5 Best z170 Mini Itx Motherboard For Gamers & for Mining Cryptocurrency

The first thing that comes to our mind when we hear about the best z170 mini motherboard is the reason behind the popularity of this motherboard model. No surprise, the best mini itx motherboard fulfills gaming and everyday computer needs. 

So here we will discuss the best z170 cheapest and will help you to understand how to choose the best one for you. Besides, z170 features, advantages, and disadvantages will help get an idea of how much your PC building plan is worth. 

No matter if you want to build a pro gaming CPU or skylake CPU, the best mini itx motherboards are very much a performer. Also, the optimization and overclocking look as usual like other motherboards.

Our top choices

Here you guys will see the topmost features for every ITX motherboard we are going to present here. The best features help to find what they are best for, like gaming, mining, or video editing.  

Best for Mining Cryptocurrency: ASUS Prime Z390-P LGA1151 

Asus Prime Z390 is the current best motherboard for mining cryptocurrency among mini itx motherboards. 

Best for High End Jobs: ASRock Mini-ITX Motherboard 

ASRock mini itx needs to be associated with top-notch GPU, Memory cards, and other things. It will heat up if you try to run it with an average GPU. 

Best Motherboard for 9th Gen Intel: GIGABYTE B365M DS3H 

This motherboard supports 9th Gen intel core processors and provides great support on 8th and 7th, Gen. 

Best ROG Mini ITX for Gaming: ASUS ROG Strix Intel Z490-F Gaming 

It meets the demand to run with 10th Gen Intel processors. The model of ASUS ROG is suitable for gaming because it has better heat dissipation.  

Best for Turbo M.2 Slots: MSI Z390-A PRO LGA1151 

If you use NVMe SSDs, the MSI PRO LGA 1151 M.2 slot ensures 32gb/s speed. 

Top z170 Mini ITX Motherboard

Here, we’ll review our top mini itx motherboards and try to give you guys a detailed idea about them. The product features are for understanding what you’ll get from any specific z170 mini itx motherboard, and the overview includes their size, dimensions, weight, and heat matters. 

For understanding their bad and good sites, we will give honest opinions on the pros and cons. Finally, we’ll talk about who may benefit from purchasing any specific itx motherboard. 

ASUS Prime Z390-P LGA1151 

As a brand, ASUS produces the best gaming consoles, and no wonder asus z170 a atx ddr4 motherboards are always in the talk of the town. The ASUS Prime z370 is compatible with Intel Core 9th generation’s processors and comes with fully customizable performance. It provides 5X protection III using FanXpert 4 fan, and the PCle slots prevent the damage caused by heavyweight GPUs.  

ASUS Prime Z390-P LGA1151 

Highlighted Features:

  • Gives better DRUM overclocking stability with the help of M.2, USB 3.1 Gen2
  • It comes with a safe slot core that safeguards the hardware, and the LANGuard gives protection against overvoltage
  • The Asus z170 motherboard features Fan Xpert 4 with an AIO Pump header and provides a dynamic cooling system
  •  Furthermore, it is suitable for eight-channel HD gaming and features Realtek high-definition audio
  • Simplifies the CPU overclocking, providing software and some great tweaking options
  •  It supports 32 Gbps data-transfer speed
  • The 5050 RGB strips connecting to the RGB header help us to create our own color system

Pros

  • Delivers solid power for the entry-level board.
  • Compatible with 9th generation Intel core processor.
  • Flexible fan control in BIOS.
  • The BIOS is pretty easy to use and has various options.

Cons

  • Only 4 SATA connectors and 2 M.2 connectors.
  • Only six holes are available though it has the size of ATX.

For Whom

This ASUS motherboard is suitable for the 9th generation Intel core, you guys can use it for gaming soles or mining cryptocurrency.

ASRock Mini-ITX Motherboard 

ASRock mini itx motherboard is suitable to combine with Ryzen 5 2400G, 16 GB of Team Dark pro 3200 C14, and 1Tb western Digital M.2 SATA drive. But adjusting VRAM with this motherboard is absolutely a pain. But you can do it with advanced processes through BIOS. The Memory speed of the ASRock mini itx motherboard is 3200MHz, and the RAM memory is 32 GB. Dimensions are 6.69 x 6.69 x 1.5 inches, and weight is nearly 2 pounds. 

ASRock Mini-ITX Motherboard 

Highlighted Features:

  • It comes with socket AM4, eight power phase design, Digi power design
  • ASRock mini itx supports both 95W (Summit Ridge) and 65W (Raven Ridge) water cooling systems
  • Compatible with the chipset of AMD Promontory B450 and Windows 10 64 bit
  • Compatible memory 2x DDR4-34466+
  • DIMM slots, ECC and non-ECC, dual-channel, all the features make it one of the best in the market
  • Provides 2x PCI-Express 3.0 slots

Pros

  • Comfy for gaming.
  • Wireless LAN support and high-speed wireless connections.
  • Adjust with the latest BIOS version.
  • Zero issues in performance.

Cons

  • The ASRock quality control system is worse. Often people get bent capacitors.

For Whom

Suitable for the person who is interested in building a powerful PC. You can’t use an average APU or chipset with it.

GIGABYTE B365M DS3H 

GIGABYTE is popular among its customers because it offers integrity and quality. It had to strive to come its current position over the years by providing the best possible customer services. Also, GIGABYTE upgrades their versions and ensures the latest technology. This itx mini motherboard is compatible with DDR4 RAM and 8th generation Intel core processor, and It offers memory speed around 266Mhz and 64 GB memory. The dimensions of GIGABYTE B365M are 10.43 x 10.43 x 2,12 inches. 

GIGABYTE B365M DS3H 

Highlighted Features:

  •  It is compatible with Dual channel non-ECC DDR4
  • The hybrid digital PWM design gives a dapper look
  • Audio noise guard with LED trace path ensures high-quality audio output
  • It uses Ultra-fast M.2 associated with PCIe and includes a SATA interface
  •  The RGB LED strips in 7 colors
  • Multiple temperature sensors ensure exquisite temperature reading
  • Further, it includes Hybrid fan headers, anti-sulfur resistors, ULtra durable resistors, and 15 Kv surge LAN protection

Pros

  • Smallest footprint than most microATX motherboards.
  • It supports the GEN processor and F5 BIOS version!
  • 3 system fan plugs.
  • There are labels on the motherboard for led jumpers, rest, power, and ram slots.

Cons

  • The metal thing this motherboard Socrates is the metal cover of a CPU.

For Whom

Anybody who thinks of the GIGABYTE as a budget mining motherboard is completely wrong. I’ll say it is suitable for only video editing.

ASUS ROG Strix Intel Z490-F Gaming 

Very few do not know about the ROG model of ASUS. Even the ASUS intel z170 motherboards have minor issues, but they work fine. But updating the BIOS is quite facile. You have to download a BIOS, put it in the BIOS USB port, and wait for the light to stop flashing. It comes with the chipset Intel z490 and has 4600 MHz memory speed. RAM memory is up to 128 GB and uses PCI-E graphics card interface. 

ASUS ROG Strix Intel Z490-F Gaming

Highlighted Features:

  • It features DDR4-SDRAM
  • It comes with USB 3.2 Gen 2 type A and type C ports
  • The ASUS ROG is built for performance gaming and comes with Sonic Studio III, Sonic Studio virtual mixer, Sonic Radar III, and DTS sound Unbound
  • It has Safe Slots for multi GPU
  • On the tops, the ROG logo gives it a premium look

Pros

  • Handles I9-10900 K and RTX 2080 super quite well.
  • Easy installation process.
  • Heat sinks are useful.
  • Effective automatic CPU overclocking.

Cons

  • It is suitable for some specific RAM models.

For Whom

ROG is popular for it’s gaming performance, so no doubt this itx motherboard is built for gaming PC.

MSI Z390-A PRO LGA1151 

MSI pro series motherboards are popular for their top-notch performance and clever best solutions. The MSI Pro motherboards fit on any PC and make our life easier. Because for MSI, you can have any GPU or RAM type you prefer. Also, most of the MSI motherboards are the latest storage standards, so you can connect them with any kinda ultra-fast storage device.

The memory speed of it is around 4400MHz and compatible with DDR4. The dimensions of this motherboard are 12 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches. 

MSI Z390-A PRO LGA1151 

Highlighted Features:

  • Compatible with 9th i9-9900K, i7-9700K, i6-9600K, and 8th generation intel core
  • Features with Turbo M.2 PCI-E interface that maximizes the performance of NVME SSDS
  •  12 (8 +4) CPU power connector
  • Suitable for windows 10, 64 bit
  • The core Boost technology provides undistorted current to the CPU
  • The heatsink on the VRM helps from excessive heat to build up
  • Audio comes with HD audio processor and provides high-quality sound
  • PCI-E steel armor slots are made for services for a long time

Pros

  • Excellent build quality.
  • Customizable BIOS and heart UI.
  • Various overclocking features.
  • Live update for drivers and BIOS.

Cons

  • The BIOS keeps losing drive config.

For Whom

Surely for gamers. Especially those who want to have a premium quality motherboard and have the gut to spend money.

Read more: what CPUs are compatible with my motherboard?

What to consider Before Buying 

So far, we’ve talked about the different motherboard brands and their features. Though the dimensions are very important for every itx mini motherboard, there are some other factors. Here, we’ll try to grab the ideas of what things everyone should consider just before buying an itx motherboard. 

RAM

From z170 motherboard reviews, we learned about the RAM capacity of mini itx motherboards. Yes, this motherboard is highly convenient, but it doesn’t allow higher RAM capacity. You can’t add more than two DIMMs for your RAM, which sometimes creates problems for those who work in Solid Work software.  

RAM Slots

If you are going to get a gigabyte ga z170n gaming five you must know how much RAM will install after having this motherboard. But we like to recommend you to get at least 16 GB of internal RAM of the motherboard even if you don’t plan to get any new RAM right away. That’s why our suggestion is to get a four-slot mini itx motherboard as you don’t know if you need to expand your RAM in the future. 

Case Size

If anyone likes to develop his casing aesthetically, he should buy a suitable motherboard. In fact, the motherboard consumes most of the room of a CPU casing. So don’t get any motherboard that would be compact inside your CPU casing. Try to get one that stays in the middle of a casing.

Memory Slots

Memory slots are important because they are a must to overclock your pc. It means you have to ensure there are more memory slots other than dual channels. Again this feature is only needed if you want to overclock the CPU. Even if you don’t have any idea about overclocking, you can buy motherboards with extra slots. 

SATA Ports

SATA ports indicate how much storage device you can connect with your pc. Every SATA port helps us to connect storage and optical devices. SO you can connect your SSD or HDD with SATA ports, and don’t forget to get a motherboard with SATA 6 standard port. 

Additional Things to Look At

Including additional features are completely up to you. You can have RGB headers for systematizing the effects. Also, don’t forget to ensure the onboard audio and onboard wifi for wireless connectivity.  

FAQ

How big is a mini itx motherboard?

Most of the mini itx motherboards have a length of around 6.7 inches and a width of 6.7 inches. But all of the mini itx motherboards have 4 mounting holes.

Where are all the z170 mini itx motherboards?

The itx mini motherboards are used in the configuration of smaller devices like low-cost setup for cars, network boxes, and other less powerful computers. But most of the Z170 mini itx motherboards are suitable for cryptocurrency mining and gaming. 

FINAL NOTE

Listen, we are talking about Mini itx motherboards only because we all know things are going into nano shapes day by day. SO it’s worth it to introduce and have a Z170 mini itx motherboard for our PC. Also, mini itx motherboards are cheap in price.

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