To use Intel's Arrow Lake range of Core Ultra 200 series processors, you'll need an LGA1851 motherboard. At launch, only Z890 motherboards were available and these boards aren't cheap, offering considerably more firepower than most people will require. They're overkill and some even cost the same as an entire system build. That said, we've rounded up some of the best motherboards available for Intel Core Ultra 200 processors. If you're an Intel fan and are excited about the upgrade, you'll need one of these as the foundation of your next PC build.

Best motherboards for Arrow Lake in 2024

MSI's MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi is the same motherboard we used in our Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. It's an impressive piece of kit with a gorgeous PCB design. This motherboard has it all, but let's start with connectivity. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports are included in the rear I/O stack, along with 5Gbps and 2.5Gbps ports for high-speed networking, and Intel's Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 for wireless connections. You won't find one USB 2.0 port here, with all 10 USB-A ports capable of handling up to 10Gbps. Internal headers are a similar story with enough bandwidth for 4 USB-A 2.0 ports, 4 USB-A 5Gbps ports, and a single USB-C 20Gbps port.

Power delivery is handled through a 20+1+1+1 VRM delivery design with beefy thermal pads atop the MOSFETs. The heatsinks atop the VRMs handle heat output (unlike some motherboard designs) and are connected via a single heat pipe. All four M.2 slots are equipped with passive cooling and can be removed without using a screwdriver. DDR5 RAM can hit speeds of 9200+, though you'll likely be somewhere in the 7000s as the sweet spot for these Intel processors. Overclocking the CPU and RAM is easy through MSI's convenient UEFI BIOS and the stealthy design with minimal RGB lighting makes this a good choice for most PC builds.

The ASRock Pro-A WiFi is a great choice for those who do not require anything thrilling or powerful. This basic motherboard has the all-important Z890 chipset but misses out on many of the more advanced features found on other more expensive motherboards. You won't find a single RGB LED on this board, though there are some headers to drive RGB accessories should you have any inside your PC case. Even the M.2 slots have no passive heatsinks aside from the primary PCIe 5.0 slot, resulting in quite the barebones design. It's striking at first but you'll barely notice once everything is installed, including a large graphics card.

We've got a 16+1+1+1+1 power phase design that should be able to handle all Intel Core Ultra 200 CPUs, though I'd advise against serious overclocking even though ASRock does provide a 16-pin array for providing the CPU with ample power from the PSU. The VRMs have minimal passive cooling and will get hot under heavier loads. There are plenty of fan headers on this board and there are even headers for case USB-A and USB-C connections. ASRock focused on getting the essentials right with this board, cutting out anything that isn't "required" for a capable PC build.

The next motherboard in our Intel Core Ultra 200 series line-up is the impressive Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite WIFI7. This is more reasonably positioned than some extreme motherboards for Intel Arrow Lake, though you won't feel like you're missing out on much unless you're an enthusiast equipped with LN2 cooling for some world record-breaking. There's full DDR5, Thunderbolt 4, and PCIe 5.0 support with a capable 16+1+2 power delivery design. This should be ample for running even the Intel Core Ultra 9, though I'd steer clear of serious overclocking.

Thankfully the VRMs are covered by a beefy heatsink that actually dissipates heat and you've got passive cooling for all four M.2 slots. Being marketed as a "DIY-friendly" motherboard, Gigabyte added an EZ-Latch for quick and convenient M.2 removal, the same for the primary PCIe slot, and there's an LED for debugging, though this should be standard on every motherboard. Connectivity is solid too with 2.5Gb networking, Wi-Fi 7, and some USB ports though the total number seems to fall short on the rear I/O compared to other motherboards in this category.

Moving up the ranks is the Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Apex. It has everything you'd require for a powerful PC build, including an overkill power delivery system consisting of a 22+1+2+2 teamed design, huge VRM heatsinks to handle the additional heat output through higher overclocking, plenty of AI features, and some rock-solid connectivity. There are plenty of USB ports on the rear panel and main PCB for hooking up premium cases with excellent front-facing I/O. Though it may be outside of your PC budget, it's a must-have for anyone planning to take their performance figures seriously.

Where this board does fall short (and it's strange for a board costing this much) is the lack of any quality-of-life features for M.2 and PCIe slots. There's no easy latch release for PCI or M.2 which is a weird omission. This is found on considerably cheaper motherboards from competitors so it would have been good to see here with the Z890 Apex, but it doesn't affect performance so I won't penalize it too heavily. Everything else about the ROG Maximus Z890 Apex is spot on and worthwhile if you plan to push your system harder.

How to pick the right motherboard

Picking the right motherboard for your Intel Core Ultra 200 series processor is easier than you may think. So long as the socket is LGA 1851 and the chipset supports the 200 series, you're good to go. All Intel Core Ultra 200 CPUs only support DDR5 RAM, so you can use the same modules between these motherboards and your GPU will work fine regardless. Only when you get the M.2 storage, overclocking, and connectivity will you see stark differences between various models. Some motherboards will have Wi-Fi 6, others will have Wi-Fi 7. Most will have speedy 2.5Gb networking but you can pick up one with 5Gb if you have the networking infrastructure.

If you need to connect a host of peripherals to your PC, you'll need to ensure the motherboard has ample I/O on the rear and through internal headers. Pushing your system harder will put more strain on components, namely the voltage regulator modules (VRMs). More expensive motherboards will typically have better cooling for these sensitive components, as well as easy-release latches for PCI and M.2 slots, and other quality-of-life features. Our top pick for the Intel LGA 1851 platform is the mighty MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi thanks to its feature set, though we recommend some considerably more affordable options if it's out of your budget.