Even in 2022, the Intel 10th gen CPUs are still kicking ass for the value they bring for a cheap price. The Core i5 10600K is a top-notch choice for gaming if you don’t have the budget to get the latest-gen CPUs. With a good processor, you also need a good motherboard that allows overclocking and slots/ports to support a decent number of components.
Intel currently has the Z590 chipset with the LGA 1200 socket for the 10th gen processors which is capable of overclocking. Other chipsets such as H510, B460, and H570 can’t overclock. So, it’s quite obvious that you will need to buy a Z590 board for overclocking the 10600K. I have compared and analyzed almost every Z590 motherboard from the 4 popular manufacturers for the i5 10600K and have listed the reasons why I chose the following boards for this chip instead of others.
Take your time and let me know what you think about these boards in the comment section.
The Best Graphics Cards for Core i5 10600K in 2022
The war of AMD vs Intel is never ending but we have some great CPUs from both manufacturers. Even though it is 2022, we still have the Core i5 10600K kicking ass and is a decent choice for building a powerful mid-end gaming PC. The 10600K features 6 cores with 12 threads that were absent […]
The Best Motherboards for Core i5 10600K
Asus Prime Z590M- Plus
- Intel LGA 1200 Socket: Designed to unleash the...
- Enhanced Power Solution: 10 DrMOS power stages,...
- Comprehensive Cooling: VRM heatsink, PCH heatsink,...
- Boosted Memory Performance: ASUS OptiMem II...
If we talk about the best budget motherboard from Asus for the i5 10600K, then the Z590M-Plus in the Prime series takes the position of being the ideal one at $150. It features a 6-layer PCB with 9 power phases and has good heatsinks on the VRM to control the temperature. Its VRM is ok for intermediate level of overclocking and due to its form factor, it can fit in any mid-tower as well as the micro-ATX tower.
It has 2x PCI-E x16 slots where the primary PCI-E x16 is Gen 4.0 and runs at X16 mode and the second one runs at X4 mode which is controlled by the Z590 chipset. For storage, you will get 3x M.2 connectors and 5x SATA ports and it should be remembered that the SATA 1 port will be disabled if the 2nd M.2 connector is used by a SATA SSD because they share bandwidth.
This board is basic but should be sufficient for any mid-end Gaming PC as it has good support for memory(Up to 4400MHz) also. At the I/O, you will find 6x USB ports including a Type C where 4 of them are USB 3.2 and 2 are USB 2.0 beside which there is a single PS/2 port. For display, it features 3x outputs: HDMI, DVI, and DP.
Related:- Best motherboards for i5 10400F
Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus Wifi
- Intel LGA 1200 Socket: Designed to unleash the...
- Enhanced Power Solution: 14+2 DrMOS power stages,...
- Comprehensive Cooling : VRM heatsink, PCH fanless...
- Ultra Fast Gaming Networking : Intel WiFi 6 AX201...
One of the best value motherboards for i5 10600K you can get is the Tuf Gaming Z590-Plus Wifi edition. Tuf motherboards are reliable and they have their own design that is distinguishable and very eye-catchy. The Tuf Z490 Plus Wifi features a 6-layer PCB, a powerful 14+2-power phase VRM that uses Dr.MOS for better efficiency.
For i5 10600K, and even for i7 10700K, this board is more than enough for handling strong overclock without any problem, thanks to the strong VRM and the big heatsinks over it. Therefore, going above it isn’t recommended except if you need features like SLI, Bios Flashback, and onboard troubleshooting features like Power/reset buttons and Error Code Display.
Along with having the Intel Wifi 6 adapter, it has an Intel 1G of LAN which is slower than the LAN on Gaming H and Prime A which are the closest priced boards. For troubleshooting, you will get Debug LEDs on it which are absent on the Prime Z490M Plus, and a similar I/O to it except for the Wifi antenna connectors.
There are 2x PCI-E x1 slots for expansion cards and 3x M.2 connectors for SSDs where the M.2_2 and M.2_3 share bandwidth with the SATA 2, and SATA 5, 6 respectively if SATA SSDs are installed in both the M.2 connectors.
Related:- Best CPU coolers for i5 10600K
Gigabyte Z590 UD AC
- Supports 11th and 10th Gen Intel Core Series...
- Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Direct 12+1 Phases Digital VRM Solution with 50A...
- Shielded Memory Routing for Better Memory...
Gigabyte has so many similar Z490 motherboards that it takes a long time to analyze its lineup let alone the boards from other manufacturers. Out of maybe more than a dozen boards, the Gigabyte Z590 UD AC is the one that suits the i5 10600K for the least price. For $120, it’s really cheaper than most of the ATX boards with equivalent features.
It has a 12+1 power phase VRM with grooved heatsinks which provide good cooling due to better airflow and is definitely enough for overclocking i5 10600K. There are 2x PCI-E x16 slots for graphics cards and 2x PCI-E x1 slots for expansion slots although it comes with an inbuilt Wifi which makes life easier. For $120, there are very few boards from other manufacturers that have inbuilt Wifi along with good VRM and good I/O.
At its I/O, for the peripherals, you will find 8x USB ports and a single PS/2 port. There are 3x M.2 connectors for SSDs and 5x SATA ports for storage. The board has a few fan headers and 2x RGB, 2x ARGB headers for RGB devices such as fans and LED strips but no Debug LEDs. However, it does come with a Q-Flash Plus button for updating the Bios.
Gigabyte Z590 Vision G
- Powerful performance support 11th and 10th Gen...
- Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4 memory, 4...
- Go further without more cables by VisionLINK I/O...
- High-bandwidth and low-latency network support by...
Gigabyte Z590 Vision G is one of the best if not the best value Z590 motherboards. The board’s I/O is also very rich as compared to most Z590 motherboards and its memory support is also fantastic as it supports the RAM frequency up to 4800MHz with 11th gen processors but only 2933MHz with 10th gen CPUs. The only thing where it gets beaten by the Elite AC is the inbuilt Wifi but if you can spend another 20 dollars on it, then go with the Vision D without a second thought, seriously!
VRM heatsinks on the Vision G are fantastic and its design is something we have seen for the first time. It is marketed as the Reddot Winner 2021 but in reality anybody whether a gamer or a creator can use it. Its VRM has 13 power phases in total for strong overclocking. For connectivity, It has a 2.5G LAN for fast internet and no Wifi as I said earlier. For graphics cards, you can use 3x PCI-E x16 slots but unfortunately, there are no PCI-E x1 slots for expansion cards like Wifi or Sound card.
Other good features include a Q-Flash Plus button for updating the Bios and for cooling, there are a total of 6x headers including chassis fans, CPU fan, AIO headers, and 2x RGB as well as 2x ARGB headers. This board gives good competition to the Asus Tuf Z590 Gaming Plus Wifi where I would personally get the Tuf but you won’t go wrong with this one also.
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MSI Z590-A PRO
- Supports 11th and 10th Gen Intel...
- Supports DDR4 Memory, up to 5333(OC) MHz
- Lightning Fast Experience: PCIe 4.0, Lightning...
- 2.5G LAN: Upgraded network solution for...
The MSI boards from its Z590 lineup that range from $160-$200 will confuse you. All of these boards are great and it won’t matter even if you don’t take my advice and get any one of them but the Z590-A Pro is the one which I recommend for i5 10600K because it is cheaper and provides almost everything that the Tomahawk and Gaming Edge Wifi has except for an inbuilt Wifi. Z590-A Pro is also a great board but it doesn’t feature RGB.
It features a 14-power phase VRM and support for up to 5333MHz of RAM frequency. For a cost of only $150, it brings some serious features that are found on $200+ boards like 8x headers for chassis fans, CPU fan, and AIO pumps. It also has EZ Debug LEDs which are very helpful in troubleshooting boot problems and are hardly available on budget boards under $200.
It has 2x PCI-E x16 slots for GPUs and 2x PCI-E x1 slots for expansion cards which you should definitely use for a PCI Wifi card for wireless internet connectivity. For storage, you will get 6x SATA ports and 3x M.2 connectors. So, definitely some good features for only 150 bucks if you don’t want to break your bank.
Related- Best motherboards for Intel Core i5 12600K
ASRock Z590 Steel Legend
- ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2
- ASRock Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink
- Supports 10th Gen Intel Core Processors and 11th...
While ASRock Z590 boards don’t impress me much but they still won’t disappoint. The Z590 Phantom Gaming 4, Z590 Pro4, Z590 Steel Legend, and Z590 Velocita are some good choices for the i5 10600K. The Steel Legend looks a good one to me for under $150. It features a 14-power phase design that uses 50A power chokes for better higher current support.
Steel Legend has memory frequency support of up to 4800MHz which is definitely outstanding but of course, with the 10th gen CPUs, you won’t be able to get up to that by default. It has 7x fan headers in total which includes the CPU and AIO pump headers and has 2x PCI-E x16 slots for graphics cards.
For internet connectivity, you will get a 2.5G LAN but no Wifi, unfortunately, and also, it doesn’t have any Debug LEDs for troubleshooting. As long as it is cheap in your region, you are good to go with it but I definitely recommend it as it is super cheap and will fulfill the most needed requirements.
Best CPU coolers for i5 10600K
Intel’s Comet Lake i5 10600K has replaced the 9600K as being the fastest i5 processor ever made. Intel has been making some drastic changes to its newer generation processors since the 8th generation CPU series which can be said is a result due to AMD’s rising share in the CPU market due to the Ryzen […]
Final Words
Each manufacturer has around ten or more Z590 motherboards on average in their lineup but half of them aren’t suitable for the i5 10600K, either due to being very expensive or due to having inadequate features. Considering the fact that the i5 10600K costs $250, it’s better to get a board that doesn’t exceed $250.
While there are good options for $250 but for up to $200, there are several boards like the ones I listed which will fulfill all your demands and will save you 50 bucks which you can invest in a better GPU or more memory. Do let me know what you think of these motherboards in the comments section below.
