Intel's Core i9-14900K is the company's latest flagship gaming processor (CPU), and it delivers the performance needed for a stellar PC gaming experience.
Comparing the Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900K shows not a huge difference in power, but the good news is that they both operate on the same LGA 1700 socket with similar DDR5 and DDR4 RAM support. If you're looking for a great motherboard for the Core i9-14900K, you can safely assume it will also work with the previous-gen chip.
To get the best performance out of your Core i9-14900K chip — including strong overclocking support — you'll want to pair it with the best hardware around. I've collected below our favorite motherboards that can handle the Core i9 without issue, with a range of features and budgets to fit most users.
Best overall
As an update to the Maximus Z690 Hero we favorably reviewed, the Z790 model continues to offer stellar overclocking support, slick design, and ample cooling. It boasts a 20+1 power phase setup, 5.0 and 4.0 M.2 support, Thunderbolt 4, and PCIe 5.0 support. You can usually pick it up for about $550, so consider it reserved for high-end builds.
Best midrange Z790
The updated MSI Tomahawk MAX WiFi board, featuring hints of yellow accents, supports Intel 14th Gen CPUs and Wi-Fi 7 networking. It comes with a 16+1+1 power design, and DDR5 RAM support up to 7800+(OC) MHz. The motherboard includes a Gen 5 M.2 slot with a dedicated heatsink and two additional Gen 4 M.2 slots. You can usually find it for about $250.
Beautiful design
If you're looking for the perfect motherboard for a white PC build, the Z790 Aorus Pro X should make a great option for the i9-14900K. It has twin 18+1+2 power phases, five M.2 slots (one PCIe 5.0), DDR5 RAM support with four slots, Wi-Fi 7, and great cooling potential. At about $300 it's within a reasonable price range.
Best all-rounder
The Aorus Master X boasts a stunning design and an excellent feature set. It comes with Intel 14th Gen CPU support, a 20+1+2 phase power solution, a cutting-edge thermal design, five M.2 slots, Wi-Fi 7, and 10GbE LAN. It costs more than the Aorus Pro X at about $380, but it might have the right set of features for your build.
Best premium Z790
The MEG is a giant E-ATX board and a complete solution for those desiring a top-tier motherboard. It offers a 24+1+2 power delivery system and a stacked fin array design, an aluminum backplate, a direct touch cross heat pipe, and an enlarged PCH heat sink. It features dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, dual 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7, and an ESS audio DAC for connectivity. Get it for about $851.
Budget pick
If you're looking to spend less than $200 on a motherboard, the MSI PRO Z790-S WiFi is a great choice. It has VRM and chipset heatsinks, 12+1+1 power phase, PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support, four M.2 4.0 slots, and solid I/O including USB-C. It's not the best option for overclocking, but it remains tempting if you already spent all your dough on the CPU.
Choosing the best motherboard for Intel's Core i9-14900K
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Many of the motherboards here are quite pricey, to say the least, but you can use just about any Z790 motherboard for the Core i9-14900K. That includes the motherboards we selected as part of our Core i5-14600K and Core i7-14700K buyers guides.
However, if you are going for the Core i9-14900K it's likely to not be for the sole purpose of gaming. Whether you're doing overclocking to get the maximum performance, doing intensive and prolonged work, or using it for content creation, having the right amount of I/O and storage to cover all your needs can be very important.
Our top pick is the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero thanks to its stellar overclocking support, DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and overall attractive design. It's the successor to the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero we favorably reviewed, and it remains the best option for most people.
As a reminder, this is the last generation of CPU that Intel will be supporting on the LGA 1700 platform, so you won't be able to put a 15th Gen Intel chip on one of these boards. On the flip side, the Z790 boards here will remain capable for years to come.
What's going on with Intel Raptor Lake instability?
Intel has been under pressure to admit to faulty 13th Gen Raptor Lake and 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh processors since issues began in 2022, but only recently did the company reveal that it discovered the root of the problem.
As I explained in a recent article about Intel's instability issues, Intel has stated that a microcode problem resulting in elevated voltages is the cause of BSODs and crashes experienced by many users. While Intel expects to roll out a fix mid-August 2024, 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPUs already experiencing the problems won't get a fix and will seemingly be permanently damaged.
While Intel isn't issuing a recall, it does say that even previously denied RMA attempts can be retried with Intel's customer support. Future chips and those not already experiencing issues will hopefully remain stable after the microcode update that will be deployed via motherboard BIOS. For this reason, you'll want to be sure that you're keeping your BIOS as up-to-date as possible while sticking with Intel Default Settings.
