Do motherboards specified as 8th gen Intel run 9th gen i9-9xxx CPU?

hoek88

n00b
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
49
There are a lot of 300 series motherboards listed on newegg as 8th gen only or just 8th gen with no mention of 9th gen, so if you are getting a 9th gen processor do you have to buy a motherboard that specifically says 9th gen in the description? if 8th gen mobo fits 9th gen cpu is there some limitation or drawback or are the terms completely interchangable?

for instance this motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144166

vs this motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813145095
 
Last edited:
Bring up the product page for the motherboard in question and see if it supports 9th gen with a bios update. I would think that most of the boards Newegg sells will work with 9th gen as long as it has a properly updated bios. If you were trying to upgrade an 8th gen chip in a Dell or something, that might be a little different story.
 
wow, thanks for the fast response! that was a good idea.

I brought up this motherboard for instance, listed for $78
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144166


and there was a support page about supported processors
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/H310-A-PRO#support-cpu

and when you download the zip its definintely a BIOS update.


-------------------------------------------------------------
H310-A PRO (MS-7B83) V1.3 BIOS Release
-------------------------------------------------------------

1. This is AMI BIOS release

2. This BIOS fixes the following problem of the previous version:
- Support the latest generation CPU.
- Update Intel Micro code for security vulnerabilities

3. 2018/7/26


Should one be leery about this? would you get less performance because of this post modification? basically would there be less performance because its not supported out of the box.
 
Last edited:
The only reason to expect a lower performance is if there is not sufficient power for the newer processor. Even then it should run fine at stock speeds.
 
i9-9900k and MSI B360-A Pro compatible? according to the BIOS update they have it is.
 
It may be compatible but the main concern that pops up in most forums would be overclockability and quantity/quality of VRM cooling to handle the 9900K. If you were just going to pop the CPU in you should have no problems, overclock is where concerns would be raised.
 
It may be compatible but the main concern that pops up in most forums would be overclockability and quantity/quality of VRM cooling to handle the 9900K. If you were just going to pop the CPU in you should have no problems, overclock is where concerns would be raised.

This, but why would you(OP) be splurging on a 9900k with a low-mid tier, locked board? Sounds silly to me.

If you're buying new, you should really be looking at the latest chipset to go with it, Z390. Doesn't have to be a 'high-end' board, just a decent one with solid VRMs. Please don't pair the 9900k with a B360 board..
 
What's a bit confusing, it appears you're looking at mining boards not sure you need a 9900k for that. The gigabyte z390 board would be best fit for the 9900k, otherwise I think you may need to explain what your use case is.
 
Also don't forget that in most cases you actually need a working CPU to update a BIOS.
 
People (with obviously too much time...) found a way to run 9xxx CPU's on Z170 motherboards so there is nothing stopping any 3xx series motherboard from technically doing the same ;)
 
Also don't forget that in most cases you actually need a working CPU to update a BIOS.

I wish people would stop saying this. Although you should check to be sure, many models these days (especially with the premiere chipsets) can update the BIOS without a CPU or RAM even being installed in the first place. There is a specific IC on the motherboard that provides this functionality.
 
I wish people would stop saying this. Although you should check to be sure, many models these days (especially with the premiere chipsets) can update the BIOS without a CPU or RAM even being installed in the first place. There is a specific IC on the motherboard that provides this functionality.
There are still quite a few boards without it, especially medium to lower end.
Some of them go as far as having soldered bios chips and you have to send it back to the manuf. if you need to update it w/o a cpu (looking at you EVGA with the Z370 boards)
 
There are still quite a few boards without it, especially medium to lower end.
Some of them go as far as having soldered bios chips and you have to send it back to the manuf. if you need to update it w/o a cpu (looking at you EVGA with the Z370 boards)

I take issue with the blanket statement that you always need an older CPU to update the BIOS. It isn't true. There are also plenty of cases (especially with Intel systems) where the CPU will "work" but shows as "unidentified" or shows some microcode name or something like that. It will work well enough for you to update the BIOS even if the CPU isn't recognized properly. So even in cases where you don't have an IC that allows for flashing without a CPU, you can often still do it on Intel based systems. AMD's are another story. It works less often with those.
 
I take issue with the blanket statement that you always need an older CPU to update the BIOS. It isn't true. There are also plenty of cases (especially with Intel systems) where the CPU will "work" but shows as "unidentified" or shows some microcode name or something like that. It will work well enough for you to update the BIOS even if the CPU isn't recognized properly. So even in cases where you don't have an IC that allows for flashing without a CPU, you can often still do it on Intel based systems. AMD's are another story. It works less often with those.
I never said that you always need an older CPU to update, I just said there are "quite a few boards" without that direct flash feature, as I pointed out the Z370 series of EVGA's board is one of those examples.
That is a feature related to the mobo manufacturer and has nothing to do with Intel (though the Intel brand boards do have the feature more often, as you already mentioned).

Edit: Nvm you were referring to the previous about most cases needing a working cpu to update, gotcha.
I'd guess its about 50/50 on whether the board has the feature nowadays at least with intel boards.
 
I never said that you always need an older CPU to update, I just said there are "quite a few boards" without that direct flash feature, as I pointed out the Z370 series of EVGA's board is one of those examples.
That is a feature related to the mobo manufacturer and has nothing to do with Intel (though the Intel brand boards do have the feature more often, as you already mentioned).

Edit: Nvm you were referring to the previous about most cases needing a working cpu to update, gotcha.
I'd guess its about 50/50 on whether the board has the feature nowadays at least with intel boards.

The feature is more common among specific brand. ASUS has it on allot of models as an example. On the AMD side I think fewer motherboards support that feature for cost reasons but the bigger issue is that I've found fewer cases of AMD CPU's that are unsupported working well enough to allow a flash anyway. It is very common for this to work on Intel based systems so long as the processor changes from one generation to the next aren't massive. If the core counts are the same it usually works. When going from say an 8 core to a 10 core when the board couldn't be QVL'ed against 10-core CPUs when it originally launched, it isn't likely to work. On the AMD side, there isn't much of a pattern to make an educated guess as to if it will work or not. It usually doesn't.

I run into cases where I end up using a CPU on a board that hasn't been flashed to support it far more than most. As a result, most people don't see cases of that working. When you deal with ES CPU's, you see this allot.
 
Let's get back on topic with the OP.

OP, I highly suggest you consider a cheaper alternative. Someone listed the i7 8700, which would do great for all tasks, run quieter/cooler than a k model, and considering you're not overclocking pair well with a B-class board. If all you're doing is gaming, you really won't see a huge difference here. https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i9_9900K/13.html - the 8700k still keeps up with the 9900k here, and the 8700, though not listed, will be right up there. That's for 1080p, if you're doing higher res gaming, it really won't matter IMO.

That said, if your primary goal is just gaming, balance out your build and grab a 9700k and Z-class board. It's still more than enough, and if it's ever 'not quite' enough, then consider overclocking.

Alternatively if all you need are threads, consider the 2700x from AMD instead! Then you can pair with a b-class board, still retain OC'ing, and it'll cost you less overall..

Would be good to know your use-case! :)
 
The feature is more common among specific brand. ASUS has it on allot of models as an example. On the AMD side I think fewer motherboards support that feature for cost reasons but the bigger issue is that I've found fewer cases of AMD CPU's that are unsupported working well enough to allow a flash anyway. It is very common for this to work on Intel based systems so long as the processor changes from one generation to the next aren't massive. If the core counts are the same it usually works. When going from say an 8 core to a 10 core when the board couldn't be QVL'ed against 10-core CPUs when it originally launched, it isn't likely to work. On the AMD side, there isn't much of a pattern to make an educated guess as to if it will work or not. It usually doesn't.

I run into cases where I end up using a CPU on a board that hasn't been flashed to support it far more than most. As a result, most people don't see cases of that working. When you deal with ES CPU's, you see this allot.

Maybe my info is a bit outdated, I went by the fact that AMD was even lending out CPU's to flash BIOS' when they launched their new APU's
 
Maybe my info is a bit outdated, I went by the fact that AMD was even lending out CPU's to flash BIOS' when they launched their new APU's


Again, that was a long time ago. Additionally, AMD boards often omit certain costly features like that on the budget side.
 
$20 eeprom writer, $5 SOIC clip, never worry about motherboard flashing again. You can even be the hero for your idiot friends too.

Get a nicer one, then it can be used on lots of other embedded stuff,
 
$20 eeprom writer, $5 SOIC clip, never worry about motherboard flashing again. You can even be the hero for your idiot friends too.

Get a nicer one, then it can be used on lots of other embedded stuff,

Typically not necessary. Even if a motherboard has only a single, non-removable BIOS ROM, you can often still recover from a bad flash. Many, if not most motherboards from the major brands support some kind of blind flash recovery. Even the lower end boards we've reviewed here typically have that feature and have for years. That said, we don't typically get into the ultra low end nor do we usually look at motherboards with lower end chipsets on them.
 
There are a lot of 300 series motherboards listed on newegg as 8th gen only or just 8th gen with no mention of 9th gen, so if you are getting a 9th gen processor do you have to buy a motherboard that specifically says 9th gen in the description? if 8th gen mobo fits 9th gen cpu is there some limitation or drawback or are the terms completely interchangable?

for instance this motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144166

vs this motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813145095

If you're not planning on ever overclocking then you really should save yourself some money and get a Non "K" series chip. Especially, if you're looking at lower end motherboards. Dropping 500+ bucks into a 9900K only to drop it into a low end main board doesn't make much sense.

Get yourself a 8700 (non K) for 314 bucks and drop it into whatever 300 series board you want to. If you want to save yourself some money and you want the flexibility of overclocking, without issues for dropping a 9 series chip into a 300 series board go with what I did, about 100 bucks for a Gigabyte Z370P D3, I own two of them. One operates an 8600K and one operates a 9600K. That's something else you might look at, shooting a bit lower like the 8600/9600 for half the price of a 9900K. Just my two cents.

FYI the Z390 version of the Z370 board only costs 9 bucks more than the 370 one.
https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Z39...B8VPWWC0RMV&psc=1&refRID=8VDA1FJXFB8VPWWC0RMV
Just noticed that your second example is this board... lol...

The reason for the higher end board in any case is the RAM speed compatibility (on Intel, AMD seems better in this regard across most boards). RAM speeds can really help if you're not over-clocking your CPU for some games. Also, you want those VRMs not to light on fire attempting to provide juice to your higher end CPUs. So, while you might be able to get away with a 310 series main board... I would imagine that over time that 9900K is going to beat the living shit out of it's ability to deliver power to the CPU. It's really not a board that's designed with higher end chips in mind. Hand in hand with that a board with a decent VRM/power delivery system is going to last a lot longer, be more stable and deliver sufficient juice to your components.

I'm with you on your line of questioning. Before I got into over clocking I went for the best budget board that supported a decent CPU. If you're intent on going cheap I wouldn't go much below this one:
https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-B36...750&sr=1-2&keywords=intel+8th+gen+motherboard

The 310 Gigabyte model might save you 20 bucks but just look at the power delivery chokes and the VRM and you will see even less than the 360 boards there. That 9900K or anything in the i7 range is gonna draw some extra juice under load and it might not be pretty if it hoses your PC because you went too cheap on the main board.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top