The Intel Core i7-12700K was a gaming and productive beast when it came out, but three years after its release, it is still a viable option for gaming and professional workloads. That said, two generations of Intel processors were released after that, meaning more advanced chipsets were also released.
That said, we put together a couple of options based on the motherboard’s price, size, features, and performance, which we tested thoroughly in-house. So, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Products at a glance
- Best motherboard for i7 12700K
ASUS PRIME Z790-A WIFI
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : DDR5 7200+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB
- Best enthusiast motherboard for i7 12700K
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 5 storage, Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : 8000+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB, DDR5
- Best budget motherboard for i7 12700K
MSI B760 Gaming Plus WiFi
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: B760
- Form Factor : mATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 storage, Gen 4 GPU
- Memory speed : 6800+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 256GB, DDR5
How we picked
We researched the market and found various options from industry giants. We filtered those options based on price, compatibility, performance, and other features. We also have a PC Guide Testing Lab in which we’ve mentioned our testing process for various components. If you’re wondering how we select and review products, we’ve got your back there as well.
Our top picks
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : DDR5 7200+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB
- It offers a lot for the price
- It comes at a relatively affordable price point
- It has great design and aesthetics
- No pre-installed I/O shield
- It lacks extensive OC support
- Other boards offer more features
The 12700K is a powerful processor, and while it may be overshadowed by the 13700K and the 14700K, this doesn’t diminish its real-world performance. To complement its processing prowess, we recommend pairing it with the ASUS Prime Z790-A motherboard, which will help take this chip to newer heights.
Let’s begin with some general specifications. This is an ATX motherboard with dimensions of 12 inches x 9.6 inches (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm). It is also compatible with 192GB of DDR5 RAM running at a maximum frequency of 7200 MHz. This is great as the 12700K is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR5 RAM but has a limit of 4800 MT/s for DDR5 RAM.
What this means is that, while this processor may not be able to use the full extent provided by the motherboard, it is still nice to have as you can upgrade to a stronger CPU, upgrade the RAM, and experience elevated performance across the board. If you’re interested in exploring some options, check out our best DDR5 RAM guide for the top picks.
This motherboard has a 14 + 1 DrMOS power delivery system, which is great as there are 14 phases on the first layer that filter the power before it reaches the CPU. This is important as the 12700K is unlocked for overclocking, and if you plan on doing that, having clean and stable power delivered to your processor is crucial.
The ASUS Prime is a no-nonsense, efficient, elegant beast, what more could you ask for? It gets the job done and paired with our 14600K, it spat out performance numbers on par with motherboards 3x times as expensive.
PC Guide
Another great aspect of this mobo is that it has 4 PCIe lanes. The top PCIe slot is reinforced, and users get access to the full 16 lanes, as that is where most users mount their GPUs.
For its performance, we used the 14600K and ran a handful of benchmark software to simulate varying workloads. We saw a maximum power draw from the wall of 281.7W, while the maximum package power was 159.34W.
Overall, this is an excellent motherboard. While it didn’t allow the 14600K to hit the PL1 limit of 181W, it should work well with the 12700K and shouldn’t hinder its performance for daily tasks.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this motherboard is stable for overclocking, has plenty of features, and has a good design. One reviewer said: “The ASUS Prime Z790-A WiFi 6E LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard, when paired with the Intel i7 14700k CPU, offers a transformative upgrade to any PC build. This combination outshines the Ryzen 7900x3D CPU and Gigabyte motherboard in terms of performance, stability, ease of setup, and user-friendly features.”
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: Z790
- Form Factor : ATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 5 storage, Gen 5 GPU
- Memory speed : 8000+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 192GB, DDR5
- It has excellent performance
- It has a great power delivery system
- It has top-notch build quality
- It comes with a heavy price tag
- It weighs a good amount
- The ASUS Armoury crate is still bad
For all the hardware enthusiasts who want nothing but the best, we recommend ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero. This motherboard has the highest chipset for Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th-generation processors, and during our testing for its review, it performed spectacularly well.
For starters, this motherboard comes out the gate with guns blazing with its ATX form factor, which is 12 inches x 9.6 inches (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm), and PCIe Gen 5 support for storage devices and the graphics card. Combine that with a maximum memory support of 192 GB working at 8000 MHz, and you’ve got a system capable of handling anything you throw at it.
The I/O cover has an RGB display on top of that. While it isn’t customizable, it does give off a very premium feel and should take the aesthetics of your rig to the next level. As an added layer of protection, it comes with a backplate, but that increases its overall weight.
The power delivery system may be ASUS’ most robust mechanism yet, offering 2 layers of filtered power for the CPU to nibble on. If you need an overclocking-focused enthusiast motherboard, then this may be the motherboard for you.
PC Guide
It has two PCIe 5.0 slots, which can be used in an x8/x8 configuration or to get the complete x16 lanes by using a single slot. The latter configuration is preferred as it gives the GPU full access and allows the data to flow to and from the GPU without any bottleneck or stuttering issues. It also has one M.2 PCIe 5 x 4 slot and four extra M.2 slots with PCie 4 x 4 support.
This motherboard’s power delivery is top-notch, as it has a 20 + 1 power phase design. Regarding its performance, we used the same test bench as before and saw the 14600K hitting the PL1 limit of 181W, with the maximum VRM temperature going to 50°C.
Overall, while this motherboard comes with a heavy price tag, its features, usability, and build quality ensure you can run even high-end Intel CPUs without hindering their performance.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this board is feature-rich and gets the job done. While it weighs a good bit, its build quality is top-notch. One reviewer said, “The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula motherboard is a standout choice for gamers and tech enthusiasts looking to build a high-end PC. With its advanced ROG Water-Cooling options, the board ensures optimal thermal management, maintaining excellent performance even during intense gaming sessions.
- Socket: LGA 1700
- Chipset: B760
- Form Factor : mATX
- PCIe Version : PCIe Gen 4 storage, Gen 4 GPU
- Memory speed : 6800+(OC)
- Memory capacity : 256GB, DDR5
- It comes at a very affordable price point
- It has a triple delivery system
- It has great performance
- It doesn’t have a protective backplate
- It has only two M.2 slots
- It runs hotter than other motherboards
For those operating on a budget, we recommend the MSI B760M Gaming. It is considerably cheaper than other options and during our MSI B760M review, it had better performance than the high-end motherboards.
To begin with, this motherboard has PCIe 4 support for storage devices and graphics cards. So, while the bandwidth and speed won’t be comparable to PCIe 5, it should still be more than enough to deliver great performance in gaming and professional workloads.
On top of that, it is a MicroATX board, which is another reason for its pocket-friendly nature. However, it still has a maximum memory capacity of 256GB and a max memory speed of 6800 MHz.
Another great aspect of this board is that despite its smaller size, it has two PCIe x16 slots but cuts down on M.2 slots as there are only two available. That said, it should be more than enough, and if you’re concerned about storage, you can always opt for a high-capacity drive from the get-go. If you’re wondering about the difference between NVMe, M.2, and SATA, we’ve got you covered with our NVMe vs. M.2 vs. SATA guide.
The MSI B760 Gaming Plus surprised us, it’s supposed to be the most budget motherboard we have officially tested (in review format), and it managed to extract the most performance out of the 14600K that we use for testing.
PC Guide
This motherboard features a triple power phase design of 12 + 1 + 1, with the first layer having 12 phases to filter the power and the second and third both having one phase each. This is good but isn’t on the level of high-end chipsets.
Regarding its performance, we saw that is was able to pull more power from the PSU which enabled the 14600K to perform better. So, we compared the results of the three motherboards and the MSI B760M Gaming had better results across the board. For reference, the 14600K managed 24,868 points in Blender Classroom compared to 24,388 and 24,314 points when paired with the ROG Z790 Dark Hero and ASUS Prime Z790, respectively.
The boost in performance could be due to the triple delivery method of this board, which provides more stability. That said, this is an excellent motherboard for the Intel Core i7 12700K, and as we can see, it can easily handle the 14600K and possibly even more powerful processors.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this motherboard has great connectivity options, VRM cooling solutions, and a friendly BIOS UI. One reviewer said: “Performance-wise, this motherboard truly shines. The support for the latest processors and high-speed RAM allows me to run my favorite games and applications smoothly at maximum settings. The VRM cooling solution ensures that the temperatures stay in check even during extended gaming sessions, providing reliability and stability.”
How to pick the best motherboard for 12700K
Selecting a motherboard isn’t just about picking the option with the most amount of bells and whistles, as those options can cost an arm and a leg. On top of that, depending on your processor, you might not even need all the features it is offering.
So, before investing in a motherboard, there are a couple of factors you need to keep in mind. They’ll help you make an informed decision and operate within your budget.
Budget
The most important factor you need to consider is your budget and what it allows for. There is an appeal for fancy hardware with high-end features and RGB lighting, but those come at a cost, and if you’re operating on a budget, it’s best to filter your options based on that.
This will give you a list of motherboards that won’t break the bank but also provide a good balance between performance and value.
Compatibility
Compatibility between the motherboard and the socket and chipset is crucial. Investing in an incompatible motherboard will only lead to more expense, as you’ll need to order a new motherboard and have it replaced.
The 12700K needs an LGA 1700 motherboard and is compatible with 700—and 600-series chipsets like the Z790, B760, and Z690.
Power Delivery and VRM Quality
Power delivery is important, as more stable and cleaner power results in better performance and makes it easier to overclock the processor. So, look for a motherboard with high-quality VRMs, as they ensure a stable power supply.
Form factor
Motherboards come in various sizes, from the standard ATX to larger E-ATX and MicroATX options. Their size determines the number of PCIe and RAM slots, VRMs, ports, and other features on board.
For example, an ATX motherboard would have more PCIe slots, making it a good option for those wanting to expand their storage. That said, they cost more than MicroATX boards, which have fewer upgradability options but are easier on the pocket. So, it all depends on your budget and use case, whether you want a full-sized motherboard with a high-end chipset or keep it pocket-friendly without any fancy bells and whistles.
