Please help me choose a Z790 board!
Please help me choose a Z790 board!
Hey everyone, I’m planning to assemble a PC by late November and am going through the details. To be honest, I’m a bit stuck on the motherboard choice. There are so many options and they all look quite similar, which makes it hard to decide. Here’s a quick rundown of what I have so far:
- CPU: i7-13700K Cooler
- Motherboard: ?
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6600 CL32
- Graphics: The cheapest 4080 at the time of buying
- Case: Fractal Design North, black with glass side panel
- Power Supply: Quiet operation required!
- Storage: Old setup – WD BLACK 4TB SN850X NVMe M.2 SSD, Samsung 870 QVO 8TB 2.5", plus two WD Red Plus 12TB 3.5" HDDs
- Usage: Gaming, video editing, local AI tasks
I’m thinking about a case fan setup with Noctua F12 PPC-3000 109.89 CFM, three 120mm units.
I’m moving my existing drives to this new build:
- WD BLACK 4TB SN850X NVMe M.2 SSD
- Samsung 870 QVO 8TB 2.5"
- Two WD Red Plus 12TB 3.5" drives
I’m open to suggestions on any Z760 motherboards, especially if they might outperform the Z790s. I’m not into RGB, preferring a darker board for a cleaner look. I want to stay under £250/$250, and Wi-Fi is nice but not essential. Bluetooth is important too, since I use some peripherals.
Speed matters: RAM needs to be 6400 MHz or higher, ideally above 7000. I’m open to any advice on choosing the right board and components. Thanks in advance for your help!
High cost Peerless assassin 120 and its versions offer better value compared to the expensive u12a 6000c32/30. Those should match the performance of the pricier u12a 6000c32/30 when considering Hynix dies. Certain kits like TForce Classic 5600C46 might provide a guaranteed Hynix die, but there are some special options worth checking. For maximum performance, consider a 1200W unit or a 1000W model if you're after platinum. Arctic P12 is likely more affordable while still delivering similar results to the Noctua fans mentioned by @RONOTHAN. If you're curious about DDR5 dual-rank OC, single-rank only supports up to 48GB (2x24GB), which could push over 8000GB if the motherboard supports it. However, if you're focused on high RAM options, AMD IMX is much more stable than Intel in this regard. For further details, explore the Buildzoids channel (AHOC), as I haven’t explored DDR5 much yet and am currently overclocking DDR3 on an X58 with nehalems and 1:1 uncore memclk.
This cooler isn't sufficient for the 13700K. You'll likely need a dual tower setup such as the Thermalright Peerless Assassin, ideally with a 360mm AIO. With the 14th generation release expected soon, I’ll hold off on checking the 14700K just to observe. If nothing else, the 13700K is likely to drop significantly in price. The Intel memory controller remains unreliable, making it hard for an XMP fast profile to stay stable consistently. For a 2x32 configuration, the fastest stable setup I anticipate is around 6000 CL30, regardless of the board. Anything above that usually demands manual IMC voltage adjustments; otherwise, consider overclocking yourself to 6800 CL34+. This component could improve with the next generation. Z690 boards generally offer less memory optimization compared to Z790 models, though some Z690 units still manage better overclocking. You might expect a Z690 Tachyon to outperform a Z790 Tomahawk in memory speeds. A 7000+ rating is unlikely with 13th generation chips due to inconsistent controllers, limiting reliable performance even on 4 DIMM systems with 2x16GB. The 6400 rating is unpredictable on dual-channel boards because different CPUs need varying voltages. If these are your priorities, wait for the 14th generation release, which is the only realistic path. Among options, the Aorus Elite AX (especially the latest -X version) is ideal if you want higher specs. For alternatives, the Z690 Carbon/Force boards provide solid features at a lower price, especially if you opt for the same board with a different design. They’re budget-friendly, offer comparable capabilities to the Z790, and are often discounted. If you prefer RGB, just switch it off completely.
Your perspective on memory is highly appreciated. Through some investigation, I strongly differ from your opinion on the cooler. The Noctua NH-U12A outperforms the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 4, even when given optimal conditions. In bench tests, the NH-U12A lags only 1.65% behind an AIO, achieving solid Cinebench scores on a 13900K. I believe it can comfortably manage a 13700K setup. I’d favor an air-cooler since many users face problems with mechanical AIOs over time, and they tend to be quieter in the long term. Reliability and maintenance simplicity are also important considerations.
Hi Ronothan, thank you for your patience. I was busy at work, so staying on the thread wasn't easy. Your guidance means a lot to me. I'm ready to carefully review all your suggestions now. Of course, 14700K could be an improvement, but it will likely cost about £100 more. I'm hoping the price drops to around 13700K when they release it. With a solid motherboard, I can always upgrade later. I'm planning to buy around Black Friday on the 24th of November to secure the best deals for all components. I wasn't expecting you to be so precise.
As this is mainly a creator PC for video editing and possibly local AI tasks (like Stable Diffusion), would I really see a noticeable difference between 6000 CL30 and 6800 CL34? I think the jump to 6800 might reduce the benefit of going up to 6800. But I noticed the latency difference is similar—10ns for both 6000 CL30 and 6800 CL34. That means the CPU's performance is more important than the cooler's specs right now.
Regarding memory stability, do you think it's mainly affected by the CPU rather than the motherboard? Also, Somerandomtechyboi mentioned Hynix A-Die chips. Should I keep an eye on those?
I'm not keen on overclocking; I prefer stock settings. If I decide to go for 6800, I'd rather buy it now since the price gap is only around $30. But you're right about the CPU and motherboard combo—maybe it won't handle it well. I was thinking of the Z760 mainly because updating the BIOS for 13th-gen processors could be tricky. It might limit my ability to upgrade to the 14th generation later.
Yes, I agree with your reasoning about wanting future-proof motherboard support. I might choose 6000MT memory and 13700K now. In a few years, I could upgrade to 14700K and then 7000+ later. Could you explain why you prefer the Aorus Elite AX over the others? Everyone else keeps pushing the Asus TUF GAMING, and I've had some trouble with the MSI M AG Z790 TOMAHA W K's power issues. That made me hesitate.
You've convinced me about the cooler, so I might go with the Thermalright Phantom Spirit. Unless you think it's better to stick with the Thermalright Peerless Assassin? In my video, the Phantom Spirit actually performed better.
Just for fun, if I were considering an AIO, which would you suggest? Thanks again!