Discussion Can someone explain to me why intel motherboards are so gosh darn expensive compared to am4?

[jordanbuilds1]

still on the hunt tryna build this pc, but i noticed that intel motherboards are 5x more expensive than am4 motherboard, why so?

 

[punkncat]

Which "this pc"?

What boards for comparison sake, and are they a similar generation?
AM4 boards are getting long in the teeth relatively speaking. Anything 12-14th gen Intel Chipset is technically "current". Many of the higher end i5/i7 CPU are power hogs which require good PCB and VRM so there is that aspect....

 

[jordanbuilds1]

Which "this pc"?

What boards for comparison sake, and are they a similar generation?
AM4 boards are getting long in the teeth relatively speaking. Anything 12-14th gen Intel Chipset is technically "current". Many of the higher end i5/i7 CPU are power hogs which require good PCB and VRM so there is that aspect....

to answer question one, ive been saving up a bit more so now my budget is around 400-450 bucks.
2. anything from 10th-11th gen (even just using an i3), for example the average am4 board:
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-PRO-MAX-...m&qid=1711079264&sprefix=b450m,aps,196&sr=8-2
vs the average intel mobo: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-H510M-L...1&sprefix=lga+1200+motherboard,aps,298&sr=8-4
and for the third thing, i can see that being a factor, but why do people keep recomending me the 10100f if the amd equivelent motherboard is much cheaper?

 

[punkncat]

In a case like this you both have to watch demand as well as to consider the popularity in the scope of New Old Stock. 10/11th gen Intel weren't particularly popular. (side note to say that in general the 10th gen i9 variants were THE way to go on that platform) The sale prices of retailers trying to liquidate has passed and at this point they are just shooting for whatever. Back a short time after 12th gen came out I picked up a Z590 Unify for $99 on clearance, new. I cannot imagine what that board cost now, if you could find it.

AM4 is WELL more popular than the Intel mentioned above and also has at least semi-recent new releases on it. 5xxx are a hard value not to consider, even still.

Aside from the above...if you are thinking of going with AM4 and want to leave open the option of a better CPU if a good deal comes along you really should consider a better motherboard than the choices above. If you never plan to go above that 3/5 (CPU) level it may well work out just fine. Otherwise...if you are going to consider Intel right now on the value side you should honestly consider moving up to 12th gen at the very least.

 

[punkncat]

Sorry to double post on you, I didn't look back in consideration of your budget and how much of a system that is to cover. If that is your complete budget I might suggest you consider stalking your local sales outlets for used systems, be wary, and try to score a lucky pick.

 

[dwd999]

There is sort of an ironic reversal in price for older equipment. Once the closeout sales are finished the price of older equipment actually goes up because the sellers figure that you're desperate for that piece of equipment as a replacement for your earlier version that died. They figure that you've got all of the other outdated parts of the computer and that they can charge you more for the motherboard or cpu because you need that replacement to make your computer operational again.

 

[Eximo]

Quite simple LGA1200 boards are out of production, everything that is left is high priced because all of the cheaper boards have sold out.

AM4 boards are still being made as well as AM4 CPUs. 5700x3d was only recently launched.

LGA1700 boards are also still in production. Which is why my recommendations to you in other threads have been to start with Alder lake CPUs. The processors are more expensive, but the motherboards cheaper, so you end up paying the same and getting a faster CPU.

With 450 you could do something like this. Intel GPUs are a little questionable, but basically the fastest GPU for the least amount of money. As long as you stick to more recent games they run fairly well.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M-HDV/M.2 D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($33.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Intel Arc A380 Challenger ITX Arc A380 6 GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A550BN 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $457.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-22 09:41 EDT-0400

 

[Eximo]

You could also find a used GPU for a similar amount and put that in there.