Best Motherboards for Intel Core Ultra (LGA 1851)

#1ASUS ROG Strix Z890-E Gaming WiFi

The clearest default for a current LGA 1851 gaming build. An 18+1+2+2 phase, 100A VRM and seven M.2 slots, three of them PCIe 5.0, cover any Core Ultra CPU with genuine flagship-adjacent storage.

The 18+1+2+2 phase VRM uses 18 Infineon 100A stages for Vcore alone, plus dedicated iGPU and VCCSA phases, real headroom for a K-series Core Ultra CPU under sustained load, not just a locked chip at stock.

Seven total M.2 slots, three running full PCIe 5.0 x4, is more storage than most Z890 boards offer at any price, useful for a build running multiple fast NVMe drives without stepping down to SATA.

Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports plus a separate USB 10Gbps Type-C port with 30W Power Delivery round out a rear panel built for a build running several fast external devices simultaneously.

ASUS Q-LED covers CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot diagnostics with color-coded LEDs, and a BIOS FlashBack port updates firmware from a USB drive with no CPU or memory installed.

5G LAN and Wi-Fi 7 cover current wired and wireless standards, and the board's ten total USB 10Gbps ports mean a multi-peripheral desk rarely needs a USB hub.

It's the pick for a build with no specific reason to spend up to the high-end pick or down to the value pick: flagship-adjacent storage, real VRM headroom, and complete connectivity in one board.

#1Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master

Enthusiast-tier power delivery and storage with no real compromise. An 18+1+2 phase, 110A VRM and five M.2 slots cover a flagship Core Ultra CPU with genuine overclocking margin and 14 total rear USB ports.

The 18+1+2 phase VRM, 21 phases total, runs 110A Smart Power Stages, real headroom for sustained overclocking on a flagship K-series Core Ultra CPU, not just heavy load at stock.

Five M.2 slots, two running full PCIe 5.0 and three at PCIe 4.0, cover a build that wants more simultaneous fast storage than most LGA 1851 boards offer, and four SATA ports with RAID 0/1/5/10 support round out additional storage.

Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports that double as video outputs headline a rear panel carrying 14 total USB ports, six of them USB 3.2 Gen2 at a full 20Gbps, genuinely deep connectivity even before counting the Thunderbolt ports.

10GbE wired networking is a real step up over the 2.5G or 5G controllers on every other board covered here, alongside Wi-Fi 7 for wireless, useful for a home network already running 10-gigabit switching.

Centralized debug LEDs cover CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot status, and Q-Flash Plus updates the BIOS from a USB drive with the system fully powered off, alongside Realtek's ALC1220 codec paired with an ESS SABRE9118 DAC for genuinely premium onboard audio.

It's the pick for a build running a genuine flagship K-series Core Ultra CPU with real overclocking plans and a 10GbE-capable network, not a locked or mid-range chip that will never use the extra phases.

#1ASRock Z890 Steel Legend WiFi

Dual Thunderbolt 4 and a current Z890 spec sheet without flagship pricing. An 18-phase, 80A SPS VRM and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot cover a mainstream Core Ultra build with real headroom left over.

The 18+1+1+1+1 phase VRM, 20 total 80A power stages, covers any current Core Ultra CPU at stock and light overclocking, genuine headroom well short of the high-end pick's extended phase count.

Four M.2 slots, one full PCIe 5.0 x4 and three at PCIe 4.0 including one SATA-mode hybrid slot, cover a genuinely current multi-drive build at a price well below the overall or high-end picks.

Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports are a genuine rarity at this price, a feature usually reserved for pricier Z890 boards or skipped entirely on B860 boards.

A Post Status Checker uses four color-coded LEDs for CPU, memory, VGA, and storage failures instead of a numeric debug code display, a simpler diagnostic than the pricier picks above use.

2.5G LAN pairs with Wi-Fi 7 for current wired and wireless standards, and BIOS Flashback updates firmware from a USB drive with no CPU installed.

It's the pick for a build that wants a genuinely current Z890 spec sheet and dual Thunderbolt 4 without the overall or high-end picks' pricing.

#1MSI Z890 Gaming Plus WiFi

The Z890 board to buy for straightforward mainstream value. A 14+1+1+1 phase, 55A DrMOS VRM and a native Thunderbolt 4 port cover a Core Ultra build without the Carbon pick's premium pricing.

The 14+1+1+1 phase DrMOS VRM uses 55A power stages, adequate headroom for any current Core Ultra CPU at stock and light overclocking rather than sustained flagship-level tuning.

A Lightning Gen5 M.2 slot runs full PCIe 5.0 x4 for a fast boot drive, with the remaining slots stepping down to PCIe 4.0, clearly labeled on the board itself so the fast slot is never ambiguous during a build.

A CPU-fed Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port supports DisplayPort output at up to 40Gbps, a genuine inclusion at this price alongside Wi-Fi 7 and 5G LAN for current wired and wireless standards.

MSI's EZ Debug LED sits along the board's right edge rather than near the 24-pin connector, still covering the same CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot failure states most EZ Debug implementations flag.

It's the pick for a build that wants a genuinely current Z890 spec sheet and native Thunderbolt 4 at a price well below the Carbon pick above, without the Aorus Master's extended VRM.

#2ASUS Prime Z890-P WiFi

A genuine Z890 alternative built around ASUS's non-gaming Prime line. A 14+1+1+2 phase, 80A VRM and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot cover a mainstream Core Ultra build without ROG-tier pricing or branding.

The 14+1+1+2 phase VRM delivers 80A per stage, comfortably covering CPUs in the roughly 170W range at stock, though sustained heavy overclocking isn't this VRM's design target the way it is on the feature-rich or high-end picks.

Four M.2 slots, one full PCIe 5.0 x4 at 128Gbps and three PCIe 4.0 x4 at 64Gbps, cover a genuinely current storage layout, and four SATA ports round out additional storage.

A single Thunderbolt 4 port at 40Gbps is part of eight total rear USB ports, alongside DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 outputs and a three-plug audio stack with an SPDIF header.

ASUS Q-LED Core covers standard first-boot diagnostics with color-coded lights, and a BIOS FlashBack port updates firmware from a USB drive with no CPU or memory installed.

2.5G LAN pairs with Wi-Fi 7 for current wired and wireless standards, a step behind the Gaming Plus pick's 5G controller at a similar overall price.

It's the pick for a build that wants ASUS's Prime-series simplicity and a single Thunderbolt 4 port without paying for ROG branding or RGB the Prime line skips entirely.

#3MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi

Premium Z890 storage and networking without Aorus Master pricing. A Direct 20+1+1+1 phase, 110A VRM and five M.2 slots cover a build that wants near-flagship capability at a meaningfully lower price.

The Direct 20+1+1+1 phase VRM, 23 phases total, runs 110A Smart Power Stages, VRM headroom that approaches the high-end pick above at roughly the same price as a mainstream Z890 board plus a premium.

Five M.2 slots is more than any other Z890 pick on this list besides the high-end pick's six, covering a genuinely current multi-drive build across an 8-layer, 2oz-copper PCB built for signal integrity at these speeds.

Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports supporting 8K@60Hz displays over HDMI 2.1 FRL headline a rear panel that also carries six USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gbps ports, genuinely deep connectivity for a non-flagship board.

Dual LAN, Intel Killer 5G and Intel 2.5G, covers a build running both a fast primary connection and a secondary wired link simultaneously, matching the high-end pick's dual-LAN approach at a lower price.

EZ Debug LEDs cover CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot status, and a Q-code numeric display adds temperature monitoring on top of the standard diagnostic reading.

It's the pick for a build that wants near-flagship storage and networking, dual Thunderbolt 4, five M.2 slots, dual LAN, without paying Aorus Master pricing for VRM headroom a non-overclocked build won't fully use.

#1ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi

The B860 board to buy for genuine Thunderbolt 4 specifically. A 14+1+1+1+1 phase, 80A VRM and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot cover a mainstream Core Ultra build with a feature Z890 boards usually reserve for themselves.

The 14+1+1+1+1 phase Dr.MOS VRM uses 80A Vishay SiC659 power stages, covering any current Core Ultra CPU at stock and light tuning, comfortable headroom for CPUs in the roughly 140W range B860 is actually sold to pair with.

Four M.2 slots split by speed: one Blazing M.2 at full PCIe 5.0 x4, two Hyper M.2 slots at PCIe 4.0 x4, and one additional slot at PCIe 4.0 x2, covering a genuinely current multi-drive layout.

A Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port at 40Gbps is a genuine standout on a B860 board, a feature most competing boards at this chipset tier skip entirely regardless of price.

A Post Status Checker uses four color-coded LEDs for CPU, RAM, VGA, and Boot failures rather than a numeric debug code display, and a BIOS Flashback button updates firmware from a USB drive with no CPU installed.

2.5G LAN pairs with Wi-Fi 6E, a step behind the Wi-Fi 7 on every other board covered here, and an optical S/PDIF output covers a dedicated home theater audio setup.

It's the pick for a build that wants genuine Thunderbolt 4 on B860 specifically, without paying for Z890's overclocking support a non-K CPU won't use.

#2Gigabyte B860 Aorus Elite WiFi7

The cheapest genuinely current B860 board on this list. A 14+1+2+1 phase VRM and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot cover a mainstream Core Ultra build at a price below every Z890 pick above.

The 14+1+2+1 phase VRM, 17 phases total with 14 dedicated to Vcore, covers any current Core Ultra CPU at stock and light tuning, adequate headroom for a chipset tier that doesn't support CPU overclocking in the first place.

Three M.2 slots, one full PCIe 5.0 x4 fed directly from the CPU and two PCIe 4.0 x4 slots fed from the chipset, cover a genuinely current storage layout at the lowest price on this entire list.

A single USB4 Type-C port with DisplayPort output is a genuine inclusion at this price, alongside optical S/PDIF output for anyone running a dedicated home theater audio setup.

Four SATA ports and centralized status LEDs for CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot cover standard storage and first-boot troubleshooting needs, and 2.5GbE wired networking pairs with Wi-Fi 7.

It's the pick for the tightest realistic LGA 1851 budget that still includes USB4, PCIe 5.0 storage, and Wi-Fi 7, not a board to default to if CPU overclocking is part of the plan.

#1ASRock Z890 Taichi

The LGA 1851 board built around Thunderbolt and networking headroom other boards skip entirely. Dual Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports and dual 5G/2.5G LAN controllers cover a build that wants maximum connectivity without waiting for a flagship price tag.

The 20+1+2+1+1 phase VRM runs 110A SPS power stages, VRM headroom that rivals the high-end pick above, real margin for a flagship K-series Core Ultra CPU under sustained overclocking.

Six M.2 slots, five Hyper M.2 at PCIe 4.0 and one Blazing M.2 at full PCIe 5.0, is the most total M.2 storage on any board covered here besides the high-end pick's six-plus-SlimSAS layout.

Dual Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports at 40Gbps each pair with dual LAN controllers, a 5G Realtek RTL8126 and a 2.5G Dragon RTL8125BG, genuine dual-network headroom for a build running both a fast primary connection and a secondary wired link.

Rear I/O adds four USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports at 10Gbps alongside the Thunderbolt ports, and Clear CMOS plus BIOS Flashback buttons handle a bad overclock or failed firmware update without opening the case.

Wi-Fi 7 covers current wireless standards, and the dual-PCIe-slot layout, one PCIe 5.0 x16 and one PCIe 4.0 x16, gives a build room for a secondary expansion card without giving up the primary GPU slot's full bandwidth.

It's the pick for a build that specifically wants dual Thunderbolt 4 and dual-LAN networking together, a combination none of the other eight boards on this list offer simultaneously.