I have 10850K. Get Z490 or wait for Z590 Motherboard

edo101

Limp Gawd
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Hi 10 years removed from building PCs. Got a deal $240 deal on a 10850K. I am eager to finally upgrade from my i7-930 but someone recommended I wait for alleged Jan 11 launch of Z590 for future proofing. I truly don't know what to do now. I was set on the Z490 ROG Strix https://www.newegg.com/asus-rog-strix-z490-e-gaming/p/N82E16813119268 (which apprently doesn't support PCI-E 4)
or the Taichi Z490: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157922

I also looked into the MSI Unify: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E168131...i_unify-_-13-144-299-_-Product&quicklink=true
but hated the fact it had no iGPU outputs on board

Now I game at 4K and have a 1080 Ti. My plan was to get a 2080 Ti (3D Vision games) and later on a 3090 (2D games0. I also might get a cheaper NVME SSD for my OS. I doubt it'll nbe PCI-E 4 becaue i typically go for real world performance not benchmarks.

What should I do? I also hear Rocket Lake is limited to 8 cores? I really don't see myself downgrading core count just for better IPC. Unless Intel gets desperate and release a 10 Core Rocket Lake CPU. So I am mulling over what future proofing I'd need out of the Z590.
I don't upgrade frequently though I do suspect I'll do one in 5 years and not 10 like the i7-930.
 
5 years from now it won’t matter. We don’t have a firm release date yet on Z590, and currently you’re not going to notice a difference with PCIE3 vs 4 unless you’re running high end storage workloads or disk benchmarks. I’d go ahead and get a 490 board.
 
Some of the gigabyte z490 boards kind of support pci-e 4. you will need rocketlake for pcie 4 support, your 10850k won’t support pcie 4 on a z590.

if you’re concerned about pcie 4 and may upgrade to rocketlake I’d find a z490 board that mentions pci 4
 
I mean if you're not in a super big hurry, 5XX boards are coming in January.
 
totally agree with ya kirbyrj, but then might as well get full rocket lake cpu/mobo for pcie 4 support.

I think he already has the CPU as he has mentioned in one of this 15 threads telling everyone he got it for $240. But the motherboards are theoretically coming out a full 2 months before the RKL CPUs.

It sounds like he isn't a big believer in PCIe 4.0 (and he's right at some level about the lack of difference for a home user), and already has a PCIe 3.0 CPU, so even if he doesn't buy a 5XX board, he might find a lower price on a 4XX board when the new ones release. I'd probably get a 5XX board anyway as he might fall into a RKL CPU later like he did with the $240 10850k.

Even a midrange Z490 board should get a CML CPU to it's max OC.
 
I think Rocket Lake would be a v. small upgrade from a 10850K in most cases given what little is known about RL performance.

and who knows how hard Intel's new chipset launch will be, maybe just get a Z490 board now and you'll be set for awhile.

the bigger perf. upgrade will be Alder Lake, which will require a new socket and new DDR5 memory anyways.
 
I think Rocket Lake would be a v. small upgrade from a 10850K in most cases given what little is known about RL performance.

and who knows how hard Intel's new chipset launch will be, maybe just get a Z490 board now and you'll be set for awhile.

the bigger perf. upgrade will be Alder Lake, which will require a new socket and new DDR5 memory anyways.
You hit my key point. January is a rumor, and we’re even assuming that it’s not a paper launch. Who knows when you can even buy one.
 
Only Rocket Lake can use PCIE 4.0, so the board matters not for Commet Lake. Even then 4.0 on z490 does exist.

There's no reason NOT to get the 490 really. Both z490 and z590 are EOL platforms at launch. Your next "upgrade" is going to probably be PCIE 5.0 DDR5 and everything you have now will be obsolete. I migrated all my existing stuff from a z270 to a z490 with that same CPU as I didn't have an 4.0 SSDs or GPUs and my waterblocks were all intel socket. Haven't looked back.
 
I think he already has the CPU as he has mentioned in one of this 15 threads telling everyone he got it for $240. But the motherboards are theoretically coming out a full 2 months before the RKL CPUs.

It sounds like he isn't a big believer in PCIe 4.0 (and he's right at some level about the lack of difference for a home user), and already has a PCIe 3.0 CPU, so even if he doesn't buy a 5XX board, he might find a lower price on a 4XX board when the new ones release. I'd probably get a 5XX board anyway as he might fall into a RKL CPU later like he did with the $240 10850k.

Even a midrange Z490 board should get a CML CPU to it's max OC.
Only Rocket Lake can use PCIE 4.0, so the board matters not for Commet Lake. Even then 4.0 on z490 does exist.

There's no reason NOT to get the 490 really. Both z490 and z590 are EOL platforms at launch. Your next "upgrade" is going to probably be PCIE 5.0 DDR5 and everything you have now will be obsolete. I migrated all my existing stuff from a z270 to a z490 with that same CPU as I didn't have an 4.0 SSDs or GPUs and my waterblocks were all intel socket. Haven't looked back.
I heard they were supposed to release Jan 11. I suppose its only 2 more weeks? I don't wanna wait any longer lol. And yeah Ive had that 10850K since Dec 24 now. actually thought I woulda sorted and built it by middle of this week but still delibrating on which cooler to get to help my get 5.0Ghz all core if possible and of course the Z590 or Z490 debate. I hear some Z490s do have PCI-E 4. not sure which. I also know I am not going to downgrade from 10 to 8 cores assuming Intel stays true and won't release an 11950K that has 10 cores SOAREVERSOR kirbyrj Odifer
 
That release date is for the motherboards and is a rumor; release can mean an announcement, availability, or just pictures- we don’t know what’s going to actually happen on the 11th, and even if it’s a release, we don’t know what it will be like to try and get one. Right now, you can get z490 boards. When will you be able to actually easily buy a 590? No idea.
 
Get a Z490 board now. Where you should wait is on the GPU. Unsure how much you're going to pay for your 2080ti but hopefully it won't be retail. Buy a 3000 series or 4000 series (if you can wait that long).
 
Get a Z490 board now. Where you should wait is on the GPU. Unsure how much you're going to pay for your 2080ti but hopefully it won't be retail. Buy a 3000 series or 4000 series (if you can wait that long).
I need to get a 2080 Ti at some point in 2021 for 3D Vision and a 3090 later
 
Gigabyte's Z490 lineup have PCIe 4.0
I went ahead and got the Asrock Taichi Z490. it has PCIe 4.0 from what I can tell. The Gigabyte reviews were all over the place. Especially on newegg. Didn't wanna risk it lol.
 
I went ahead and got the Asrock Taichi Z490. it has PCIe 4.0 from what I can tell. The Gigabyte reviews were all over the place. Especially on newegg. Didn't wanna risk it lol.
Looks like a very good choice from the specs and yes it is ready for pcie 4 from their claims.
 
Gigabyte's Z490 lineup have PCIe 4.0

Doesn't matter for a 10850k, it's 3.0. The PCIE issue is on the CPU, not the mobo. Technically virtually all z490s are 4.0 compliant if you slap a gen 11 Core into it.

The issue is that he has a 10core CPU, and Rocket Lake maxes out at 8 cores so it would be a downgrade regardless of the meager IPC gains.

It's an EOL platform. Next big thing is alderlake with ddr5, pcie 5.0 and blah blah blah.
 
Doesn't matter for a 10850k, it's 3.0. The PCIE issue is on the CPU, not the mobo. Technically virtually all z490s are 4.0 compliant if you slap a gen 11 Core into it.

The issue is that he has a 10core CPU, and Rocket Lake maxes out at 8 cores so it would be a downgrade regardless of the meager IPC gains.

It's an EOL platform. Next big thing is alderlake with ddr5, pcie 5.0 and blah blah blah.

Not necessarily. If the IPC uplift is big enough, 8C/16T will actually be faster in ST and MT than a slower 10C/20T CPU.
 
Its going to take about 6 months for user reviews to come out. I just built a 10850k yesterday with a z490 Asus Tuf just because it was the only Asus board that didn't have Lan port issues.
 
Its going to take about 6 months for user reviews to come out. I just built a 10850k yesterday with a z490 Asus Tuf just because it was the only Asus board that didn't have Lan port issues.
Which LAN port issues?
 
Its going to take about 6 months for user reviews to come out. I just built a 10850k yesterday with a z490 Asus Tuf just because it was the only Asus board that didn't have Lan port issues.

Must be because it's still "only" a GbE vs the 2.5G LAN. I have a Strix Z490-G and I never had any issues with the LAN port. They just did a firmware update for it also independent of the regular driver update.
 
Yeah I noticed it wasn't a 2.5 Lan on the Asus TUF board I looked at the reviews on Amazon and didn't see any bad reviews with ethernet or lan port issues on the wifi version of the board. So I wonder with the Z590 boards have fixed the issue there isn't any problems with MSI or ASROCK board which I almost considered getting but wanted a Asus since my last board a ASROCK Taichi Z370 which was ok but with the reviews of the Veolicita on Gamerz Nexus had me worried.
 
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Buy a 6 core x5675 for $22 on ebay and overclock it abit. Wait till jan or the next generation of chips.
 
I have the same predicament. I own an unopened 10850K cpu still in its box and I'm now looking for a motherboard. Is there any reason I should go with the older z490 when most z590 boards tend to offer better native support for PCIe 4.0? z590 is an immature chipset compared to z490 so have there been any major problems reported so far? I like the idea that the asus z590 MB I'm considering has three m.2 ports instead of two for the z490 version. I just don't see any real reason why I should go with the older chipset if cost is not a consideration.
 
I have the same predicament. I own an unopened 10850K cpu still in its box and I'm now looking for a motherboard. Is there any reason I should go with the older z490 when most z590 boards tend to offer better native support for PCIe 4.0? z590 is an immature chipset compared to z490 so have there been any major problems reported so far? I like the idea that the asus z590 MB I'm considering has three m.2 ports instead of two for the z490 version. I just don't see any real reason why I should go with the older chipset if cost is not a consideration.

Z490 is cheaper and you're not going to get PCIe 4.0 on the 10850k anyway. Rocket lake is a turd so there's no point in even wasting your money on Z590, especially since Intel is going to have another CPU socket later this year.
 
But, but, but......if you want 3 M.2 ports, then the Z590 is for you, just remember,

This is one major reason I'm seriously considering a z590 - multiple m.2 slots. My case is cluttered with old 128GB, 250GB & 500GD SSDs and I want to just get rid of them (actually just transfer them to my backup computer). The Asus z590 MB I've been eyeing actually has four m.2 slots. But I realize now that it's almost scam... Intel sells the cpus at great low prices then you have to pay full price for a motherboard (which are very rarely on sale, though sometimes you get a decent combo for a good price) so I probably shouldn't be holding my breath for a good motherboard deal.

P.S. Yes, I knew about the PCIe 4.0 thing needing the 11th genration chips to be enabled.
 
This is one major reason I'm seriously considering a z590 - multiple m.2 slots. My case is cluttered with old 128GB, 250GB & 500GD SSDs and I want to just get rid of them (actually just transfer them to my backup computer). The Asus z590 MB I've been eyeing actually has four m.2 slots. But I realize now that it's almost scam... Intel sells the cpus at great low prices then you have to pay full price for a motherboard (which are very rarely on sale, though sometimes you get a decent combo for a good price) so I probably shouldn't be holding my breath for a good motherboard deal.

P.S. Yes, I knew about the PCIe 4.0 thing needing the 11th genration chips to be enabled.

It's important to note, that in many cases (if not most on z590, maybe all) one of the m2 slots is directly connected to the cpu. In many cases it will not work if you don't have an 11th gen.
 
And if you want more than one, Z490 has them too - I have the Aorus Master, and 3 NVMe drives. Works just fine.
 
It's important to note, that in many cases (if not most on z590, maybe all) one of the m2 slots is directly connected to the cpu. In many cases it will not work if you don't have an 11th gen.

Well, that sucks. I'll download the manual and see if that's the case with the Asus board I'm thinking of getting. Don't want to lose a M.2 slot and if I do I might as well just go with z490 and save $50 or so.
 
And if you want more than one, Z490 has them too - I have the Aorus Master, and 3 NVMe drives. Works just fine.

Yes, the MSI z490 Unify has 3 which was a strong candidate during my initial research but I decided to stick with Asus (my last 4 builds). It's also the cheapest (i'd be paying about $275 shipped after Newegg discounts)
 
Well, that sucks. I'll download the manual and see if that's the case with the Asus board I'm thinking of getting. Don't want to lose a M.2 slot and if I do I might as well just go with z490 and save $50 or so.

Sorry if I missed it, but what boards are you currently considering?

probably strix-e z590

1615049594963.png

 
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Sorry if I missed it, but what boards are you currently considering?

probably strix-e z590

View attachment 336218


haha, yeah that's the one. But I'm not going to pay a premium just to get a non-working M.2 slot (my cpu - unopened in its retail box in the backroom just waiting for a motherboard - is an i9 10850K).
 
haha, yeah that's the one. But I'm not going to pay a premium just to get a non-working M.2 slot (my cpu - unopened in its retail box in the backroom just waiting for a motherboard - is an i9 10850K).
I just have the z490 strix f paired with a 10600k, which will be hear monday/tuesday.
 
The ROG Maximus XIII Hero I purchased a couple months ago has the same issue of disabling the first m.2 slot unless you have a Rocket Lake CPU installed. I have had no complaints with the Asus ROG Z490 Strix-E and Maximus XII Hero motherboards. I have built a few systems with those two Z490 motherboards.
 
I'll probably go with the z490 Strix-E Gaming but I'm waiting for NE to have it in stock again since I need that easy return option if issues arise (30 days vs BB's 15 day). One thing I don't like about the Strix is it only has 2 chassis fan connectors whereas my case has 3 chassis fans but I'm assuming one of these will fix that issue. I have a question: it's been a while since I upgraded and I noticed motherboards now typically have an extra 8-pin power connector. I'm using an older Antec 620-watt PSU that doesn't have the new 8-pin connector (just the PCIe for video). So I'm assuming I use an adapter like this to connect to a 4-pin molex.
 
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I'll probably go with the z490 Strix-E Gaming but I'm waiting for NE to have it in stock again since I need that easy return option if issues arise (30 days vs BB's 15 day). One thing I don't like about the Strix is it only has 2 chassis fan connectors whereas my case has 3 chassis fans but I'm assuming one of these will fix that issue. I have a question: it's been a while since I upgraded and I noticed motherboards now typically have an extra 8-pin power connector. I'm using an older Antec 620-watt PSU that doesn't have the new 8-pin connector (just the PCIe for video). So I'm assuming I use an adapter like this to connect to a 4-pin molex.

That should work. What other things do you have in the system?
 
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That should work. What other things do you have in the system?

I have about 5 SSDs (which will be mostly replaced with maybe a couple of 1TB M.2 drives), one Seagate 12TB HDD spinner, two external 3.0 HDDs (small size powered by USB 3.0), a bluetooth 4.0 dongle (will be replaced with onboard BT 5.1). a Cooler Master 212 LED cpu cooler - which I'll eventually replace with a Noctura cooler I think to prevent thermal throttling - and an Asus Strix GTX 1070 video card, and that's about it. Some of these components will be upgraded over the next few months like the video but I'm just waiting for 3060 to become available.
 
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I have both asus z490-e and z590-e and the only difference beside pcie 4.0 is that the z590-e has 1 extra nvme slot, actually 2 but the other is only a pcie 4.0 slot so useless without an 11th gen cpu. Other than that both boards are awesome and you can't go wrong with either. I would get which ever is cheaper.
 
Yeah, I've definitely decided on the Asus z490-E and now I'm just waiting for my stimulus check to come in which should be within a couple of days (knock knock wood wood). I've got all my other new upgrade components - i9 10850K, G.Skill 32GB 4000MHz ram, 2TB M.2 SSD, etc - stored in a storage tote. The only thing that initially concerned me about the z490-E was the hardware-level issue with the Intel 2.5G ethernet but even in an absolute worst case scenario, I'd use the official fixes from Intel and my 2.5G ethernet port is only a 1G port (my provider's broadband is only 100-120 Mbps).
 
Yeah, I've definitely decided on the Asus z490-E and now I'm just waiting for my stimulus check to come in which should be within a couple of days (knock knock wood wood). I've got all my other new upgrade components - i9 10850K, G.Skill 32GB 4000MHz ram, 2TB M.2 SSD, etc - stored in a storage tote. The only thing that initially concerned me about the z490-E was the hardware-level issue with the Intel 2.5G ethernet but even in an absolute worst case scenario, I'd use the official fixes from Intel and my 2.5G ethernet port is only a 1G port (my provider's broadband is only 100-120 Mbps).
Nice! I have the same board - except I'm waiting for my 11900K pre-order (luckily I scored one at Best Buy at $550 - $40 in reward coupons I had to burn) to arrive prior to building. It came in a kit so I didn't have a choice whether it was Z490 or Z590, but from what I've read about the only thing I will lose not being on the new platform is I won't get as many updates for the 11-series features. I only bought the 11900K because it's a watercooling build (it's a Bitspower Titan X 1.2 kit) and I don't want to have any "upgrade-itis" temptations down the road (I know how I am) - so it's a pre-emptive move to avoid any PITAs. :)
 
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