B760 vs Z790 Motherboards

Both are LGA1700 chipsets taking the same 12th, 13th and 14th generation Intel Core processors, and both exist as DDR5 boards and as DDR4 boards. Z790 is the enthusiast tier: it allows processor overclocking on K-series chips and gives the chipset a wider link to the processor with more high-speed lanes, so more drives and ports can run at full speed together. B760 keeps memory profiles and memory tuning but not processor overclocking. Z790 boards are also built with heavier power delivery on average, which matters for the top Core i7 and i9 chips.

With a Core i5 or a non-K processor, B760 is the better buy: nothing on Z790 makes that chip faster. Choose Z790 for a K-series Core i7 or i9 that you intend to run unrestricted or overclock, or when you want several fast M.2 drives. Whichever you pick, check the memory type first, since a DDR4 board and a DDR5 board of the same name are different products.

What you give up, in numbers

How the two sizes actually differ once you look at every board on sale, rather than at what the standard permits. Measured across 110 B760 and 91 Z790 boards at the retailers we track (107 and 90 in stock today), and updated daily.

B760
Z790
Price range
$89.99 to $649.35
$156.93 to $1,808.61
Median price
$185.62
$308.78
CPU powermedian watts the boards are wired to feed a processor
255.5 W
576 W
Four memory slots
72%
89%
Max memory speedmedian, DDR5 boards
7600 MHz
7800 MHz
M.2 slotsmedian
2
4
DDR4 boardsthe rest take DDR5
42%
13%
PCIe 5.0 graphics slot
39%
97%
PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot
0%
31%
Wi-Fi 7
0%
26%

The picks on each side

The cheapest board on each side, and the cheapest one that clears a floor worth clearing: enough power headroom for the socket’s top processor, and Wi-Fi 6E or better. Recalculated daily from live prices.

B760

Cheapest

$89.99 · lowest price in stock

Buy

Best all-round

$119.99 · cheapest with the power headroom and Wi-Fi worth having

Buy

Z790

Cheapest

$156.93 · lowest price in stock

Buy

Best all-round

$156.93 · the cheapest board here already clears the floor

Buy

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Common questions

Can you overclock on B760?

Not the processor. B760 supports XMP memory profiles and memory tuning, but processor overclocking is reserved for Z790 and Z690 with a K-series chip.

Do B760 and Z790 take the same processors?

Yes. Both use the LGA1700 socket and take 12th, 13th and 14th generation Intel Core processors. Older boards may need a BIOS update for 14th generation chips.

Do B760 and Z790 boards use DDR4 or DDR5?

Either, depending on the board. Each board is built for one memory type, and many models are sold in both versions. The DDR4 version usually has DDR4 or D4 in its name.

Can a B760 board run a Core i9-14900K?

It fits and it works, but how well depends on the board's power delivery. A B760 board with a light VRM will limit a chip that can draw around 250 watts under sustained load. The CPU power figures on this page show which boards have the headroom.

Keep going

Browse every B760 board or Z790 board with filters, put two specific boards head to head, or read up on choosing a case to fit the board you pick.

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