Quick MOBO side by side.

[sqnkov]

Hello guys,

I have narrowed my choice down to two motherboards from ASUS. Which one is better and why. The only differences I can see are the PCI Exprexx 1x / LAN Guard for the red one. I personally think the gold one is the way to go. What would You advise?

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO/

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO-GAMING/

 

I will be adding an i7-6700 (non-K) and a GTX 1070/1080 with 2133 DDR4 RAM, ripjaws or something like that.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, sqnkov said:

Hello guys,

I have narrowed my choice down to two motherboards from ASUS. Which one is better and why. The only differences I can see are the PCI Exprexx 1x / LAN Guard for the red one. I personally think the gold one is the way to go. What would You advise?

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO/

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO-GAMING/

The Pro (non gaming) has 2 more SATA ports for storages (6vs4)

The rest seems to be the same and the PCI E you pointed out too

I would go gold too

[pwn_intended]

Very similar, I would go with whatever is cheaper unless you really NEED the more sata ports or legacy PCI.

The gaming also has an extra fan header, but that's an easy solution with splitters.

 

EDIT: It appears as though the gaming also has "higher quality components", whatever that means. Mostly marketing mumbo jumbo as the gold one is also going to be very good quality, as most ASUS mobos are.

[Freezanator]

@sqnkov This may seem odd, but I'd actually go for the ASUS H170 PRO GAMING. You know why? It has 10 VRMs while the non-GAMING has only 7. More VRMs = Better power distribution = More stability when overclocking. The GAMING version also has a total of 6 USB ports (2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.1) whereas the non has 5 (2x USB 2.0, 3x USB 3.0).  

[sqnkov]

6 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

@sqnkov This may seem odd, but I'd actually go for the ASUS H170 PRO GAMING. You know why? It has 10 VRMs while the non-GAMING has only 7. More VRMs = Better power distribution = More stability when overclocking. The GAMING version also has a total of 6 USB ports (2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.1) whereas the non has 5 (2x USB 2.0, 3x USB 3.0).  

Yes, but do these VRMs have to do something with my non-K CPU?

[Freezanator]

Just now, sqnkov said:

Yes, but do these VRMs have to do something with my non-K CPU?

Yes, more VRMs ensure more stable power delivery even if you're on a locked CPU.

[sqnkov]

2 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Yes, more VRMs ensure more stable power delivery even if you're on a locked CPU.

While this really appeals to me as well, it sounds a bit geeky to me. Does this make a huge difference? Or is it just for morale support?

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, sqnkov said:

While this really appeals to me as well, it sounds a bit geeky to me. Does this make a huge difference? Or is it just for morale support?

It is just a precaution worth taking.  

[Zoravar]

33 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

@sqnkov This may seem odd, but I'd actually go for the ASUS H170 PRO GAMING. You know why? It has 10 VRMs while the non-GAMING has only 7. More VRMs = Better power distribution = More stability when overclocking. The GAMING version also has a total of 6 USB ports (2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.1) whereas the non has 5 (2x USB 2.0, 3x USB 3.0).  

 

 

 

I have a tendency to stick with the same computer for a long time.  My current one is going on six years.  So personally, extras that I might not need now, but will in the future are good perks for me.  

1. When I built my computer, I didn't really need 3.0 at first.  Everything was 2.0.  But as of late, all my external storage has gone 3.0.  So having support for it was nice.  I can see a similar thing happening with me and 3.1.  
2. Having the better power delivery is also nice for overclocking, which can boost performance near the end of a build's life if you haven't already been overclocking from the start (edit: this second point wouldn't really make a difference for you @Freezanator with your non-k cpu). 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Zoravar
Formatting

[sqnkov]

Just found this one, and the box looks cool too:

 

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5495#ov

[Freezanator]

7 minutes ago, Zoravar said:

(edit: this last point wouldn't really make a difference for you @Freezanator with your non-k cpu). 

Are you referring to my "Future PC Build"?

[Freezanator]

2 minutes ago, sqnkov said:

Just found this one, and the box looks cool too:

 

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5495#ov

@sqnkov I'd like to ask, where exactly are you shopping your motherboard from? It can be easier to find the right motherboard for you since not all shopping sites have every motherboard.  

[Zoravar]

7 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Are you referring to my "Future PC Build"?

No, I was referring to the build you're currently planning.  Your motherboard is the least likely part of your computer to be upgraded, so you're going to have to live with whatever features you decide to get for potentially several years (I don't know how quickly you replace/build new computers). 

 

In my case, I've been using the same motherboard for 6 years.  The only reason I still find that motherboard useful today is because I paid a little extra money to get some extra features (I used USB 3.0 as an example).  At the time I bought it I didn't need those extra features, but I knew that I might need them in the future.  Well, time showed that I did, in fact, use those extra features.  

[sqnkov]

14 hours ago, Zoravar said:

No, I was referring to the build you're currently planning.  Your motherboard is the least likely part of your computer to be upgraded, so you're going to have to live with whatever features you decide to get for potentially several years (I don't know how quickly you replace/build new computers). 

 

In my case, I've been using the same motherboard for 6 years.  The only reason I still find that motherboard useful today is because I paid a little extra money to get some extra features (I used USB 3.0 as an example).  At the time I bought it I didn't need those extra features, but I knew that I might need them in the future.  Well, time showed that I did, in fact, use those extra features.  

I like Your approach, so what will You have to say about the gold asus / gigabyte

 

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5495#ov

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO/

[sqnkov]

15 hours ago, Freezanator said:

@sqnkov I'd like to ask, where exactly are you shopping your motherboard from? It can be easier to find the right motherboard for you since not all shopping sites have every motherboard.  

@Freezanator , I am located in Bulgaria, Europe and I've noticed we don't have all the extra parts that are available in the US / UK regions. If you have something nicer in mind, share it with me and I will look for it around here.

[Freezanator]

6 minutes ago, sqnkov said:

@Freezanator , I am located in Bulgaria, Europe and I've noticed we don't have all the extra parts that are available in the US / UK regions. If you have something nicer in mind, share it with me and I will look for it around here.

Are you shopping online? If so, could you provide the link to it?

[sqnkov]

2 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Are you shopping online? If so, could you provide the link to it?

Trouble is the websites that I am viewing are in Bulgarian and there is no English language mode, so just look at random sites that you usually visit.

[Freezanator]

Just now, sqnkov said:

Trouble is the websites that I am viewing are in Bulgarian and there is no English language mode, so just look at random sites that you usually visit.

That's the reason why  I'm using Google Chrome, because it has a built-in translator.

[sqnkov]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

That's the reason why  I'm using Google Chrome, because it has a built-in translator.

Okay, for example here - http://desktop.bg/motherboards/compare?ids[]=300&ids[]=372

[Freezanator]

Just now, sqnkov said:

Okay, for example here - http://desktop.bg/motherboards/compare?ids[]=300&ids[]=372

Easily translated. I'll source for a good motherboard for your build.

[Freezanator]

@sqnkov If you don't plan to get an overclockable CPU for many years to come, I suggest you get the Gigabyte GA-B150-HD3P.

But if you plan on upgrading your CPU to a K-series CPU, I suggest you get the ASRock Z170 Pro4.  

[sqnkov]

Aww, the ASrock doesn't have a usb-c connector. Looks pretty good though. Have you seen the Gigabyte I was referring to earlier? The one with the HotS packaging.

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, sqnkov said:

Aww, the ASrock doesn't have a usb-c connector. Looks pretty good though. Have you seen the Gigabyte I was referring to earlier? The one with the HotS packaging.

The question is, do you really need that USB-C connector? Do you have devices which will utilize it? And yes, I did see the Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P you linked. Don't get a product just because the packaging looks cool. Get a product because of its features. You can make a choice here:
1. Won't be overclocking in the future: Gigabyte GA-B150-HD3P
2. Will be overclocking in the future: ASRock Z170 Pro4

3. Will be overclocking in the future + Need a USB Type-C port: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P
 

Personally, if I want to overclock in the future, I would get the ASRock Z170 Pro 4 because it has a total of 10 VRMs which will ensure a stable overclock and having a stable CPU is more important than anything else and I also don't need USB Type-C. It is also slightly cheaper than the GA-Z170-HD3P and has a nice metal heatsink for the VRMs around the CPU.  

[Zoravar]

5 hours ago, Freezanator said:

You can make a choice here:
1. Won't be overclocking in the future: Gigabyte GA-B150-HD3P
2. Will be overclocking in the future: ASRock Z170 Pro4

3. Will be overclocking in the future + Need a USB Type-C port: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P

 

Sorry it took me a little while to get back to this thread.  I agree with Freezanator's list.  

[sqnkov]

On 15.12.2016 г. at 4:57 PM, Zoravar said:

Sorry it took me a little while to get back to this thread.  I agree with Freezanator's list.  

@Zoravar Thank You for getting back.

 

I will not be overclocking in the future, so I decided to go with a H170 chipset mobo, e.g. - https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170-PRO-GAMING/

 

Which supports most of the features I will be needing in the future, including a double GPU slot set, or am I wrong? RAM should be @ 2133 I guess, since this is not a clocker mobo?