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z97 mobo selection / help needed

mlbguy4life
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Hello, i need help deciding what mobo to buy. I've only had AMD systems in the past and im switching to Intel.

The system will be used for mainly iracing, but also bf4, and Netflix.

I have watched every Youtube video i can find, and read reviews and overviews from many different websites.

 

Parts I have:

 

CPU - i5 4690k ( will be overclocked )

Cooler - H105 ( with SP120mm Quiet fans )

RAM - Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB ( 2x4 ) 1866mhz

GPU - EVGA gtx 770 4GB SC ACX

PSU - Cooler Master VSM 750w

SSD - Samsung 840 evo 250GB

HDD - WD Black 1TB

 

Case - Fractal Arc Midi r2 ( 3 x AF140mm Queit fans )

 

As far as the mobo i need, the only brands that i'll buy are either ASUS or Gigabyte. These are the mobo's that I've been focusing on. I dont really care about the colors of the boards. I'm looking for durability, and reliablity, with (decent) audio, but I've read a bunch of reviews with good and bad comments.

I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHICH MOBO TO PURCHASE!!!

 

Asus:

Z97-A or PRO

Z97 Maximus VII Hero

Z97 Sabertooth Mark 2 (i think thats right, the cheaper of the two, the one without armor)

 

Gigabyte:

GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK

 

Any suggestions or advice would be more than welcome...

 

*Can you please explain which mobo you would purchase and why*

 

Thank You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPU: i7 4790k OC'd @ 4.6 ghz COOLER: Corsair H105 (SP 120mm Quiet Edition Fans) MOBO: ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 RAM: Kingston Hyper Fury 16GB (2x8) 1866mhz

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB HDD: WD Blue 1TB GPU: EVGA GTX 970 FTW 4GB PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750w 80+ Gold Fully Modular CASE: Fractal Arc Midi R2

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung DVD Burner OS: Win 7 64bit   Please do some research of your own before asking questions. Google and Youtube are your friend.

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Gigabyte Z97-SLI or whatever it's called.


CPU: Intel i5 4570 | Cooler: Cooler Master TPC 812 | Motherboard: ASUS H87M-PRO | RAM: G.Skill 16GB (4x4GB) @ 1600MHZ | Storage: OCZ ARC 100 480GB, WD Caviar Black 2TB, Caviar Blue 1TB | GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 | ODD: ASUS BC-12D2HT BR Reader | PSU: Cooler Master V650 | Display: LG IPS234 | Keyboard: Logitech G710+ | Mouse: Logitech G602 | Audio: Logitech Z506 & Audio Technica M50X | My machine: https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/b/JoJ

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MSI z97 PC Mate

 

 

If you will only go with one you listed then Z97 Maximus VII Hero

Specs: CPU - Intel i7 8700K @ 5GHz | GPU - Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming | Motherboard - ASUS Strix Z370-G WIFI AC | RAM - XPG Gammix DDR4-3000MHz 32GB (2x16GB) | Main Drive - Samsung 850 Evo 500GB M.2 | Other Drives - 7TB/3 Drives | CPU Cooler - Corsair H100i Pro | Case - Fractal Design Define C Mini TG | Power Supply - EVGA G3 850W

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I just bought the Hero, good feature set if you get it for a good price.

 

 

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I personally find all of those ASUS boards overpriced for the features vs. the Gigabyte option, but that's just me. I never use the ROG software or extra tidbits, but I'm not the average enthusiast/gamer.

 

I'd still recommend the Msi Z97 Gaming 7 above that for the stellar audio, but given you're adamant, Gigabyte.

Software Engineer for Suncorp (Australia), Computer Tech Enthusiast, Miami University Graduate, Nerd

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MSI z97 PC Mate

 

 

If you will only go with one you listed then Z97 Maximus VII Hero

The PC Mate lacks features as simple as Load Line Calibration, amd clearly OP can spend quite a bit more and get something of quality with the options he listed.

Main Rig: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR RGB DDR4-3600 | Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX | Storage: 512GB SKHynix PC401, 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 2x Micron 1100 256GB SATA SSDs | GPU: EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra 10GB | Cooling: ThermalTake Floe 280mm w/ be quiet! Pure Wings 3 | Case: Sliger SM580 (Black) | PSU: Lian Li SP 850W

 

Server: CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Crucial DDR4 Pro | Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES | Storage: 128GB Samsung PM961, 4TB Seagate IronWolf | GPU: AMD FirePro WX 3100 | Cooling: EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB | Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow (White) | PSU: Seasonic Focus GM-850

 

Miscellaneous: Dell Optiplex 7060 Micro (i5-8500T/16GB/512GB), Lenovo ThinkCentre M715q Tiny (R5 2400GE/16GB/256GB), Dell Optiplex 7040 SFF (i5-6400/8GB/128GB)

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The PC Mate lacks features as simple as Load Line Calibration, amd clearly OP can spend quite a bit more and get something of quality with the options he listed.

I actually didn't know that... Where'd you find that little nugget of info?

Software Engineer for Suncorp (Australia), Computer Tech Enthusiast, Miami University Graduate, Nerd

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I actually didn't know that... Where'd you find that little nugget of info?

There is zero mention of LLC on the product's page on the MSI website, as well as a few forum members told me this as someone who owns the motherboard myself. I was suprised as well.

Main Rig: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR RGB DDR4-3600 | Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX | Storage: 512GB SKHynix PC401, 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 2x Micron 1100 256GB SATA SSDs | GPU: EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra 10GB | Cooling: ThermalTake Floe 280mm w/ be quiet! Pure Wings 3 | Case: Sliger SM580 (Black) | PSU: Lian Li SP 850W

 

Server: CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Crucial DDR4 Pro | Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES | Storage: 128GB Samsung PM961, 4TB Seagate IronWolf | GPU: AMD FirePro WX 3100 | Cooling: EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB | Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow (White) | PSU: Seasonic Focus GM-850

 

Miscellaneous: Dell Optiplex 7060 Micro (i5-8500T/16GB/512GB), Lenovo ThinkCentre M715q Tiny (R5 2400GE/16GB/256GB), Dell Optiplex 7040 SFF (i5-6400/8GB/128GB)

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There is zero mention of LLC on the product's page on the MSI website, as well as a few forum members told me this as someone who owns the motherboard myself. I was suprised as well.

Yeah, but that's such a simple one you kind of just expect it to be there and not be noteworthy on specs, rather buried in a technical document. Sheesh MSI...

Software Engineer for Suncorp (Australia), Computer Tech Enthusiast, Miami University Graduate, Nerd

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I have the Asus Z87-A, and I have a few issues with it, and the review of the Z97-A from TekSyndicate shows you how low-end it is. I would recommend anything but that one.

 

I would get the Gigabyte, I haven't used it before and it should be very durable.

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Z97-AR or Z97-A

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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Z97 from Asus PRO  is Solid and offers great feature.  I haven't had any issues with my board at all.

Green Snek - Razer Blade 2017 - i7-7700HQ - 16GB DDR4 RAM - 512GB Samsung PM951 SSD- Dell WD15 Dock for Home Use- 27" Samsung Curved Monitor

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Well, im gonna sit on it and think for a few more days, but my gut says to buy the gigabyte. If anybody else wants to weigh in their opinions, please feel free...

CPU: i7 4790k OC'd @ 4.6 ghz COOLER: Corsair H105 (SP 120mm Quiet Edition Fans) MOBO: ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 RAM: Kingston Hyper Fury 16GB (2x8) 1866mhz

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB HDD: WD Blue 1TB GPU: EVGA GTX 970 FTW 4GB PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750w 80+ Gold Fully Modular CASE: Fractal Arc Midi R2

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung DVD Burner OS: Win 7 64bit   Please do some research of your own before asking questions. Google and Youtube are your friend.

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The UD5H-BK cause awesome features and 5year warranty. or spend little more get the sabertooth which also 5year warranty and that awesome lookin armor. I am all about warranties from reliable companies

@syrazpc - for all my rambles about PC's -- My Gallifreyan Build In Progress

 

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Any body else wanna weigh in their opinions?

CPU: i7 4790k OC'd @ 4.6 ghz COOLER: Corsair H105 (SP 120mm Quiet Edition Fans) MOBO: ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 RAM: Kingston Hyper Fury 16GB (2x8) 1866mhz

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB HDD: WD Blue 1TB GPU: EVGA GTX 970 FTW 4GB PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750w 80+ Gold Fully Modular CASE: Fractal Arc Midi R2

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung DVD Burner OS: Win 7 64bit   Please do some research of your own before asking questions. Google and Youtube are your friend.

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Any body else wanna weigh in their opinions?

I have heard that the Gigabyte has issues. I remember JayzTwoCents having issues with his Gigabyte Z97.

 

Go with Asus, you won't regret it.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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