Introduction
ASUS offer a vast range of Intel motherboards, aimed at both gamers and creators alike. But because ASUS’ options are so varied, it can be tricky to work out which ASUS Intel motherboard is best for you. Should you try and future proof your build, ensuring you’ve got a board that can cope with your current CPU choice, and a future processor upgrade? Or, is it better to pick out the best value for money option on the market, to try and keep a lid on costs? Regardless of where you stand, ASUS offers an awesome range of Intel motherboards to buy, catering to a range of use-cases and budgets.
In this article we’ve rounded up some of the best ASUS Intel motherboards, taking into account a wide array of different price points to help you determine your next purchase. We’ve tested each of the featured motherboards in this roundup and compared them with other options on the market, to help you decide which options are the best bet.
Best ASUS Intel Motherboards : TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi
📸 View the TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi gallery.
We’ve picked out the TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi as the best ASUS Intel motherboard. This board has a wide range of features and the all black industrial design will look great in any build. All of this is packed into a board that sits at a great price point for consumers looking for a solid option to put into their gaming PC.
Features: 4.5/5
Design: 4.3/5
Value for Money: 4.7/5
Our Verdict: 4.5/5
Skip to the full testing, gallery and where to buy the TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi. ⬇️
Suggested Article: Best ASUS Graphics Cards to Buy in 2023
All ASUS Motherboards in Our Testing Roundup
The Best ASUS Intel Motherboards
1. ASUS ROG STRIX B760-A Gaming WiFi D4
Best for Aesthetics
The ASUS ROG STRIX B760-A offers consumers a great B760 motherboard that doesn’t disappoint on the aesthetics front. With white heatsinks, and RGB galore, this board is a great pick to put into your gaming build. In my opinion, it offers itself up as a great choice for a mid-range CPU, such as the Core i5-14600K.
On the features front, the ASUS ROG STRIX B760-A offers a PCI-E Gen5 graphics card slot, providing an element of future proofing to your build. Despite the lack of a Gen5 SSD slot on this motherboard, there are still three Gen4 options available, which is solid, especially considering this board is at the budget end of the market.
Key Specs
- Form Factor: ATX
- PCI-E x4 Slots: 3x Gen4
- PCI-E x16 Slots: 1x Gen5 & 1x Gen3
- RAM Support: DDR4 5333MHz
As for networking on the ROG STRIX B760-A, this motherboard offers a 2.5 Gigabit LAN port and WIFI 6E, which means that consumers can ditch the cables for a fast wireless setup.
Unfortunately, for those looking to pick up a motherboard that has overclocking capabilities, the ROG STRIX B760-A doesn’t offer CPU overclocking support, meaning you may have to look at another option if that is a deal breaker. The rear USB port selection also isn’t the best as they’re mainly made up of USB 2.0 options. Although the white heat sinks make for a nice addition to the looks of this motherboard, it’s a shame that ASUS have gone for a darker PCB. Because of this, those looking for an all white PC build might not feel that this motherboard ticks all the boxes.
Pros
- Onboard WiFi 6E capability.
- Very competitive pricing.
- Supports Gen5 graphics cards.
Cons
- No overclocking support for CPUs.
- Uses USB 2.0 ports.
- Offers only three M.2 slots.
Our Ratings:
Features: 4.2/5
Design: 4.2/5
Value for Money: 4.6/5
Our Verdict: 4.3/5
Buy the ASUS ROG STRIX B760-A Gaming WiFi D4 on:
2. ASUS TUF Gaming B760-Plus WiFi D4
Best Value
The TUF Gaming B760-Plus is a great DDR4 option in ASUS’ current stack of Intel motherboards. Supporting the cheaper, last-gen memory standard, and with a cool industrial design to boot, this board is a great option for those shopping on a budget.
The TUF B760-Plus offers a pretty decent selection of features too, especially for its modest price point. There is support for a Gen5 graphics card slot should you need it, as well as three M.2 storage slots too. For this reason there’s no need to worry about running out of storage when downloading your favorite games, or spec’ing up your next build. It’s nice to see support for a Thunderbolt 4 port on the front IO, as well as a number of other USB ports to match. This board also has built-in WiFi 6 capability which is always a feature of value, as it allows you to get connected with high speeds and low latencies on the right internet connections.
Key Specs
- Form Factor: ATX
- PCI-E x4 Slots: 3x Gen4
- PCI-E x16 Slots: 1x Gen5
- RAM Support: DDR4 5333MT/s
This board finds itself very well priced compared to other B760 boards on the market. It is one of the cheapest B760 motherboards available to buy, so for those looking for a great value budget board to put into a PC build and pair it up with a CPU like the i5-13400F, this a great choice.
The modest price point of this motherboard doesn’t come without compromise, and there are certainly drawbacks of this design for some. For example, the TUF B760-Plus doesn’t offer Gen5 SSD capabilities, so if you either already have your hands on a Gen5 SSD or you plan on picking one up in the future, you’ll be confined to slower Gen4 speeds. Additionally, although the inclusion of Gen5 support for GPUs is great, there aren’t currently any cards that possess this technology at the moment, making this feature slightly redundant.
Pros
- Great IO Options.
- Competitively priced.
- On board WiFi 6 makes networking much easier.
Cons
- PCI-E 5.0 GPU slot is redundant.
- No support for Gen5 SSDs.
Our Ratings:
Features: 4.2/5
Design: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.3/5
Our Verdict: 4.2/5
Buy the ASUS TUF Gaming B760-Plus WiFi D4 on:
3. ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi
Best Overall
The TUF Gaming Z790-Plus is the twin counterpart of our previous pick. Both the TUF Gaming B760-Plus and the TUF Gaming Z790-Plus utilise the same aesthetic of an industrial forged board plastered all over the heatsinks and PCB, meaning it will blend in well with most dark-themed PC builds.
However, the Z790 takes the forefront in terms of features. This motherboard supports up to 128GB of DDR4 memory and provides consumers with a PCI-E Gen 5.0 graphics cards slot. As a result of this, the TUF Z790-Plus can house a plethora of high-end components, as well as support future upgrades. Much like the TUF B760, this motherboard is well priced within the wider market, coming in at a very reasonable price point.
Key Specs
- Form Factor: ATX
- PCI-E x4 Slots: 4x Gen4
- PCI-E x16 Slots: 1x Gen5 & 1x Gen4
- RAM Support: DDR4 5333MHz
The IO on this motherboard is quite impressive too, with a vast amount of high speed rear USB ports, meaning you won’t have any issues with connecting up all of your peripherals. There’s also the added bonus of Thunderbolt 4 support on the front panel, geared towards those that have picked up a Thunderbolt 4 expansion card. It is worth noting that this board only offers WiFi 6, and not WiFi 6E, which will constrain networking speeds at the higher end.
Pros
- One of the cheapest Z790 boards.
- Awesome all-black design across the PCB.
- Huge amount of high speed ports on rear IO.
Cons
- Only supports WiFi 6.
- PCI-E 5.0 GPU slot also redundant.
- DDR5 option offers slightly better performance.
Our Ratings:
Features: 4.5/5
Design: 4.3/5
Value for Money: 4.7/5
Our Verdict: 4.5/5
Buy the ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi on:
4. ASUS ROG Strix Maximus Hero Z790
Best for Enthusiasts
The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero is a high-end motherboard with the traditional ROG look, sporting dark accents and RGB across the board. This particular option is excellent on the aesthetics front and offers a great range of features to provide enthusiasts all of the slots and ports they’ll need for a top-end PC build.
The Maximus Z790 Hero offers two PCI-E 5.0 slots for a graphics card, opening up future upgrade options. In the box, you will find a ROG Hyper M.2 card, which provides a way to connect up Gen5 SSDs. Furthering the strong set of features, the Z790 Hero supports DDR5 RAM which can be overclocked up to 7800MT/s.
Key Specs
- Form Factor: ATX
- PCI-E x4 Slots: 1x Gen3 & 3x Gen4
- PCI-E x16 Slots: 2x Gen5 & 1x Gen4
- RAM Support: DDR5 7800MT/s
As for the rest of the motherboard, IO options are pretty strong too. The inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 on the rear is great, this means peripherals can be charged quickly and data transfers are lightning fast too. I’m a big fan of the quality of life features when it comes to this motherboard, as the Z790 Hero provides a button to help easily remove the graphics card reducing the risk of any damage. Additionally, the M.2 drives also offer tool-less latches, so there’s no need for any extra screwdrivers or screws during assembly.
It’s without question that all these features come at a price, and it’s quite a heavy price tag too. Ultimately, the Z790 Hero is geared towards enthusiasts, meaning it isn’t tailored towards the vast majority of consumers. Though this motherboard does offer a Gen5 M.2 slot through the inclusion of the ROG Hyper card, the secondary M.2 slots are only Gen4 capable, which means performance will be restricted in these slots on top-end drives.
Pros
- Insane amount of RGB.
- Thunderbolt 4 compatibility.
- High speed RAM overclocking.
Cons
- Gen5 SSD is only available through the included Hyper card.
- Doesn't support 10 Gigabit LAN.
- Very expensive.
Our Ratings:
Features: 4.6/5
Design: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 3.8/5
Our Verdict: 4.3/5
Buy the ASUS ROG Maximus Hero Z790 on:
How We Tested the Best ASUS Intel Motherboards
When testing the best ASUS Intel motherboards, there are a number of factors and considerations that we make in order to determine which is the best option. This means each component is given an equal chance of being considered the best. The range of factors we consider when testing motherboards include the following:
- Performance
- Design
- Connectivity
- Versatility
- Value for money
Frequently Asked Questions
Z790 vs B760?
While Z790 is the superior chipset when it comes to features and often design, these boards come in at a significantly higher price point versus market alternatives. B760 motherboards offer consumers some entry-level options geared towards the price conscious buyer.
Does ASUS Offer Any AMD Motherboards?
Yes they do, there are a range of awesome ASUS AMD motherboards that we’ve covered in a buyers guide roundup.
Do I Need Gen5 On My Motherboard?
While there are Gen5 SSDs currently available on the market, these drives are quite pricey and not geared towards the budget consumer. And fortunately RTX 4000 and Radeon 7000 options do not require Gen5 bandwidth to be used, so a Gen5 slot won’t be necessary for most consumers.
