Manufacturers have revolutionized the designs and features of motherboards, and now flagship motherboards look like components from the future. The motherboards' prices have also increased vastly, but at least we are seeing an improvement in performance with every new generation of motherboards. So, let’s take a closer look at the best motherboard for RTX 3090.
The GeForce RTX 3090 is the flagship graphics card by Intel for the RTX 3000-series, although RTX 3090 Ti is released recently. The graphics card has immense raw power, thanks to 10496 shading units. As it uses a 384-bit memory bus with GDDR6X technology, the memory bandwidth of this graphics card makes it a great contender for 4K rendering.
The current generation’s flagship chipsets for Intel and AMD processors are Z690 and X570. The Z690 chipset is newer and thus provides many advantages over X570, such as DDR5 memory and PCI-E 5.0, although the X570 motherboard is much cheaper. The same can be said about the processor options, too, as AMD Ryzen 5000-series processors are less expensive than their Intel’s 12th-generation counterparts.
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Best Budget Z690 Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming Wi-Fi Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Mid-Range X570 Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Overall AMD Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X570-E gaming Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best LGA 1700 Motherboard GIGABYTE Z690 Gaming X Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Overall Intel Motherboard ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Read More | See On Amazon |
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Best Budget AMD Motherboard Asus ROG Strix B550-F Read More | See On Amazon |
Regarding an appropriate RTX 3090 motherboard, you should definitely consider the flagship motherboard models, as they can highly affect the overclocking results and provide more features too. Manufacturers have worked a lot on their flagship models in the past decade, and the products like ASUS ROG MAXIMUS, MSI GODLIKE, and GIGABYTE AORUS MASTER have matured a lot.
You will find these motherboards for more than five hundred bucks, but for something like RTX 3090, other motherboards might need to be clarified.
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How to choose a motherboard for RTX 3090
Picking a motherboard for RTX 3090 is not easy because there are a few things you need to know to get the maximum out of the graphics card and your processors. We’ve made things easy for our readers with this quick buying guide highlighting the essential factors to look at in a motherboard before considering it.
Chipset
The first thing you need to check out on a motherboard is its chipset, as it ensures the compatibility of your processor; otherwise, you may need to change the board. If you pick an Intel Alder Lake processor, you may need a Z690 chipset board. While for any latest AMD Ryzen processor, a B550 or X570 motherboard will work fine. The previous generation Intel processors used different chipsets (like Z490 or Z590), and you can only swap processors on these motherboards if they are backward compatible. But no worries, we’ve included a few motherboards in this list too.
PCIe Slots
There was a time when we could have given more importance to the PCIe slots. But today, with the advancements in the motherboards, they’ve got a lot of user attraction. The old Ryzen processors run at PCIe 3.0 mode, which offers 32 Gb/s speed; then, in 2019, AMD came with their X570 motherboards with PCIe 4.0 slots with doubled bandwidth. Now Intel released their Alder Lake processors with PCIe 5.0 slots support. We will discuss them later in this article, but they give better performance with RTX 3000 series graphics cards.
Storage
Before purchasing the motherboard, you should ensure it has the PCI slots you need for your storage devices. The more PCI slots you have, the more storage devices you can add. Make sure your motherboard supports at least 128GB RAM, so you can upgrade it if you need more RAM in the future.
Form Factor
The motherboard sizes come in ATX, Micro ATX, and MINI ITX. These sizes are different from each other. Make sure that you select the right-sized motherboard for your PC case.
RAID
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. The Raid facilitates faster access to external devices by arranging your hard drives into arrays. Many motherboards include a RAID controller, while others do not and require additional RAID support.
Best Motherboard for RTX 3090 Reviews
The ROG series by Asus dominates the PC enthusiast consumer sector. Asus knows exactly what high-end gamers want from their PC and delivers products that fulfill the gamer’s demands. The ROG series has become a brand that promises quality products at premium prices. Next up on the list is another ROG entry, the Asus Rog Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi.
Since it comes with the Z690 chipset, the board supports Intel 12th gen processors, and I recommend pairing it with a Core i9 12900K, although the Core i7 12700K is a good choice too. You can also check the motherboard for the i7 12700K we reviewed here.
The board has a 16+1 power configuration of its VRMs, designed for multicore processors with massive overclocking potential. You get 4 DIMM slots that can host 128 GB of DDR5 RAM, which is why it can be overclocked past the 6 GHz mark to 6400 MHz. Particular focus is laid on the thermal design of the board as it comes with VRM heatsinks spanning over a large area for faster heat dissipation, a high conductivity thermal pad, an L-shaped Heat pipe, and four onboard M.2 heatsinks, and M.2 backplate for the primary slot. This shows how this board also comes with overclocking overhead in abundance.
Other notable features of the board include the Onboard Intel WiFi 6E (802.11ax) and Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, and Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C and many more premium features.
In the aesthetics department, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi shines as it has a black and silver color scheme with multiple blue-green ROG and Strix logos. For further color scheme options, you get access to Aura sync software that lets you set the color of your PC to your liking so that it looks visually pleasing while being operational. The motherboard is more than capable of drawing out the full potential of a beefy GPU like the RTX 3090, so it will be a good choice to go with it.
Next up on the list is another entry by Gigabyte, which thrives in designing motherboards capable of dissipating heat faster than the competition. That’s Gigabyte’s strong suit and the main selling point: the temps will stay down while you push your hardware to that extreme level.
The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Ultra comes with the X570 chipset, the high-end premium chipset released by AMD with the AM4 socket capable of supporting all the processor generations of AMD processors from the latest 5000 series to the second-gen Ryzen processors.
Although, it would be unjust to the board to pair a processor other than the Ryzen 5000 series processors. I recommend pairing it up with the Ryzen 9 5900X to draw out the full potential of RTX 3090 without any bottlenecks. You can also check out the motherboard for Ryzen 9 5900X we reviewed here.
The board has a 14-phase power delivery configuration arranged in a 12+2 manner. The 4 DIMM slots can host 128 GB of DDR4 RAM and reach clock speeds of up to 4400 MHz when the XMP OC mode is turned on. The thermal design of the board is quite advanced as it comes with a Fins-Array Heatsink and a Direct Touch Heat pipe that will keep the temps down when you’re running the PC in OC mode.
Notable features on the board are; triple PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with thermal guards, Intel WiFi 6 802.11ax, Intel GbE LAN with cFosSpeed for maximum gaming connectivity, an Integrated I/O Shield Armor for longevity and durability, and an Amp audio module for crystal clear and crisp audio. Smart Fan 5 utility is also on the motherboard to monitor the board’s temps and thermals.
The board doesn’t lack at all in the aesthetics department and comes in a black and silver color scheme, with orange also thrown into the mix with the Aorus logo on the Heatsink. You can further customize the color scheme of your PC with the RGB Fusion 2.0 software that gives you a ton of choices to beautify your PC and add to its visual appeal. The motherboard is a complete package and can run an RTX 3090 to its max potential.
We have covered motherboards for the 12th gen Intel processors, but we still have to remember AMD’s processors. Up till recently have been giving Intel a run for their money. Once again, I have an Asus board belonging to the ROG series product lineup. What can I say? Asus knows what extreme gamers want, which is why their products are frequently recommended on our lists.
When you’re going AMD, I recommend checking the Asus ROG Strix X570-E gaming motherboard, which comes with the X570 chipset and the AM4 socket capable of hosting the high-end Ryzen series processors such as the Ryzen 9 5950X. You can also check out the list of motherboards for the Ryzen 9 5950X that we’ve reviewed over here.
The Asus ROG Strix X570-E gaming is a premium board with 16 power stages laid out in a 12+4 configuration. The 4 DIMM slots on board can host 128 GB of DDR4 RAM, which is the standard for most ATX motherboards. The RAM can be OCed up to 5100 MHz if you turn on the XMP mode switched on.
Since the board is designed to host multi-core processors, it comes with multiple thermal solutions which are exclusive to the ROG series motherboards, such as an Active chipset heatsink, a MOS heatsink with an 8mm Heat pipe, dual onboard M.2 heatsinks, and a water pump + header, to keep the temps as low as possible. At the same time, you have maxed out your hardware to the extreme.
Other notable features of the motherboard include; PCIe 4.0, dual M.2 and USB 3.2 Type-A and Type-C connectors, 2.5Gbps LAN and Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), and gateway teaming via GameFirst V, High fidelity audio with SupremeFX S1220A and custom tuning profiles with the 5-way Optimization feature, making it a feature-rich motherboard fully capable of drawing out the full potential of the latest high-end processors and a GPU like the RTX 3090.
The ROG series motherboards are suitable for the aesthetics department, and the Asus ROG Strix X570-E gaming is the same. It comes in a black and grey color scheme with the ROG and the STRIX logo printed on the Primary heatsink in the purplish theme of the ROG series, drawing a lot of attention to itself. You can connect RGB strips and then set the color scheme of your choice with the Aura Sync utility to the color that pleases you the most, making your PC a visual treat to watch.
Suppose you have OCD like me regarding cooler temps. In that case, you should invest in motherboards from Gigabyte, which have made thermal design and faster heat dissipation a key focus when launching a motherboard to the market.
The GIGABYTE Z690 Gaming X will be the last Intel-supported motherboard on this list, but its capability is equal to the other Intel motherboards on the list. It supports the 12th generation of Intel processors and is the best motherboard for RTX 3090 regarding thermal design and temps.
It comes with 16+1+2 power phases meaning that it has been designed for PC enthusiasts who like to experiment and tinker with the clocks on their hardware. It has 4 DIMM slots that can host up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM that can be OCed to 5333 MHz, which is more than enough in modern titles.
Several thermal solutions are present on the board; this is where this motherboard truly shines. It comes with a fully covered MOSFET Heatsink, enlarged thermal pad and guard, m.2 thermal guards, and a 2 x Copper PCB that all work together to dissipate heat faster. The Smart Fan 6 utility gives you further control over heat dissipation, making this board an ideal package for Tweakers who like to draw out every last drop of performance from their hardware.
Other notable features of the board include PCIe 5.0, x PCIe 4.0 M.2 with Enlarged Thermal Guards, 2.5GbE LAN, 120dB Hi-Res Audio with WIMA, Rear USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, Intel Optane Memory Ready tech, etc. To cater to your storage needs, the board comes with 6 SATA 6 GB/s ports, making it a feature-rich motherboard.
The board also excels in the aesthetics department as it has a black and grey color scheme. The looks of your PC built around this motherboard can be enhanced with the presence of RGB strips, which can be controlled and set by the RGB Fusion 2.0 software utility making your PC a visual treat.
Asus is a veteran and well-known in the PC community. They have achieved their objective by identifying the needs of the consumers and delivering on them while holding themselves to a high standard that their competitors always strive to meet. The ROG product lineup is a premium series designed for Extreme gamers who won’t settle for anything but the best.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero comes with a Socket LGA 1700 for 12th Gen Intel® Core I series processors meaning that you can pair it up with a Core i9 12900K to take advantage of all that it has to offer fully. You can also check the list of motherboards for i9 12900K over here.
The motherboard has a VRM configuration of 20+1. It comes with ProCool II power connectors, Microfine alloy chokes, and premium metallic capacitors, making it a premium power solution exclusive to this motherboard. You will find 4 DIMM slots on the motherboard that can host 128 GB of DDR5 RAM and overclock up to 6.4 GHz with the XMP mode turned on. Since this is a premium board, it has a thermal design to justify its price tag.
The board contains VRM heatsinks spanning a large area for faster heat dissipation, a thermal pad with high conductivity, triple m.2 slot heatsinks, and two m.2 backplates. It also contains the ROG Water-Cooling Zone and ROG Hyper M.2 card with heatsinks. The motherboard has been designed for Overclockers and tweakers who like to tinker around and push the hardware to the extreme level.
The board also comes with other premium features such as PCIe 5.0, dual Gen 4 M.2 onboard, ROG Hyper M.2 card with Gen 5 M.2 support, USB 3.2 Gen 2, ASUS-exclusive tools including AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation for easy configuration.
The board aesthetics have been a key focus area of the design as it comes in a black-silver color scheme. The ROG logo on the Primary Heatsink draws a lot of attention. Moreover, you can create a color scheme for your PC using the proprietary AuraSync software, making it a sight to behold. The only downside of this motherboard is that it comes with an expensive price tag, but the features you get in return justify it. Getting this board for the RTX 3090 is a decision you will not regret.
Let’s finish off the list on a high note, as I have another high-end price-to-performance ratio motherboard entry belonging to the ROG series. What can I say? Asus holds itself to a high standard, and even the mid-high range products can run the top-end hardware like the RTX 3090.
The Asus ROG Strix B550-F features a B550 chipset AMD launched as a bridge between the b450 and X570 chipset. Although it’s supposed to succeed with the B450 chipset, it can compete with the higher X570 chipset, which is usually given in premium high-end motherboards. All these chipsets feature the AM4 socket, which can host the latest 5000 series Ryzen processors and the older generation.
The motherboard has a 12+2 power phase configuration to host even the top-tier processor, Ryzen 9 5950x. The 4 DIMM slots can hold 128 GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be overclocked to 5100 MHz, which is just crazy because not even high-end x570 boards can reach these RAM OC frequencies.
Just goes to show that Asus is not holding back on this board and has entirely made the board capable of running the top-tier hardware without any bottlenecks. Since it’s a B550 chipset, it has fewer PCIe lanes than the X570 chipsets, but this one comes with ample PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 x16 lanes to draw the maximum potential out of the RTX 3090.
This brings us to its thermal design and solutions; The board comes with a large VRM heatsink, dual M.2 heatsinks, chipset heatsink, AIO Pump header, and multiple 4-pin PWM fan headers to keep the temps down. Other notable motherboard features include the ASUS OptiMem II technology, UEFI BIOS Optimization, AI Networking, SupremeFX Shielding Technology, Premium Japanese audio capacitors, and AI Noise Cancelling Microphone, among many other features.
The board belongs to the ROG series, and aesthetics is a key area on which Asus focuses with motherboards. It comes in a black and grey color scheme, with the STRIX and ROG logos diverting much attention to themselves. You get access to the Aura Sync software, with which you can set your RTX 3090 build to a color scheme worthy of such a setup.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Nvidia’s RTX 3090 is one of the best graphics cards on the market today. It features DLSS AI technology capable of boosting frame rates to 100% without reducing graphics quality. To get the most out of the RTX 3090, you will need a motherboard with a good chipset, CPU, and PCIe 4.0 support.
NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 is the company’s flagship graphics card. You will need a large case and motherboard to install this graphics card because it is a large and heavy card. This graphics card can even be overclocked on motherboards with high-quality VRMs.
It was all about the Best Motherboards for RTX 3090; we have listed all the choices that you can choose from for this graphics card that will make it work great. Feel free to comment if you have any questions after reading this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a high-end motherboard for RTX 3090?
No, It is unnecessary to have a new motherboard to run the NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 390. You can use it with your old motherboard too. Moreover, you don’t need to buy a bigger PSU for this GPU; you can purchase any good Gold-rated PSU for this GPU.
What is the best RTX 3090 aftermarket card?
The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3090 OC is the best pick regarding performance, clock speed, and cooling. This graphics card is the flagship of ASUS. The GPU has a huge memory of 24GB supported by GDDR6X VRAM. Indeed the Asus ROG Strix RTX 3090 OC is the strongest RTX 3090 GPU.
What is the best motherboard for RTX 3090?
To use the Nvidia RTX 3090 graphics card, a motherboard with the X570 or B450 chipsets and PCIe 4.0 support is required. For RTX 3090 GPU, MSI MEG Z590 GODLIKE, ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO, and ASUS ROG Strix X570-E GAMING are good choices.
