looking to get an i7 13700k, can someone suggest a decent mid range motherboard?

[GIJeff]

I only want ddr 4 capability for now and will do only light overclocking. I just want something that will make it easy on me and not require too much manual tweaking. I will not be pushing the clock speeds too far and don't need something too fancy. I don't necessarily need extra features like WIFI and I dont care about RGB or anything cosmetic.

Currently on my aging setup for example I'm using an MSI z270 gaming m6 which I like because the bios literally just has buttons for a light overclock and to turn on XMP ram profiles (yes I know its better/more efficient to do it yourself but this is fine for me).

Some possibles I was looking at but there are so many variations that I just cant tell the difference between all the options.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-MAG-Z690-DDR4-Motherboard/dp/B09GLD72QH/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3DQYTX1BD0CZB&keywords=msi+z690+gaming&qid=1670780458&s=electronics&sprefix=msi+z690+gaming%2Celectronics%2C92&sr=1-4



https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-D4-motherboard-Thunderbolt/dp/B09J1S2LDS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1RTBIXM05M11O&keywords=asus+z690+gaming&qid=1670781284&s=electronics&sprefix=asus+z690+gaming%2Celectronics%2C90&sr=1-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0


https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z690-P-D4-Motherboard-Thunderbolt/dp/B09J1R2HNR/ref=psdc_1048424_t3_B09J1S2LDS

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

Better to get Z790 so you don`t need to update BIOS.
Z690 was for 12th gen and needs BIOS update for 13th gen.

[Komarimaru]

If going 13700k, you'll only see a major benefit if go Z790 and DDR5.

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

Yep, if going for 13th gen i7 and Z790 then better to just go for DDR5 too.

[GIJeff]

Thanks. I dont really think I need DDR5 this is just a gaming rig and any benchmarks I've looked at it doesnt make much of a difference. At least not yet. I can upgrade that with a fancier mobo in a few years when the tech matures. Can someone suggest a 790 board that uses ddr4 with the specs i was looking for in my original post? somewhere between $200-250 hopefully? Just need a half way decent board for light OC and easy switch to XMP ram profiles etc

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

These are your options for Z790 DDR4 board currently:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#c=162&f=2,3&mt=ddr4&sort=price&page=1

This looks decent enough with good power delivery and VRM:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144570?Item=N82E16813144570

[Komarimaru]

GIJeff původně napsal:

Thanks. I dont really think I need DDR5 this is just a gaming rig and any benchmarks I've looked at it doesnt make much of a difference. At least not yet. I can upgrade that with a fancier mobo in a few years when the tech matures. Can someone suggest a 790 board that uses ddr4 with the specs i was looking for in my original post? somewhere between $200-250 hopefully? Just need a half way decent board for light OC and easy switch to XMP ram profiles etc

Reason I said DDR5, is you're buying into a dead platform. At least for Z790 and DDR5, you've upgrade paths in the future, where as the DDR4 path has ended.

There will of course be faster processors and memory as the generation matures, where as the ddr4 generation has ended.

[76561198343548661]

Look at the power phases . 12 and more usually would suffice . Asus/ MSI will guarantee the quality of the capacitators . Afterwards check the details . i like what you ve chosen . 15+ phases .

[GIJeff]

Rumpelcrutchskin původně napsal:

These are your options for Z790 DDR4 board currently:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#c=162&f=2,3&mt=ddr4&sort=price&page=1

This looks decent enough with good power delivery and VRM:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144570?Item=N82E16813144570

thanks!

i see theres a cheaper model to your suggestion can you just indulge me and tell me the difference between the two?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rLzhP6/msi-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4

It looks like the more expensive one has more power connectors and some extra connections for usb etc in the back is that right? Since im only going to be doing a little OCing would the P model suffice? I dont tend to take advantage of a lot of mobo features so just trying not to buy anything i dont need.

[Jamebonds1]

It is nice CPU, so it is better to go for Z790 motherboard.

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

GIJeff původně napsal:

Rumpelcrutchskin původně napsal:

These are your options for Z790 DDR4 board currently:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#c=162&f=2,3&mt=ddr4&sort=price&page=1

This looks decent enough with good power delivery and VRM:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144570?Item=N82E16813144570

thanks!

i see theres a cheaper model to your suggestion can you just indulge me and tell me the difference between the two?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rLzhP6/msi-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4

It looks like the more expensive one has more power connectors and some extra connections for usb etc in the back is that right? Since im only going to be doing a little OCing would the P model suffice? I dont tend to take advantage of a lot of mobo features so just trying not to buy anything i dont need.

A model has better power delivery, with i7-13700K it`s better option for peace of mind even when you don`t OC much.

[GIJeff]

Rumpelcrutchskin původně napsal:

GIJeff původně napsal:

thanks!

i see theres a cheaper model to your suggestion can you just indulge me and tell me the difference between the two?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rLzhP6/msi-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-z790-p-wifi-ddr4

It looks like the more expensive one has more power connectors and some extra connections for usb etc in the back is that right? Since im only going to be doing a little OCing would the P model suffice? I dont tend to take advantage of a lot of mobo features so just trying not to buy anything i dont need.

A model has better power delivery, with i7-13700K it`s better option for peace of mind even when you don`t OC much.

cool thanks again. If i was building a brand new rig from scratch I might go for ddr5 but based on benchmarks right now by the time ddr5 hits its stride ill probably start fresh with new everything

[Arthur]

I'm also looking to get a 12900k/13700k but not sure of what AIO to get. I have a 240mm atm is that enough?

[Crashed]

Komarimaru původně napsal:

If going 13700k, you'll only see a major benefit if go Z790 and DDR5.

Apparently the only meaningful difference between Z690 and Z790 is the USB and PCIe connectivity, and both generations of motherboards supply both an x16 and an x4 PCIe slot (the x4 being M.2) connected directly to the CPU.

[Set-115689]

A z690 with a bios flash back button works ok.

A z790 should be able to take a bit faster ddr5 ram vs a z690. Might not matter much. Drr5 and ddr4 are still close. Drr5 still needs 2 or 3 years to develop and get cheaper.

If your getting an i7-13700k you'll probably have to power limit in the bios or it will run at 245w+ under full load. The higher the power draw the less efficient the cpu is per unit power drawn.

[Crashed]

Set-115689 původně napsal:

A z690 with a bios flash back button works ok.

A z790 should be able to take a bit faster ddr5 ram vs a z690. Might not matter much. Drr5 and ddr4 are still close. Drr5 still needs 2 or 3 years to develop and get cheaper.

If your getting an i7-13700k you'll probably have to power limit in the bios or it will run at 245w+ under full load. The higher the power draw the less efficient the cpu is per unit power drawn.

Doesn't DDR5 currently have particularly high CAS Latency which negates a lot of the performance gains of the higher clock speeds, especially in random access?
As for power limit, I've seen my 13900K peak briefly at 300W running Cinebench.