Why is the Z97-A so popular?

[twistedlogic]

I've bought nearly every component for my rig, most of it has even been shipped out, but I've been absolutely stumped for three days now on picking a motherboard. The motherboard is by far the most overwhelming component for me to pick, and I'm unable to weigh the difference and importance of the countless features each board has.

 

I feel like I almost have to buy the Z97-A based on how overwhelmingly popular it is, and my friend basically pressuring me to get it, telling me that no other board around that price point comes close in comparison. The problem is that I absolutely loathe the color scheme; it's so ugly. I bought an Air 540, so the entire inside of the rig will be visible, and I really would like to avoid having to stare at those hideous heatsinks if I can. 

 

I really love the look of the MSI Z97 boards, but 1) I'm not sure how much of a performance drop off I'm dealing with (5-way optimization to OC Genie, Intel ethernet to Killer, difference in sound) and 2) I have absolutely no idea how to differentiate their billion different boards.

 

Do I get the Gaming 3, or the Gaming 5, or the G45, or the GD65, and what the heck is the difference between all of them? And are they all vastly inferior to the Z97-A? 

 

My budget for a Mobo is to hopefully stay under $150 Canadian dollars, and I'm basically begging for help.

 

This is the rest of my rig: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/twistedlogic/saved/b2JNnQ

[Excon]

I dont see whats so great about that board, theres nothing wrong with the MSi Boards either. A Gaming 5 is pretty much the same. You wont be losing out of anything really

[Hatsune Miku 「 」]

Killer NIC increase CPU usage

[litterboxgolfer]

For starters, as TekSyndicate put it (I think), it is an entry enthusiast board; extremely well-rounded. It is rock-solid when it comes to all-around motherboardiness, has features that everyone really wants, overclocks successfully, and is VERY cheap. It is outstanding and differentiates itself not only in its price-point but in the market as a whole when it comes to the ASUS Z-97 A.

[ForsakenLive]

Asus has a lot of reputation, but much much more marketing; it's seen as the reputable brand to go for by many people. There are a lot of enthusiasts out there, people that want the benefits of the K-sku CPUs, and the truth is the, cheapest decent motherboard Asus has for the Z97 platform is the Z97-A, the other ones are more expensive or have too much low-end features.

 

There is nothing wrong with the other motherboard brands, from the main 5 ones the ones that I least like are EVGA and MSI, they still have a lot of quirks here and there. Asrock offers the most value of the three remaining, Asus and Gigabyte are the other 2 most popular on the NA and EU market.

 

If you like red the Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a winner, and if you prefer another color, or you are concerned about having the motherboard work perfectly out of the box, then get the Gigabyte D3H Black Edition (BK), which is tried and tested.

Asrock Extreme4 has a TON of features, and is a no-brainer for the price if you want to have everything on your mobo. The bios is not the most pleasant one, but anybody can get over it eventually. The Pro4 version is very similar and even more cheap.

 

If you really want to go Asus, because you trust them more, or really like their software (which is the best IMO), try to find the Z97-AR, not 'A', 'AR', it's harder to come by, but in the US it has almost the same price as the 'A' part. The Z97-AR is basically the same board with the same features+some extra minor business/workstation features; and the twist is... it has an amazing looking silver heatsink that matches every build.

 

It's up to you, if you are concerned about X feature just comment here, it's easy to get lost in features trying to tell what it actually matters in a motherboard or what has the most value.

[Speedyv]

I really like the Asrock Extreme6, depends on what you think about Asrock though...

Great value for money.

 

As for the popularity of the Z97-A, some of if it has to do with being made by Asus.

[Arphenyte]

You don't shop by brand, you shop by whoever gives you the best performance cost wise. If MSI, gave me the best performance cost wise, I would buy from them. Same for the rest, don't rely on brand when shopping. READ what the actual product gives you, and for how MUCH it does. Then, compare it to the rest, and THEN you choose which one is the best for you.

[Spev]

I've bought nearly every component for my rig, most of it has even been shipped out, but I've been absolutely stumped for three days now on picking a motherboard. The motherboard is by far the most overwhelming component for me to pick, and I'm unable to weigh the difference and importance of the countless features each board has.

 

I feel like I almost have to buy the Z97-A based on how overwhelmingly popular it is, and my friend basically pressuring me to get it, telling me that no other board around that price point comes close in comparison. The problem is that I absolutely loathe the color scheme; it's so ugly. I bought an Air 540, so the entire inside of the rig will be visible, and I really would like to avoid having to stare at those hideous heatsinks if I can. 

 

I really love the look of the MSI Z97 boards, but 1) I'm not sure how much of a performance drop off I'm dealing with (5-way optimization to OC Genie, Intel ethernet to Killer, difference in sound) and 2) I have absolutely no idea how to differentiate their billion different boards.

 

Do I get the Gaming 3, or the Gaming 5, or the G45, or the GD65, and what the heck is the difference between all of them? And are they all vastly inferior to the Z97-A? 

 

My budget for a Mobo is to hopefully stay under $150 Canadian dollars, and I'm basically begging for help.

 

This is the rest of my rig: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/twistedlogic/saved/b2JNnQ

Yeah I kinda agree. As we speak I am literally sitting with a cart full (virtual cart) of my new PC components. I was decided on the Z97-A....yes it has great rep. I want an Asus board so bad because of their software in specific, their fan controlling software is great. I don't like 3rd party software for this...their optimization / monitors software is also great. I have watched a lot of videos on it.....it's either the z97-A (you can find z97-AR in some places, it's silver) but honestly I'm not a big fan of either.

 

If it weren't for the software being so attractive I would buy something else. I've been re researching mobos now for about an hour....at a minimum I would have to pay $200 for a more attractive Asus motherboard. =/

[Opcode]

The Z97-A is more than likely popular due to its price point. It has a lot of compelling features for the $125 that it costs. On top of coming from a reputable manufacture.

[grimmjow660]

Asus Z97- AR

[twistedlogic]

Asus has a lot of reputation, but much much more marketing; it's seen as the reputable brand to go for by many people. There are a lot of enthusiasts out there, people that want the benefits of the K-sku CPUs, and the truth is the, cheapest decent motherboard Asus has for the Z97 platform is the Z97-A, the other ones are more expensive or have too much low-end features.

 

There is nothing wrong with the other motherboard brands, from the main 5 ones the ones that I least like are EVGA and MSI, they still have a lot of quirks here and there. Asrock offers the most value of the three remaining, Asus and Gigabyte are the other 2 most popular on the NA and EU market.

 

If you like red the Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a winner, and if you prefer another color, or you are concerned about having the motherboard work perfectly out of the box, then get the Gigabyte D3H Black Edition (BK), which is tried and tested.

Asrock Extreme4 has a TON of features, and is a no-brainer for the price if you want to have everything on your mobo. The bios is not the most pleasant one, but anybody can get over it eventually. The Pro4 version is very similar and even more cheap.

 

If you really want to go Asus, because you trust them more, or really like their software (which is the best IMO), try to find the Z97-AR, not 'A', 'AR', it's harder to come by, but in the US it has almost the same price as the 'A' part. The Z97-AR is basically the same board with the same features+some extra minor business/workstation features; and the twist is... it has an amazing looking silver heatsink that matches every build.

 

It's up to you, if you are concerned about X feature just comment here, it's easy to get lost in features trying to tell what it actually matters in a motherboard or what has the most value.

 

The AR is $30-50 more than the A in Toronto. What I've been told is that the "turbo lan" on the A is significantly better than whatever the MSI board uses, that the sound card is isolated so it reduces interference, that the 5-way optimization is something I absolutely can't pass up, and that I should have an M.2 port for future proofing. The MSI G45, something I was looking at, and almost ready to buy, apparently falls short in all of these things, but I have no knowledge of how to compare the features, so I'm not sure by how much.

 

Here are the prices for some of the mobos being mentioned (I have a $25 gift card for NCIX, so I've mentioned which ones aren't available there).

 

MSI Z97-G45: $145 - $25 (@NCIX); $125

Gigabyte Z97-D3H: $145 (TigerDirect)

Asrock Extreme4: $180 - $25 (@NCIX); $155

Asus Z97-A: $165 (NewEgg)

MSI Z97-GD65: $170 (DirectCanada)

Asus Z97-AR: $178 (TigerDirect)

 

I might be able to get the Z97-A for $130 something tomorrow (2 left in stock)... if I can, I'll probably bite the bullet. But the G45 is really cheap right now too.

[grimmjow660]

The AR is $30-50 more than the A in Toronto. What I've been told is that the "turbo lan" on the A is significantly better than whatever the MSI board uses, that the sound card is isolated so it reduces interference, that the 5-way optimization is something I absolutely can't pass up, and that I should have an M.2 port for future proofing. The MSI G45, something I was looking at, and almost ready to buy, apparently falls short in all of these things, but I have no knowledge of how to compare the features, so I'm not sure by how much.

Here are the prices for some of the mobos being mentioned (I have a $25 gift card for NCIX, so I've mentioned which ones aren't available there).

MSI Z97-G45: $145 - $25 (@NCIX); $125

Gigabyte Z97-D3H: $145 (TigerDirect)

Asrock Extreme4: $180 - $25 (@NCIX); $155

Asus Z97-A: $165 (NewEgg)

MSI Z97-GD65: $170 (DirectCanada)

Asus Z97-AR: $178 (TigerDirect)

I might be able to get the Z97-A for $130 something tomorrow (2 left in stock)... if I can, I'll probably bite the bullet. But the G45 is really cheap right now too.

The G45 is a good board.

[mlbguy4life]

I really like the Asrock Extreme6, depends on what you think about Asrock though...

Great value for money.

 

As for the popularity of the Z97-A, some of if it has to do with being made by Asus.

extreme 6 , best board for the money, i got on sale for $120 usa, has exellent reviews from toms hardware anandtech and others.

[Sintezza]

Basicly any decent Z97 board will be fine.

Im personaly a fan of Asus boards.

[That Norwegian Guy]

Killer NIC increase CPU usage

 

And is also optimized for larger individual packets, which is bad for gaming (many small packets = Intel / Qualcomm superior)

 

Anyway, looking honestly at what Z97 has to offer, if you're looking to spend as little as possible and still not buy shitty stuff, Gigabyte looks like the best option this generation. Specifically the GA-Z97X-SLI. It may be one of the ugliest things this side of Proxima Centauri, but it's very feature rich and uses solid componentry for the price point.

 

And this is coming from someone who loathes Gigabyte motherboards, usually.

[snert98]

the gigabyte z97 gaming 3 is also a good choice i think

[Faceman]

I've bought nearly every component for my rig, most of it has even been shipped out, but I've been absolutely stumped for three days now on picking a motherboard. The motherboard is by far the most overwhelming component for me to pick, and I'm unable to weigh the difference and importance of the countless features each board has.

 

I feel like I almost have to buy the Z97-A based on how overwhelmingly popular it is, and my friend basically pressuring me to get it, telling me that no other board around that price point comes close in comparison. The problem is that I absolutely loathe the color scheme; it's so ugly. I bought an Air 540, so the entire inside of the rig will be visible, and I really would like to avoid having to stare at those hideous heatsinks if I can. 

 

I really love the look of the MSI Z97 boards, but 1) I'm not sure how much of a performance drop off I'm dealing with (5-way optimization to OC Genie, Intel ethernet to Killer, difference in sound) and 2) I have absolutely no idea how to differentiate their billion different boards.

 

Do I get the Gaming 3, or the Gaming 5, or the G45, or the GD65, and what the heck is the difference between all of them? And are they all vastly inferior to the Z97-A? 

 

My budget for a Mobo is to hopefully stay under $150 Canadian dollars, and I'm basically begging for help.

 

This is the rest of my rig: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/twistedlogic/saved/b2JNnQ

Buy the Asus Z97-AR.  Its the same motherboard with a better color scheme.  You will love it.  The reason why everyone loves Asus, and particularly the Z97-A/AR is because the included software that comes with Asus motherboards is head and shoulders above the competition, especially the fan control software, and their build quality is very good.  The reason people gravitate towards the A and AR is because its the least expensive motherboards in the Asus lineup that offer SLI/Xfire.  Not many people want to spend $200 on a motherboard, and the A and AR come with the same main features that the $200 motherboards come with, at a lower cost.  Motherboard doesn't impact performance, its all about features and aesthetics.

[twistedlogic]

Buy the Asus Z97-AR.  Its the same motherboard with a better color scheme.  You will love it.  The reason why everyone loves Asus, and particularly the Z97-A/AR is because the included software that comes with Asus motherboards is head and shoulders above the competition, especially the fan control software, and their build quality is very good.  The reason people gravitate towards the A and AR is because its the least expensive motherboards in the Asus lineup that offer SLI/Xfire.  Not many people want to spend $200 on a motherboard, and the A and AR come with the same main features that the $200 motherboards come with, at a lower cost.  Motherboard doesn't impact performance, its all about features and aesthetics.

 

Yeah I was looking into the AR a couple weeks ago and I really did prefer it to the A in terms of color, but as I said in an earlier post, it's about $40 higher than the Z97-A (sale for that ends today though) and 50 higher than the G45 (with a gift card). 

[twistedlogic]

I'm gonna leave it up to fate. There is one last Asus Z97-A board in stock at the only store within a reasonable distance from my house. If it's still there by the time I get there, I'll buy it. If not, G45 it is. 

[Faceman]

I'm gonna leave it up to fate. There is one last Asus Z97-A board in stock at the only store within a reasonable distance from my house. If it's still there by the time I get there, I'll buy it. If not, G45 it is. 

You can't go wrong with either.  They are both great boards with strengths in different areas.  They will both perform the same though, and have the same core features.

[teddyteddyteddy]

I'm gonna leave it up to fate. There is one last Asus Z97-A board in stock at the only store within a reasonable distance from my house. If it's still there by the time I get there, I'll buy it. If not, G45 it is.

Since your case has a window, I would get a motherboard that you actually like. Motherboards don't affect performance, just get one that has the right features for you, looks good to you, and most importantly, has good reviews