Best Motherboards for i5 13600k

Are you looking for the best motherboards for Intel Core i5 13600K CPU? Don’t worry. I got you. Intel’s much-awaited Raptor Lake CPUs are here with the best midrange offering i5 13600K. They’re ready to go, prepared to deliver, and itching to power your PC.

Operating on an LGA 1700 socket, the i5 13600K chipset is also compatible with older 600-series motherboards. So naturally, this opens the doors to a wide range of motherboard options. The options vary in price, application, features – you name it.

So how do you know which motherboard you need? That’s where I brought some of the best motherboard options for the 13600K chipset. Hence, you’ll find what you need whether you’re looking to purchase based on price, aesthetic, application, or feature set.

Whatever you need from your motherboard, this list has you covered. Here’s what I think is the best of the lot. 

Top 7 Motherboards for i5 13600K

Here are the 7 best motherboards for your 13-gen intel i5 13600k PC build. I have selected all the motherboards by examining their performance, build quality, and overall prices. I hope this review will help you find the right choice for your PC build.

And if you want to build a gaming PC, you must know how to select a gaming motherboard in the first place. Besides, you should also know about the other components needed to build a gaming PC.

A budget solution for high-speed performance is the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite in a nutshell. Additionally, its unique aesthetic will provide great results without emptying your wallet. So let’s look at why this might be the one for you.

Finding a motherboard that delivers RAM performance is difficult in the lower midrange price bracket. However, Gigabyte has managed to pull this off with the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite. In addition, with 4 DDR5 RAM slots, they have optimized RAM performance – this is the highlight of the motherboard.

You also get a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot to run the latest GPU and four more M.2 slots for lightning-fast storage. A 16+1+2 phases power delivery system powers all this focus on efficiency. 

The cost-saving has been done not in performance or I/O options but in cooling solutions. Of course, the absence of heatsinks over the chipset means the cooling takes a hit. But at the same time, this makes your motherboard look as unique as possible!

Overall, if you are looking for a DDR5 motherboard for high-speed performance as a casual gamer or a generic workstation on a budget, this motherboard beats all its peers in the same range!

Gaming, content creation, and a complete digital workstation – the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero does it all. If this is what you’re in the market for, pay attention! You have just found your champion. 

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero has a feature set that justifies its extravagant name. If the ROG Strix Z790-E is only for gamers, this one takes it further. There is PCIe 5.0 support for gamers – with 2 of the 5 M.2 slots! Full DDR5 support is available, with slightly better testing performance. In addition, there’s extra power to take care of it all with a 20+1 power stages delivery system. 

Connectivity options are in abundance for content creators looking to build a workstation. You get 1 USB 3.2, 20 Gbps port, and 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, excluding nine other USB ports. In addition, a classy black design with an integrated display over the I/O section means it looks, feels, and runs like it means business. 

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero takes a gaming motherboard and pushes it to a level that is more than enough for content creators. So if you’re looking for a gaming powerhouse and want high-end features with the latest technology supported, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero is what you need.

The Raptor Lake CPUs are DDR5 compatible. Unfortunately, this has narrowed motherboard options for people wanting to use their older but perfectly functional DDR4 RAM kits. The MSI MPG Z790 Edge solves the problem high-price RAM problem for you. Not only will it support DDR4 RAM – but it will extract the performance you were promised with your i5 13600K.

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge comes in a unique silver design without too much RGB flashiness if this is up your alley, great! If not, it may still be worth a look because of how it treats your i5 13600K CPU. Even with DDR4, this motherboard shows up on every performance test, and how! 

This is possible due to efficient power delivery through a 16+1+1 phases power delivery system. Besides, you get 1 PCIe 5.0 slot and 4 M.2 slots to go with it. This means you could run the RTX 4000 series GPU. Moreover, the performance smartly executes cooling to handle any gaming challenge you throw at it. 

Overall, if you’re looking for the best way to utilize your i5 13600K chipset with DDR4 RAM, the MSI MPG Z790 Edge is the answer. Though not decked out in the latest features, it will take your DDR4 experience to the next level while being lighter on your wallet.

Need the best possible i5 13600K motherboard in a mini-ITX form factor? I’ve got you covered! The MSI MPG Z790I Edge is undoubtedly the right one for you. With a smaller form factor, power delivery, cooling, and RAM optimization become issues – but not with this motherboard!

This motherboard packs a punch with PCIe 5.0 for 1 of 4 M.2 slots and connectivity options high in number. In addition, power delivery for great performance is done very efficiently with a 10+1+1 phase power system. 

Apart from this, MSI has ensured that DDR5 RAM performance does not suffer due to the form factor, as is evident from testing. Furthermore, one of the best features of this motherboard is the extensive cooling solutions, which are rare in a mini-ITX form factor.

With a unique icy white look, the MSI MPG Z790I Edge offers onboard audio that will blow competitors out of the water. It competes with players from the full-form midrange motherboard domain regarding RAM performance (especially overclocked) and at performance tests like Cinebench R23. 

MSI MPG Edge is one of the best mini-ITX motherboards for i5 13600K.

This motherboard is for casual tech enthusiasts who need an i5 13600K motherboard on a budget. The ASUS Prime Z790-A will give you the full experience with good performance on a budget – what more could you ask for?

This motherboard lets you use the latest PCIe 5.0 technology in one M.2 slot. You also get four more M.2 slots for all your high-speed storage needs. That’s more than some midrange boards offer! Moreover, it is powered by a 16+1 phase power delivery system which runs as smoothly as possible. However, Asusu has assured zero compromises for the power delivery here, even though it contains a cheap power delivery!

The cost is shaved off by not focusing too much on the aesthetics – the design is a bit clunky but still maintains the gamer aesthetic. However, it has a futuristic look with large heatsinks and a space grey color. The extensive heatsink coverage also provides excellent cooling for a motherboard in this price range. Along with a host of USB ports and 2.5GbE LAN connectivity, you also get onboard WiFi 6E.

Overall, this board does everything a casual user will need from a PC. In addition, it pushes the idea of a budget motherboard with blanket utility to a new level. So if you’re a casual PC user looking for a high-performance budget motherboard, this is undoubtedly the best pick! 

The ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming is precisely what it sounds like – a gamer’s haven. If you’re looking for a motherboard that delivers gaming performance to the maximum without all the extra bells and whistles of a high-end motherboard, this is for you. 

At the upper end of midrange-priced motherboards for the i5-13600K, you get 4 M.2 slots, PCIe 5.0 support, and Thunderbolt 4. In addition, DDR5 support is available and powered by a robust 18+1 phase power delivery system. This means gamers can easily upgrade to the incredible RTX 4000 series GPU.

With a sleek black design and RGB Aura Sync headers, ASUS has also ensured that it looks like a gamer’s workhorse. The integrated sound is immersive and impressive, which is rare with motherboards. This is accompanied by exceptionally well-done cooling solutions in the form of VRM heatsinks.

Considering all of the above, along with ample I/O options and 1 USB 3.2 20 Gbps port, you see the value of this motherboard. The ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming will push your build to the maximum if you want the best possible gaming performance at an affordable budget. 

If you’re confused about whether the ROG Strix Z690-E will perform well with the 13500k or not. Read the Z790 vs. Z790 motherboard chipset comparison.

Please note: You must update the BIOS of a Z690 motherboard to use it for the Intel Core i5 13600K.

Finally, a motherboard for gamers on a budget! If you want to upgrade to an i5 13600K Raptor Lake build and are on a budget, a few motherboards will do the job better than the ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus. You get an entire package of features in a sleek, good-looking bundle of pure joy and performance – without your wallet taking a hit. 

Even at a lower price, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus will give you everything you need to maximize your i5 13600K chipset. Of course, the main point of cost lowering comes with the RAM. However, this motherboard supports only DDR4 RAM, optimized to a degree. 

Though you won’t get outstanding performance from it like the MSI MPG Z790 Edge, the difference is hardly noticeable to casual PC gamers. 

You still get 1 PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot along with four others. You also get an efficient and surprisingly powerful 16+1 phase power delivery system. Additionally, the well-designed cooling solutions ensure this setup is ready to go out of the box. 

This is an appealing feature set for someone looking to enter the PC building community but wants to avoid dealing with a complex setup for their first build. 

The ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus is undoubtedly great for the casual gamer demographic. However, consistently competing with midrange boards at all benchmark tests means that lean machines can pack a punch – don’t be fooled by the price!

Conclusion

This list comprehensively covers all the best motherboards Intel Core i5 13600K PC builds. I am confident that you will find what you need here. And, of course, I must leave you with my best picks from the lot – I hope they help!

My overall best pick would be the Gigabyte Aorus Elite AX. It comes down to the cost-benefit ratio; you get much more than you paid. But it also comes down to the fact that this machine does everything you want it to, really well! 

My premium pick would have to be the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero – I mean, look at that spec sheet! 2 PCIe 5.0 M.2 lanes? Destroying content creation as well as gaming-oriented performance benchmarks? What better way to spend my money!

It’s only fair to balance a premium pick with a budget pick. The ASUS Prime Z790-A is a good budget motherboard that feels like a steal. With cost savings on the aesthetic front instead of the performance front, it gives you peak performance on a budget.

And if you’re a gamer like me and want to build a gaming PC, here’s my gaming pick – and it’s no surprise – it’s the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming motherboard. It has everything a gamer needs; it does everything a gamer needs. Moreover, I can already see myself spending hours on my gaming PC.

Rest assured; all my picks are the best at what they do! All you have to do is know what you need from your motherboard and choose!

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