TOP 5 Motherboards for Intel Coffee Lake Refresh Processors

The unspoken slogan of the MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PLUS motherboard can be "only the most necessary". On the one hand, it seems like an uncompromising overclocking product on the largest chipset, on the other hand, it is part of the mid-level line of MSI Performance GAMING, has only the most necessary and attracts potential buyers at an affordable price.

Among the simplifications in comparison with more expensive boards on the Z390, it is worth noting the limitations on simultaneous operation of the interfaces of the disk subsystem, the absence of a radiator over part of the phases of the power subsystem and the rejection of LED backlight. Although connectors for connecting LED strips are provided on the board.

The rest of the MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PLUS is an advanced board, on the basis of which you can build a powerful gaming system with Intel Core i9 Coffee Lake Refresh i9-9900K BOX or with a simpler processor, but with a couple of video cards. Four RAM slots allow you to install up to 64 GB of DDR4 with the ability to overclock the frequency to 4400 MHz.

There are places for two M.2 SSD drives at once. The work of the first is provided by the PCIe processor lines (plus there is a cooling radiator), and the second by the chipset lines. The connection ports keep up with the times — there are both USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB-C. Between the two PCI Express x16 slots there is an M.2 Socket E slot for installing the Intel Wireless-AC (CNVi) wireless interface module. However, it will have to be bought separately.

Considering that the board is built on a top-end chipset and has good power training, a wide range of settings is available for overclocking experiments. Fortunately, the BIOS itself is very convenient and intuitive, and also has a switch from the graphical menu to a more traditional text version.

According to the idea of Asus, the Prime line is a mid-level product, whose capabilities should not exceed the solutions of the ROG series, but be little better than TUF Gaming.

In terms of equipment, the PRIME Z390-A is a direct successor to the previous PRIME model based on the Z370 chip. Among the connectivity options, you can select numerous USB ports (including USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB-C), a pair of M.2 interfaces, an excellent sound subsystem based on the Realtek ALC S1220A codec, enhanced graphics card slots, a high-quality network controller from Intel with the ability to prioritize traffic, as well as an M.2 drive cooling radiator.

Compared to its predecessor, the PRIME Z390-A has improved the power subsystem, which is why the overclocking capabilities have been greatly improved. It is capable of overclocking older models of processors of the latest series and, as our tests have shown, it really succeeds — the system behaves stably and predictably. The LLC kit allows you to choose the right profile for a good voltage stabilization, and the overall VRM heating level does not require additional cooling methods during strong acceleration.

Also note the pleasant little things in the form of a button to turn on the LEDs of various components, which help to better understand the state of the system during overclocking. Of the possible weaknesses, it can only be noted that the heating of the textolite between the radiators during acceleration. However, this happens only with a serious overclocking of chips of the caliber Intel Core i9 Coffee Lake Refresh i9-9900K BOX .

Finally, let's praise the design of the board — if most of the gaming "mothers" are either black or red-black, then here we see an interesting combination of black, white and grey, which complement the acid LEDs on the radiators. Thanks to the synchronization of the Asus Aura Sync backlight, the latter look especially cool.

Motherboards from ASRock are distinguished by high functionality and democratic pricing policy, which makes them very popular. Moreover, this rule applies to both inexpensive boards for office computers and expensive overclocking "mothers".

The new Phantom Gaming line, which replaced Fatal1ty, looks doubly interesting, because ASRock heard the buyers and fixed most of the jambs. In the case of Phantom Gaming 6, we have a good processor power subsystem (12 phases, cooling with two radiators), an extremely simplified overclocking process, a functional and intuitive BIOS settings menu, high-quality sound based on the ALC1220 codec (there is support for Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 5) and generally high quality workmanship. Separately, enthusiasts will be pleased with the buttons and the indicator of POST-codes on the printed circuit board, which simplify overclocking when the stand is open.

In addition, we have a rich and interesting set of connections from a pair of reinforced PCI-E 16x, four slots for RAM, a 2.5 Gbit/s LAN controller, USB 3.1 Gen2, USB-C and a pair of M slots.2 with cooling radiators. Moreover, one of the slots works in Ultra mode — it is connected directly to the PCI Express 3.0 root complex and allows data transmission at a speed of 32 Gbit/s, which is 3-6 times higher than the capabilities of standard M.2.

Against the background of all this wealth, Phantom Gaming 6 does not have any outright weaknesses. In small disadvantages, you can only bring in the implementation of RGB backlight, which lacks variety and effects.

Motherboards of the ROG line are deservedly popular with gamers, overclockers and ordinary users who pay attention to the final design of the assembled system. Fortunately, the style of the latest solutions allows you to successfully fit them into almost any idea. However, Asus ROG STRIX motherboards stand out not only in style, but also in a wide variety that allows you to choose a device for specific tasks and not overpay for unnecessary functionality.

In the arsenal of Asus ROG Strix Z390-E GAMING you will find almost everything that a user needs for comfortable operation of a modern high-level gaming system. Namely two interfaces M.2 with a cooling radiator, three high-speed USB 3.1 Gen2 ports, one USB-C, an excellent SupremeFX sound system, an Intel network controller with traffic prioritization, several LED strip connection slots, Asus Aura Sync backlight synchronization and enhanced slots for installing video cards. Moreover, there are three PCI-E 16x slots, not two. Well, as a nice bonus, we have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules.

In terms of overclocking, we have an enhanced 10-phase processor power subsystem, a wide range of settings for overclocking, including overclocking memory up to 4266 MHz, support for multiple video cards and stable operation with top Core i9 chipsets. In general, the impression of the ASUS ROG STRIX Z390 GAMING motherboard was extremely positive and it does not have any obvious weaknesses and shortcomings. However, for such a price, we did not expect anything else.

Simultaneously with the release of a new set of Intel Z390 system logic, Gigabyte decided to change the approach to the names of its motherboards. If earlier all the AORUS series boards also had the word Gaming in their name, now the Gaming boards have been moved to a separate, more accessible sub-series, and for the elite AORUS they have taken their own segment, in which there are currently five models. One of them is the Gigabyte Z390 AORUS ULTRA, which is perfect for a gaming PC of any level of coolness.

The Z390 AORUS ULTRA boasts a 12-phase power subsystem, the presence of cooling for M.2 ports, support for SLI and CrossFire, as well as the ability to install three M.2 format drives (plus standard 6 SATA) and 128 GB of DDR4 RAM into the system. It is also worth noting the excellent sound capabilities of the built-in sound card, which uses a pumped version of the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec and boasts an optical output.

Taking into account the price, the AORUS ULTRA should be attributed to the representatives of the top segment, therefore, the demand for a standard set for the Z390 will not get off here. What else can this board offer? Firstly, the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. Secondly, an advanced VRM transistor cooling system, with a casing equipped with an RGB LED backlight. Thirdly, there are excellent features for overclocking and system improvements: there are POST-code indicators, three reinforced PCI-E 16x slots, an efficient cooling system, memory overclocking up to 4400 MHz, etc.

In fact, it is possible to list all the advantages of the new product from Gigabyte for a very long time, but we could not find any shortcomings or flaws. If desired, the price may be a disadvantage, but taking into account all the bells and whistles and built-in modules for wireless communication, it is more than justified.