Question I purchased an Asus AP201 MicroATX case - - - motherboard suggestion for Intel build ?

[schancy]

Hi All,

Just wanted an opinion between on these three motherboards for a small MicroATX build for my daughter. I'm no stranger to building PCs, built my current AMD AM5 rig, my wife's AMD AM4 rig, as well as countless others over the years, having come from my prior 2600k system that lasted more than 10+ years.

Having said that, this one is a bit of a 'fun' build in the sense that it's unconventional - my daughter is getting more proficient using a computer and I wanted to build her one - she doesn't technically 'need' one yet, but hey, sometimes we, as parents do things that are fun for more than just our kids 😉.

I'd like to make this an all-Intel build - I know folks here will say that's dumb knowing the dead-end socket support for Intel vs potential for AM5 with support until 2026, and financially it's not the best price to performance, but that's the fun part, I want to do this just because - already purchased an ARC770 and an Asus AP201 case. Now I'm looking at the motherboards for whatever Intel CPU I can find on sale in the near future.

Thoughts on these three motherboards:

* ASRock Z690 MPG RIPTIDE / D5
* ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi
* MSI MPG B760M EDGE TI WIFI

All are DDR5, but only one is the Z690 chipset, which doesn't come with a WiFi adapter, that I'd have to purchase separately. I don't plan on overclocking her PC at all, but might want the functionality to undervolt a bit and it seems the B760 chipsets don't always play nice with that?

Which board most appeals to you in the mATX format, or is there another one you'd suggest? I'll likely pair it with a 12600K (or maybe even something less powerful like a 12100f and upgrade a few years from now to something else - like a 14600k or something). Thank you for your help!

Right now I'm leaning towards the Z690 motherboard because of flexibility down the road, but honestly, the B760 motherboards seem better outside of the overclocking potential...Level 1 tech had some good things to say about the Asrock B760, the MSI seems new as of January 2024, so not many reviews out on that yet, but the backplate seems much more up to date than some of the legacy connectors offered by the Asrock, and well, the Z690 seems like a pretty basic one (sadly) compared to some of its ITX counterparts...but this is what I get for going off the reservation a bit to have some fun. Again, thanks in advance - advice, criticism, critiques welcome.

 

[Lutfij]

I would grab a Z790 chipset motherboard and overclock both the ram and CPU. Gt a K suffix processor since the iGPU can be invaluable when you need to diagnose discrete GPU(or display problems in general).

Might want to stylize your post with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

If you're located in the US, PCPartPicker helps consolidate all links to one, before pulling the trigger.

 

[schancy]

I would grab a Z790 chipset motherboard and overclock both the ram and CPU. Gt a K suffix processor since the iGPU can be invaluable when you need to diagnose discrete GPU(or display problems in general).

Might want to stylize your post with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

If you're located in the US, PCPartPicker helps consolidate all links to one, before pulling the trigger.

Thank you. Will do.

Any reason for the Z790 over the Z690?

I’ll do some more research and see if others have any thoughts here. Appreciate it.

 

[NedSmelly]

If you’re planning on using an Arc GPU then don’t get an F CPU. Arc has Deep Link Hyper Encode that can leverage the dGPU and iGPU video encoders simultaneously.

 

[Lafong]

Be VERY careful about your power supply choice. VERY.

That case has an odd PSU mount location that requires an internal extension cord. Some PSUs will be all but impossible to use due to the specific orientation of the 3 prong plug and the cramped space. Some PSUs will have NO issue. Others highly frustrating. It's a documented issue you can investigate with a search engine.

Easy solution is to use another case with a standard PSU location that does not require the internal extension cord. But maybe you are committed to the AP201?

If you think you might end up with a 14600 eventually, you might as well get a 700 series board. Micro ATX should be fine. I'd look at Gigabyte Aorus series or MSI Mag Mortar.

 

[schancy]

If you’re planning on using an Arc GPU then don’t get an F CPU. Arc has Deep Link Hyper Encode that can leverage the dGPU and iGPU video encoders simultaneously.

Thank you - I ended up with a 12700k on sale after I started reading about Deep Link. Will likely upgrade later to the highest end I can go in this board if it's reasonable (and by later I mean 3-5 years from now). I'm sure this CPU will hold up for my daughter just fine. Probably could have gotten away with the 12600k and two less cores, but for another $50 it was worth it.

 

[schancy]

Be VERY careful about your power supply choice. VERY.

That case has an odd PSU mount location that requires an internal extension cord. Some PSUs will be all but impossible to use due to the specific orientation of the 3 prong plug and the cramped space. Some PSUs will have NO issue. Others highly frustrating. It's a documented issue you can investigate with a search engine.

Easy solution is to use another case with a standard PSU location that does not require the internal extension cord. But maybe you are committed to the AP201?

If you think you might end up with a 14600 eventually, you might as well get a 700 series board. Micro ATX should be fine. I'd look at Gigabyte Aorus series or MSI Mag Mortar.

Ah yes, I actually saw that on several Reddit posts after your post and ordered a different internal PSU cord that I could swap out if the PSU I put in front doesn't allow for a good bend off the 90 based on plug orientation. Saw some fun AP201 builds, so I figured I'd give an all mesh one a try. Thank you for your recommendation.

Will check those two boards out!

 

[schancy]

Last question for anyone who cares to play along - I noticed that MSI board I originally listed had much better VRMs for a higher power rating 70 vs 50 on the Asrock units, which might be useful down the road if I ever drop in a high end version like a 14900K or something when it’s cheaper.

I looked for MATX boards with the z700 series and they’re hard to find in stock…

Do you think that $100 z690 Asrock board on Amazon is that bad just to start out with and add a WiFi card?

 

[Lafong]

Is there an over-riding reason you need Z rather than B?

Several B760 series matx easily found from Gigabyte and MSI in the 180 to 200 dollar bracket. Good features and VRM. Have not checked Asrock.

You can easily have good, bad, or mediocre luck with any brand, but I'd certainly try to get up into the mid-price tier unless budget is a major deal.....rather than 100 dollar level.

I've had an Asrock matx working flawlessly for 8 years. It could die in the next minute. I've never had issues with Gigabyte. Never owned MSI. Had bad luck with Asus. If I were buying tomorrow, I'd likely go with MSI or Gigabyte. All of that is just my personal anecdote/history rather than something you should take seriously.

 

[schancy]

Is there an over-riding reason you need Z rather than B?

Several B760 series matx easily found from Gigabyte and MSI in the 180 to 200 dollar bracket. Good features and VRM. Have not checked Asrock.

You can easily have good, bad, or mediocre luck with any brand, but I'd certainly try to get up into the mid-price tier unless budget is a major deal.....rather than 100 dollar level.

I've had an Asrock matx working flawlessly for 8 years. It could die in the next minute. I've never had issues with Gigabyte. Never owned MSI. Had bad luck with Asus. If I were buying tomorrow, I'd likely go with MSI or Gigabyte. All of that is just my personal anecdote/history rather than something you should take seriously.

I thought I read that a Z board was needed to undervolt these processors, but then I came across a Reddit thread that motherboard manufacturers are sometimes implementing the updated Intel microcode while others allow ways around the undervolting, even on Z boards...so maybe I need to do more homework - off to PCPartPicker I go again lol - which I think was my main problem the first time - looking at what Newegg and Amazon had and not actually looking at the PCPartPicker filter..

In short, I just wanted the option of being able to undervolt and run the chips a bit cooler, or prevent thermal throttling. I didn't think that was an option with a B board?

I don't really care too much about overclocking this time around - not much headroom anyway on these chips compared to the old days...was more just for the undervolt.

 

[35below0]

If you can find a MSI MPG z790 EDGE WiFi, take a look at it's price and decide if you want to swallow that.

mATX PCs can be more trouble than they're worth but that's part of the fun. The low and mid tier boards are usually not equipped with the best VRMs. Since you're going with an i7 and looking at an i9 down the road, i would urge you to spend on a tough motherboard. MSI has it's foibles but VRM isn't one of them.