Deciding between 2 motherboards

[mazdarati2]

I will be upgrading to the i5 4690k in the next 3 months and I have narrowed it down to 2 motherboards.

 

The MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition and the MSI Z97 Gaming 5. Mainly because I really like the aesthetics of these two and don't break the bank.

 

So I ask you, which one should I take for long-term use? Is the Gaming 5 worth the extra money, in my case €30, over the Krait? 

[Mao_Zedong]

I would get the krait becuase it is practically as good. The gaming 5 has a few extra features, but only a few very minor things. The krait actually has sata express, which the gaming 5 doesn't have. 

[Hans Power]

I will be upgrading to the i5 4690k in the next 3 months and I have narrowed it down to 2 motherboards.

 

The MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition and the MSI Z97 Gaming 5. Mainly because I really like the aesthetics of these two and don't break the bank.

 

So I ask you, which one should I take for long-term use? Is the Gaming 5 worth the extra money, in my case €30, over the Krait? 

 

I think the most important improvement of the Gaming 5 over the Krait is the improved audio solution. It not only has a newer realtek audio codec (the Realtek ALC1150 vs the ALC892 on the Krait which is rather old by now) but also an integrated headphone amplifier which is good if you own or ever want to get any high impedence headphones. And even if you only have 32Ohm headphones it should at least improve the audio just a little bit and allow for higher volumes.

 

But if audio is not incredibly important to you then the Krait seems to be just as good and it's not that the ALC892 sounds terrible - I used that for the longest time on an old AM2+ board and it really sounds okay although the maximum volume on the headphones definately could be louder.

[mazdarati2]

I think the most important improvement of the Gaming 5 over the Krait is the improved audio solution. It not only has a newer realtek audio codec (the Realtek ALC1150 vs the ALC892 on the Krait which is rather old by now) but also an integrated headphone amplifier which is good if you own or ever want to get any high impedence headphones. And even if you only have 32Ohm headphones it should at least improve the audio just a little bit and allow for higher volumes.

 

But if audio is not incredibly important to you then the Krait seems to be just as good and it's not that the ALC892 sounds terrible - I used that for the longest time on an old AM2+ board and it really sounds okay although the maximum volume on the headphones definately could be louder.

Thanks man. I mostly have my volume levels at less than 40 percent so higher volume levels have no use for me. I also don't use power hungry headphones and most certainly won't buy one for atleast 3 years. Thanks again.