You’ve learned about overclocking and what it can do for your system. You and I both know its a daunting task to ensure you are getting the best value for your money when it comes to choosing a motherboard.
This is my hand-picked, best Z370 motherboards for overclocking.
All the motherboards below will provide you with a solid and safe overclock providing you overclock sensibly and within the limits of the board.
Depending on your budget you should consider how much you are overclocking since a cheaper board won’t have the same cooling potential.
Table of Contents
How To Choose A Motherboard
Before we get started on the list I wanted to mention a few areas that these motherboards excel at which is why they featured here.
Any motherboard worth it’s overclocking salt has a decent Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) which is responsible for managing the voltage in your system and since overclocking runs a higher voltage through your system it is essential to have quality VRM modules.
A good VRM should have leak resistant capacitors and high quality chokes to ensure proper energy management. VRMs have a number of components which are all important but none so vital as the capacitors, which store and release energy when the system needs it.
Shabby capacitors can eventually swell and leak leading to total board failure. Most experienced PC builders swear by Japanese-made electrolytic capacitors. This may likely be a legitimate option but if you want to ensure quality nothing beats the solid state capacitor which of course cost just a little bit more.
Lastly, cooling options are far too important to skimp on. Good overclock friendly boards should be built with cooling in mind. The Z370 boards are all fixed with effect cooling heatsinks and a decent number of header fans but keep cooling in mind in case you find another board that suits you better.
These are the core features that all of the following motherboards excel at which is why they are on the list.
Best Z370 Motherboards For Overclocking
Below I will list some of the best Z370 motherboards based on the criteria of pricing, specifications, and a few details worth mentioning for each board.
The Z370 boards I will be reviewing below are all overclock friendly so there is no need to worry about certain restrictions being in the way.
Best Budget Motherboards
For those of you on a tighter budget here is the top two motherboards you should consider. Each of these will provide great potential for overclocking and are great value for money.
MSI Z370 A Pro
First up in our selection we have the Z370 A Pro. Being the cheapest board on this list the A Pro doesn’t mess around with any fancy LED fixtures and design choices.
It sports a simple dark brown theme and is built for those of you looking for a cost-efficient board that effectively utilizes even the most demanding of CPUs and hardware today.
The A Pro comes equipped with a full 6 SATA ports as well as an M.2 port for your high-speed storage needs. Network capabilities are handled by a single Realtek LAN controller, a Wifi adapter will need to be bought separately.
You have access to a total of 14 USB ports, 2 pairs of DDR4 dedicated memory slots and two x16 PCIe slots as well as four x1 slots.
The A Pro is also capable of supporting Crossfire and is renowned for its performance since it is used for mining cryptocurrency frequently. As for overclocking it can reach up to 5.1Ghz but is held back by its cooling.
The A Pro packs all the essentials for today’s varying and demanding processes and offers it all at a reasonably low price.
Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5
Compact and sporting a vibrant orange LED design the Aorus Gaming 5 comes in as the second budget board on the list.
Its purpose is clear from the name and serves as a cheaper yet effective substitute for its older brother the Aorus Gaming 7.
The Gaming 5 sports a total of 4 slots of DDR4 memory and a total of 6 SATA ports 2 of which are M.2s.
It also comes with 6 PCIe slots with three of them being x16 slots and the other three x1.
Be aware though, as two of the x16 slots share their space with a M.2 SATA ports and the third x1 slot excludes SATA port 1 likely due to the difficulty in space management on motherboards.
The Gaming 5 also supports Crossfire/SLI, you even have the luxury of a built-in Intel 3165 802.11ac (433mb/s) Wifi Adapter.
For avid builders looking to game on the cheap and overclock, this board does the job outright.
Best Value Motherboard
This section is for those of you that have a little bit extra to spend but are looking for the most amount of value per performance. This is where my budget was and I ended up going with the MSI Z370 Gaming M5.
MSI Z370 Gaming M5
Here we have a board that really rocks the competition. The Gaming M5 could be considered a slimmed version of the Z370 Godlike in some regards, sporting a black PCB theme with complimentary grey highlights on prominent components.
The board is essentially stripped of a few features such as the RGB LEDs found near the shrouds and heatsinks as well as the loss of the GPU stand by the heatsinks.
The M5 offers 4 memory slots that can run up to 64GB RAM giving you DDR4 speeds of 4000+. You also get the benefit of 8 fan headers for proper ventilation.
Three x16 PCIe slots are present, two that stem from the CPU and a third from the board. This allows you to run GPU setups in x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4, and implement Crossfire/SLI support.
Additionally, between the three full length PCIe slots you will find a further 3 x1 slots that are powered by the chipset.
You get the 6 SATA ports positioned near the chipset heat sink but SATA 1 of 6 will be blocked when the M.2 SATA SSD slot is occupied; additionally, SATA 5 of 6 has the same issue when an M.2 SATA SSD is installed in the other M.2 slot.
Audio support comes in the form of the Realtek ALC1220 codec which has Chemicon audio caps. The audio line is separated on the board to minimize interference.
You also have one Rivet Networks Killer E2500 gigabit Ethernet controller. As is also more common with higher value boards, you have a LED error code display available to aid you if build testing problems arise.
The Gaming M5 is a black coated treasure trove for serious PC gaming enthusiast it handles overclocking with ease and offers massive bonuses for a price that just seems too good to be true.
Best High-End Motherboard
Here we have the very best of the best if money is no issue. If you have a huge budget and are looking to drop some serious dollar then you have to go for the MSI Z390 Godlike. Notice I have said Z390. The reason for this is because if you are willing to drop a large some of money on a motherboard you are much better off getting a newer Z390 board.
The differences between Z390 and Z370 really isn’t signficant so when it comes to the cheaper boards you can actually great value from buying a Z370 over a Z390. But, if you are dropping $400+ you are as well getting a Z390.
MSI Z390 Godlike
The Z390 Godlike, an attempt at pushing beyond the necessary, right past the impressive into the downright excessive.
For the price of $600.00 the Godlike is an E-ATX board that packs a slew of standard components and but also includes; error code display, power reset and CMOS clear buttons including a dual BIOS switch.
Starting with the PCIe there are 4 3.0 x16 slots so you will have plenty of space for all your components. If you need more there is an expansion PCIe x 1 slot too. There are 3 (32Gb/s) M.2 slots on the board and you are provided with an expansion slot that hosts two more.
There are also 6 (6Gb/s) SATA ports which gives you lots of headroom.
As for RAM, the Godlike supports 4 DDR4 dual-channel slots that run up to 64GB. You can use up to 10 fan headers for your cooling needs which is crazy. You definitely won’t run out of fan headers. You also get a USB expansion card attached to the board, a Phanteks RGB LED strip, thermal probe cables, an RGB attachment cable and 6 SATA cables to go with the slots.
The SATA cables are braided and coloured black and red so they feel premium which is often overlooked by other board manufacturers.
There is a boat load of lighting customisation across the board thanks to a new feature called Rainbow. You can customise the lighting of the dragon, MEG writing and more.
As for audio, the Godlike has its own audio with ESS audio DAC and 2 Realtek ALC1220 Codecs (7.1 channel high definition audio). The back panel also has a 6.3 mm audio jack and your usual HD audio connectors.
The Z390 motherboards are now shipping with more connectivity features compared to the older Z370. This includes 2 Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN controllers and a wireless module that is pre-installed in the M2_4 slot.
The module enables Wi-Fi 5, 2×2 Dual Band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) which supports up to 1.73 Gbps. The wireless is a great additional feature. MSI also provide you with an antenna in the box.
Needless to say, the Godlike is leagues ahead of any other board on this list but has the price tag to go with that title. Just watch out for limited space issues that might arise when you fill the board with your new components. As always, space management is key.
Best Micro ATX Motherboard
For those of you restricted on space this is for you. There is only one real stand out board for this category, the ASROCK Z370M Pro4.
ASROCK Z370M Pro4
As the only board in my Micro ATX section the ASROCK M Pro4, is a the smaller sibling of the Pro4 series. Wearing a familiar black gray theme common to the Z370 series.
The Pro4 manages to keep away from shared PCIe sockets and even offers two x16 slots, one attached to the CPU and the second x4 positioned in the chipset.
You also get two x1 slots in between, along with another pair of M.2s neatly separated on the board, the first is SATA only the second supports PCIe. Unfortunately, you have to be wary as installing a M.2 type SATA device into the M.2 slot disables the SATA 0 slot.
Even on this MATX, you are given 4 dual-channel memory slots for up to 64GB of RAM. Four header fans can be found on the board, two dedicated to the CPU(one 3-pin and one 4 pin) and another two 4 pin fans for general use.
Your audio sports a Realtek ALC892 codec with ELNA audio caps and you have an Intel I219-V GbE for network capabilities.
Coming in at $120 the ASROCK M Pro4 isn’t lacking much for its smaller size but could use some help in the energy management department when overclocking but overall offers a chance at a lighter setup for a decent price.
Best Mini ITX Motherboard
Finally, let us visit the smallest category of all the motherboards, the mini ITX or MITX. If you are really strict for space in your case and still want to pack a punch then consider the ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming.
ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming
Having this category all to itself is a Mini ITX that offers a stunningly small package fixed with a decent array of features for a surprising price.
Gaming setups that can be transported easily yet still hold their own in performance tests are in demand. The ASUS Z370-I Gaming attempts to meet those demands with it’s solid VRM modules, 4 SATA sockets, shielded x4 PCIe and M.2 slots.
Aside from that you get a metal shielded x16 PCIe 3.0 slot with secure fixing pins to ensure your GPU is safe.
There are multiple sources for recording temperatures with each header able to react to your own custom configuration. This is all managed within Fan Xpert 4 or ASUS UEFI. This provides a super easy and quick way to configure consistent and safe overclocking.
The ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming is tiny masterpiece. It will deliver a solid overclock with fantastic heatsinks and features for its size. It is the best Mini ITX of the Z370 series.
Verdict - Best Z370 Motherboard Overall
MSI Z370 Gaming M5
If I had to pick one board to recommend from the list it would be the MSI Z370 Gaming M5. For the price you basically get a mini Z390 Godlike. The board has excellent heatsinks, solid VRM modules and has enough slots to fit most peoples component requirements.
It provides the best value for money and is the reason I have it powering my machine as I type this.
Last Price Update on 2023-09-20 / Data taken from the Amazon Product API
