Z690 vs Z790 - Is there any difference?

[MHMabrito]

I intend on buying the i9-13900ks when they release to replace my 9900k. I wanted to pick up the z790 EVGA Dark Kingpin board for it, but got just an offer for a Z690 Asus Maximus Extreme for under $400 USD never opened by a buddy. What kind of hit would I be taking going the z690 platform over z790? Will it affect gaming performance at all?

Thanks!

[ZetZet]

If you're going with DDR5, which I think you will be considering the processor choice then Z790 will handle higher DDR5 speeds. Other than that the differences are negligible. 

 

I'd take the Z690 board. 

[MHMabrito]

1 minute ago, ZetZet said:

If you're going with DDR5, which I think you will be considering the processor choice then Z790 will handle higher DDR5 speeds. Other than that the differences are negligible. 

 

I'd take the Z690 board. 

I already snagged a good deal on 4 sticks of g.skill Trident Neo Z5 6400mhz CL 34, which people have been using on the z690 boards I believe.

[ohitsluca]

To my knowledge, its just some extra PCI-E lanes on Z790 basically. Don't think theres a difference in gaming performance between the 2

 

edit: forgot that Z790 can do higher DDR5 OC speeds too

 

Just a heads up though -- Z690 boards need a BIOS update before you can use 13th gen processors with them. I didn't realize this before I bought a 13900K and a Z690 board, but fortunately my board had a bios flash feature. So I would get a board that has a bios flash feature, unless you want to gamble on the correct bios version being installed already

[MHMabrito]

4 minutes ago, ohitsluca said:

To my knowledge, its just some extra PCI-E lanes on Z790 basically. Don't think theres a difference in gaming performance between the 2

 

Just a heads up though -- Z690 boards need a BIOS update before you can use 13th gen processors with them. I didn't realize this before I bought a 13900K and a Z690 board, but fortunately my board had a bios flash feature. So I would get a board that has a bios flash feature, unless you want to gamble on the correct bios version being installed already

The z690 Maximus Extreme has BIOS FlashBack, but how do you do that without being able to get into windows?

[ohitsluca]

42 minutes ago, MHMabrito said:

The z690 Maximus Extreme has BIOS FlashBack, but how do you do that without being able to get into windows?

Connect the mobo (with nothing installed on it) to the 24 pin and 8 pin connectors, plug a USB stick with the BIOS file into the labeled USB port on the back of the board, and then press the flash / flashback button to install it

 

There will be more detailed instructions in your manual... (might have to rename the file, etc) but if you get a board with that feature it can be done without a CPU installed.

 

Source: I just did this yesterday on the MSI Z690 Force motherboard with a 13900k lol. It's not a difficult process, but be sure to pay close attention because if the board powers off during install you can brick your board

[Guest]

1 hour ago, MHMabrito said:

I already snagged a good deal on 4 sticks of g.skill Trident Neo Z5 6400mhz CL 34, which people have been using on the z690 boards I believe.

4 sticks at 6400? You'd be doing very well to get that going on a z690?

 

If you've already got those sticks, I'd say that's a good reason to go z790?

 

Much more likely to be able to run at full speed? 

[MHMabrito]

5 minutes ago, Glenn-Tidbury said:

4 sticks at 6400? You'd be doing very well to get that going on a z690?

 

If you've already got those sticks, I'd say that's a good reason to go z790?

 

Much more likely to be able to run at full speed? 

I've seen builds with these sticks and this specific board - so I imagine its fine?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, MHMabrito said:

I've seen builds with these sticks and this specific board - so I imagine its fine?

No worries, just from what I've seen, getting full speed with 4 sticks is not usually easy.

 

Hell, even with 2 sticks and a 4 slot board, I still can't get full speed on mine. Granted, mine is a much cheaper board and only a 12700k.... but still, just something to be aware of.... might be false economy to go cheap on the board (like I did) and end up not being able to get the most out of your ram?

[MHMabrito]

I think generally, and even through testing done by LTT - you can achieve the same results on cheap or expensive boards. It comes down to what additions you want on your board.