Entry level Z790 vs higher end Z690. I hope I haven't made a mistake

[no_1_dave]

There isn't much choice of Z790 mATX motherboards so I've ordered a Asus Prime Z790M-PLUS D4 to go with my 13900k (which I ordered at the same time).

I don't plan to overclock the CPU because there are times I leave it encoding video overnight or whilst I'm at work so stability is more important to me than some extra minimal gains to clock speed. I also don't need built in wifi, hundreds of USB ports or decent sound as I only use stereo speakers. When gaming I use a USB headset which skips the onboard sound anyway so on paper what this entry level board offers has everything I need. I also wanted to stay with DDR4 as I have 32GB 3600 already and looking at reviews/benchmarks moving up to DDR5 is not worth the extra cost.

There is one thing that is making me think twice though and that's the power configuration. Will an entry level board like this be able to cope with the 13900k..?

The realistic alternatives are all Z690 boards due to the lack of Z790 in this form factor. However for the same price as the board I ordered I could have gone for a Z690 with more features and importantly (on paper at least) better power delivery. Is it worth returning the Z790 and swapping to a Z690 or am I worrying about nothing?

 

[Tetras]

Does your encoding actually use much of the CPU, or is it GPU/IGP reliant? If it is pegging the CPU at 100% it will get a little toasty, but you may be better off power limiting it anyway (for maximum efficiency in long term loads). Historically the M-ATX Asus boards have been a little weak, but this one doesn't look bad and it has a very hefty set of heatsinks.

 

[mickyflinn]

I think you will be fine with the z790 prime (hehe it rhimes) yes it doesn't have the best set of vrm 10+1 dr mos but it's pitched at an entry level board, the z690 version has he same vrm .

 

[no_1_dave]

Does your encoding actually use much of the CPU, or is it GPU/IGP reliant? If it is pegging the CPU at 100% it will get a little toasty, but you may be better off power limiting it anyway (for maximum efficiency in long term loads). Historically the M-ATX Asus boards have been a little weak, but this one doesn't look bad and it has a very hefty set of heatsinks.

Yea, it'll be pegged at 100% so I may use a power limit depending on temps

I think you will be fine with the z790 prime (hehe it rhimes) yes it doesn't have the best set of vrm 10+1 dr mos but it's pitched at an entry level board, the z690 version has he same vrm .

This is what worries me, the VRM. 10+1 is lower than the mid-range Z690 boards and the 13900k can pull a lot of power

 

[mickyflinn]

Yea, it'll be pegged at 100% so I may use a power limit depending on temps



This is what worries me, the VRM. 10+1 is lower than the mid-range Z690 boards and the 13900k can pull a lot of power

What z690 are are you looking at you will need one with bios flashback to update the bios so the 13900k works ?

 

[Tetras]

Yea, it'll be pegged at 100% so I may use a power limit depending on temps

The 13900K can use over 350 watts when it is not power limited, which isn't going to be easy on any board, but the reviews are often worst case scenario at max boost clocks/volts and with little to no airflow over the VRMs.

You might find this interesting:

Testing and Tuning the new 13900K for Efficiency

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[IT Troll]

The Z790 mATX options are indeed very limited. I wanted DDR5 and so had no choice but go with the Strix Z690-G (slightly more expensive than the Z790M-PLUS D4). Coincidentally, I upgraded from the MSI Z390M.