Best budget motherboard for Intel i5-13600K that supports overclocking?

Regarding what #1 said about cheaping out on VRMs for a K-series chip, they are spot on. I have seen way too many people throttle their performance trying to save fifty bucks on the motherboard. In my experience over the years, the VRM quality is the only thing that really separates a good budget board from a paperweight when you start overclocking. Quick question tho, are you planning to use DDR4 or DDR5 for this build? It makes a big difference for your 180 dollar limit since DDR5 boards usually carry a premium. If you are on DDR5, look at the Gigabyte Z790 UD AC. It has a 16+1+1 phase VRM that handles a 13600K easily without getting too toasty. For DDR4, the ASRock Z690 Steel Legend DDR4 is a solid pick. It has better thermal mass in the heatsinks than the MSI PRO series in my testing. The MSI PRO Z790-P you mentioned is okay for stock settings, but the power delivery is a bit thin if you are really gonna push those clocks for your editing work.

In my experience, cheaping out on VRMs for a K-series chip usually ends in thermal throttling. Ive tried many boards over the years and these are the safest bets for your budget.

• MSI PRO Z690-A WiFi DDR4 is basically the gold standard for budget power delivery.
• ASRock Z790 PG Lightning is decent but gets a bit toasty under load. Honestly, go with the MSI. Its the more reliable choice for a professional gig.

Seconded!

Just saw this thread and honestly, the Z97 days really were way simpler. No worrying about BIOS flashbacks or massive power draws like we do now. In my experience over the years, I have seen too many people fry cheap boards because they didnt respect the VRM temps on a K-series chip. If you can find a ASRock Z690 Extreme WiFi 6E on sale, jump on it. The power delivery is beefy enough for a 13600K overclock and it stays surprisingly cool. Another solid bet for your budget is the MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 if you can find old stock. It has decent cooling and wont let you down when you start pushing the clocks for those renders. One quick tip tho, if you go Z690, make sure the board has a BIOS flashback button. You will probably need it for that 13th gen chip to even boot. Tbh, its saved my skin more than once during late-night builds. Btw, freelance editing in Chicago? Hope youre staying warm. I spent a winter near the Loop years ago and the wind chill is no joke. I basically lived on deep dish and coffee just to survive the walk to the train. I almost dropped a whole rig once because my hands were so frozen from the walk... anyway, but yeah, stick with those two boards and you should hit your Friday deadline without the VRMs melting.

One should be extremely cautious with the entry-level tiers from the major manufacturers right now. Comparing how different brands handle VRM cooling on their budget stacks is often a gamble tho. This reminds me of a colleague who tried to cut corners for a similar editing project. He thought he found a bargain, but the power delivery was so inconsistent his system would just hang during exports... it was a total mess.

^ This. Also, I totally get that deadline stress! Building my current setup for a video gig taught me a lot since I almost messed up picking the cheapest board I could find. DIY is such a rush compared to paying for a pro service, but those VRMs get so toasty during long renders!

• check the power phases
• prioritize case airflow Quick question tho, are you planning to reuse your old RAM or are you buying new stuff? It totally changes things for your budget!