If you have been building a gaming PC for yourself that doesn’t cost you a fortune, the Intel Core i5-10600K is a pretty solid processor to be considered as it offers great performance with overclocking capabilities without costing much. It is a 6 Cores and 12 Threads processor with a based frequency of 4.1GHz which can be boosted up to 4.8GHz. It supports a max memory size of 128GB and comes with integrated Intel UHD 630 graphics.
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That said, the Intel i5-10600K can give a tough fight to AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X at a lesser price. Hence, you can easily bet on this chip to give you a good gaming experience as well as other heavy tasks. But in order to make full use of the power, you will need an equally capable motherboard that can help you reach its peak performance.
To help you find your perfect motherboard, I have made a list of the 5 best motherboards for Intel i5-10600K.
Best Motherboards for i5-10600K
| Best Motherboards for i5-10600K | Form Factor | Chipset | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master | ATX | Z490 | |
| ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus | ATX | Z490 | |
| ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I | mini-ITX | Z490 | |
| MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge | ATX | Z490 | |
| MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk | ATX | Z490 |
| Best Motherboards for i5-10600K | Form Factor | Chipset | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master | ATX | Z490 | |
| ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus | ATX | Z490 | |
| ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I | mini-ITX | Z490 | |
| MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge | ATX | Z490 | |
| MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk | ATX | Z490 |
The first thing you should always keep in mind while buying a motherboard is to check whether it is compatible with your processor or not. For instance, the i5-10600K is an LGA 1200 socket-based processor. Hence, only a motherboard with this socket can support this processor. So make sure you have checked into this area.
The second thing is to find out whether it can overclock your CPU and RAM. Look if it has the M.2 slot or not. Also, make sure the price is not too high for the features specified as it will be overkill. Just like these, you can make note of all the important features and then take your decision.
In this post, I have categorized each of these motherboards into — Top Pick, Runner-up, Mini-ITX, Value for Money, and Budget. Each of them is equipped with impressive features, solid aesthetics, great overclocking capabilities, and a robust power delivery system.
Having said that, here are the 5 best motherboards for Intel i5-10600K.
Top Pick: GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master
The GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master is one of the best motherboards currently available for the i5-10600K. With great overclocking capabilities, solid aesthetics, PCIe 4.0 support, and reasonable pricing make it one of the best options to be considered for the 10th-generation processor. If you are looking for a motherboard below $300, this could be your best option.
The GIGABYTE AORUS Master supports 10th-generation i9, i7, i5, and i3 processors based on LGA 1200 sockets. It comes with four DIMM slots that can support up to 128GB of memory and can be overclocked up to 5000MHz of memory speed. Regarding display connectivity, it has one HDMI 1.4 port that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@30Hz.
Other notable features include built-in Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.0, three PCIe 3.0 (x16/x8/x4) slots, three M.2 slots for storage, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and eight USB 2.0 ports.
Overall, the GIGABYTE AORUS Master is a solid motherboard with great features to boost the performance of the i5-10600K.
Pros
- Great design
- High-speed memory support
- Three M.2 slots
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- No DisplayPort for display connectivity
- Bottom M.2 slots require removal for usage
Runner-up: ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus
Except for a few features, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS has almost similar features to the GIGABYTE AORUS Master. And that’s why their price difference doesn’t vary much. The former will cost you around $250, while the latter costs around $270. Hence, at a price difference of just $20, there are fewer compromises and you can even pick this one if ASUS is your favorite brand.
The ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS is an ATX motherboard that supports 10th generation i9, i7, i5, i3, Pentium gold, and Celeron processors based on LGA 1200 sockets. It comes with four DIMM slots that can support up to 128GB of memory and can be overclocked up to 4800MHz of memory speed. For display connectivity, it has one HDMI 1.4b port and one DisplayPort 1.4 that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@60Hz.
Apart from that, it includes important features like built-in Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.1, two PCIe 3.0 (x16/x4) slots, three PCIe 3.0 x1 ports, two M.2 slots for storage, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports.
Summing up, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS is a great option if you are building your PC mostly around ASUS-branded products. It offers great performance and also fits into your budget.
Pros
- Great design
- Sturdy build quality
- High-speed memory support
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Quite affordable
Cons
- Only two M.2 slots
- Intel 10th generation processors don’t support PCIe 4.0
Mini-ITX: ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I
While the above two motherboards are of ATX form factor, they can’t be a better option for a compact PC build. In that case, a mini-ITX motherboard will be the best option to consider. And for that, I have picked ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I as my best mini-ITX motherboard for i5-10600K.
The ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I is a mini-ITX motherboard that supports 10th generation, Pentium gold, and Celeron processors based on LGA 1200 sockets. It comes with two DIMM slots that can support up to 64GB of memory and can be overclocked up to 4800MHz of memory speed. For display connectivity, it has one HDMI 2.0a port and one DisplayPort 1.4 that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@60Hz.
The board also houses built-in Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.1, one PCIe 3.0 x16/x4 slot, two M.2 slots for storage, four SATA III 6GB/s ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports.
That said, the ASUS ROG Strix Z490-I is the perfect mini-ITX motherboard for your compact PC build. Though it is the most expensive motherboard on this list (even more than the top pick), it is the best compact-size board you can get.
Pros
- Looks Attractive
- High-speed memory support
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Cons
- Quite expensive
Value for Money: MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge
The MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge should be considered the best value-for-money motherboard. Currently available at a price of $150, it has all the necessary features required to boost the performance of the i5-10600K. If you don’t want to spend $200 or $300 on a motherboard, then this one could be your best bet.
The MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge supports 10th generation, 11th generation, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors based on LGA 1200 sockets. It comes with four DIMM slots that can hold up to 128GB of memory and can be overclocked up to 5000+MHz of memory speed. For display connectivity, it has one HDMI port that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@30Hz and one DisplayPort that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@60Hz.
Other important features consist of Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.0, two PCIe 3.0 (x16/x4) slots, two M.2 slots for storage, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, seven USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and six USB 2.0 ports.
Pros
- Attractive design
- High-speed memory support
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Large heatsinks
- Value for money
Cons
- Only two M.2 slots
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports are few in number
Budget: MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk
If you are going through a cash crunch and can’t spend more than $100 on a motherboard, then I would suggest you go for the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk. Though it is currently priced at $120 on Amazon (as I write this article), you might get it at a lower price on sale.
The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk supports 10th-generation, 11th-generation, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors based on LGA 1200 sockets. It comes with four DIMM slots that can hold up to 128GB of memory and can be overclocked up to 5000+MHz of memory speed. For display connectivity, it has one HDMI port that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@30Hz and one DisplayPort that supports a maximum resolution of 4K@60Hz.
Apart from that, the board also includes two PCIe 3.0 (x16/x4) slots, two PCIe x16 slots, two M.2 slots for storage, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, seven USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and six USB 2.0 ports.
Overall, the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk is the best budget motherboard for around $100 and offers decent features with no compromise in performance.
Pros
- Solid design
- High-speed memory support
- Cheap price
Cons
- Only two M.2 slots
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports are few in number
- No built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Conclusion
This completes the list of the 5 best motherboards for Intel Core i5-10600K. Being a popular choice among mid-range gamers, the i5-10600K would require a powerful gaming motherboard to justify its capabilities. That’s why I have considered only those motherboards that are truly capable of doing that. Depending on your budget and preference, you can pick any of these motherboards.
While I would recommend GIGABYTE AORUS Master to be the first choice, if you need a DisplayPort (which the top pick doesn’t have), you can go for the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLUS. But again, if these sound expensive to you, go for either the MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge or MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk as both of them cost between $120-$150.
That said, whatever motherboard you pick, make sure it is compatible with the processor.
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