Z390 motherboard model
Z390 motherboard model
I bought three motherboards for my Z390 build: Gigabyte Z390 UD, MSI Z390-A PRO and MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PLUS. I have a 130 euro budget and no idea which is the best option. Also, I own an i5 9600kf and plan to overclock it later with an Artic freezer 33 esports (single fan). Which one should I choose?
If I had to estimate, Gaming Plus would be the top choice, though I don’t remember much about it. The A Pro seems like a poor option, and the UD didn’t improve much either. For the most reliable path, I’d suggest swapping in the 9600KF with a Ryzen 3600 and a B450/B550 board. The 9600KF is essentially outdated now, especially since it struggles with many AAA games, and there are better alternatives available from both Intel and AMD.
I noticed recently that the Ryzen series faced some power delivery issues, so I opted for the Intel i5 instead. My setup had a Ryzen 5 1600, which performed much better than AMD CPUs like the Pentium G4400. Thanks for the tip!
In terms of VRM performance, all three boards sit near the bottom of the ranking, with several improvements. The Gigabyte model stands out as the top choice, offering two additional power stages compared to the two MSi boards. It features a 5-phase doubled CPU VRM, which is more advanced than the 4-phase setup found on both MSi motherboards.