MSI B660M Mortar vs. Asus Z690M Plus

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[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm looking for a Micro-ATX board that handle a 12700k.

Seems like the B660M board has better VRM than the Z690M - meaning, that the Z690M board can't even overclock (which is its only purpose) or that the B660M board is overkill (which is not what I've seen according to reviews).

How much could you really overclock a 12700k anyway? Doesn't it go up to 5.0Ghz stock? Would both board handle that with their respective VRMs?

Thanks for the help!
 
the msi mortar line is higher end than the asus prime line. a more "apples to apples" would be the TUF series. i think....
either would do, it they both meet your needs, they look like solid boards.
no, i wouldnt expect a huge oc on them but both board will handle stock just fine.
 
Well, I'm comparing them because at the moment and in my part of the world they're the exact same price.

It seems like the B660M board is superior on every level (aesthetics, VRM, 7.1 audio, 2.5Gb internet, etc.).. but then why didn't they just make it Z690M?

What am I losing by going with the B660? I certainly don't need more than 2 M.2 slots and I don't see why 5.4Ghz over 5.0Ghz is worth the hassle of even entering the BIOS.

Maybe I'm missing something.. it has been 10 years since I fully built a serious gaming rig.
 
Well, I'm comparing them because at the moment and in my part of the world they're the exact same price.

It seems like the B660M board is superior on every level (aesthetics, VRM, 7.1 audio, 2.5Gb internet, etc.).. but then why didn't they just make it Z690M?

What am I losing by going with the B660? I certainly don't need more than 2 M.2 slots and I don't see why 5.4Ghz over 5.0Ghz is worth the hassle of even entering the BIOS.

Maybe I'm missing something.. it has been 10 years since I fully built a serious gaming rig.
they make the mag z690m and the only differences are colour, having wifi and ddr5
 
I have just looked at the various Z690 boards from both MSI and Asus. Unfortunately, with either brand you will have to settle for a B660 chipset if you want decent VRMs on a mATX motherboard form factor and still use DDR4 RAM. The VRMs on the Z690 board that's both mATX and DDR4 may not handle a 12700K or higher at even stock speeds; in fact, it may just barely suffice for an i5-12400.

Both companies do offer good-quality Z690 motherboards in mATX - but unfortunately, you will also have to pony up a lot more money for DDR5 RAM (which as of this posting still cost double that of an equal amount/quantity of DDR4 RAM).

Plus, is there any reason to restrict yourself to these two brands?
 
I'm looking for a Micro-ATX board that handle a 12700k.

Seems like the B660M board has better VRM than the Z690M - meaning, that the Z690M board can't even overclock (which is its only purpose) or that the B660M board is overkill (which is not what I've seen according to reviews).

How much could you really overclock a 12700k anyway? Doesn't it go up to 5.0Ghz stock? Would both board handle that with their respective VRMs?

Thanks for the help!
b660M mortar is a good board. VRM temps are great for a 12700k with the power/turbo limits maxed out.

12700k is an incredible CPU. I'm sure you will be happy wiht it, without overclocking. I have one.
 
Unfortunately, with either brand you will have to settle for a B660 chipset if you want decent VRMs on a mATX motherboard form factor and still use DDR4 RAM.
Yup, that has been my conclusion after several days at looking at all the models.

I think I'm going to go with the B660M Mortar Wifi, which is oddly cheaper than the B660M Mortar (non-Wifi). Maybe it's because it's silver and people don't like the color?

I've noticed the same thing with the H100i Elite cooler - the white version is quite a bit cheaper. I hope they won't clash lol
 
I think I'm going to go with the B660M Mortar Wifi, which is oddly cheaper than the B660M Mortar (non-Wifi). Maybe it's because it's silver and people don't like the color?
I don't know where you live, but if the wi-fi version is cheaper for you, then don't hesitate at all. It's by far the best B660M right know. Where I live the non wi-fi version is almost €30 cheaper.
Good B660Ms are hard to find, and when they don't transform your CPU in an oven, they have annoying problems like XMP compatibility (Gigabyte) or really poor I/O (MSI B660M-A).
The Mortar is more expensive than what it should be, sadly there are barely no good alternatives at the moment.
 
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