Chipsets?

[BallGum]

the TL DR of my situation is that I'm hoping to get into PC gaming, at long last.

I have a decent understanding of all the other parts I will be purchasing, but motherboards confuse me quite a lot.

 

Right now, I am thinking of getting the Core i5 4440 (it's on sale). I am also going to be using a MicroATX case.

 

So I know I need a mATX motherboard with the LGA 1150 socket, but I don't understand the differences between all of the chipsets. I don't particularly have any special needs, just the cheapest, reliable, motherboard with the ability to plug in a graphics card, and a couple USB 3.0 ports. I don't plan on overclocking.

 

Anyway, can someone give a quick explanation of the various recent intel chipsets?

[harrynowl]

If you have no special needs H81 or B85 suits you nicely.

[WinNut]

H81 is an entry level chipset, same with B85.

H87 is basically Z87 without OC support.

Z87 is the pro chipset, OC, RAID, all the bells and whistles.

[TheRetiredSlave]

This article explains everything rather nicely.

 

Basically, H and B chipsets are budget oriented chipsets, while Z and Q chipsets are for overclocking or professional use..

[BallGum]

Thanks, sorry for the late reply. I blame the tapatalk app.

Thanks for clearing it up for me guys.

P

Could I have an opinion on the AM3+ socket? My two CPU choices are between the 8350 and the core i5 4440. The 8350 is cheaper, for similar performance, but I've heard bad things regarding AM3+...

[BallGum]

This article explains everything rather nicely.

Basically, H and B chipsets are budget oriented chipsets, while Z and Q chipsets are for overclocking or professional use..

I literally read that just after posting this, and felt somewhat idiotic. Forgot that Google exists.