Motherboard hunting.

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 17, 2014

Asus Z97-A
Gigabyte Z97x-Gaming5
Gigabyte Z97x-UD3H

Those would be my top choices for a lower price board.

Maybe MSi Z97-G45 gaming or Z97-Gaming5 but they don't have sata-express which you might want for future upgrades...

GhostRyder · Jul 17, 2014

Lightbulbie said:
No SLI/Xfire. Mild OCing. All I need is two PCIx16's and @x16/x4. One for my GPU and one for my sound card. I'll be running an i7 4770k or 4790k.

Challenge accepted? Wait I may have missed something, are we looking for a Z97 board with 2 PCIE 16 lanes and a CPU for 325 bucks? Oh wait I see now you have the CPU now need a 125 buck board.

Challenge re-accepted:

Gigabyte Z97MX gaming

Asrock Z97 Gaming Extreme3

MSI Z97 U3

My choice would probably be the gigabyte of the three.

yogurt_21 · Jul 17, 2014

so we're pretty much talking Z97. I like my board just fine MSI Z97-G55 SLI Then there's the other one I was looking at before I bought mine, the GA-Z97X-SLI.

ASUS Z97-P though imho it seems sata "light"

I like the color scheme on the ASRock Z97 Extreme 3 or if you're into more vibrant schemes the ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer.

To put it frankly there are tons at sub 125$ Z97 boards.

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 17, 2014

Still think you should spend the extra 20 bucks on a Z97-A

Toothless · Jul 17, 2014

Well I'm a bit of an MSI fan and a friend has a ton of Gigabyte stuff. ASUS is not my favorite due to my board from them just dying out of no where. And the most amount of HDD/SDDs I'll have at once is like, 3 total. Now I'll try to squeeze a bit more out for the budget so let's play it safe and say that TOP budget is $150 for a board. While having two PCIE16 lanes and phase amounts are something I need. (Higher power phases, the better) Colors... Aren't exactly on the top of my list. I don't care if my board was neon pink with flashy LEDs on it

AsRock does have some smexy boards, though I don't know anyone personally that has one. Any reviews for AsRock?

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 17, 2014

From what I've heard the MSi ones are about as good as Asus on intels side, but for AMD MSi boards are far more flakey.

Review database?

Toothless · Jul 17, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
From what I've heard the MSi ones are about as good as Asus on intels side, but for AMD MSi boards are far more flakey.

Review database?

Or personal reviews of the board that you currently use if you use Intel.

yogurt_21 · Jul 17, 2014

surprising, many people I know who are on a budget go with ASRock. On low to mid budget boards they far surpass their daddy ASUS in every possible way. You know if you're not in a rush you could just enter the TPU contest for the MSI z97 Gaming 7. You could get lucky.

Toothless · Jul 18, 2014

I'll be ordering parts (hopefully) by this weekend.

Vario · Jul 18, 2014

Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JKCHDC2/?tag=tec06d-20 $140
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JKCHDKY/?tag=tec06d-20 $165

edit: apparently Gigabyte changed the VRM design, if that matters to you then maybe UD5H is the lowest to go on Gigabyte.
http://sinhardware.com/images/vrmlist.png

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 18, 2014

The UD3H has an ok VRM, 8 25A mosfets, the UD5H has 12, there will not be much difference in air/water OC.

Vario · Jul 18, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
The UD3H has an ok VRM, 8 25A mosfets, the UD5H has 12, there will not be much difference in air/water OC.

I think the UD3H has a doubler, its 4 phasex2. But you are probably right it should be sufficient for basic overclocking. Still its not the quality of the old ones looking at the sinhw chart.

Theres the Z97 Gaming 5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JKCHEQ2/?tag=tec06d-20

Toothless · Jul 18, 2014

Vario said:
I think the UD3H has a doubler, its 4 phasex2. But you are probably right it should be sufficient for basic overclocking. Still its not the quality of the old ones looking at the sinhw chart.

But which is better for the price? UD3H of UD5H? I'll probably have a fan on the VRM heatsink like I did before.

Vario · Jul 18, 2014

Lightbulbie said:
But which is better for the price? UD3H of UD5H? I'll probably have a fan on the VRM heatsink like I did before.

I'd get the UD5H as its on sale but I really don't have much knowledge of 1150, just 1155. According to sinhw, 5 has much better powerphase design.

edit: try the haswell thread
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/intel-haswell-overclocking-clubhouse.185344/

They are the experts

GhostRyder · Jul 18, 2014

Lightbulbie said:
But which is better for the price? UD3H of UD5H? I'll probably have a fan on the VRM heatsink like I did before.

Get the UD5 if you want a chance at a better overclock, otherwise you should be able to get 4.5 I would say at least with the UD3.

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 18, 2014

I'd go with the Z97x-Gaming 5 over UD3H if you want a gigabyte one. At the same price you get a better PWM controller. If you are running on air or water you are not going to notice the difference between the gaming 5 and UD5H. The only real difference is that you get each phase doubled, but since you are unlikely to run into very high current scenarios you will not see any performance/stability difference.

Toothless · Jul 18, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
I'd go with the Z97x-Gaming 5 over UD3H if you want a gigabyte one. At the same price you get a better PWM controller. If you are running on air or water you are not going to notice the difference between the gaming 5 and UD5H. The only real difference is that you get each phase doubled, but since you are unlikely to run into very high current scenarios you will not see any performance/stability difference.

Looks nice and supports SLI. This might be the winner.

Shambles1980 · Jul 18, 2014

just a quick message.
i have used a lot of asrock boards over the years and i like them. they always have all the features i need/want and are solid. i much prefer them over the more popular msi/gigabyte
my fave boards were abit, but they are gone now. but asrock are usually decent boards for the money usually better than the same price point msi/gigabyte

de.das.dude · Jul 18, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
7670m =/= 7670... The same way the GTX 670m is not the same as the desktop 670, They are based on completely different chips.

The CPU performance of my laptop (when it is not throttling) is exactly the same as any other ivy bridge quad core with HT running at 3.2GHz. The way it works is that if there is thermal headroom it will boost from its base clock (2.4) to anywhere up to 3.2GHz. When the CPU is under load and I am not putting a very heavy load (furmark like) on the GPU the CPU runs at 3.2GHz and performs like a 3.2GHz ivy quad with HT. When there is not enough power (for example when I suck up too much power with the overclocked dGPU) the CPU will throttle to where it can fit within the power limits imposed by the BIOS

thats what i have been saying. that he cant compare desktop to his laptop performance

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 18, 2014

Personally I'm not a fan of ASrock's current colour scheme, it is a bit too flashy for me, but the boards are from what I've heard pretty good.

de.das.dude said:
thats what i have been saying. that he cant compare desktop to his laptop performance

I'm not comparing a GTX 670m to a desktop 670... I have always compared it to a desktop 560, which it actually performs quite similarly to.

My whole point is that considering the specs of the X6800, the 80 or so FPS bottleneck seems like around where it would settle for the CPU.

de.das.dude · Jul 18, 2014

lets give it a rest shall we. its been derailed too long.

Toothless · Jul 19, 2014

Going with the Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5 for the board. Currently $145.

Getting an i7 4770k for $175.

I'm $5 under budget.

And I finished all of my GED tests today.

Today is a good day.

GorbazTheDragon · Jul 19, 2014

GED=General EDucation?

Aww that's cool. I'll be off to England for my IBs at the end of this month so no gaming after that :<

Toothless · Jul 19, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
GED=General EDucation?

Aww that's cool. I'll be off to England for my IBs at the end of this month so no gaming after that :<

A GED is basically a highschool diploma.

Vario · Jul 19, 2014

Lightbulbie said:
Going with the Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5 for the board. Currently $145.

Getting an i7 4770k for $175.

I'm $5 under budget.

And I finished all of my GED tests today.

Today is a good day.

Congrats and if all goes well you will find that to be a very fast setup.

System Name	Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor	11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling	Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s)	EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage	970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case	FD Define 7
Audio Device(s)	DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply	Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse	Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard	GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software	Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu

System Name	SnowFire / The Reinforcer
Processor	i7 10700K 5.1ghz (24/7) / 2x Xeon E52650v2
Motherboard	Asus Strix Z490 / Dell Dual Socket (R720)
Cooling	RX 360mm + 140mm Custom Loop / Dell Stock
Memory	Corsair RGB 16gb DDR4 3000 CL 16 / DDR3 128gb 16 x 8gb
Video Card(s)	GTX Titan XP (2025mhz) / Asus GTX 950 (No Power Connector)
Storage	Samsung 970 1tb NVME and 2tb HDD x4 RAID 5 / 300gb x8 RAID 5
Display(s)	Acer XG270HU, Samsung G7 Odyssey (1440p 240hz)
Case	Thermaltake Cube / Dell Poweredge R720 Rack Mount Case
Audio Device(s)	Realtec ALC1150 (On board)
Power Supply	Rosewill Lightning 1300Watt / Dell Stock 750 / Brick
Mouse	Logitech G5
Keyboard	Logitech G19S
Software	Windows 11 Pro / Windows Server 2016

System Name	Thought I'd be done with this by now
Processor	i7 11700k 8/16
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Pro Wifi
Cooling	Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4, 9x aigo AR12
Memory	32GB GSkill TridentZ Neo DDR4-4000 CL18-22-22-42
Video Card(s)	MSI Ventus 2x Geforce RTX 3070
Storage	1TB MX300 M.2 OS + Games, + cloud mostly
Display(s)	Samsung 40" 4k (TV)
Case	Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic EVO Black
Audio Device(s)	onboard HD -> Yamaha 5.1
Power Supply	EVGA 850 GQ
Mouse	Logitech wireless
Keyboard	same
VR HMD	nah
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	no one cares anymore lols

System Name	Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor	11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling	Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s)	EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage	970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case	FD Define 7
Audio Device(s)	DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply	Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse	Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard	GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software	Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu

System Name	Veral
Processor	5950x
Motherboard	MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling	Corsair H150i RGB Elite
Memory	4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s)	Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage	Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s)	Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case	Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s)	Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply	Corsair HX850
Mouse	Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard	Corsair K55
VR HMD	HP Reverb G2
Software	Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores	PEBCAK

Motherboard hunting.

GorbazTheDragon

GhostRyder

yogurt_21

GorbazTheDragon

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

GorbazTheDragon

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

yogurt_21

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

Vario

GorbazTheDragon

Vario

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

Vario

GhostRyder

GorbazTheDragon

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

Shambles1980

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder

GorbazTheDragon

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

GorbazTheDragon

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

Vario

System Name	Computer of Theseus
Processor	Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard	EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory	G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s)	EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage	1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s)	Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case	Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s)	Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse	Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard	Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software	Win 10 LTSC 21H2

System Name	Sham Pc
Processor	i5-2500k @ 4.33
Motherboard	INTEL DZ77SL 50K
Cooling	2 bay res. "2L of fluid in loop" 1x480 2x360
Memory	16gb 4x4 kingstone 1600 hyper x fury black
Video Card(s)	hfa2 gtx 780 @ 1306/1768 (xspc bloc)
Storage	1tb wd red 120gb kingston on the way os, 1.5Tb wd black, 3tb random WD rebrand
Display(s)	cibox something or other 23" 1080p " 23 inch downstairs. 52 inch plasma downstairs 15" tft kitchen
Case	900D
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	xion gaming seriese 1000W (non modular) 80+ bronze
Software	windows 10 pro x64

System Name	Monke \| Work Thinkpad\| Old Monke
Processor	Ryzen 5600X \| Ryzen 5500U \| FX8320
Motherboard	ASRock B550 Extreme4 \| ? \| Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling	240mm Rad \| Not needed \| hyper 212 EVO
Memory	2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB \| 16 GB DDR4 3600 \| 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB \| Vega 8 \| Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage	Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) \| some samsung SSD
Display(s)	Dell 2723DS \| Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS \| Dell 2240L
Case	Ant Esports Tempered case \| Thinkpad \| Antec
Audio Device(s)	Logitech Z333 \| Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply	Corsair RM750e \| not needed \| Corsair GS 600
Mouse	Logitech G400 \| nipple
Keyboard	Logitech G213 \| stock kb is awesome \| Logitech K230
VR HMD	;_;
Software	Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores	There are no marks on my bench