The MSI did deliver poor application performance in most of the benchmarks, and its gaming results were mediocre.

Improved Audio Algorithm The new Sonic Radar III audio algorithm offers improved accuracy that helps The Gigabyte is an expensive board for enthusiastic gamers and tweakers, and it delivered with reasonable gaming pace and loads of relevant features. The MSI board is better for work and creative tasks, though, and you need to make sure you’re going to actually use these features before you buy. Read the full review Intel Z390 GAMING Motherboard with 10+2 Digital PWM Design, 2-Way CrossFire™ Multi-Graphics, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A, M.2 Thermal Guard, Intel GbE LAN with cFosSpeed, Smart Fan 5, Dual M.2, Dual Armor with Ultra Durable™ Technology, DualBIOS, CEC 2019And then, finally, think about form factor. Most of the boards in this Z390 group test use the standard ATX form factor, which means that they’ll fit inside mid- and full-sized tower cases without issue. Gaming connectivity: Intel Gigabit Ethernet, four M.2, USB 3.1 Gen 2, and CNVi 2x2 802.11ac Intel integrated Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support for lightning-fast data transfers. The networking and audio hardware is good, and you get plenty of on-board fan connectors and USB options – including a front-panel USB 3.1 Type-C connector. The rear I/O is well equipped, too, with five full-size USB 3.1 ports and a couple that support the newer, faster Gen 2 protocol. Intel has added native support for 802.11ac wireless internet for Z390, but many motherboard manufacturers will add their own, better wireless chips, especially on more expensive boards. It also means that Intel Z390 motherboards support both the 8th generation and 9th generation Coffee Lake CPUs – such as the Core i5-8600K, the Core i7-8700K, and the Core i7-9700K.

Its networking and audio are suitably entry-level, but that’s still absolutely fine for most mainstream builds.

TDP

The Gigabyte’s gaming performance was mid-table in the wider Z390 group, but it did consistently outpace its expensive rival in gaming tests – the MSI MEG Z390 Godlike was slower here.

Fire Strike, 3D Mark: Time Spy, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are run to evaluate gaming ability. Then we test power efficiency by measuring the board’s power draw when idling and when running Prime95’s CPU stress-testing benchmark. The Asus board does ensure better stability and is fine for affordable builds – but its rivals are often faster, cheaper and include similar features. The Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro is a better option for speed, while the MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk is better value. Read the full reviewThe various extra durability features included and shown off on this board can often be found elsewhere, though, and rival products feature USB 3.1 Type-C connectors, better audio kit and improved support for dual-graphics protocols. Z390 maintains native support for six SATA 3 ports and 14 USB 2 ports, and its PCI lane and bandwidth support levels remain unchanged. In short, you won’t have any issues running a couple of graphics cards on any board as long as it supports the relevant AMD CrossFire or Nvidia SLI protocols. SATA RAID and Intel Optane memory support remains unchanged. The motherboards are put through a demanding suite of benchmark tests. We run Geekbench 4 to test single- and multi-core application speed, and Maxon’s Cinebench R15 to test CPU and OpenGL GPU performance. We use CrystalDiskMark to test NVMe and SATA storage speeds, and SiSoft Sandra to evaluate memory performance and processor arithmetic speeds. The MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk is the cheapest board in this Z390 group, and it has a specification that’s capable of handling decent single-GPU gaming rigs – but not much more than that. Intel classifications are for general, educational and planning purposes only and consist of Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN) and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers. Any use made of Intel classifications are without recourse to Intel and shall not be construed as a representation or warranty regarding the proper ECCN or HTS. Your company as an importer and/or exporter is responsible for determining the correct classification of your transaction.