Best Motherboards For Intel Core i5-13600K

The Core i5 processors from Intel have always been the best mid-range processors on the market. They have provided great gaming performance and have been a go-to for professionals’ productivity tasks.

One of the latest 13th generation core i5 is the i5-13600K, an unlocked processor. It has 14 cores, with 6 being performance cores and 8 being efficient cores.

The total number of threads is 20. The base clock of this processor is 2.6 GHz, while the max turbo frequency is 5.10 GHz with a TDP of just 125 Watts.

This processor is great, and you should definitely consider it for your next build. However, buying a motherboard for this processor is somewhat confusing due to the variety of makes and models available for it, with every manufacturer claiming their offering to be the best.

So, to make this easy for you, I will give you a list of the best motherboards for i5-13600K. So, let us get right into it.

Key Points:

• This article will dive into which motherboard is the best for the i5-13600K.
• The motherboards on this list are also going to be evaluated on their overclocking prowess and thermal efficiency.
• Finally, the motherboard specification will be discussed in detail, and the pros and cons associated with every pick will be listed.

Best Motherboard For i5-13600K – Comparison Chart

A quick look at the best motherboard for i5 13600K:

1. ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E (NeoGamr’s Pick)
2. ASUS ROG Strix B660-A (Editor’s Pick)
3. ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus (Steal Of A Deal)
4. MSI PRO Z690-A ProSeries (Best Budget)
5. MSI MPG Z690 Edge (Best Value)
6. MSI MPG Z790 Edge (Universal Pick)

Best Motherboard For i5-13600K

With the i5-13600K being a processor of the masses, you are bound to see almost every company offering their motherboards for it with different bells and whistles. I have tested out many of these motherboards and came up with the final six best ones.

#1- ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E

The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E is the first motherboard on my list. ASUS has been living up to its name for creating some of the best motherboards under the ROG brand, designed specifically for gamers.

Despite its steep price, I still believe this motherboard is worth it, even for a mid-range CPU like the i5-13500K. The 18+1 phase VRM will allow you to run it upto its full potential, and the plethora of features on this motherboard will give you a great experience.

Connectivity and Features

You are getting a solid feature set on the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E. The motherboard has the ability to connect 6 NvMe SSDs to it thanks to the M.2 slots. However, additional SSDs and hard drives can be connected to it thanks to the 4 SATA ports.

For RAM, you have 4 DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of DDR5 RAM, which can run up to 7800 MHz. The rear IO has 12 USB slots. However, nine additional USBs can be added to the motherboard by connecting the case to the internal USB headers.

You can connect two monitors to the motherboard simultaneously by connecting them to the HDMI port and Displayport. Finally, the motherboard has a 2.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6E for fast internet.

Performance and Overclocking

The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E is a very capable motherboard. It has an 18+1 Phase VRM that can squeeze every last bit of performance out of your i5-13500K, allowing you to cash your silicon lottery fully.

With such a large phase VRM on board, ASUS has also taken care of it so that any heat that comes into it is easily taken care of. The motherboard has a large heat sink which is ample enough to dissipate all the heat introduced into it.

#2- ASUS ROG Strix B660-A

The ASUS ROG Strix B660-A is my pick of the day for those gamers who do not want to spend more than they have on redundant features and are going to use their i5-13600K at stock speeds.

For a budget motherboard, the ASUS ROG Strix B660-A looks very aesthetically pleasing. The white and black design gives it a unique look, and the subtle implementation of RGB makes it stand out in a case.

Looks aside, the motherboard is very capable with a good power delivery system and feature that I will get into later. I would say that this is a worthwhile consideration for your i5-13600K build.

Connectivity and Features

There are a lot of features that the ASUS ROG B660-A has on offer. The motherboard has 9 USB slots on the rear IO and six more on the front if you connect your case to the internal USB headers.

To connect high-speed NvMe storage to the PC, you get 3 M.2 slots, and for additional expansion, 6 SATA connector ports are available to connect HDDs and SSDs.

The motherboard has 4 DIMM slots with support for up to 128 GB of DDR4 running at 5333 MHz.

The Video out is handled by the Displayport and HDMI port. Finally, you have a 2.5 GbE LAN port and WiFi 6E.

Performance and Overclocking

The ASUS ROG Strix B660-A has a 12+1 phase VRM and a perfectly capable power delivery system that can easily power your i5-13600K.

However, the B660 platform is locked for overclocking, so I can’t recommend it to people who want to do overclocking.

The motherboard also has a capable heat sink on it. This heat sink does a very good job of dissipating the heat from the VRM, making its overall thermal performance satisfactory.

#3- ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus

My next pick also comes from ASUS, however, from a different brand, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus.

The ASUS TUF motherboards have created a tradition of making good gaming motherboards with a solid feature set and excellent value for the consumer.

The ASUS TUF Z790-Plus is no different, as it has solid aesthetics and a good feature set. The VRM, a 16+1 phase, delivers clean power to the motherboard.

There is no RGB to speak of here; however, the performance of this board makes it a solid contender for your next build.

Connectivity and Features

The ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus provides a lot of value when its feature set is considered. The rear Io has 8 USB slots for connection to various peripherals. Connecting the case to the internal USB headers can also have 7 USBs on the front.

For storage, the motherboard has 4 M.2 slots for fast NvMe storage. 4 SATA connectors are also available on the Motherboard for SATA SSDs and HDDs.

The Video out is comprised of an HDMI and Displayport, allowing you to connect two monitors simultaneously.

There are also 4 DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM. Finally, to stay connected to the internet, the motherboard has a 2.5 GbE LAN port and WiFi 6E.

Performance and Overclocking

The ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus has a 16+1 Phase VRM. This makes it, so that clean power gets to your i5-13500K and allows cash in your silicon lottery by overclocking it to the highest level possible.

With overclocking being a selling point of this motherboard, you are going to find that ASUS has also given it a good heat sink. During my thermal tests, the temperatures of this motherboard stayed under control even when the processor was overclocked.

#4- MSI PRO Z690-A ProSeries

The MSI Pro Z690-A Pro series is a budget motherboard from MSI that supports overclocking. There are a lot of things that persuaded me to put this motherboard on my list of the best motherboards for the i5-13500K.

First off is its price, which makes it an absolute steal for an unlocked motherboard. Then there are the plethora of features that I am going to discuss later on.

The design of the MSI Pro Z690-A ProSeries has nothing to write home about. It looks as generic as a motherboard can look/ There is no RGB here which might make it not so appealing for some people.

Connectivity and Features

The MSI Pro Z690-A ProSeries has a lot of features worth mentioning. First up, the ample USB slots. On the rear, you get 11 USB slots; on the front, you get 9. The 3 M.2 Slots and 6 SATA connectors handle the storage.

For networking, the motherboard has a 2.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6E. This ensures fast and constant internet connectivity.

The HDMI and DisplayPort of the Motherboard can be used to run two monitors simultaneously.

There are 4 DIMM slots on the motherboard that can handle up to 128 GB DDR5 RAM running up to 6400 MHz.

Performance and Overclocking

The Pro Z690-A Pro Series has a 14+1+1 Phase VRM, which delivers clean power to the components connected to the motherboard.

The i5-13500k can reach its maximum clocks thanks to this VRM with ease. Not only that, but the 14+1+1 VRM also gives you enough headroom to overclock and squeeze more performance out of your CPU.

As an unlocked motherboard, MSI also went the extra mile to put a capable heat sink on the Z690-A Pro series. During my thermal tests, the VRM stayed cool enough to keep within safe limits at all times.

#5- MSI MPG Z690 Edge

The MSI MPG lineup of motherboards is a mid-range offering from MSI, making the MSI MPG Z690 Edge a perfect motherboard for the i5-13500K. There is a lot that can be said about this motherboard.

The very first thing that should be mentioned, however, is its heavy-looking design. The motherboard is covered by thermal armor, which does wonders for the thermal efficiency of the motherboard. The VRM also has RGB sprinkled around it, giving it a great look.

Connectivity and Features

A variety of features are on the MSI MPG Z690 Edge. Looking at the rear IO, I found 11 USB slots connecting various peripherals. 7 Additional USB slots can be added on the front by connecting the case to the internal USB headers.

The motherboard can run two monitors simultaneously by connecting them to the HDMI and Displayport. For storage, the motherboard gives you the ability to connect 4 M.2 SSDs and 6 SATA hard drives and SSDs.

There are 4 DIMM slots on this motherboard which can support 128 GB of DDR5 RAM running up to 5300 MHz. Finally, for the networking solution, the motherboard has a 2.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6E.

Performance and Overclocking

The MSI MPG Z690 Edge has a robust 16+1+1 Phase VRM with a very capable power delivery system. The i5-13500K can be run to its potential while using this motherboard.

If you want to overclock it, you can do so with ease, as I got a considerable boost using this motherboard.

As I mentioned earlier, the motherboard is covered all around by thermal armor. I have been testing the thermal efficiency of this motherboard, and I was pleased to see that it remained under very manageable temperatures even when the VRM was pushing power to an overclocked CPU.

#6- MSI MPG Z790 Edge

The final motherboard on my list is the MSI MPG Z790 Edge which is one of my favorite motherboards, especially due to its aesthetics.

It has a black-and-white design with RGB sprinkled around it, making this board look amazing while sitting in a case.

The Z790 edge is a direct descendant of the last pick, which is the Z690 edge, and a variety of features are added to it, which will be discussed earlier.

With no BIOS update necessary, the i5-13500K can be plopped into this motherboard directly, and you can take advantage of it by running it to its highest potential.

Connectivity and Features

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge has a perfect blend of a feature set that will nudge you toward making it a part of your next build. First off, you have 10 USB slots on the rear IO and 7 USBs on the front so that you can connect various devices to it.

If you are waiting for a graphics card, the motherboard has the ability to connect and run two monitors thanks to HDMI and Displayport. The networking is handled by the 2.5 Gigabit LAN and WiFi 6E.

The motherboard also has 4 DIMM slots for RAM which can support up to 128 GB DDR5 running at up to 7200 MHz.

For storage, the motherboard has 5 M.2 slots for NvMe and 7 SATA connectors for Hard drives and SSDs.

Performance and Overclocking

If you are someone that wants to get the most out of their i5-13500K, then the MSI MPG Z790 Edge is the perfect pick for you.

With its 16+1+1 phase VRM, this motherboard can push the processor to its limits giving you the added benefit of better FPS in your games.

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge has a very large heat sink on the motherboard. This was chosen to dissipate the heat introduced by VRM, pushing very high power.

The heat sink worked as it should during my tests and kept the motherboard under manageable temperatures.

How To Choose The Best Motherboard for i5-13600K?

Here are a few things that you should consider while purchasing a motherboard for the i5-13600K.

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PCI-E 5.0 Slots for the Next-Gen Graphics Cards

The latest generation of the PCIe slot is finally making its way into the latest generation of motherboards. PCIe slots are usually where devices like graphics cards or M.2 SSDs go, which require fast transfer speeds.

The latest generation of PCIe is almost twice as fast as the older PCIe gen 4. For comparison, PCIe gen 4 has a maximum transfer of 16GT/s, while the latest PCIe gen 5 goes up to 32 GT/s.

The latest generation of graphics cards will take a lot of advantage from these fast speeds as they will be able to push high frame rates and great visuals to your PC. So, having PCIe Gen 5 on your next motherboard should be a priority for you.

Selecting The Memory Type: DDR4 or DDR5

After the release of the 12th generation of Intel motherboards, a new generation of RAM has also been introduced, which is DDR5.

The older DDR4 RAM is also backward compatible with these motherboards, allowing you to either go for DDR4 or DDR5.

The latest DDR5 RAMs may be somewhat expensive; however, they give a variety of advantages over DDR4.

DDR5 RAMs consume a lot less power than DDR4 while being more fasters which is going to translate into better PC performance.

Is the Core i5-13600K compatible with Z790, Z690, and B660 Motherboards?

The Intel Core i5-13600K is compatible with the Z790, Z690, and B660 motherboards; however, there are subtle differences I would like to touch upon.

On the Z790, The Intel Core i5-13600K is going to work out of the box. Just put in your CPU and start using it.

On the Z690, you are going to need a BIOS update to make the motherboard compatible with the 13th-generation processor.

The B660 also needs a BIOS update to be compatible with the i5-13600k. However, you are not going to be able to overclock your CPU with this motherboard.