The fundamental element of a gaming PC build is the processor and next in line is the Motherboard, GPU, RAM,SSD/HDD and so forth. The motherboard is often an overlooked factor during this process. Which is why in this post we present the ultimate Best Budget Gaming Motherboard For Intel which is none other than the Gigabyte Z390 UD. A peripheral that won’t burn a hole in your pocket yet ensures the maximum functionality of your internals.
Most critics label it also as a “Mid-range” gaming motherboard and that is also accurate in comparison with some of its competitors. As PC gamers we wish the best performance as far as our pockets can go.
And that means maybe having better performance over higher connectivity/Lesser RGB. Monitoring all these essentials and of course Intel as the CPU ,and the budget we chose the Gigabyte Z390 UD as our Best Budget Gaming Motherboard For Intel.
Gigabyte Z390 UD Technical Specifications
- Supports intel 8th and 9th gen, Intel® Core™ Processors.
- Dual-channeled DDR4.
- NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 22110 M.2 Connector
- Multi-way graphics support
- 8118 Gaming LAN with Bandwidth Management
- Support RGB lighting.
- Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors and Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP
- Lightning-Fast Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 AIC Support
- Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Performance
Our primary reason for choosing the Gigabyte Z390 UD as the Best Budget Gaming Motherboard For Intel is because of its potential of performance. Mainly designed to optimize intel 8th gen processors. Accomplished by Intersil Digital PWM + Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs GIGABYTE UD series motherboards use a 10*+2 phase PWM + Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs design.
This structure enhances delivery of power to the most energy-consuming components of the motherboard. As we recommended intel i3-8th gen is the best budget gaming processor for gamers on a budget. This motherboard, if paired with the overclockable version of the 8th gen processor could deliver some serious juice.
Fundamentally the motherboard determines the amount and type of RAM you can have in your build. Experts recommend at least 16 GB, since at the beginning 8 GB will suffice. But after a while you wanna upgrade.
And this motherboard supports up to 64 GB of RAM with 4 slots. Actually it supports DDR4 for 4133 MHz, but we mentioned in our post about the best budget CPU that 8 GB at a maximum of 2400 MHz is a good start.
Also supports Multi-graphics for gaming enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates without compromising on resolution. The Gigabyte Z390 UD also supports VR gaming experience for those of us who prefer virtual reality. A recommended setup prototype would be as follows;
■ GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 /1060ti/1080 Compatible HDMI 1.4 video output
■ Processor: Intel 8th Gen. Core i3 equivalent or greater
■ Memory: 8GB /16GB RAM
■ USB Ports: 3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port or greater
■ Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
Frankly speaking, performance is what we PC gamers look for. And for an entry level/mid- range gamer the gigabyte Z390 UD is the ultimate choice. With its dual channel DDR4 and also the Z390 Platform supports Intel’s latest Optane technology. This means it caches most frequently used processes in your hard drive optimizing your storage speeds.
Connectivity
- NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 22110 M.2 Connector (Up to 32 Gb/s)
- 8x USB 3.0 and 2x USB 2.0 (internal & external)
- 1x M.2 / 6x SATA 6G
A PCI slot is where we connect our expansion cards and we know that we won’t be using multiple GPUs initially but eventually we are gonna need to. Also if you are a gamer you need a PCI express x16 slot and you’ll need multiple of those, if you want to connect multiple cards. The Gigabyte Z390 offers 3 of these.
The M.2 connector speeds the data transfer of M.2 PCIe SSD up to 8 times faster than normal SATA SSD. There are six SATA 6G connectors for 3.5″- or 2.5″ HDDs and -SSDs. Also equipped with Realtek 8118 LAN.
Cooling and Lighting
With Smart Fan 5 users can ensure that their gaming PC can maintain its performance while staying cool.Smart Fan 5 allows users to interchange their fan headers to reflect different thermal sensors at different locations on the motherboard.
Also with Smart Fan 5 more hybrid fan headers that support both PWM and Voltage mode fans have been introduced to make the motherboard more liquid cooling friendly.
■ 4 Fan / Water Pump Connectors
■ 6 Temperature Sensors
■ All Fan Pin Headers Upgraded to Hybrid Fan Headers
Also it supports RGB lighting effect in full color and can be fully customized.
Conclusion
There are few downsides for this motherboard like the unavailability of wi-fi and Nvidia SLI. However you can clearly see that when paired with your intel chip ,performance wise this will not let you down.
But if your need is high-end gaming combined with running apps with higher processing power or better graphics then Asus ROG Maximus XI Code Z390 would be a good candidate. But there the Gigabyte Z390 UD is undoubtedly the Best Budget Gaming Motherboard For Intel.
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Best gaming motherboard for i5- Bonus tip
We believe that the Intel i5 is one of the best budget gaming CPU’s a gamer can get his hands on. Therefore as a bonus tip we thought of including the Best motherboard for an i5, say 9400F, 9600K.
The Gigabyte Z390 UD can even be utilized well for moderate rendering, streaming and a generous level of processing. This next one for i5 is as powerful as the Gigabyte Z390 UD with a few minor hardware differences. If the CPU, GPU and memory kicks out enough power then that is all we need.
ASRock Intel B365 Chipset Motherboard
- M- ATX form factor
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors (Socket 1151), with temperature up to 95W
- 2 x DDR4 DIMM Slots 2666/ MAX 32GB
- Three graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887 Audio Codec)
- Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot – 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slots
- 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors
- 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket
The best choice for a 9400F or a 9600K, though it supports 95W so watch out if you wanna overclock. Uses a high density glass fabric PCB to extend longevity. Supports intel turbo boost 2.0 technology as well.
The 32GB memory support is plenty for quality gaming. Graphics wise this motherboard supports triple monitors, HDMI 1.4 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K @ 30Hz, @ 30Hz, D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920×1200 @ 60Hz.
Of course multiple graphics cards aren’t supported here and since we are talking about budget gaming it is hardly worth mentioning. The M.2 slot is a handy addition for fast data transfer requirements. Apart from that we got 6 SATA slots.
Plenty of connectivity with 2 x USB 2.0, 4 x USB 3.1 and it even has old school PS2 ports. However a Type-C would have been a nice addition. Then again it ain’t a gaming requirement plus the features are more than sufficient for the offered value.
Realtek audio and network controllers. And to finalize ASRock A-Tuning, ASRock XFast LAN software for monitoring. Overall this is a great one step ahead of the entry level motherboard for gaming specifically for intel i5.
