Intel's Core i5-14600K is a midrange champ that strikes an appealing balance between power and performance. It is thirstier for power than its predecessor, the i5-13600K, but it's more than manageable by all of the motherboards I've selected here.
B760 and Z790 motherboards are what I'm focusing on, with a wide range of features and price ranges to help you get exactly what's best for your Core i5-14600K.
Recent updates
December 13, 2024: The Core i5-14600K has been on the market for more than a year, and I've reanalyzed the best possible motherboards for the mid-range CPU. You should have an easy time finding something in your price range that also suits your PC build. — Cale Hunt
Best overall
Usually available for around $220, the MSI PRO Z790-A Max WiFi delivers the right specs for the right price for most PC builders. It has a sleek and mature design with ample cooling, tons of ports (including USB-C 20Gbps), Wi-Fi 7, and DDR5 RAM support. The 16+1+1 power design is more than enough even if you're overclocking, and there are four M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots for storage.
Upgrade pick
A 16+1+2 power solution at 70A comes with thick heatsinks, high-conductivity thermal pads, and a funky L-shaped heat pipe. The latest Wi-Fi 7 support might seem overkill, but you get one Thunderbolt header and a 20G Type-C front panel connector with 30W PD charging, five M.2 slots with ample I/O means this is also a great board for content creators. Find it usually for about $260.
Budget choice
This affordable board usually costs about $140, but it punches way above its price. It has a 16+1+1 power design and dual 8-pin connectors for overclocking, as well as heatsinks to keep everything cool. Wi-Fi 6E is on board, it has three M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots for storage, and it supports DDR5 RAM up to 7,600MHz (OC). It's not as fancy as some alternatives, but at this price, it's hard to complain.
Best microATX
The MSI MAG B760M Mortar is a great mATX board for those wanting to build something more compact without overspending. It brings 12+1 power stages and an ample thermal solution with support for DDR5 memory beyond 7800MHz (OC). Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5G LAN, and three PCIe 4.0 M.2 connectors round out a complete package usually available for about $200.
Best value
GIGABYTE's Z790 Eagle AX is immensely popular among builders who need lots of connectivity. It boasts three M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots for storage, a PCIe 5.0x16 slot (with two more PCIe x16 slots and two PCIe x1 slots), and native USB-C support. It has cooling for its VRMs, and the twin 12+1+1 power design can easily feed the Core i5 CPU. It even has Wi-Fi 6E built right in. It's usually available for about $170, which keeps it in a reasonable range.
Premium choice
Where money is no obstacle, the ROG Strix Maximus Z790 Hero should be a top choice. It has an aggressive design with RGB lighting, the 20+1 teamed power design can easily handle overclocking, and there are plenty of ports. DDR5 RAM support goes up to 7,800MHz (OC), there's a mix of three PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 x16 slots, and there's even Thunderbolt 4. You'll usually spend around $693, reserving it for enthusiasts.
I love helping PC gamers and builders find the perfect hardware for their next design, and two decades of experience tinkering with PCs (first as a hobby and then professionally) allows me to provide proper recommendations for motherboards, CPUs, GPUs, memory, SSDs, and more.
Choosing the best motherboard for your Intel Core i5-14600K
Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
You will have no issues running the i5-14600K on any of these boards, and they all have Intel's XMP support for easy memory overclocking. Which one you choose ultimately depends on your budget and what features you need from your board.
There are differences in I/O which you might want more of if you're a content creator. For gaming, you may just want to keep the cost down as much as possible to spend that money elsewhere, maybe on a high-end GPU. And if you're looking at a compact build, an mATX board is best.
My top pick overall with all these points considered is the MSI PRO Z790-A Max WiFi. It brings a great mix of power delivery, connectivity, and a mature design without a high price; you can usually get it for around $220. If you don't mind spending a bit more, the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi II will go great in an all-white build and doesn't skimp on high-end specs. It's usually found for about $260.
The ASRock Phantom Z790 Lighting WiFi is my top budget pick thanks to a tidy $140 price, boasting a respectable 16+1+1 power design, Wi-Fi 6E support, three M.2 PCIe 4.0 storage slots, and DDR5 RAM coverage up to 7,600MHz. GIGABYTE'S Z790 Eagle AX is a longtime favorite at around $170, bringing more PCIe and M.2 slots for not much more money.
And if money is no obstacle, the ASUS ROG Strix Maximus Z790 Hero reviewed by former Windows Central Senior Editor Rich Edmonds is an easy recommendation. In his review, Edmonds states:
"To many, spending $600 on a motherboard alone may not seem like a good deal, especially when it's possible to buy a Z790 motherboard for as little as $250. The performance, thermal headroom, power delivery, features, and connectivity are what bump the price of this impressive board up."
Yes, it's pricey at around $693 at the time of my latest update, but it's one of the best boards for enthusiasts who don't mind going all-out.
What's the difference between Core i5-14600K and 14600KF?
Intel offers both Core i5-14600K and 14600KF variants, which can be confusing when you're piecing together a build to buy. The standard "K" version means that the CPU is unlocked for overclocking, which carries over to the "KF" version. However, the extra "F" means the chip lacks onboard integrated graphics.
Due to the lack of integrated graphics, Intel's KF chips are usually more affordable than their K counterparts. Integrated graphics aren't necessary in desktop builds with a separate discrete GPU. You plug your monitor straight into the GPU, and motherboard video outputs usually go unused.
However, video encoding is usually a lot faster when the CPU has integrated graphics, and it can be handy for times when you're troubleshooting your PC and can't get a video output from your discrete GPU.
If you're specifically building a gaming PC the need for integrated graphics drops. Considering there's almost no price difference between the two chips about a year after launch, I nevertheless recommend you go with the K version containing integrated graphics. You never know when they'll come in handy.
Is this the latest generation of Intel's desktop CPUs?
Intel's 14th Gen desktop CPUs are no longer the latest generation from Team Blue. Intel launched its Core Ultra 200S desktop AI CPUs in October 2024, with five initial SKUs ranging from Core Ultra 5 up to Core Ultra 9.
The new CPUs have a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for dedicated AI acceleration, and they've changed over to a new LGA1851 socket. That puts it on a motherboard of its own after Intel kept the LGA1700 socket unchanged for 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen processors.
Considering most gamers don't need an NPU and raw gaming performance hasn't changed much, Intel's 14th Gen chips are still top options for PC building.
