The Best Motherboards for i9 12900K Reviewed

Intel’s 12^th generation of processors are easily among the best you can get if you are in the market for performance oriented processors. These processors are not going to hold you down simply because the performance they deliver is excellent. At the moment, if you want the best of the best, going for any of the 12^th generation processors is the right thing to do because the performance you are getting is amazing.

With that said, the new processors bring support for DDR5, PCIe 5.0 and more and of course, you are going to need a new motherboard, too. That is the reason we are going to help you find the best motherboard for i9 12900K.

After all, if you are just getting started with your gaming beast, it is better that we are helping you choose the best motherboard because for such a powerful PC, anything less than high-end would be unjust, right?

Let’s dig deeper.

Reviewing the Best Motherboards for i9 12900K

Awards	Model	Price
Editor’s Pick	ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero	Buy on Amazon
Best Value Motherboard for i9 12900K	ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F	Buy on Amazon
Best Runner Up	MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi	Buy on Amazon
Best Budget Motherboard for i9 12900K	MSI PRO Z690-A	Buy on Amazon
Best DDR4 Motherboard for i9 12900K	ASRock Z690 Steel Legend	Buy on Amazon
Best ITX Motherboard for i9 12900K	ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I	Buy on Amazon

Considering how the innovation is everywhere. For anyone who is looking for a good motherboard, finding the right one is not at all difficult. However, the best part is that we are going to help you get your hands on the top-tier motherboards and you will not be regretting your choice, either. So, it is better that we are paying attention to all the great offerings that are waiting for you on this list. Let’s get started, shall we?

The first motherboard that we are looking at is from Asus and if you have been keeping yourself up to date with the offerings that Asus has, then you would know that their offerings never disappoint and same is the case this time around. The motherboard you are looking into is going to deliver groundbreaking performance and a lot of hardware goodness for everyone.

So, what is so good about the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero? Well, a lot, to be honest. After all, you are looking at one of the highest end motherboards in the market but is it good enough? Well, that is what I am going to talk to you about, so let’s get started.

For starters, the motherboard brings top-tier build quality and I cannot stress this enough as the build quality is one of the finest that you can get on any motherboard. This truly is an amazing offering and you will get an amazing experience in terms of the looks and the overall fit and finish of this motherboard. 

However, the build and looks are not enough as the motherboard also brings a 90-amp power phase design which might not make sense to an average consumer but for the high-end enthusiast who is looking for a no-compromise experience, getting the motherboard is the right decision as it will not let you down in any case.

For those who are looking for connectivity and want it to be top-tier, you would be happy to know that the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero does not disappoint in that case either as you are getting dual Thunderbolt 4 ports along with all the bells and whistles that you can expect from a modern motherboard.

The one thing that I really, really love about this processor is the fact that you are getting access to some features that make the whole building process infinitely easy, so you are not going to experience anything that will not be good enough, that is what I can guarantee you.

Last but not the least, the motherboard works well with the existing LGA 1200 coolers, too. So, if you have been worried about cooler support, you do not have to stress over it at all. 

As far as the downsides are concerned, my only issue with this motherboard is that for some reason, it only has a 2.5 Gbps LAN port.

Overall, I would say that the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is one of the best motherboards that you can get. It certainly is the best motherboard for i9 12900K and delivers exceptional performance to a point that you will not be let down by this motherboard.

The great thing about Asus is that if you are looking for some good performance overall, you would be happy to know that they know how to deliver and you are not going to be let down. If you cannot afford some of their higher end offerings, then the good news is that you can always go for something more affordable and that is what makes them so good.

It is safe to say that whenever you are paying attention to a good overall motherboard, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F is easily one of those as it delivers exceptional performance all the while costing lower than some of the higher end offerings that have dominated the market. But the good thing is that it still remains an excellent motherboard.

Moving forward, for anyone who is looking at this motherboard, there is a lot to look forward to. You are getting PCIe 5.0 and 4x M.2 slots, something that I do enjoy a lot about this motherboard, if you do want everything from this motherboard, you will not be let down in any case, and that is what I do love. 

Another thing that really impressed me about this motherboard is the fact that you are getting 12 USB ports on the rear, which is an amazing quantity considering how most of the people have a chock full of USB devices and more often than not, they run out of storage, which is a common issue.

What else is there? Well, for those who are concerned about having good audio on their motherboard, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F impresses throughout. The headphones blogged into this sound excellent and the experience is extraordinary, so you are not really going to regret that, either. You want something good? This is it.

The Q-release feature for GPU is also one of the best implementations that is more or less quality of life improvement and it actually works really well, too. So, you do not have to worry about anything.

What are the downsides, you ask? Honestly, nothing major. The ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F does deliver everything one could ask from a higher-end CPU and definitely is an excellent offering for anyone who wants to spend money. The price might be a concern to some but that’s about it.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F is more than capable of delivering high-end performance to those who are not in the mood to spend some serious cash. The motherboard works really well in all cases, and has excellent stability, as well.

MSI has a history of some of the best motherboards that they have been releasing for some time and well, nothing has changed so far as they are continuing to deliver some fantastic offerings that one should be getting their hands on. After all, if you do want to get something good, why not go for it. 

Now in terms of the specs, you are looking at the usual motherboard offerings that we have been reviewing for some time now. Which allows you to have a better understanding of what you are spending money on. If you genuinely want something that is good and delivers solid performance, then it is safe to say that you can look at the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi as this motherboard is good in every aspect.

With that said, the good thing about the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi is that it does offer pretty decent CPU overclocking, so if you do want to make the most of your CPU, this is the one that you should be investing in. Not just that, the motherboard also delivers Wi-Fi 6E, a feature which is always nice to have as modern standards are a lot more important than one might think.

You are also getting dual PCIe 5.0 slots along with 5x M.2 slots, which I believe is one of the best things about this motherboard. If you want to go crazy with a heap of storage, this is the way to do it.

Moving further, the motherboard also comes with ample RGB headers, so if you do want to have lots of lights, you are good to go.

Honestly, I do not have a lot to talk about when you are shedding light on the downsides of the motherboard but I would like mention that you are only getting 2.5Gb of ethernet, and the fact that there is only 75 amps of power phases is something that might not bode well for many people.

Overall, the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi is an excellent motherboard that one can go for and it is not something that is going to let you down in any case. 

If you have been in the market for some time, then you do know that MSI is considered to be one of the leading brands when it comes to good quality components and well, it has never really changed. So, if you do want something good, you can always rely on MSI to deliver that and that too, without any issues.

Now, if you have not already figured it out, the MSI PRO Z690-A is an entry level motherboard that does deliver a lot of value for money, yes. Sure, you are not getting all the fancier features that you might want but what’s more important is that everything that you are getting is enough. So, if you are building a solid build and you are using the Core i9 12900K, this is an excellent motherboard.

Now, the good thing about the MSI PRO Z690-A is that it barely costs you anything. I know it might sound strange to many people but hey, you are genuinely looking at a motherboard that offers excellent value and you will not have to stress over it, either.

The performance on this motherboard is amazing, to say the least. Which guarantees that your Core i9 12900K is not going to run into any stability issues. However, I would advise against going for heavy overclocks as the motherboard is not built for overclocking situations.

My only complaint about this otherwise excellent motherboard is that it often feels like you are getting a lot of basic features and missing some advanced features.

Overall, it is safe to say that if you have been searching for a great motherboard that is not going to break the bank, the MSI PRO Z690-A is more than capable of delivering top notch performance and that too, without any problems. Truly a budget king.

We are all aware of the fact that ASRock is behind some of the best motherboards that you can buy in the market. If you are looking for something that is truly high-end, the company has got you covered. However, that is not the only thing that the company is known for doing. For instance, if you are interested in something higher end, then the company is more than happy to deliver that too.

With that out of the way, the ASRock Z690 Steel Legend is one of the better offerings in the market and it does deliver excellent value for the money, too. You just have to be sure that you are getting the motherboard that is well suited for your requirements. What do I mean by that? Well, you are looking at a DDR4 motherboard, and some people tend to have issues with that, so before you go ahead and put your money into this motherboard, be sure that you are not going to be bothered.

Moving further, you are getting a motherboard that is known for delivering excellent performance all around, making it one of the best options that you can buy. Not just that, however. You are also getting access to Intel’s latest Z690 chipset and all the goodies that come with it. The motherboard has full support for Intel’s 12^th generation processors and PCIe 5.0, too. So, you are all set as far as a heavy feature-set is concerned.

The DDR4 support on this motherboard is impressive. Why? Well you are getting up to 5000+ OC which is amazing, to say the least and if you are concerned about the performance, there are not going to be any issues.

Last but not the least, you are getting support for Wi-Fi 6E, so if you do want to go wireless, this is a great motherboard to get your money in.

My only issue with this motherboard is the fact that you are getting 2.5Gbps LAN port, which should be enough for average use, but for enthusiasts, it might not be enough.

Overall, the ASRock Z690 Steel Legend manages to be an impressive motherboard all around and delivers exceptionally well balanced performance, too. If you do want something that is solid all around, this is the one that you should be going for.

We are finally at the end of the list and we are looking at another offering from Asus but this time around, we want to focus on something different. The demand for ITX is something that has exploded over the past couple of years with more and more people looking to invest in a smaller motherboard and honestly, there is nothing wrong with it, either.

The motherboard that we are looking at is the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I and yes, it is just as good as it sounds and you are going to get excellent performance all around. I am sure that those who are familiar with Asus and the quality that they provide would be more than happy to know that the performance on this motherboard is top notch.

What else is there? Well, you are looking at a pretty small motherboard with one of the most feature-rich spec sheets that we have seen. For those wondering, you are getting all the best options such as an impressive power phase design for top-notch overclocking quality. You are also getting two Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as 2.5Gb ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6E, as well. Not just that, you are also getting a USB 3.2 Gen 1, and dual 2×2 through an internal header. The audio on this motherboard is also one of the most impressive factors, and is not going to let you down, or anyone else, for that matter.

If you are looking for the downsides in this motherboard, then you are not going to find a lot of issues, to be honest. My only complaint here is that you are looking at an ITX motherboard that does have a hefty price tag but this is something that has been a common thing for ITX motherboards in the past, too.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I is one of the best motherboards that one can spend money on. The motherboard is more than capable of going head to head with some of the most expensive and highest-end motherboards in the market, and the performance ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I delivers is exceptionally well.

Conclusion 

As someone who has been passionate about building computers, the one absolute thing I can tell you is that buying the right motherboard can be very confusing for people who are just getting into the market and there are times when you might end up buying something that is not even good.

Therefore, the purpose of this list is to make things easier for everyone who is looking for a good overall experience. If you truly want to get the best motherboard for i9 12900K, this list is for you as you will not be disappointed, at all.

Frequently Asked Questions