MoBo options..... why are there so many???

[FirstDue224]

Budget (including currency): 200

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for:  1440p Gaming with light video and photo editing 

I would like advice and would like to know what other people are running. I'm trying to upgrade my MOBO and CPU. I think I settled on I5-12600k for my CPU but I'm having trouble figuring out which MOBO to pick. there are so many to choose from and I get data overload when I start looking. any assistance would be appreciated 

 

[Ryuikko]

Most boards would be fine since the 12600k isn't as bad as something like a 12900k. The b660 x ax should be well within budget and you can get yourself a 12700f for the 2 extra p cores.

What's your planned build currently?

[FirstDue224]

i don't really have a plan. I am just upgrading my current system of I5-8400 with a 1050ti. to a 12th gen. and a 3060.

 

i keep flipping back a forth on the I7 and I5. if you were a sales men, sell me on the extra cost of the I7.

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, FirstDue224 said:

I think I settled on I5-12600k for my CPU

I'd wait for the 13600K to release before finalizing that decision (it releases October 20th and should be a ~15% uplift over the 12600K with more cores), but since they're both Intel CPUs the motherboard topic should go either way. 

 

When picking a motherboard, there are 4 questions that you need to ask about it:

1. Does it have all the features I need? 
   1. If you need WiFi for example, make sure to get a board with WiFi or make sure that a WiFi add in card would be possible for less than the cost of just getting a board with WiFi. If you need Thunderbolt, make sure it has Thunderbolt. If you need 8+ USB Type A ports, look for one with 8+ Type A ports, and so on.
2. Does it have a good enough VRM for the highest end CPU I'm likely to put in the system.
   1. If you wanted to possibly go for a 13900K sometime down the road, you're gonna want to get a nicer motherboard than if you were planning on just getting a 12400F and never touching it again. Most Z690/Z790 boards are very overbuilt for a 12600K, and fairly adequate for the 13900K, so this basically just means avoid the bottom of the barrel boards without any VRM heatsinks (I.E. don't get a B660M-P if you want to go for anything better than the 12600K).
3. Does the board have any weird issues that make it a bad decision
   1. Take the B550 Master (it's not an Intel board, but it's my usual example) has a very weird dual BIOS implementation that is more annoying than helpful since it just randomly switches BIOS chips as your overclocking. 
4. Could you stand the sight of it in your system?
   1. Basically, do you care about aesthetics, and is the board aesthetically pleasing. This is completely optional, but figured I might as well throw it in there. 

Your goal is to find the cheapest boards that meets all of the above criteria. 

 

If you're gonna overclock, the Z690-A Pro is usually a good option in any of its flavors, whether you need WiFi or want to use DDR5. If you aren't gonna overclock, the B660-A Pro is solid, and same with the B660 Gaming X, again in their respective flavors.