What do you actually look for when shopping for a motherboard?

[othertomperson]

Other than CPU socket and chipset compatibility, and overclocking. I'll take these as given, but when it comes to buying this X99 or Z170 motherboard or that one, what actually determines how much you end up spending? Are you the sort of person who would spend £500 on the Rampage V Edition 10 just because?

 

Is it just a question of "this one's colour scheme matches my GPU" or "ALL OF THE RGB" at this point? Would you buy a new motherboard without upgrading a CPU due to newer features like USB 3.1 type C? (I guess this question is more applicable for the AMD folks considering a bunch of AMD motherboards supporting newer features are just about coming out now). That's a thought -- are CPU upgrades now so incremental that motherboards are progressing faster?

[MisterMK3]

Personally, I will spend a fair amount of extra cash for features that I don't need just to get a motherboard that matches the color scheme and aesthetics that I'm going for. 

[Kantor]

when i but motherboards i look to check what features it has does it support the use to witch i will put it and weather it is made by a good manufacturer. i rarely pay extra just for color though i can see why other would

[Mira Yurizaki]

1. Ports - Does it have all the ports and slots and all that I need

2. Other features - Does it have optional features that I also either need or would really like (for example, I have to be on WiFi so having a motherboard with it is nice)

3. Whatever's cheapest (I refuse to spend more than $150 +/- 10% on a Z series board)

 

Aesthetics I don't really care about, I don't have cases that have side windows anymore.

[19_blackie_73]

ports and price.

color only if the budget allows

[themctipers]

Sata 6gb

great uefi 

quality

 

cheaper = better

[arch_linuxos]

I look for power delivery/phases, ports, # fan headers, and whether or not the color is correct (although that's not important on budget/no window).

[Leonard]

1. cost
2. Support, especially regarding future drivers
3. build quality
4. vendor's reputation
5. features
6. aesthetics

[DaMainMan]

Some things I considered:

- Onboard WIFI

- Easy to navigate / appealing BIOS

- BIOS Overclocking features (overclocking to 4,6ghz on my 6700k literally took 10 seconds with the ASUS Maximus VII Ranger)

- Looks

[SpaceGhostC2C]

1 minute ago, M.Yurizaki said:

1. Ports - Does it have all the ports and slots and all that I need

2. Other features - Does it have optional features that I also either need or would really like (for example, I have to be on WiFi so having a motherboard with it is nice)

3. Whatever's cheapest (I refuse to spend more than $150 +/- 10% on a Z series board)

 

Aesthetics I don't really care about, I don't have cases that have side windows anymore.

I do more or less the same. Somewhere in between 1. and 2., I check for things like how easily it will support RAM speeds I intend to use, or whether the PCIe are x16, x8, etc, but typically this is not an issue unless I know I'll go for multiple GPUs.

Basically, I check whether I can run the best version of what I actually plan to build, and that I don't need to pay top money for it.

[typographie]

5 minutes ago, othertomperson said:

Is it just a question of "this one's colour scheme matches my GPU" or "ALL OF THE RGB" at this point?

I doubt I'd ever spend more than maybe $180 on a motherboard, and most motherboards in that price range have a certain set of features that tend not to change drastically from manufacturer to manufacturer. The only things missing at that price point (such as integrated Wifi or Bluetooth) generally only show up on very high-end boards that I wouldn't consider anyway. So, yeah, visual design is one of the factors that often sways my decision.

[Mira Yurizaki]

I also get what I need now. I don't think about what I could get say two years down the road.

 

If I did that I may as well get a Case Labs case and an E-ATX board.

[Herman Mcpootis]

1. price(no point wanting a super fancy mobo when its too expensive)

2. features(should have what i need, with some extra just in case i end up using it)

3. aesthetics(should look decently good, and not in some weird-ass form factor like the h110m-dgs)

4.brand reputation/RMA quality(i'd prefer companies like MSI and gigabyte over biostar, but if the RMA is worse/better then my opinion will change)

[DildorTheDecent]

Ports, OC support, features. 

 

Just general things really. 

 

Would swap the RVE for the RVE 10 though. The RGB does look quite nice. Lack of USB 3.0 is made up by those Type C connectors 

[NinJake]

I normally go by best bang for the buck with no limitations on what I plan on doing with a build. Sadly, I've only built 1 pc from scratch so far however I can guarantee the color scheme doesn't matter. I use Noctua fans and heat sinks... nuff said about trying to get any type of color scheme going on. Performance > Aesthetics

[othertomperson]

12 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Would swap the RVE for the RVE 10 though. The RGB does look quite nice. Lack of USB 3.0 is made up by those Type C connectors 

Am I the only one who doesn't want tiny tiny USB's on the back of motherboards? It's bad enough fumbling around back there trying to find the hole with a big connector. If it were USB A size AND reversible, it would be ok, but I'd care much more about type C if it were on a phone than a motherboard.

 

I was looking at X99 motherboards for no other reason than curiosity, and for me one of the best looking ones is also the second cheapest: it's the MSI X99 A SLI Plus

[DildorTheDecent]

11 minutes ago, othertomperson said:

Am I the only one who doesn't want tiny tiny USB's on the back of motherboards?

Yes

[TheSuspect]

In order of importance.

 

- If it matches my colour scheme.

- Some features.

- If it has 4 ddr3 slots

- Sli.

[othertomperson]

18 minutes ago, DildorTheDecent said:

Yes

lmao that settles it then