Best Gaming Motherboards for i7 – Buyer’s Guide

Asus is one of the most known motherboard manufacturers. With their new range of Z370 motherboards, their boards are a perfect pick for a gaming build. The Asus MAXIMUS X HERO is an elegant looking motherboard with fully customizable RGB lighting located at every imaginable place on the board. A part of the high-end Maximus family, This is the perfect board for an enthusiast tier gaming rig.

This motherboard is designed for overclockers and enthusiasts who like to push their system to its limits.

Supported Hardware

• CPU – With the Z370 chipset, It supports the new 8th Gen Intel processors. It features an interactive bios menu which makes it very easy to tweak on-board performance settings and clock speeds. Also, This motherboard has excellent overclocking potential.
• GPU – Equipped  with 3 PCIe slots, This motherboard supports both CrossFire and SLI configuration.
• RAM – This board is unlike any other board mentioned in this list, Featuring a maximum 4133 MHz memory speed support, It delivers unexceptional performance.

Additional Features

• Temperature headers – These are useful for managing custom water cooling loops. This is something to look for unless you plan on implementing water cooling in the build.
• Mounted Rear I/O shield – Most new motherboards feature a mounted I/O shield to making installation easier, Though this is very common, It still should not be overlooked.

The AORUS series consists of the best selling motherboards from Gigabyte, Highly targeted towards the enthusiast market, The  AORUS Gaming 7 motherboard is a way ahead of other boards in its price range. The board features highly customizable RGB lighting which is a must when it comes to building a gaming rig. It is an attractive motherboard; the reflective heatsink give is a give it a more subtle and elegant look. The only downside of this motherboard is its hefty price tag but considering what it features; the price tag can be disregarded.

Supported Hardware

• CPU - Currently, This motherboard is only compatible with the 8th gen Intel processors(i5, i7 & i3). It also supports previous generation of Intel LGA1151 socket based processors.
• GPU - Much like the Asus MAXIMUS X HERO Z370, This motherboard also supports Crossfire and SLI technology. So, If you already own any GPU, It can be used with motherboard without any compatibility issues.
• RAM - Just like most other motherboards on this list, This board also supports 64Gb DDR4 memory clocked at a maximum of 4133 Mhz.

Additional Features

• VR Ready - The motherboards comes VR-Ready for the immersive gaming experience. This feature is a must to consider while building a gaming rig; Even if you don't plan on using VR technology right now, It's always best to have your system future ready.

The Asus ROG STRIX Z370-E GAMING is likely the best Z370 motherboard you can get. It features everything you could ask for in a motherboard; Much is the line of MSI Z370 Godlike Gaming, It does deliver a phenomenal gaming experience. Also featured in our list for the best motherboards for i5 CPU, This is the ideal board for gaming. Its hefty price tag is sure a downside but certainly aimed at the enthusiasts market; The downside can be neglected. It not only excels at performance delivery but features one of the best aesthetics as well.

Being a part of the STRIX series from ASUS, this motherboard features highly customizable RGB lighting which can be tweaked via a software. The best part is that RGB customizability is not limited to just onboard, It features compatibility for not only ASUS components but any components that have configurable RGB including RGB Led strips, You can control everything directly from the motherboard without the need of an external controller.

Supported Hardware

• CPU - This motherboard features compatibility for LGA1151, i.e. The new generation of Intel processors are fully compatible and overclockable to their extreme.
• GPU - It supports both AMD Radeon Crossfire configuration and Nvidia SLI.
• RAM - This motherboard comes equipped with 4 DDR4 RAM slots and capable of clock speeds of up to 4000 MHz(OC).

Additional Features

• Perfected RGB lighting - The STRIX series of motherboards are known to have one of the best aesthetic customizability, Being able to manipulate almost any light directly from the motherboard is a must to consider especially when building a computer for a high-end gaming experience.

Tiered just with the previously mentioned Asus ROG STRIX, Z370 GodLike Gaming is another enthusiast tier motherboard that features the best aesthetics customizability and manufacture quality. It is the most expensive motherboard featured on this list. It is undoubtedly the one to consider if you are building a high-end PC for video/3D rendering or ever a better gaming experience.

Supported Hardware

• CPU - It supports all 8th Gen processors and has great potential for overclocking. Overclocking is a sure thing if you are building a new gaming PC, The 8th gen processors and very efficient and can achieve insanely high clock speeds when combined with a good motherboard.
• GPU - Much like most other motherboard mentioned on this list, This also supports both CrossFire and SLI technology. The GPU slots on this motherboard have some extra space which allows for a much efficient cooling and serves a much better aesthetic appeal.
• RAM - It features 4 x 288-pin DIMM slots which are capable of running memory at speeds of up to 4133 MHz.

Additional Features

• Overwhelming Gaming Experience - The motherboard might seem to have a hefty price tag and not worth the money. There is no doubt it's one of the bests and well justifies the price tag. This motherboard comes to VR ready and features compatibility for the best hardware currently available. It can deliver the best gaming experience. Also, It is highly optimized for future compatibility and having an option for future upgradability is always a factor to consider while buying a new PC.