Can't decide on OC Z170

[BWayneEnterprises]

Hey guys,

Doing another build need some help on motherboards.

Okay.... So motherboards.

My budget is $250 AUD for a Z170.
CPU - either a 6700k or wait for Kabby Lake.
GPU - Waiting for 1070s to drop a little more ( I current have a 1060 * Need to upgrade monitor too, may target it to handle a 1070 )
Storage - I want to setup a M.2 just for the operating system and some other minor core operating things.

I'm new to overclocking, and im not sure what motherboard to use from the price bracket above.

 

Asus Z170 -AR

ASRock- Fatal1ty K6

ASRock - Extreme 6+

Asus Z170- Pro Gaming

ASRock - Extreme 4

ASRock - Gaming K4

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#m=7,8&X=1948,25779&s=30&c=110&sort=d8&page=1

 

So what motherboard do i go for ? I do want to SLI in the future.

I want to overclock both CPU and GPU. I play a-lot of pc games mainly though, titan fall / 2, battle field 4/1 and Doom

I have used the friendly search button and that has helped. Thanks guys

 

[Schrodingers Kat]

Asus Z170 AR. Have done this mobo crawl recently and found that to be the best in the price range. Main benefit when compared to the asrock boards is the better power delivery for overclocking, otherwise the asrock boards are great for features per dollar 

[BWayneEnterprises]

1 minute ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

Asus Z170 AR. Have done this mobo crawl recently and found that to be the best in the price range. Main benefit when compared to the asrock boards is the better power delivery for overclocking, otherwise the asrock boards are great for features per dollar 

Thanks for the reply. I also have seen that Asus has better OCing support too i think...

 

Yea that was what i was having trouble dealing with. Initially I wanted the Asus-AR then I saw the ASRock features. 
If i did decide to go ASRock would there be anyway to help support or improve the power delivery when OCing ?

So at the end of the day it just depends on what i want to compromise with right ?, why can't i have my cake and eat it too haha

 

[Schrodingers Kat]

1 minute ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Thanks for the reply. I also have seen that Asus has better OCing support too i think...

 

Yea that was what i was having trouble dealing with. Initially I wanted the Asus-AR then I saw the ASRock features. 
If i did decide to go ASRock would there be anyway to help support or improve the power delivery when OCing ?

So at the end of the day it just depends on what i want to compromise with right ?, why can't i have my cake and eat it too haha

 

It's not that the asrock boards are bad in anyway (Ive had one running in a 2600k system for nearly 5 years overclocked at 5ghz) its just the asus board has a more stable power delivery with more power phases/vrms. And you cant really change the asrocks power delivery, and if your going to push the overclock for tinkering because why not then you'll definitely want the extra vrms. The asrock boards actually have better onboard audio lol 

[Imakuni]

15 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

CPU - either a 6700k or wait for Kabby Lake

Then you can just get a 6700k right now. Kaby isn't going to change anything, it's only going to be the same as SKylake with higher clocks (aka the same as a 6700k OC). No need to wait until 2017 for something you can just get right now.

17 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Storage - I want to setup a M.2 just for the operating system and some other minor core operating things.

Are you sure you want to spend money on something rather pointless (next to a regular SSD, that is) instead of, say the Gtx 1070 or you monitor upgrade?

18 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

I do want to SLI in the future.

You sure u have the cash for SLI 1080ti? Because it certainly doesn't look like it...

5 minutes ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

It's not that the asrock boards are bad in anyway (Ive had one running in a 2600k system for nearly 5 years overclocked at 5ghz) its just the asus board has a more stable power delivery with more power phases/vrms.

You do realize that, by that argument, the Extreme6 / K6 should be the recommended pick with it's higher count than the Asus AR, don't you?

[Schrodingers Kat]

1 minute ago, Imakuni said:

You do realize that, by that argument, the Extreme6 / K6 should be the recommended pick with it's higher count than the Asus AR, don't you?

Normally I'd say yeah your dead right, but according to the reviews of those boards in particular the reviewers I have read have said they couldn't achieve the same overclock on the asrock boards (normally only a difference of 100/200mhz) as they did on the asus z170 A (which over here in aus they changed the onboard audio and called it the AR)

[BWayneEnterprises]

5 minutes ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

It's not that the asrock boards are bad in anyway (Ive had one running in a 2600k system for nearly 5 years overclocked at 5ghz) its just the asus board has a more stable power delivery with more power phases/vrms. And you cant really change the asrocks power delivery, and if your going to push the overclock for tinkering because why not then you'll definitely want the extra vrms. The asrock boards actually have better onboard audio lol 

lol yea i've read that a lot, I love good sound.

Hmm... I was even thinking maybe a top end power supply to help the cause but yea i see what you're saying. I do like the ASRock feats but I don't know if would need them or want them you know? I haven't seen many post about the Gaming K6 in particular which worries me a little especially when it comes to OCing on that board

[BWayneEnterprises]

6 minutes ago, Imakuni said:

Then you can just get a 6700k right now. Kaby isn't going to change anything, it's only going to be the same as SKylake with higher clocks (aka the same as a 6700k OC). No need to wait until 2017 for something you can just get right now.

Are you sure you want to spend money on something rather pointless (next to a regular SSD, that is) instead of, say the Gtx 1070 or you monitor upgrade?

You sure u have the cash for SLI 1080ti? Because it certainly doesn't look like it...

You do realize that, by that argument, the Extreme6 / K6 should be the recommended pick with it's higher count than the Asus AR, don't you?

Yea the higher clock speeds do look good, I suppose if they come out priced the same then why not ?

 

Why is the M.2 pointless ? I read that the write and read speed are much faster ( M) and the ( B+M) are slightly slower but still quicker than a capped Sata ported SSD ? I only read a few articles ect i could have missed something...

I wouldn't SLI 1080Ti's, and i didn't say i would either. I would SLI down the road two 1070s.

 

So you suggest the ASRock Ex 6 or K6 ?

[BWayneEnterprises]

9 minutes ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

Normally I'd say yeah your dead right, but according to the reviews of those boards in particular the reviewers I have read have said they couldn't achieve the same overclock on the asrock boards (normally only a difference of 100/200mhz) as they did on the asus z170 A (which over here in aus they changed the onboard audio and called it the AR)

 

Hmm.. that's interesting. What chipset? or do you have the link for a read ?

[Imakuni]

8 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

I haven't seen many post about the Gaming K6 in particular which worries me a little especially when it comes to OCing on that board

You can literally just look at the Extreme6 (or 6+) reviews instead of K6 ones. They are the same mobo, apart from coloring and lan (or was it audio?) differences.

2 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Why is the M.2 pointless ? I read that the write and read speed are much faster ( M) and the ( B+M) are slightly slower but still quicker than a capped Sata ported SSD ? I only read a few articles ect i could have missed something...

It's more expensive and you won't actually see a benefit to it in 90% of the cases. Yes, the increased scores are there, but it won't change anything thing for you, the real person looking at the monitor and actually using the PC.

3 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

I wouldn't SLI 1080Ti's, and i didn't say i would either. I would SLI down the road two 1070s

Then when you get around to SLIing your 1070, you'll be better off selling the first one you own and, with the money from the second one, investing it all into a single Gtx 1080ti instead. Do not SLI anything but the top 2 cards of the market, which in this case would be the Titan XP and the unreleased 1080ti.

[Schrodingers Kat]

11 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

 

Hmm.. that's interesting. What chipset? or do you have the link for a read ?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asrock-z170-extreme4-atx-motherboard,4337-3.html

http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-z170-extreme4-motherboard-review/8/

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/72211-asrock-z170-extreme4-motherboard-review-13.html

They all mention the memory instability in particular at the high end of overclocking, however one thing to note is that the extreme 6 boards do better in this regard (they cost more than the AR but still)

 

8 minutes ago, Imakuni said:

It's more expensive and you won't actually see a benefit to it in 90% of the cases. Yes, the increased scores are there, but it won't change anything thing for you, the real person looking at the monitor and actually using the PC.

Then when you get around to SLIing your 1070, you'll be better off selling the first one you own and, with the money from the second one, investing it all into a single Gtx 1080ti instead. Do not SLI anything but the top 2 cards of the market, which in this case would be the Titan XP and the unreleased 1080ti.

+1 on pretty much both points. Unless your buying a 950 pro ssd you're most likely best off with an 850 evo (which you can get in m.2 form factor if you so wish).

I dont recommend relying on a future SLI to get the performance you want, best waiting with your 1060 until the 1080ti is released. SLI scaling in games goes from non existent to half assed most of the time so always recommend getting the most powerful single card you can. 

[BWayneEnterprises]

10 minutes ago, Imakuni said:

You can literally just look at the Extreme6 (or 6+) reviews instead of K6 ones. They are the same mobo, apart from coloring and lan (or was it audio?) differences.

It's more expensive and you won't actually see a benefit to it in 90% of the cases. Yes, the increased scores are there, but it won't change anything thing for you, the real person looking at the monitor and actually using the PC.

Then when you get around to SLIing your 1070, you'll be better off selling the first one you own and, with the money from the second one, investing it all into a single Gtx 1080ti instead. Do not SLI anything but the top 2 cards of the market, which in this case would be the Titan XP and the unreleased 1080ti.

Yea pretty much the main differences. I was unsure because i thought maybe one was better at OCing than the other. Just how i found out about the VRMS on the ASUS being better at distributing power supply...

 

Fair enough. I did want to use it as i found it interesting you know, but maybe you're right.

 

Yea cool that makes sense. I honestly hadn't approached it from that angle and I suppose like you said pour that money into a monitor ect... which i would need answered too haha.

 

Great to have varied opinions

[BWayneEnterprises]

5 minutes ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

+1 on pretty much both points. Unless your buying a 950 pro ssd you're most likely best off with an 850 evo (which you can get in m.2 form factor if you so wish).

I dont recommend relying on a future SLI to get the performance you want, best waiting with your 1060 until the 1080ti is released. SLI scaling in games goes from non existent to half assed most of the time so always recommend getting the most powerful single card you can. 

Thanks for the link.

The K6 which is essentially the same is almost the same price + or -. I was going to give this PC to a family member with the 1060, it would give me an excuse to get a 1070. Is it true though that there's no point unless you game at 120HZ > ? That whole thing confuses me with fps and hz i've read so many articles and it just doesn't click

[BWayneEnterprises]

25 minutes ago, Imakuni said:

You can literally just look at the Extreme6 (or 6+) reviews instead of K6 ones. They are the same mobo, apart from coloring and lan (or was it audio?) differences.

Just another thought, I was reading that ASRock Motherboards have troubles with memory sticks not being compatible or needing to be booted one at a time ??
 

That's another reason I was leaning towards Asus

[Imakuni]

1 minute ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Just another thought, I was reading that ASRock Motherboards have troubles with memory sticks not being compatible or needing to be booted one at a time ??
 

That's another reason I was leaning towards Asus

Never heard that, but okay...

[Schrodingers Kat]

3 minutes ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Is it true though that there's no point unless you game at 120HZ > ? That whole thing confuses me with fps and hz i've read so many articles and it just doesn't click

Depends on your resolution. I game at 1440p with a 144hz moniter, so my moniter can display up to 144 fps rather than a 60 hz moniter which can only display 60fps. If you have a 1080p 60hz moniter then a 1060 is plenty of power. However if you have a moniter like mine or 4k etc then youll need more gpu power to make use of your moniter. Thats where reviews of gpus come into play so you can see how many fps of a certain game they push at a given resolution. 

[BWayneEnterprises]

9 hours ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

Depends on your resolution. I game at 1440p with a 144hz moniter, so my moniter can display up to 144 fps rather than a 60 hz moniter which can only display 60fps. If you have a 1080p 60hz moniter then a 1060 is plenty of power. However if you have a moniter like mine or 4k etc then youll need more gpu power to make use of your moniter. Thats where reviews of gpus come into play so you can see how many fps of a certain game they push at a given resolution. 

Hmm ok that's easier to understand that. The other side to my question then how come high fps are a thing if the monitor is capped at a certain fps? And what monitor do you have, im looking at the LG widescreen monitor about $250 thoughts https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/lg-25-219-2560x1080-full-hd-ultrawide-ips-led-gaming-monitor-25um58-p-lg/ should i be posting this in the monitor section, Aussies are hard to find online

 

[BWayneEnterprises]

9 hours ago, Imakuni said:

Never heard that, but okay...

Yea on ASRocks website there is a 'Memory Compatibility ' section. It looks a little confusing 

[Schrodingers Kat]

1 hour ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Hmm ok that's easier to understand that. The other side to my question then how come high fps are a thing if the monitor is capped at a certain fps? And what monitor do you have, im looking at the LG widescreen monitor about $250 thoughts https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/lg-25-219-2560x1080-full-hd-ultrawide-ips-led-gaming-monitor-25um58-p-lg/ should i be posting this in the monitor section, Aussies are hard to find online

 

Yeah we can be haha that looks like a good monitor, ips is nice for colours and viewing angles if not response times. High fps is only a useful thing when the moniter can display it (144hz for example), the moniter you looked at is 60hz so it will only display 60fps at maximum and any additional fps is 'wasted'. Theres more to it when you look at vsync, gsync and freesync but thats the main points. And yeah should post this in moniter section 

[Schrodingers Kat]

1 hour ago, BWayneEnterprises said:

Yea on ASRocks website there is a 'Memory Compatibility ' section. It looks a little confusing 

There is always a memory compatibility list (or should be anyway) for any motherboard, as the memory on it have been tested to work by the manufacturer. Other memory will most likely work but its no longer guaranteed (the oem will tell you to use the memory on the list to cover their ass if other memory doesn't work). For your mobo selection the AR or the extreme 6/k6 would be the recommendations, with mine going more toward the AR. 

[BWayneEnterprises]

 

6 hours ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

Yeah we can be haha that looks like a good monitor, ips is nice for colours and viewing angles if not response times. High fps is only a useful thing when the moniter can display it (144hz for example), the moniter you looked at is 60hz so it will only display 60fps at maximum and any additional fps is 'wasted'. Theres more to it when you look at vsync, gsync and freesync but thats the main points. And yeah should post this in moniter section 

Ohk cool man, Ill throw it up there too but i think you've given me all the info i needed.

 

6 hours ago, Schrodingers Kat said:

There is always a memory compatibility list (or should be anyway) for any motherboard, as the memory on it have been tested to work by the manufacturer. Other memory will most likely work but its no longer guaranteed (the oem will tell you to use the memory on the list to cover their ass if other memory doesn't work). For your mobo selection the AR or the extreme 6/k6 would be the recommendations, with mine going more toward the AR. 

OK cool ill look more into that, no rush. Hmm yea look i intially prefered the AR but then the feats of the ASRock dang, i should be alright either way. Thanks man you've been really helpful

[lukart]

AR is a solid brand for overclocking, my pick would be the 6+. It has 12 Power Phases.

[BWayneEnterprises]

11 hours ago, lukart said:

AR is a solid brand for overclocking, my pick would be the 6+. It has 12 Power Phases.

Thanks for the reply. Yea I've heard that quite a bit, now you say it has 12 power Phases, what and how does it matter for your pick ?

[BWayneEnterprises]

After much deliberation I'm going with the ASRock... Who knows i may get the ASUS

[Sintezza]

On 14-10-2016 at 1:10 PM, Schrodingers Kat said:

Asus Z170 AR. Have done this mobo crawl recently and found that to be the best in the price range. Main benefit when compared to the asrock boards is the better power delivery for overclocking, otherwise the asrock boards are great for features per dollar 

 

The Asus Z170-AR a better power delivery as Asrock Z170 Extreme 6+ or the Gaming K6+?

Hmm thats kinda an interesting claim.

Could you explain why the vrm on the Asus Z170 AR is better?

i'´m getting very currious right now.