Opinions on Zotac motherboards, and compatability

DailyCakeSlice · May 17, 2016

I'm downsizing my gaming computer from a mid tower to a Node 202 case, and need to swap motherboards.

Currently I have an EVGA GTX 970, i5 3570K.

Im trying to save as much money as possible, but theres a few specific things I'm going for on the motherboard:

-USB 3.0 ports, and ones for the case

-Preferably included WiFi, but if it's too expensive I can just use some cheap USB dongle (I'll be wired 90% of the time)

-$150 or less. (Preferably $100 or lower)

So far I'm thinking this: http://www.buytech.com/product.aspx?productId=1024320395 (Also feel free to suggest other motherboards, WiFi or not, that are budget friendly and compatible.)

Now, I'm pretty dumb when it comes to motherboards, but I'm pretty sure everything is compatible, right? So first, I want opinions on ZOTAC, does everyone hate them? Are they cheap? Are they great? Now for a probably even dumber question, I keep seeing "A PCI Express 3.0 x16 expansion slot ... for gamers that desire running the latest discrete ZOTAC graphics cards" under the descriptions in different sites. Does this mean that it's only going to work with ZOTAC cards and not my 970? This seems really odd to me, but I'm not sure if maybe I'm taking it wrong, as it was on a few motherboards.

And final quick question:

I've seen a lot of people say you need at least like 600+ watts to power a rig with a 970. However, since I plan to use the Node 202, I'd like to not spend too much on a PSU and instead use the included 450W PSU. I've seen builds like Jayz's and HardwareCanuck's that run like a 980 and an i5-4690K (165W + 88W = 253W) that run off of the Node's 450W just fine, but some sites tell me my 970 and i5 3570K (145W + 77W = 222W) is going to need 600W+.

I also plan on running 1 or 2 2.5" HDD and maybe a fan, but could I get away with the included 450W? It's a mini ITX so I don't really plan on adding anything major to it. I just want to know whether or not I should be fine.

Anyways, I know this is a lot and maybe not even the right place to ask (first forum post),

but thanks in advance!

thekeemo · May 17, 2016

Didnt even know they made any..

however I know that zotac has a product warranty that only covers when it is being manufactured and it should work with any parts that are physically compatible

you can tun the 970 under a 300w psu

Izumi Reina · May 17, 2016

2 minutes ago, DailyCakeSlice said:

I'm downsizing my gaming computer from a mid tower to a Node 202 case, and need to swap motherboards.

Currently I have an EVGA GTX 970, i5 3570K.

Im trying to save as much money as possible, but theres a few specific things I'm going for on the motherboard:

-USB 3.0 ports, and ones for the case

-Preferably included WiFi, but if it's too expensive I can just use some cheap USB dongle (I'll be wired 90% of the time)

-$150 or less. (Preferably $100 or lower)

So far I'm thinking this: http://www.buytech.com/product.aspx?productId=1024320395 (Also feel free to suggest other motherboards, WiFi or not, that are budget friendly and compatible.)

Now, I'm pretty dumb when it comes to motherboards, but I'm pretty sure everything is compatible, right? So first, I want opinions on ZOTAC, does everyone hate them? Are they cheap? Are they great? Now for a probably even dumber question, I keep seeing "A PCI Express 3.0 x16 expansion slot ... for gamers that desire running the latest discrete ZOTAC graphics cards" under the descriptions in different sites. Does this mean that it's only going to work with ZOTAC cards and not my 970? This seems really odd to me, but I'm not sure if maybe I'm taking it wrong, as it was on a few motherboards.

And final quick question:

I've seen a lot of people say you need at least like 600+ watts to power a rig with a 970. However, since I plan to use the Node 202, I'd like to not spend too much on a PSU and instead use the included 450W PSU. I've seen builds like Jayz's and HardwareCanuck's that run like a 980 and an i5-4690K (165W + 88W = 253W) that run off of the Node's 450W just fine, but some sites tell me my 970 and i5 3570K (145W + 77W = 222W) is going to need 600W+.

I also plan on running 1 or 2 2.5" HDD and maybe a fan, but could I get away with the included 450W? It's a mini ITX so I don't really plan on adding anything major to it. I just want to know whether or not I should be fine.

Anyways, I know this is a lot and maybe not even the right place to ask (first forum post),

but thanks in advance!

Just a note usually when companies do tell you the recommended PSU requirements they base it off that GPU with a i7-4th gen usually also unless its a decent PSU by a well known brand I wouldnt trust it. It might hurt your budget to spend more on PSU but remember your PSU you shouldnt be cheaping out on, since a bad PSU and a good one could mean life or death for your system.