I’m building a new PC (first one in many years). Mostly used for work and some gaming (4070 TI).

I’ve already bought the I7-14700K and 2x16gb of Corsair 6200MHz, CL36 DDR5 RAM (Micron die?) but need to decide on which motherboard to buy.

The Z790 adds an extra USB port and an additional 8x PCIe 4.0 lane. The Z790 is also has higher max RAM speed of 6800 vs 6400 and better compatibility with DDR5?

I’ve narrowed it down to the MSI Tomahawk Z690 or the Z790. The Z690 is 150 USD cheaper than the Z790. Is there enough to justify paying that much more for the Z790? Which one would you guys recommend?

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  • JTG-92@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Honestly, i see little value in spending $150USD more for a Z790, when a Z690 can do for the most part all the same stuff.

    All you need to decide on, is do you really care about an additional USB port and do you even have a use for an additional 8x PCIe 4 slot?

    Because the DDR5 ram compatibility should be of zero concern to you, considering that the chosen ram is already within spec, not to mention it comes down to the CPU more so to run it, and a 14th Gen IMC is about as good as it gets.

    If it was an AMD build, you should be concerned, but your on the totally opposite end of that spectrum for compatibility and with the latest BIOS update on a Z690, you shouldn’t be surprised if you could run even faster ram than its meant to be rated for.