Intel's latest flagship gaming CPU, the Core i9-14900K, is quite the performer. It might not be that much faster than last year's Core i9-13900K, but if you want the fastest CPU on the market for gaming and content creation, then it could be worth the investment to you.
To get the maximum performance out of it, you will want to pair it with the best hardware around. Below are a number of motherboards that can do that no problem, as well as having all of the I/O and features you need or could want.
Best midrange Z790
The updated MSI Tomahawk MAX WiFi board model, featuring hints of yellow accents, supports Intel 14th Gen CPUs and Wi-Fi 7 networking. It comes with a 16+1+1 power design, and DDR5 RAM support up to 7800+(OC) MHz. The motherboard includes 1x Gen 5 M.2 slot with a dedicated heat sink and 2x additional Gen 4 M.2 slots.
Best Midrange Alternative
If you're looking for the perfect reasonably priced motherboard for a white PC build and to paid with your Core i9-14900K, then this one might just be the one for you. 18+1+2 VRM solution. You also get five M.2 slots, including one PCIe 5.0. 5GbE LAN along with Wi-Fi 7.
Best all-rounder
Ideal for those eyeing a Core i9-14900K, the Aorus Master X boasts a stunning design and an excellent feature set. It comes with Intel 14th Gen CPU support, a 20+1+2 phase power solution, a cutting-edge thermal design, five M.2 slots, Wi-Fi 7, and 10GbE LAN.
Best premium Z790
The MEG is a giant E-ATX board and a complete solution for those desiring a top-tier motherboard. It offers a 24+1+2 power delivery system and a stacked fin array design, an aluminum backplate, a direct touch cross heat pipe, and an enlarged PCH heat sink. It features dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, dual 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7, and an ESS audio DAC for connectivity.
Premium alternative Z790
ASUS offers a great base for overclockers with a 20+1 power delivery and one-click fan tuning, backed by AI-powered automatic controls in the EzMode UEFI interface. Clock DDR5 RAM up to 7800MHz and enjoy 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots alongside onboard RGB. This will require a BIOS update to be compatible with 14th Gen Intel CPUs, but you'll also save a few dollars in the process.
Ultimate Z790
The Godlike is an apt name for a motherboard that throws everything including the kitchen sink at you, which you would expect for this kind of price. DDR5 7800 MHz+(OC). M-Vision Dashboard - a 4.5in IPS color IPS display to show the status of your gaming rig. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports at 40/Gbps speeds and 8K display support. You get all the I/O and storage slots you could want and/or need. Wi-Fi 7. It doesn't really get better than this.
Choosing the best motherboard for the Intel Core i9-14900K
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Many of the motherboards here are quite pricey to say the least, but you can use just about any Z790 motherboard. That includes the motherboards we chose as part of our i5-14600K and i7-14700K buyers guides. However, if you are going for the 14900K it's likely to not be for the sole purpose of gaming. Whether you're doing overclocking to get the maximum performance, doing intensive and prolonged work or using it for content creation, having the right amount of I/O and storage to cover all your needs can be very important.
As a reminder, this is the last generation of CPU that Intel will be supporting on the LGA 1700 platform, so you won't be able to upgrade past this point if that is important to you. On the flip side it will also be very capable for years to come and if you have the money to spare it really is as good as it gets.
