John Chad, Bachelor Degree in Computer Science & Computer Engineering.
Russel Collins
Picking the right motherboard for your CPU is always an issue for most of us, with so many different options to pick from, not knowing which ones are best and which ones are compatible with our CPU, however this article will answer all your questions, especially which motherboards are compatible with 10th gen CPUs and which ones you should pick.
Why should you trust our reviews/opinions?
Here at TechReviewTeam, we test every single CPU & Motherboard before writing a detailed review on them. Unlike other websites, we don’t simply write reviews on products we’ve never tested. While others write reviews based on “theoretical performance” that the product SELLER ADVERTISES, we actually take our time to test the product we talk about & share the knowledge with you.
With that said, all the motherboards we will talk about in this article will be compatible with the following 10th Gen CPUs:
- I9 10900
- I9 10900K
- I9 10900KF
- I9 10900F
- I9 10850
- I7 10700
- I7 10700K
- I7 10700F
- I7 10700KF
- I5 10600
- I5 10600K
- I5 10600KF
- I5 10600F
- I5 10500
- I5 10400
- I5 10400F
- I3 10300
- I3 10100
Before proceeding, although all the motherboards we will talk about in this article are compatible with the above CPUs, that doesn’t mean you should just pick any of them and be done with it, some motherboards are better for some CPUs because they allow overclocking while others don’t, if you don’t know wether your CPU allows overclocking or not, don’t worry as we will specify exactly which motherboards to pick for each CPU.
Best Motherboards Compatible With Overclocking
For overclocking your CPU needs to be unlocked, this usually means its model will have the ‘K’ or ‘KF’ at the end of its model number, as such you generally want to grab a z490 chipset motherboard since those will allow your CPU to run at its max performance while also allowing you to overclock it, they are motherboards compatible with:
- I9 10900K
- I9 10900KF
- I7 10700K
- I7 10700KF
- I5 10600K
- I5 10600KF
If you do not have any of these motherboards, you should probably go with B460 or a H470, they are quite cheaper than the Z490 although they do not allow overclocking, both the B460 and H470 are extremely similar being that the H470 has a slight edge in terms of how the lanes are used (20 lanes for H470 and 16 for B460) but it’s really negligible, you should just pick the one that fits your needs, the motherboards compatible with:
- I9 10900
- I9 10900F
- I7 10700
- I7 10700F
- I5 10600
- I5 10600F
- I5 10500
- I5 10400
- I5 10400F
- I3 10300
- I3 10100
Compatible & Best Z490 Motherboard For overclocking
This is no doubt the best motherboard you could get for any 10th gen CPU, it allows overclocking, will be able to make sure your CPU and all your other components run at its maximum performance, guaranteed to work for years without breaking down due to its warranty & has more & better features than any other Z490.
Features:
- Intel LGA 1200 socket: Designed to maximize the performance of Intel Core processors from the 10th generation. (Compatible with I9 10900K, I9 10900KF, I7 10700K, I7 10700KF, I5 10600K, I5 10600KF)
- Powerful Solution: 14+2 power stages with ProCool II power connector, high-quality alloy chokes, and long-lasting capacitors provide dependable power even though the CPU output is pushed to its limits.
- Optimized Thermal Design: In addition to a comprehensive heatsink, heatpipe, and fan headers, this model has low-noise AI cooling to balance thermals and acoustics by lowering fan speeds and retaining a 5 Celsius delta.
- Dual Ethernet with 5Gb and gigabit Ethernet, LANGaurd, dual M. 2, USB 3. 2 Gen 2, and Intel WiFi 6 AX201 have the fastest gaming connectivity (802. 11 ax)
- Gaming audio that is unrivaled in the industry: High-fidelity audio from the SupremeFX S1220A codec, DTS Sound Unbound, and Sonic Studio III immerses you in the action.
- Unrivaled Individualization: Aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and Gen 2 addressable headers, is unique to ASUS.
- Design that is user-friendly: I/O shield, BIOS Flashback, Q-Code, and FlexKey are all pre-installed.
This is good motherboard still compatible with all the CPU’s we mentioned above that will allow them to be overclocked & is quite affordable when compared with the Maximus.
Features:
- Intel Core/Pentium Gold/Celeron 10th generation supported socket for LGA 1200(Compatible with I9 10900K, I9 10900KF, I7 10700K, I7 10700KF, I5 10600K, I5 10600KF)
- Supports memory DDR4 dual channel up to 128GB (4800MHz)
- USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 is fuelled by the Lightning USB 20G, which offers unprecedented USB speeds of up to 20Gb/s on Rear USB Type C Dual M.2 with M.2 Shield.
- For high-speed SSDs Frozr delivers transmission speeds of up to 32 GB/s
- 2.5G LAN and Gigabit LAN on-board, like Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- Preinstalled I/O protection against electro-static discharge for simplicity and protection.
Recommended B460 / H470 Compatible Motherboards
Features:
- Supports Intel Core / Pentium Celeron processors from the 10th generation for the LGA 1200 socket.(Compatible with I9 10900, I9 10900F, I7 10700, I7 10700F, I5 10600, I5 10600F, I5 10500, I5 10400, I5 10400F, I3 10300, I3 10100)
- Provides assistance DDR4 memory with a clock speed of up to 2933MHz
- Core Boost: A premium layout and digital power architecture that allows for more cores and improved performance.
- DDR4 Boost: A cutting-edge platform that delivers pure data signals for maximum efficiency and stability.
- Twin Turbo M. 2: A PCI-E Gen3 x4 interface maximizes performance for NVMe-based SSDs.
Features:
- Intel Core processors from the 10th generation are supported.(Compatible with I9 10900, I9 10900F, I7 10700, I7 10700F, I5 10600, I5 10600F, I5 10500, I5 10400, I5 10400F, I3 10300, I3 10100)
- DDR4 Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered, 4 DIMMs
- Advanced Thermal Design with an Expanded Heatsink and a Smart Fan 5 Advantages Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP, Multiple Temperature Sensors
- Blazing Fast Intel GbE LAN with cFos
- Speed Intel USB 3. 2 Gen1 Type-C Support
- Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 3. 0 x4 M. 2 with Thermal Guard
FAQ
What’s the best Z490 Motherboard for overclocking?
The best one is no doubt the Maximus Hero XII, however, since it’s very expensive, the MSI MPG Gaming EDGE is a good replacement and often one of the top sellers.
Why didn’t you include any H470 motherboard?
Because as we mentioned earlier, the B460 and the H470 are essentially the same and as such you generally should just go for the cheapest motherboard chipset, in this case it’s the B460 hence why there’s no H470 in this article as we do not recommend them.
If I have an unlocked CPU, can I still use a B460/H470?
You can, however, you will not be able to overclock your CPU despite it being unlocked since the motherboard doesn’t allow it / isn’t meant for overclocking, this basically means that you’re wasting the potential of your CPU which is why it’s recommended to go with a Z490 instead or purchase a LOCKED CPU instead (non-K version) since having an unlocked one and not being able to overclock is a waste of money.
What’s the difference between B460 and H470 Motherboards?
The difference is minimal, the B460 have 16 PCI-E Lanes while the H470 have 20 PCI-E Lanes, the H470 support 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports meanwhile the B460 doesn’t support it at all, those are the only 2 differences between them and in our opinion in most cases doesn’t justify the price difference between them.