Best Intel 11th Gen Motherboard Best For i9, i7, i5, and i3


*This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

It’s all well and good recommending the best 11th generation Intel motherboards, but as with all components you buy for your PC, there are a few important points to consider before making your purchase. The new 11th generation Rocket Lake processors supporting the LGA 1200 socket means that older generation motherboards are also a viable option, but are they the best for the job? In this section we will look at some of these key areas in detail to help you better understand the motherboard you want to buy.

What is the budget required for Intel Gen 11?

For computer manufacturers who don’t have deep pockets, budget is often the first consideration. Your budget requirements may limit your choice of motherboard, which in some cases may mean sacrificing features you had hoped for.

For the best motherboard combo with a Gen 11 processor, we’ll focus mainly on one chipset that stands out – the Z590. This chipset is by far the best for Intel processors, which means you should probably already have more money behind you than an AMD manufacturer. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone, as many budget-conscious manufacturers know, but you can always expect to spend no more than $100 on a motherboard.

While this cannot be said for all motherboards, a higher price usually brings with it more features, such as PCIe 4.0 support and a better VRM.

Form factor

One important thing to consider when using a motherboard is the form factor. Motherboards come in different sizes, so you need to make sure they will fit in your case. If you have already chosen a case, check the specifications to see which mobo you can put in it.

Above you can see the sizes available to most consumers, and ideally you will want to upgrade to an ATX sized card. ATX is the most common size, and there are more cases that support this size. Don’t be impressed, but sometimes smaller motherboards lack functionality.

Board sizes range from EATX boards, designed for computer enthusiasts looking for extra power and functionality, to Mini-ITX boards, which are ideal for designs with a smaller form factor.

For players on a tight budget, mATX-sized cards are often a cheaper alternative to cheap ATX cards and offer savings that can be used for a better CPU or GPU.

Socket

The socket on your motherboard is the physical slot that holds your processor in place. You need to make sure the socket type on your motherboard matches your processors, but since we’re dealing with Intel’s 11th generation processors, we only need to worry about the LGA 1200 socket. All motherboards with 10th and 11th generation Intel processors use this socket, so you can be sure that our options above are 100% compatible with the new Rocket Lake processors.

Chipset

One of the most important factors when buying a new motherboard is the chipset. The chipset is primarily responsible for the features you get, whether it’s PCIe, overclocking support or USB generation. We see the H510, H570, B560 and Z590 chipset with support for Rocket Lake processors, with the Z590 being the top of the line.

Z490 Vs Z590

Intel introduced the LGA 1200 socket and Z490 chipset for the 10th generation Comet Lake processors, and many Intel fans feared they would not see support for future processor launches. Well, don’t worry, it has been announced that some Z490 motherboards will support Intel’s 11th generation processors, and Gigabyte has already confirmed this. So while Comet Lake processors will only support PCIe 3.0, some Z490 motherboards will be upgraded to version 4.0.

What about the Z590? Well, as we have seen, these motherboards share the same LGA 1200 socket and will feature native PCIe 4.0 support. These cards will also offer 4 additional PCIe slots, giving you a total of 20 slots. The Z590 chipset will also have x8 DMI support, which will only work with the new 11th generation processors.

Another area where the Z590 performs better than its predecessor is connectivity. The Z590 will support USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (Type-C, 20GB/s) with a maximum of three ports and 10 USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10GB/s) ports, while the Z490 can only support six.

The Z590 will also feature the latest iteration of wireless with Wi-Fi6E, as well as 4 lightning rod slots. Both chipsets offer the same level of performance, but to get the most out of your 11th generation processor, the new Z590 is the solution.

Frequently asked questions

Is 11th-generation Intel any good?

Intel’s 11th generation Tiger Lake in review: an impressive ….return Although limited to four cores and eight threads, Intel claims that higher frequencies and A.I. boosters improve real-world performance. Tiger Lake also introduces Intel Xe, the company’s new and improved integrated graphics processor.

Should I wait for Intel’s 11th generation?

Don’t wait for Intel’s 11th generation, it’s quite a long wait, probably until April 2021. The Ryzen 4000 series should be on sale in November, so there is no long wait. Maybe the RTX 3060 & 3060Ti (??) will also come to market in November.

What form will the 11th generation use?

The chips will be marketed under the name “Intel 11th Generation Core.” Rocket Lake cores contain many more transistors than the current Comet Lake cores. Rocket Lake will have the same LGA-1200 plug and will be compatible with the 400 series chips as Comet Lake, except for the H410 and B460 chips.

Recent Posts