why people gets Z270 if Z170 works perfectly if im getting unlocked 7th gen cpu...?

[Blackhole890]

there's no that much improvement, just new octane and 24 lanes instead of 20 pcie for 20-50 bucks more, isnt it?

[TheRandomness]

Because Z170 is going to be phased out, and a Z170 motherboard bought now may require a BIOS flash to work with Kaby Lake CPUs, which (normally) requires a Skylake CPU to do that.

[scottyseng]

2 minutes ago, Blackhole890 said:

-snip-

Z170 needs a BIOS update to use Kaby Lake (7th gen). You might screw yourself over if you have a Z170 board without the BIOS update (Will not start unless you buy a skylake CPU first, then update the BIOS for kaby lake). Alternatively, you'll have to take it to a computer store to update it.

[grayblizzard]

3 minutes ago, Blackhole890 said:

there's no that much improvement, just new octane and 24 lanes instead of 20 pcie for 20-50 bucks more, isnt it?

it is the same reason people got z97 boards vs z87 boards during haswell and haswell refresh

[Droidbot]

different architecture requires different cpu microcode, some z170 boards work with 7th gen procs out of the box but others do not, it's like a minefield. 

you might as well see if you can get a 6700k cheap and combine it with a z170 board, considering there isn't much change even IPC wise with Kaby over Skylake

[Mr.Meerkat]

Some English pliz? 

Anyway, people get Z270 for the i7 7700K is actually due to how the i7 7700K is very likely not to work on Z170 motherboards without a BIOS update plus why wouldn't you want the extra features of the chipset Z270? 

[Biggerboot]

Nope.  Octane may not even be relevant for a while.  It's really for new 14nm investors. If you're building new, then get one, because bios updates.  

 

The tech isn't even really an intel exclusive thing.  The branding itself maybe, but not the concept of RAM for cache.  We're still not seeing that eSATA being used - so invest in new motherboard features with caution. 

[Enderman]

1) no need to deal with bios flashing

 

2) more improvements than just PCIe lanes, look it up

 

3) newer and better lighting, fan control, and many other features simply because its been designed and built more recently

 

4) less feeling of outdatedness since it's the newest socket

[Biggerboot]

2 minutes ago, Enderman said:

4) less feeling of outdatedness since it's the newest socket

Same socket, different series.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

9 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Because Z170 is going to be phased out

What does phased out mean in this context?

[TheRandomness]

1 minute ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

What does phased out mean in this context?

Well, since Z270 is here to replace it, why would they bother to keep producing it?

[Enderman]

6 minutes ago, Biggerboot said:

Same socket, different series.

Meant to say chipset...

[SpaceGhostC2C]

1 minute ago, TheRandomness said:

Well, since Z270 is here to replace it, why would they bother to keep producing it?

I guess they won't. But I'm trying to understand how is that relevant for whether you buy an already produced one. I understand the difference in features OP himself mentioned, but I can't see "phasing out" as a determinant of the purchase decision.

[Biggerboot]

6 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Well, since Z270 is here to replace it, why would they bother to keep producing it?

 

4 minutes ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

I guess they won't. But I'm trying to understand how is that relevant for whether you buy an already produced one. I understand the difference in features OP himself mentioned, but I can't see "phasing out" as a determinant of the purchase decision.

 

To elaborate, it's a similar case to Kaby Lake CPUs too.  They aren't producing both generations at the same time, but the retailers still need to sell the remaining ones off.  

 

If the generation is still selling well enough, what they'll do rather than selling it at the same price, is sell the newer gen slightly above msrp.  That's how the retailer will 'phase out' a generation while not losing money.  Once all of their Z170s and Skylakes are sold, it's likely that Kaby/Z270 will go into its price point and completely replace it.

[NumLock21]

You'll be wasting $50 bucks more for a 1 time use skylake cpu, just to update that bios. So why not just buy the proper board in the first place.

[Enderman]

2 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

You'll be wasting $50 bucks more for a 1 time use skylake cpu, just to update that bios. So why not just buy the proper board in the first place.

Just fyi a lot of motherboards (asus for sure) support bios flashlight without any components installed, so you don't need a skylake CPU.

[NumLock21]

2 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Just fyi a lot of motherboards (asus for sure) support bios flashlight without any components installed, so you don't need a skylake CPU.

Not anymore

[Biggerboot]

3 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

Not anymore

Some high end ones do.  But you don't see it recommended very often because the same people looking to buy a skylake board with a kaby lake cpu are looking at the cheap ones.  You simply just can't.  Wait for H210.

[Enderman]

6 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

Not anymore

Yes they do, almost all high end motherboards from asus have it.

https://rog.asus.com/technology/rog-motherboard-innovations/usb-bios-flashback/

You plug in a USB with the bios on it, click the button, and it flashes.

No need for CPU or ram or GPU or storage.

[NumLock21]

8 minutes ago, Biggerboot said:

Some high end ones do.  But you don't see it recommended very often because the same people looking to buy a skylake board with a kaby lake cpu are looking at the cheap ones.  You simply just can't.  Wait for H210.

There won't be a H210 chipset

 

3 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Yes they do, almost all high end motherboards from asus have it.

https://rog.asus.com/technology/rog-motherboard-innovations/usb-bios-flashback/

You plug in a USB with the bios on it, click the button, and it flashes.

No need for CPU or ram or GPU or storage.

Only high-end ones now like the Deluxe or true ROGs. Not even the Strix has it. Z170-A has the header for them, but you need to buy the module. Problem is, you can't find that module. It's not even on their site. Really old boards like Z77 has it on almost all of them, not just the high-end.

Z270-A lacks that bios flash back header.

 

[Biggerboot]

1 minute ago, NumLock21 said:

There won't be a H210 chipset

My mistake.  Good to know.