Launched almost a decade ago, the Intel Core i5-4690K is one of the most budget-oriented CPUs ever made by Intel. Though the processor has long been discontinued in 2017, it is still popular among budget gamers, all thanks to its impressive performance, good overclocking abilities, lower thermal temperatures, and dirt-cheap price.
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Besides being a 4th generation processor based on Haswell architecture, it comes with 4 Cores and 4 Threads with a base frequency of 3.5GHz, which can be boosted to 3.9GHz. As I already mentioned above, due to its good architectural design, the processor doesn’t heat up a lot while being overclocked. No doubt, it has been one of the liked processors.
If you still have this today or are looking to buy one, you will need a suitable motherboard that can deliver the best of its performance either while gaming or multitasking. In this post, I have made a list of the 5 best motherboards for i5-4690K you can buy this year.
Best Motherboards for Intel i5-4690K
If you’re looking for a straight to the point answer, here are our top picks for the 5 best motherboards for i5-4690K:
| Best Motherboards for i5-4690K | Chipset | Size | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Z97-Gaming 5 | Z97 | ATX | |
| ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer | Z97 | ATX | |
| ASUS Z97I-PLUS | Z97 | mini-ITX | |
| ASUS B85M-G | B85 | Micro-ATX | |
| Biostar TB85 | B85 | ATX |
| Best Motherboards for i5-4690K | Chipset | Size | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Z97-Gaming 5 | Z97 | ATX | |
| ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer | Z97 | ATX | |
| ASUS Z97I-PLUS | Z97 | mini-ITX | |
| ASUS B85M-G | B85 | Micro-ATX | |
| Biostar TB85 | B85 | ATX |
The i5-4690K, though old, is an unlocked processor with certain capabilities. With the help of a good motherboard, you can easily overclock this processor to its peak performance and derive the maximum benefits. In order to achieve that desired performance, you will need a motherboard that can help you do that.
That’s why I have focused on those motherboards that are capable of overclocking a processor. But again, they are also expensive, so if you are comfortable with that, you can definitely get your hands on any of these motherboards. But I do have budget motherboards that are worth the deal for non-overclockers.
In this post, I have categorized each of these motherboards into — Top Pick, Runner-up, Mini-ITX, Value for Money, and Budget.
Having said that, here’s something more in-depth about the 5 best motherboards for i5-4690K!
Top Pick: MSI Z97-Gaming 5
If you need a perfect motherboard for your i5-4690K CPU, I don’t there would be a better choice than the MSI Z97-Gaming 5. At a cost of $280 on Amazon (as I write this article), it is one of the best motherboards you can buy.
The MSI Z97-Gaming 5 is an ATX motherboard that supports 4th and 5th-generation Intel Core, Pentium, and Celeron processors, which are based on the LGA 1150 sockets. It comes with four DDR3 DIMM slots which can support up to 32GB of memory and a max memory speed of up to 3300MHz.
For display connectivity, it has one HDMI port that supports a max resolution of 4K@24Hz, one DVI-D port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz, and one D-Sub port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz.
The board has multi-GPU support for 3-Way AMD CrossFire and 2-Way NVIDIA SLI Technology. Other features include three PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16x8x4) slots, four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, a single M.2 slot, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, six USB 3.0 ports, and eight USB 2.0 ports.
Summing up, the MSI Z97-Gaming 5 is the best motherboard to run i5-4690K with great overclocking capabilities, multi-GPU support, and three display connectivity options.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Great overclocking capabilities
- Multi-GPU support
- High-speed memory support
- Three display connectivity options
Cons
- Only one M.2 slot
Runner-up: ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer
The ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer can be your best option if you don’t want to spend more than $200 on a motherboard. While it definitely costs less than the MSI Z97-Gaming 5, you have to make a few compromises on certain features like a few PCIe slots and fewer USB ports, though they aren’t much of an issue.
The ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer is an ATX motherboard that supports 4th and 5th-generation Intel Core i7, i5, i3, Pentium, and Celeron processors, which are based on the LGA 1150 sockets. It comes with four DDR3 DIMM slots which can support up to 32GB of memory. It can support a max memory speed of up to 3200+MHz.
Regarding display connectivity, it comes with one HDMI 1.4a port that supports a max resolution of 4K@24Hz, one DVI-D port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz, and one D-Sub port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz.
The board also includes two PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, two PCI slots, a single M.2 slot, six SATA III 6GB/s ports, six USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and seven USB 2.0 ports. Apart from that, it has a Molex connector for people wanting to use a multi-GPU setup.
Pros
- Great performance
- Good overclocking capabilities
- Multi-GPU support
- High-speed memory support
- Three display connectivity options
- Six USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
Cons
- Only one M.2 slot
Mini-ITX: ASUS Z97I-PLUS
A small yet powerful motherboard with four display connectivity, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, and compact size makes it one of the best mini-ITX motherboards out there. And that’s why I didn’t forget to consider it for those who want to build a mini PC build for themselves.
The ASUS Z97I-PLUS supports 4th and 5th-generation Intel Core i7, i5, i3, Pentium, and Celeron processors, which are based on the LGA 1150 sockets. It comes with two DDR3 DIMM slots which can support up to 16GB of memory. It can support a max memory speed of up to 3200MHz.
It comes with one HDMI port that supports a max resolution of 4K@24Hz, one DisplayPort 1.2 that supports a max resolution of 4K@24Hz, one DVI-D port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz, and one D-Sub port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz.
Other notable features include built-in Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth v4.0, one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, one M.2 slot, four SATA III 6GB/s ports, six USB 3.0/2.0 ports, and six USB 2.0/1.1 ports. Overall, if you want to go small, go for the ASUS Z97I-PLUS.
Pros
- Solid performance
- Great overclocking capabilities
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
- Four display connectivity options including DisplayPort
Cons
- Only one M.2 slot
- Less memory support
Value for Money: ASUS B85M-G
For a price of $180, the ASUS B85M-G provides the best value for money with no fancy talks. It has triple display connectivity options, USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, four DIMM slots, reasonable pricing, and offers good performance. In short, it has a well-balanced price-to-performance ratio.
The ASUS B85M-G is a micro-ATX motherboard that supports 4th generation i7, i5, i3, Pentium, and Celeron processors, which are based on the LGA 1150 sockets. It comes with four DDR3 DIMM slots which can support up to 32GB of memory and can support a max memory speed of up to 1600MHz.
For display connectivity, it comes with one HDMI 1.4a port that supports a max resolution of 4K@24Hz, one DVI-D port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz, and one RGB port that supports a max resolution of 1080P@60Hz. Apart from that, the board comes with one PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 2.0 x1, four SATA III 6GB/s ports, two SATA II 3GB/s ports, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and eight USB 2.0 ports.
Pros
- Good performance
- Three display connectivity options
- Four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
- Value for money
Cons
- No M.2 slot
- Less memory speed
Budget: Biostar TB85
The Biostar TB85 is a very basic motherboard with pretty decent performance and works well for those who are not looking for overclocking the i5-4960K. On top of that, if your budget is not more than $150, then this motherboard can be your best bet.
The Biostar TB85 is an ATX motherboard that supports 4th generation i7, i5, i3, and Pentium processors, which are based on the LGA 1150 sockets. It comes with two DDR3 DIMM slots which can support up to 16GB of memory and can support a max memory speed of up to 1600MHz. It comes with one DVI-D port and one D-Sub port.
The board also includes one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, five PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, four SATA III 6GB/s ports, two SATA II 3GB/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. That said, if budget is your main concern, then you can consider buying this motherboard.
Pros
- Simple design
- Good performance
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- No M.2 slot
- Less memory speed
Conclusion
Considering how old the i5-4690K has become, it can be pretty daunting to find the best motherboard in the current scenario. But still, I have given my best to give you a list of the 5 best motherboards for i5-4690K. Depending on your budget and requirements, you can bet on any of these motherboards.
For best performance, you can go for the MSI Z97-Gaming 5 as it has the necessary features to overclock your processor and push it to its peak performance. Similarly, you can opt for the mini-ITX version if you want to save some space. Other than that, if overclocking is not on your priority list, then the bottom two can do the job well, considering your budget.
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