Question Motherboard for a Core i7-14700 ?

[jnjnilson6]

A friend of mine is upgrading his machine. He is going from:

Box: Cooler Master N400
CPU: Core i7-6700
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-P
RAM: Corsair 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz
GPU: Sapphire RX 580
PSU: 1200W Cooler Master
SSD: 500 GB

To:

CPU: Intel Core i7-14700
Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S
Motherboard: ASUS Z690 or Z790 (in the worst case B760; with DDR4 support)

He's also thinking of getting 64 GB DDR4 and with his current 16 GB - making it about 80 GB in total. He will also be getting a Samsung 980 Pro SSD.

Now the main question is this:

He will be getting a 14th gen. CPU (Core i7-14700). All motherboards require an updated BIOS for 14th gen. support and we do not know if the one he'll receive after purchasing would have a BIOS version the same as (or higher than) the one providing 14th. gen support.

1.) We do not think of getting a cheap 12th gen. Celeron to update the BIOS with.
2.) We do not trust giving the machine out to a hardware store so they update the BIOS from there.
3.) We have been looking for ASUS LGA1700 motherboards with USB BIOS FlashBack but cannot find any.
4.) We do not know if EZ Flash will work in the scenario in which the BIOS version of the motherboard is earlier than that required for 14th. gen. CPUs.

What can we do to get the Core i7-14700 running at the proper BIOS versions keeping all this in mind? The Core i7-13700 is priced synonymously and yet proves slower than the Core i7-14700 so getting it instead is only a last resort option.

Thank you!

 

[Eximo]

Mixing memory doesn't usually work that well, and mixing an older DDR4 stick with a more recent one is going to be wildly different chips. Probably not worth it over just getting the 64GB of memory now.

With flashback, cheapest models I believe. ASUS really doesn't do much interesting stuff with motherboards any longer to be honest.

DDR4
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZM...0-motherboard-rog-strix-b760-a-gaming-wifi-d4

DDR5
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tc...1700-motherboard-rog-strix-b760-a-gaming-wifi

 

[Lutfij]

You're looking at a non-K suffix processor, you can look at the B series chipset.

He's also thinking of getting 64 GB DDR4 and with his current 16 GB - making it about 80 GB in total. He will also be getting a Samsung 980 Pro SSD.
Do not mix and match ram kits, instead go for a brand new ram kit. To add, Corsair are the only ram brand that have PCB revision numbers to denote a change on their IC's during the assembly process, since they source IC's from various manufacturer's.

 

[jnjnilson6]

Mixing memory doesn't usually work that well, and mixing an older DDR4 stick with a more recent one is going to be wildly different chips. Probably not worth it over just getting the 64GB of memory now.

With flashback, cheapest models I believe. ASUS really doesn't do much interesting stuff with motherboards any longer to be honest.

DDR4
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZM...0-motherboard-rog-strix-b760-a-gaming-wifi-d4

DDR5
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tc...1700-motherboard-rog-strix-b760-a-gaming-wifi

Thank you incredibly much for the motherboards and for the advice about the RAM. I remember I helped him build the rig back 9 years ago. The Core i7-6700 and DDR4 were just hitting it.

I would like to ask if there are any cheaper DDR4 motherboards supporting USB BIOS FlashBack.

The current RAM is 2x8 (16 GB) at 3000 MHz with model number: CMK16GX4M2B3000C15

Would the current RAM run well alone on the new LGA1700 motherboard? Would it really be impossible to run it alongside newer RAM? Newer RAM such as:

 

[Eximo]

3000 CL15, and you are looking at 3200 and 3600 kits. The thing is you can always try, just no guarantee it will boot, or that you won't be forced to run 2133 or 2400 to get them to play nice together. Just not worth it.

Same price, probably go for the Aorus. Saving about $50, more than enough for DDR5 in place of DDR4.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/N6...x-ax-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-gaming-x-ax

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2v...x-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-aorus-elite-ax

I think the cheapest DDR4 board with flashback is that ASUS.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-14700 2.1 GHz 20-Core Processor ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory ($167.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $737.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-25 13:45 EDT-0400

 

[faalin]

I know when i did mine, 14700kf with an Asus Prime Z790-A the top M.2 and PCIe slots did not work. I installed the GPU, since the cpu doesnt have on chip graphics, in the bottom PCIe slot and was able to boot to the bios and do the update from there.

As far as i understand, any PCIe lanes that run off the CPU wont work till you get the updated bios, but the computer will boot with the 14700 installed.

 

[luck8vip]

Im using 2x xeon 2680 v4 (Total: 56 Threads) - 4x 16GB 2666 Mhz (Total: 64GB). Its much better effect.

 

[USAFRet]

He's also thinking of getting 64 GB DDR4 and with his current 16 GB - making it about 80 GB in total.

Don't bother.

80GB has no benefit over 64GB.

Mixing that may work, it may fail.

 

[jnjnilson6]

3000 CL15, and you are looking at 3200 and 3600 kits. The thing is you can always try, just no guarantee it will boot, or that you won't be forced to run 2133 or 2400 to get them to play nice together. Just not worth it.

Same price, probably go for the Aorus. Saving about $50, more than enough for DDR5 in place of DDR4.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/N6...x-ax-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-gaming-x-ax

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2v...x-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-aorus-elite-ax

I think the cheapest DDR4 board with flashback is that ASUS.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-14700 2.1 GHz 20-Core Processor ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory ($167.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $737.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-04-25 13:45 EDT-0400

Thank you very much.

My friend currently has the Cooler Master N400 box, the ASUS Z170-P motherboard and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooler. It is pretty hard to put in more than 2 memory sticks in the 4 slots due to the cooler.

My question is if he gets the ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-PLUS II motherboard (which supports 14 gen. CPUs from all BIOS versions) and replaces the ASUS Z170-P with it in the Cooler Master N400 box, additionally installing the Noctua NH-U12S Cooler, whether the RAM slots would all be available for usage and whether the PCIe 5.0 slot would be available too (in terms of providing space for handling the Sapphire RX 580). This keeping in mind the current motherboard - ASUS Z170-P - is ATX and that the new one - ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-PLUS II - micro-ATX.

Thank you!

 

[35below0]

The AsRock z690 Extreme is the one. Down to only $130 - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FNWzK8/asrock-z690-extreme-atx-lga1700-motherboard-z690-extreme

It has everything and best of all, no Armory Crate...
Miles better than B760 boards, plus cheaper
It's equipped to handle the 14700K
Doesn't need a CPU to flash to latest BIOS, only connected PSU for the power.

I suggest buying a 14700K. It'll probably be cheaper, and there is no penalty at all to using the K version. You're getting a CPU cooler anyway. 14700 is fine too.

Your friend can keep the 16Gb RAM. Or they can buy a brand new 2x16 kit. But i think the speed of the new computer will be such that they won't feel the limit of 16Gb.
If they do, make sure it's a new 2x16 kit for a total of 32Gb. Don't bother with 64, unless you want slow RAM?