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Help me decide on a Z170 motherboard

AlexZugas
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Hi

 

I want to get a new Z170 motherboard to pair with an i7-6700k. The situation is, I got a deal for a MSI Z170 M3 motherboard for $127 including shipping and import fees. I think it is a good board although it does not support SLI but I don't see myself using SLI anytime soon.

 

I don't know if this board is fine or should I invest in something better. The initial plan was to get an ASUS Sabertooth S. The prices for the motherboards I can get are these (all with shipping + import fees):

 

MSI Z170 M3 - $127

ASUS Z170-A - $162.39

ASUS Sabertooth Z170 S - $226.79

ASUS Maximus VIII Hero - 229.55

Gigabyte Z170 Gaming 3 - $150.75

Gigabyte Z170X-ULTRA GAMING - $174.316

 

If you think of a better motherboard, let me know :)

 

Thanks!

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I personally prefer ASUS boards, but different boards pretty much all perform the same. Unless you're sold on the aesthetics of one, just go for the cheapest one.

REMILIA Mk.IIIE CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X, Cooler: Arctic Freezer II 240 (Noctua NT-H2), RAM: 4x 8Gb sticks of Patriot Viper Steel Series 3600 CL17, Mobo: AsRock X570 Taichi, GPU: Inno3D RTX 3080 iChill x4 10G, Storage: 1TB Intel 670p NVME SSD boot drive, a few 1TB and 512gb SATA/NVME SSDs for game storage, 6 hard drives 1-4 TB, PSU: Corsair RM750 MY2019, Case: Cooler Master Mastercase 5 MC500 (with add-ons, Noctua NF-A14 and Arctic P14 fans), PCIE Cards: Cheap Chinese Marvell 88SE9215 4 port SATA card, Sonnet Allegro USB3.2 Card Monitors: ViewSonic Elite XG270QC (165hz, 1ms MPRT, 1440p, VA, Freesync PP, pneumatic stand), Hp Z27n (IPS, 60hz, 1440p, 8Ms), iiyama G2530HSU-B (75Hz, Freesync, one in landscape, one in Portrait, all on pneumatic monitor stands).

 

Mic: iSK UPM-1 USB XLR interface with Neewer NW700, Audio: Sabaj A3 160W DAC/AMP + Wharfdale Diamond 220 + Mission MS6 Sub, ifi Zen DAC v2 + ifi Zen CAN, Littledot Mk.II (w/ Soviet Power tubes and British Mulard M8100s/Soviet Voshkod 6JP-EV/ American General Electric JAN 5654W dependent on mood), Sendy Aiva (Primary), Beyer Dynamic DT990 250ohm Black Special Edition, Audeze EL-8 Open Back, Sennheiser HD598SE (modified to be a headset, snapped headband held together with gorilla tape), Mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600, Keyboard: Glorious GMMK ISO with Mengmoda MMD Tactile (main) and Kailh Box Navy (Function keys), Tribosys 3203 brush lubed, Taihao Green forest caps.

 

KOAKUMA Mk.IB (24/7 Folding Slave PC made of spare parts): CPU: Core i7 4770, Cooler: Some small antex cooler with 80mm fan, RAM: 2x 4Gb Sticks of 2400Mhz DDR3, Mobo: Asus H81i-Plus, GPU: R9 390 Nitro+ (barely fits in case), Storage: 256gb Korean no-name SATA SSD, PSU: Corsair CX550 (Gray label), Case: Antec ISK600 ITX case. [Given away to friend]

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7 minutes ago, Dawson Wehage said:

Get the Ultra gaming Gigabyte board

Is it a good value/performance? Do you think the extra $47 are worth it?

 

I had a Z77 Gigabyte board back then and it lasted almost 3 years. I was not able to claim the warranty, that is why I have my doubts in gigabyte.

 

5 minutes ago, ibabyslapper said:

I personally prefer ASUS boards, but different boards pretty much all perform the same. Unless you're sold on the aesthetics of one, just go for the cheapest one.

I do like ASUS as well, although it is a little more expensive.

 

Do you think the motherboard will matter for O.C the CPU?

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I change my mind go for the ASUS Maximus ASUS is a great brand, but be warned they have shitty customer support.

The geek himself.

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1 minute ago, AlexZugas said:

Is it a good value/performance? Do you think the extra $47 are worth it?

 

I had a Z77 Gigabyte board back then and it lasted almost 3 years. I was not able to claim the warranty, that is why I have my doubts in gigabyte.

 

I do like ASUS as well, although it is a little more expensive.

 

Do you think the motherboard will matter for O.C the CPU?

No, I don't think so, unless you're looking to do liquid nitrogen OC any board will perform the same.

REMILIA Mk.IIIE CPU: Ryzen 9 3900X, Cooler: Arctic Freezer II 240 (Noctua NT-H2), RAM: 4x 8Gb sticks of Patriot Viper Steel Series 3600 CL17, Mobo: AsRock X570 Taichi, GPU: Inno3D RTX 3080 iChill x4 10G, Storage: 1TB Intel 670p NVME SSD boot drive, a few 1TB and 512gb SATA/NVME SSDs for game storage, 6 hard drives 1-4 TB, PSU: Corsair RM750 MY2019, Case: Cooler Master Mastercase 5 MC500 (with add-ons, Noctua NF-A14 and Arctic P14 fans), PCIE Cards: Cheap Chinese Marvell 88SE9215 4 port SATA card, Sonnet Allegro USB3.2 Card Monitors: ViewSonic Elite XG270QC (165hz, 1ms MPRT, 1440p, VA, Freesync PP, pneumatic stand), Hp Z27n (IPS, 60hz, 1440p, 8Ms), iiyama G2530HSU-B (75Hz, Freesync, one in landscape, one in Portrait, all on pneumatic monitor stands).

 

Mic: iSK UPM-1 USB XLR interface with Neewer NW700, Audio: Sabaj A3 160W DAC/AMP + Wharfdale Diamond 220 + Mission MS6 Sub, ifi Zen DAC v2 + ifi Zen CAN, Littledot Mk.II (w/ Soviet Power tubes and British Mulard M8100s/Soviet Voshkod 6JP-EV/ American General Electric JAN 5654W dependent on mood), Sendy Aiva (Primary), Beyer Dynamic DT990 250ohm Black Special Edition, Audeze EL-8 Open Back, Sennheiser HD598SE (modified to be a headset, snapped headband held together with gorilla tape), Mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600, Keyboard: Glorious GMMK ISO with Mengmoda MMD Tactile (main) and Kailh Box Navy (Function keys), Tribosys 3203 brush lubed, Taihao Green forest caps.

 

KOAKUMA Mk.IB (24/7 Folding Slave PC made of spare parts): CPU: Core i7 4770, Cooler: Some small antex cooler with 80mm fan, RAM: 2x 4Gb Sticks of 2400Mhz DDR3, Mobo: Asus H81i-Plus, GPU: R9 390 Nitro+ (barely fits in case), Storage: 256gb Korean no-name SATA SSD, PSU: Corsair CX550 (Gray label), Case: Antec ISK600 ITX case. [Given away to friend]

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11 minutes ago, Dawson Wehage said:

I change my mind go for the ASUS Maximus ASUS is a great brand, but be warned they have shitty customer support.

Here where I live, ASUS has a good presence.

 

Ok so for overclock all are fine.

 

So, I need to answer these questions

Is it worth to invest at least $45 more for a better quality MoBo?

If so, is it worth to get a better motherboard like the maximus hero?

 

Because it is a big gap from $127 to $229. Taking in mind that I still have to buy the RAM wich costs $117

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All those boards are fine. Overclocking might depend a lil bit. I haven't seen the vrm quality of all the boards but I know the Sabertooth and maximus hero board both use IR pwm which are really good for overclocking(not my words) hero takes it up a notch by using Texas instruments mosfets. 

 

Rest of the boards should be using intersil pwms. 

 

I prefer wasting money, so I'd spring for the hero.

 

But a good middle ground is the ultra gaming or z170-a.

i5 2400 | ASUS RTX 4090 TUF OC | Seasonic 1200W Prime Gold | WD Green 120gb | WD Blue 1tb | some ram | a random case

 

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