Fairly Cheap LGA1150 mATX Motherboard

[Gachr]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a fairly cheap mATX motherboard for LGA1150.

• At least 2 case fan headers.
• Full Linux compatibility.
• I prefer PCI-E over PCI.
• It would be great if it was full mATX - it would be easier to manage it in my case.

The cheaper the better, but I think that the maximum amount that I can spend on it is about 800DKK. It should be about 140$, but considering Danish taxes it will be something like 110$.

Motherboards that I found:
MSI Z97M-G43
ASUS H97M-PLUS
Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H

 

[GreiverBlade]

Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H

i did a build for a friend with that one ... not a bad board (suspecting the H97 to have a OC BIOS because it had the option to for the i7-4770K i had on it)
as for linux compatibility you should not really have any fear about any board (i did chose the Gigabyte because of Mac OS X 10.10 out of box compatibility but even if Darwin is a fork of linux/unix it's apple who make it closed )

the MSI is 100 more for a Z instead of a H not sure about the advantage (in case the OC BIOS reason i wrote above is effective)

edit: and if you don't care about OC ... GO FOR THE GIGA! (at last 100% sure if the bios is not a OC type xD )

 

[Gachr]

i did a build for a friend with that one ... not a bad board (suspecting the H97 to have a OC BIOS because it had the option to for the i7-4770K i had on it)
as for linux compatibility you should not really have any fear about any board (i did chose the Gigabyte because of Mac OS X 10.10 out of box compatibility but even if Darwin is a fork of linux/unix it's apple who make it closed )

the MSI is 100 more for a Z instead of a H not sure about the advantage (in case the OC BIOS reason i wrote above is effective)

edit: and if you don't care about OC ... GO FOR THE GIGA! (at last 100% sure if the bios is not a OC type xD )

I have a non-OC CPU, so if I'm going to OC on it, it's going to be on Broadwell.
How did Hackintosh work on it? I think I could try it myself ^^
The MSI board looks the best of them all, but I know from experience that if something has many features and it's cheap, the quality is crap.

 

[krusha03]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a fairly cheap mATX motherboard for LGA1150.

• At least 2 case fan headers.
• Full Linux compatibility.
• I prefer PCI-E over PCI.
• It would be great if it was full mATX - it would be easier to manage it in my case.

The cheaper the better, but I think that the maximum amount that I can spend on it is about 800DKK. It should be about 140$, but considering Danish taxes it will be something like 110$.

Motherboards that I found:
MSI Z97M-G43
ASUS H97M-PLUS
Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H

holy shit those are crazy prices. Why dont you order from amazon.de or amazon.co.uk as you dont pay shipping afaik. Also on the komplett website there are cheaper boards. Is your own board broken? Why do want to you change it?

 

[Gachr]

holy shit those are crazy prices. Why dont you order from amazon.de or amazon.co.uk as you dont pay shipping afaik. Also on the komplett website there are cheaper boards. Is your own board broken? Why do want to you change it?

There is free shipping on komplett and it's quick, considering the time and shipping costs it's the same.
My board is mITX and my case is mATX, it doesn't match very well and I want to put a sound card in my PC. I can also get more USB3 ports and stuff. Also all the cheap motherboards have just one case fan header like mine, which isn't enough cooling... my only question is WHY!? Everyone has at least 2 fans in a case unless it's a case like CM Elite 130.

 

[krusha03]

There is free shipping on komplett and it's quick, considering the time and shipping costs it's the same.
My board is mITX and my case is mATX, it doesn't match very well and I want to put a sound card in my PC. I can also get more USB3 ports and stuff. Also all the cheap motherboards have just one case fan header like mine, which isn't enough cooling... my only question is WHY!? Everyone has at least 2 fans in a case unless it's a case like CM Elite 130.

So you want cpu fan header + 2 case fan headers or 2 fan headers in total? And if you talk about your Asus that's ATX not mITX, mITX is even smaller than mATX (unless you are missing an I in the name ). If you dont plan to overclock this is cheaper board and seems to does all you want it to

https://www.komplett.dk/msi-b85m-e45-socket-1150/794115

Also if 2 headers in total are fine you can also get this board for a bit more

https://www.komplett.dk/asrock-z97m-anniversary-socket-1150/828006

Finally you can also use a 4 pin y-cable to connect 2 fans to 1 header

 

[Gachr]

So you want cpu fan header + 2 case fan headers or 2 fan headers in total? And if you talk about your Asus that's ATX not mITX, mITX is even smaller than mATX (unless you are missing an I in the name ). If you dont plan to overclock this is cheaper board and seems to does all you want it to

https://www.komplett.dk/msi-b85m-e45-socket-1150/794115

Also if 2 headers in total are fine you can also get this board for a bit more

https://www.komplett.dk/asrock-z97m-anniversary-socket-1150/828006

Finally you can also use a 4 pin y-cable to connect 2 fans to 1 header

I'm talking just about CASE headers.
I didn't see that the MSI board has 2 case connectors, it seems like a better deal now...
The ASRock has just one case header.
And yes, I know that I can connect 2 fans to one header if I have the cable, but I want to upgrade anyway and it's better to have capacity to occupy all fan slots in the case (3 in total, one straight from the mobo and 2 through a splitter).
Trust me mate, I know the case and mobo sizes, I'm not fresh to this kind of stuff. Look to the "PC ATM" topic to see how my PC looks now.

 

[GreiverBlade]

I have a non-OC CPU, so if I'm going to OC on it, it's going to be on Broadwell.
How did Hackintosh work on it? I think I could try it myself ^^
The MSI board looks the best of them all, but I know from experience that if something has many features and it's cheap, the quality is crap.

well the giga is quite nice ... altho it was fited in a E-ATX capable case xD

how the hackintosh did go well see for yourself


aka: all is functional but required quite more work to achieve than a basic linux/win install (tho it was fun )

 

[krusha03]

I'm talking just about CASE headers.
I didn't see that the MSI board has 2 case connectors, it seems like a better deal now...
The ASRock has just one case header.
And yes, I know that I can connect 2 fans to one header if I have the cable, but I want to upgrade anyway and it's better to have capacity to occupy all fan slots in the case (3 in total, one straight from the mobo and 2 through a splitter).
Trust me mate, I know the case and mobo sizes, I'm not fresh to this kind of stuff. Look to the "PC ATM" topic to see how my PC looks now.

Sorry man can't tell how computer "literate" is one person over the internet. Just wanted to make sure that you considered all options before spending money on something that could be unnecessary.

 

[Gachr]

well the giga is quite nice ... altho it was fited in a E-ATX capable case xD

how the hackintosh did go well see for yourself

aka: all is functional but required quite more work to achieve than a basic linux/win install (tho it was fun )

Is it fine for everyday use? I think it might be interesting to use OSX as a daily driver

Sorry man can't tell how computer "literate" is one person over the internet. Just wanted to make sure that you considered all options before spending money on something that could be unnecessary.

Yes, I am completely sure about it. The last thing to consider is how much I want to spend on the motherboard. The MSI one that you linked seems to be fine for my requirements, but I'm not sure if not go for something a bit more expensive...

 

[GreiverBlade]

Is it fine for everyday use? I think it might be interesting to use OSX as a daily driver

well it replace a MBP early 2008 for a friend he use it daily and totally fine (so he report) still you need a Mac (book or normal) to do all the necessary steps to have a bootable USB stick (another option is possible but not really more efficient)
also Unibeast didn't work for me i had to go the Clover way.

for more info you can also PM: @SirKeldon he's more knowledgeable than me in that domain

 

[krusha03]

Yes, I am completely sure about it. The last thing to consider is how much I want to spend on the motherboard. The MSI one that you linked seems to be fine for my requirements, but I'm not sure if not go for something a bit more expensive...

Have you chosen a sound card? Is it PCI or PCI-E? I would go either for that MSI board I linked or a Z97 motherboard. I don't see any good reason for anything in between

 

[Gachr]

Have you chosen a sound card? Is it PCI or PCI-E? I would go either for that MSI board I linked or a Z97 motherboard. I don't see any good reason for anything in between

It's PCI-E.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Would a better (higher end) motherboard with better sound built in work? MSI Z97M GAMING (not sure about Linux compatibility)

 

[Gachr]

Would a better (higher end) motherboard with better sound built in work? MSI Z97M GAMING (not sure about Linux compatibility)

It's way too expensive and the "gaming" boards use some proprietary chips (especially sound) that don't work with Linux.

 

[dank1983man420]

I found this one that seemed to meet all of your needs(didn't verify full Linux support though) for only $45; and then realized you were in Europe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128667 .

Edit: There is a NL version of Newegg if that helps at all. http://www.newegg.com/global/nl/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128667They don't specify shipping costs though

 

[thebluebumblebee]

@dank1983man420 , am I missing it, or is that motherboard missing a front panel USB 3.0 connector?

 

[dank1983man420]

@dank1983man420 , am I missing it, or is that motherboard missing a front panel USB 3.0 connector?

Nah, I don't see it either, just 2 USB 2.0 headers.

 

[Gachr]

I found this one that seemed to meet all of your needs(didn't verify full Linux support though) for only $45; and then realized you were in Europe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128667 .

Edit: There is a NL version of Newegg if that helps at all. http://www.newegg.com/global/nl/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128667They don't specify shipping costs though

Thanks mate but I don't want to downgrade. I think I'll take that cheap MSI one