older motherboard, you can get it at a discounted price.

The design is industrial, with a black and grey theme. The motherboard has some armor but there is nothing over the top. It does not have a lot of RGB lighting either. There are RGB headers on the motherboard if you want more RGB lighting. There is plenty of room around the CPU socket, so CPU cooler installation is not going to be an issue.

The motherboard features a 12+1+1 phase power delivery system and 8+4-pin power connectors provide ample power to the CPU to allow you to get some decent overclocks. The motherboard comes with an integrated I/O shield which is nice to see at this price point. While this is a bit expensive as compared to older Tomahawk models, but you are getting more for the price as well.

MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk does support PCIe Gen4, so you can take advantage of fast storage and fast graphics cards down the line. There are two M.2 slots and both come with heat spreaders. There are only four SATA ports, but if you are using M.2 drives then you not going to need too many HDDs.

6

Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra

Chipset: Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ITX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 4600 MHz, Max 64GB | Storage: 2 × M.2, 4 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: Yes

The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra is a great motherboard for those looking to build smaller PCs. While this is a smaller motherboard it does not compromise on performance. You get plenty of armor on the board and decent VRM cooling. The single 8-pin power connector can limit overclocking potential but heat dissipation is a major issue in compact builds, so you should not push the CPU too much.

There are two DIM slots that support up to 64 GB of RAM running up to 4600 MHz. Both of them are reinforced. There is a reinforced PCIe slot for the graphics card and an M.2 slot on top of it that comes with an integrated heatsink. There is another M.2 slot on the back but it does not support PCIe Gen4 and does not come with a heatspreader. There is an integrated I.O shield for easy installation as well. There are four PVM fan headers for cooling and there is an RGB header as well.

On the back, you have USB Type-C, USB 3.2, a BIOS USB port, DP 1.2, HDMI 2.1, Flash BIOS button, 2.5G Ethernet, Wi-fi antenna connectors, and the audio jacks.

7

Asus TUF Z590-Plus

Chipset: Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | RAM: 4 × DDR4, 5133 MHz, Max 128GB | Storage: 3 × M.2, 6 × SATAIII | Wi-Fi: Yes

TUF motherboards have become increasingly popular due to their robust build quality, impressive design, and competitive pricing. The Asus TUF Z590-Plus is no exception. The motherboard has a sleek design that is going to blend in well with the rest of your parts. The motherboard has a beefy heatsink for the VMRs to ensure stability when overclocking. These kinds of heatsinks are mostly seen on more expensive motherboards but it is nice to see them on this competitively priced motherboard.

There are four DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of RAM running up to 5133 MHz. Do note that in order to hit those high numbers you will need to use a single stick of RAM and the more slots you populate the lower the speeds are going to get.

There are three M.2 slots and all of them come with heatsinks. Note that only the top supports PCIe Gen4 and the two bottom ones run at PCIe Gen4 speeds. Asus is using an impressively easy-to-use lock-in mechanism for the M.2 drives which allows you to install these drives without having to screw them into the motherboard.

The top PCIe slot is reinforced and should be the one in which you install your graphics card as it supports PCIe Gen4 and x16 bandwidth. You also get an integrated I/O shield and on the back, you get a PS/2 connector, 2x USB 2.0 ports, DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0, USB Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 ports, 2.5G Ethernet port, Wi-Fi antenna connectors, 2x USB 3.2 gen 2 ports and the audio codec.

These are some of the best motherboards that you can get for the Intel i5 11600K. You can also check out our recommendations for the best RAM kits for the 11600K.