Intel’s 11th-generation Core-series processors offer great value, especially the Intel Core i7-11700K. This processor, the successor to the Intel Core i7-10700K, has a base clock rate of 3.6 GHz and a Turbo clock rate of 5.0 GHz. It uses the LGA 1200 socket, making it compatible with older motherboards while still benefiting from newer technologies and aesthetics if price permits.
The best chipsets for the Core i7-11700K are the Z490 and Z590. Z590 offers PCI Express 4.0 support and better connectivity, succeeding the Z490 chipset. Both chipsets provide supreme overclocking controls, beefy VRM, and adequate cooling solutions. These motherboards target enthusiasts looking to maximize performance.
In contrast, the B560 chipset is mid-range, suitable for basic connectivity without overclocking features. While B560 motherboards are cheaper, they lack the advanced aesthetics and functionalities of the Z-series, making them a budget-friendly alternative.
Award | Design | Best | Retailer |
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Best Overall Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Performance Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Flagship Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Budget Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Enthusiast Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Premium Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Z590 Motherboard for i7-11700K | View | ||
Best Mini-ITX Motherboard for i7-11700K | View |
Quick Shopping Tips:
Budget: Your budget will determine if you can afford Z-series flagship motherboards or need a B560-series motherboard.
Chipset: Choose a Z-series motherboard for high-end overclocking features and aesthetics. Otherwise, consider a B560-series motherboard for basic functionality.
Aesthetics: High-end motherboards often have unique looks, RGB lighting, and VRM cooling solutions that enhance the overall vibe of your gaming rig.
Form Factor: Ensure the motherboard fits your PC case. Most modern mid-tower cases support ATX motherboards, but always check compatibility.
Best Motherboard For i7-11700K List
ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII HERO
Best Overall Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: ASUS | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Socket:LGA 1155 | Form Factor: ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed:4800 MHz
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The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII HERO offers strong overclocking potential and features at a lower cost than the ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO. Its price remains higher than mainstream Z590-based motherboards. The design is similar to the MAXIMUS XIII HERO, with a black chipset heatsink instead of silver, and the RGB-lit ROG logo.
Key features include 14+2 phase power delivery, 5-way optimization, and the ROG Water-Cooling Zone. The 14+2 phase VRM provides enough power for flagship Core-series processors. The 5-way optimization ensures reliable operation of attached components.
This motherboard has four DIMM slots with a maximum memory capacity of 128 GB. It has one less M.2 slot compared to the MAXIMUS XIII HERO, but all three M.2 slots have heatsinks. There are six PCI-E slots, with three being X16 slots and three X1 slots.
MSI MEG Z490 ACE
Best Performance Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: MSI | Chipset: Intel Z490 | Socket:LGA 1200 | Form Factor:ATX | Memory:128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 4800 MHz
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The MSI MEG Z490 ACE delivers high-end performance at a lower price than Z590 motherboards. It lacks PCI-E 4.0 but includes other high-end features. The design features a large I/O cover and chipset heatsink with RGB lighting and orange stripes. The black PCB enhances the sleek look. It supports 128 GB maximum memory capacity with four reinforced DIMM slots.
Three PCI-E X16 slots and two PCI-E X1 slots are also reinforced. Storage includes two M.2 slots with heatsinks and six SATA III slots. A 16+1 phase VRM maximizes the i7-11700K’s power potential, aided by large VRM heatsinks.
The I/O offers five 3.5mm audio jacks, optical S/PDIF, two antenna outputs for WiFi, 1G LAN, 2.5G LAN, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 port, a BIOS Flash button, and a Clear CMOS button.
GIGABYTE B560 AORUS PRO AX
Best Flagship Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: Gigabyte | Chipset: Intel B560 Express | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 5333 MHz
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The GIGABYTE B560 AORUS PRO AX offers high-end audio, memory overclocking, appealing aesthetics, and excellent thermal management. It’s affordable but does not support processor overclocking. Its design features a black PCB with black chipset heatsinks and RGB lighting.
The key features include a 12+1 phase VRM, a fully covered thermal design, Realtek ALC4080 codec, and three M.2 slots with heatsinks. It supports 128 GB of memory across four RAM slots and has a single metal-reinforced PCI-E X16 slot and two non-reinforced X16 slots, along with six SATA slots. The B560 chipset supports memory overclocking up to 5333 MHz.
The rear I/O includes six 3.5mm audio jacks, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one 2.5G LAN port, two antenna outputs, one HDMI port, one DP port, and one PS/2 port.
MSI Z590-A PRO
Best Budget Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: MSI | Chipset: Intel Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor:ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 5333 MHz
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The MSI Z590-A PRO does not provide top-notch features like the previous motherboards; it still provides overclocking features for the processor and the memory. Unlike the previous motherboard, this motherboard is a budget motherboard despite being based on the Z590 chipset. MSI Z590-A PRO costs around half of what MSI MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON WIFI costs, attracting many budget users. This motherboard looks unexpectedly good, given how cheaper it is than the previous motherboards. MSI has used a black PCB for the motherboard, with white vertical stripes in groups all over the motherboard. The motherboard does use an I/O cover, although it is much smaller than the previous motherboard.
The chipset heatsink is also much smaller than the GAMING CARBON WIFI model. There is no RGB lighting on the I/O cover or chipset heat sink, but it looks pretty good due to the contrast of black and white. This motherboard barely provides exclusive features, which is why it costs less than two hundred bucks. There are four memory slots on the motherboard and three PCI-E slots; where two of them are X16 slots, and the other is an X1 slot.
The storage solution of the motherboard is as good as the previous one, as it provides three M.2 slots and six SATA III slots, but two of the M.2 slots are not covered by any heat sink. It uses 12 + 2 + 1 phase power delivery, a uniquely designed system. This will allow you to handle the Core i7-11700K power requirements easily, and you will be able to overclock the processor to around 5 GHz on all cores. The I/O of the motherboard provides 6 x 3.5mm audio jacks, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, 4 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x PS/2 port, an RJ45 port, a DP port, and an HDMI port.
ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO
Best Enthusiast Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand:ASUS | Chipset: Intel Z590| Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor:ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 5333 MHz
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The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO is for those who want to maximize the potential of their processors. The maximum overclocking support of this motherboard, along with other high-end features, makes it a mind-blowing product despite having a higher price than most other Z590 motherboards. The design of MAXIMUS series motherboards has always been excellent. These motherboards come with many coverings, and you can barely see the PCB of the motherboard. The motherboard also uses a sizeable I/O cover and chipset heat sink. The chipset heat sink connects all the M.2 heat sinks to make a single large heat sink. There is RGB lighting on the I/O cover and the chipset heat-sink, but even without it, the striped texture of the I/O cover, VRM heat-sink, and the chipset heat-sink look just fantastic. The key features of the motherboard include 14+2 phase VRM, ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS ES9018Q2C DAC for high-fidelity audio, quad M.2 slots with heat-sinks, and extra-large VRM heat-sinks. The memory performance of the motherboard is similar to the previous motherboard; It supports up to 5333 MHz memory with overclocking. The storage solution of the motherboard is just unreal. With four M.2 slots and six SATA III ports, you would not need anything else. Despite having four M.2 slots, the motherboard provides four PCI-E slots, three of them X16 slots. Two of the X16 slots are reinforced with metal so that you can use large GPUs. The rear I/O of the motherboard provides 5 x 3.5 mm audio jacks, 1 x optical S/PDIF port, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, 6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, a BIOS Flash button, a Clear CMOS button, 2 x 2.5G LAN ports, 2 x antenna outputs for WiFi 6E, and an HDMI port.
MSI MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON WIFI
Best Premium Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: MSI | Chipset:Intel Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 5333 MHz
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The MSI MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON WIFI is a powerful motherboard with gaming-oriented looks and fabulous overclocking performance thanks to its powerful cooling solution and high-quality power delivery. The price of this motherboard is also perfect for the given features, and there are few high-end motherboards like this. The overall looks of the motherboard are unique, and you won’t see many motherboards with similar looks. First, the motherboard uses uniquely shaped VRM heat sinks that look awesome and futuristic. The chipset heat sink offers a futuristic look with blocky RGB lighting. The RGB lighting is also present extensively on the I/O cover.
There are four memory slots on the motherboard and four PCI-E slots. Two of the PCI-E slots are metal reinforced, and three out of four slots are X16 slots. This motherboard’s slot configuration is like the previous one, with three M.2 slots, each having its heat sink. As for the SATA ports, there are six of them located on the right side of the motherboard. The key features of the motherboard include Heavy Plated MOS heat sink, a HIGH DEFINITION ALC4080 AUDIO PROCESSOR, and a 16+1+1 Duet Rail Power System. The VRM heat sink of this motherboard extends towards the rear I/O, and it is much more potent than most of the VRM cooling solutions we have seen in the previous generation of motherboards.
Two of the PCI-E slots are X16, and two are PCI-E X1. Both the X16 slots are reinforced with metal to prevent any damage by heavy graphics cards. Apart from three M.2 slots, the motherboard provides six SATA III ports, the standard configuration of most Z590 motherboards. The I/O of the motherboard provides 5 x 3.5 mm audio jacks, 1 x optical S/PDIF port, 1 x 2.5G LAN port, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 4 x USB 2.0 ports, a DP port, an HDMI port, a BIOS Flash Button, and two antenna outputs.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS MASTER
Best Z590 Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: Gigabyte | Chipset:Intel Z590 Express | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: ATX | Memory: 128 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 5400 MHz
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The GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS MASTER is an excellent alternative to the ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO and offers a very similar performance while having a lower price. The motherboard’s power delivery is more than enough to handle a processor like Intel Core i7-11700K. Even though its I/O features are better than the MAXIMUS XIII HERO, it offers much more than most mainstream motherboards. The I/O cover and the chipset heat-sink of the motherboard are almost as big as the ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO, and it provides heat sinks for all three M.2 slots, which are connected with the chipset heat-sink. There is a written AORUS Z590 MASTER on the I/O cover, while it has the RGB-lit AORUS logo on the chipset heat sink.
The best thing about this motherboard is that it comes with a fin-style VRM heat sink, which is much better than the traditional heat sinks used in mainstream motherboards. The key features of the motherboard include 18 Phase 90A Smart Power Stages, Realtek ALC1220-VB Codec with ESS SABRE Hi-Fi 9118 DAC, and VRM heat-sink with Fins-Array II and Direct-Touch Heatpipe II technology. There are four RAM slots and three PCI-E X16 slots on the motherboard, all of which are reinforced with metal and enhance the overall look of the motherboard.
There are three M.2 slots on this motherboard and six SATA III ports, which is not bad compared to MAXIMUS XIII HERO. The overclocking features of the motherboard are comparable to that of the MAXIMUS XIII HERO, which can be expected since the price of this motherboard is quite close to it. The motherboard at the rear provides 5 x gold-plated 3.5 mm audio jacks, 1 x S/PDIF optical-out port, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 5 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 x antenna outputs, 1 x RJ45 port, a BIOS Flash button, a Clear CMOS button, and a DP port.
GIGABYTE Z590I AORUS ULTRA
Best Mini-ITX Motherboard for i7-11700K
Brand: Gigabyte | Chipset: Intel Z590 | Socket: LGA 1200 | Form Factor: Mini-ITX | Memory: 64 GB DDR4 | Memory Speed: 4600 MHz
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The GIGABYTE Z590I AORUS ELITE is the only motherboard with a mini-ITX form factor. It is a high-end motherboard that keeps the minor form factors but does not provide groundbreaking results. The design of the motherboard is quite simple. The motherboard uses a black PCB with a large I/O cover and a chipset heat sink. The VRM heat sink, although not very big, is uniquely designed to compensate for its small size and can easily handle processors like Core i7-11700K. There is a GIGABYTE logo on the I/O cover, while the large chipset and M.2 heat-sink have “AOUS” written on them.
The motherboard provides only two DIMM slots, which is why this motherboard’s maximum memory capacity is lower than all the previous motherboards, at 64 GB. Moreover, a single PCI-E X16 slot on the motherboard is reinforced with metal. Thankfully, two M.2 slots on the motherboard share a large heat sink. For mainstream storage, there are four SATA III ports on the motherboard.
The key features of the motherboard include a 10+1 phase Digital power design, 10-layer PCB design, and Ultra Durable Memory and PCI-E armor. The VRM design can provide a stable current to the processor and ensures high-end overclocking. The I/O of the motherboard provides 3 x 3.5 mm audio jacks, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, 1 x RJ45 port, an HDMI port, a DP port, a BIOS Flash Button, and 2 x USB 2.0 ports.
Conclusion
Intel Core i7-11700K is undoubtedly the king of gaming processors in Intel and offers great competition to the AMD Ryzen processors, mainly AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. The processor’s price is pretty attractive, and it provides various advantages over Ryzen processors; the most noticeable among them is the memory latency.
As we have discussed motherboards, it is clear that the most prominent chipsets for Intel Core i7-11700K are the Z490 and Z590. These two chipsets provide top-notch performance, many exclusive features, and dazzling looks. If you find yourself short on money, it would be better to buy a B560 chipset since it costs almost half of what a Z590 chipset costs.
MSI MEG Z490 ACE is excellent for those looking for a well-balanced motherboard. GIGABYTE B560 AORUS PRO is the best motherboard for i7-11700k as it provides incredible performance. ASUS ROG MAXIMUS motherboards are great for those who want to do extreme overclocking. GIGABYTE Z590I is specifically for mini-ITX users, while the Z590 AORUS MASTER is the flagship motherboard by the company. MSI Z590-A Pro is one of the cheapest Z590 chipset motherboards, while the GAMING CARBON WIFI offers gaming-oriented features. Overall, these motherboards cover many features, and you will likely love one of the above motherboards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What motherboard should I get for i7-11700K?
A motherboard with decent cooling and 8+4 power phase or better should be enough for i7-11700K. ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming, Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Master, and MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon WiFi are some of the best motherboards for i7-11700K.
Which motherboard is best for i7 9th gen?
Motherboards with decent features and good VRM like ASUS ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming, Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX, and ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero are perfect for i7 9th generation processors.