H270 Mini ITX: Gigabyte vs AsRock vs MSI

[RodoGodo19]

Hi,

I want to build a new gaming pc for my little brother, he won't OC the CPU, he doesn't know anything about it.
I was looking at the Mini ITX H270 motherboards available right now and they all look the same for me. Even they have the same features, WiFi, M.2, etc...
I can not find any review online either, so this is a matter of brands quality.

On Newegg I have found these:



Link: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...TCH&Description=h270+mini+itx&N=-1&isNodeId=1


I like the ASRock because the M.2 is at the top and not at the back as the Gigabyte and MSI have.
I don't know why Gigabyte has always the USB 3.0 connector in the middle of the motherboard -.-

Which one do you think is the best Mini ITX H270?

 

[jboydgolfer]

Just making a point, disregard if you dont like it. Mitx boards cost big $, a Matx would be a good bit cheaper, unless it MUST be that exact Mitx size ofc. just my 2 cents

Out of those, asrock is my choice

 

[newtekie1]

Just making a point, disregard if you dont like it. Mitx boards cost big $, a Matx would be a good bit cheaper, unless it MUST be that exact Mitx size ofc. just my 2 cents

Out of those, asrock is my choice

Agreed on all accounts. I'd go with the AsRock too. I'd avoid Gigabyte at all costs, I'll never buy another Gigabyte product.

 

[silentbogo]

Well, it looks like in this lineup AsRock is a winner.
- M.2 is on top, which makes it easier to switch without disassembling the whole damn thing
- Intel i219v is way better than an infamous RTL8111. And you have two of those on AsRock board
- Moar SATA!!! You may not use them all, but in ITX environment you may find it easier to set up the system, if you have several options of plugging everything together. Even few mm can make a difference.
In my case, I couldn't use some SATA ports on my MSI B150I board due to wire and component clutter. Had to leave the idea of keeping x3 SSDs (M.2 and a pair of SATA3) and x2 HDDs.
- Looks like a much better CPU VRM scheme, in case of AsRock. MSI is cutting corners more and more, every year.

And a little input from the personal experience:
- MSI textolite material feels flimsier than, let's say, AsRock or ASUS. Bends easier under stress, especially if you use heatsink without a backplate.
- Generic caps vs Durable caps! I am not sure if those black capacitors are really as good as claimed (10k hours MTBF), but I know damn well they are much more heat tolerant than no-name aluminium caps. MSI only uses those in its premium lineups.
- VRM heatsink! It's small, but it is there on AsRock.

 

[Shou Miko]

@silentbogo if u going in to specs at least be right on the topic the AsRock packs 2xIntel networks that's correct but it's 1xI211V and 1xI219V.

I will say go with the one that has the features needed like a lot of USB ports if u need that or smth else.

 

[londiste]

gigabyte can go burn in hell.
my ga-z170n-wifi died out of the blue and google search showed a bunch of problems with the board, mainly focusing on power delivery.

 

[cdawall]

The hardwire lan only matters if you are running hardwire lan. If it is wifi the asrock is clearly the worst choice with its lack of WiFi.

I have two rigs one with the Msi h170l and on with the gb z170 both have not been touched since purchase as far as bios or settings go. Neither has an issue. We are talking pretty basic boards here grab whichever one has the specific feature set you need and move on.

 

[alucasa]

Asrock seems to be the best in terms of motherboard layout.

Gigabyte one is the worse due to the placement of USB3.

 

[EarthDog]

Big money... I see $107 to $130 boards there.......... how is that big money? The cheapest z270 mATX board is $115 and goes up to $200 (ITX most costly is $180). I wouldn't call mATX any bit cheaper...

Anyway, I agree with the reasons to get that Asrock outside of the 'big money = itx and matx is cheaper' theory.

 

[alucasa]

Cuz ITX boards are too small for its price?

U pay more = should be bigger? 200 bucks board should be bigger than 115 bucks board?

Just my guess, I guess.

 

[EarthDog]

Maybe that is what was meant by his post? Who knows. I can only go by what was posted and what I see around me for pricing goes. Since he has me on ignore, we will never know!!!

 

[fec32a4de]

For whatever reason I've always had bad luck with Gigabyte hardware, especially the motherboards.

ASrock has almost always been perfect

MSI isn't based on my terrible luck, but there were issues

That is if I purchase a Gigabyte Mobo Ill run into issues, problems within a year or much sooner.
ASrock has always been good to me, still running some of the older motherboards with 0 issues and the new ones are great (1151)
MSI is 50/50 or 60/40 (good-to-bad).

 

[lukart]

Same story, but more from MSI for me.
Good luck with Asrock and the best of it is that they are actually cheaper than the top tier mobos...

 

[wurschti]

Hi,

I want to build a new gaming pc for my little brother, he won't OC the CPU, he doesn't know anything about it.
I was looking at the Mini ITX H270 motherboards available right now and they all look the same for me. Even they have the same features, WiFi, M.2, etc...
I can not find any review online either, so this is a matter of brands quality.

On Newegg I have found these:



Link: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...TCH&Description=h270+mini+itx&N=-1&isNodeId=1


I like the ASRock because the M.2 is at the top and not at the back as the Gigabyte and MSI have.
I don't know why Gigabyte has always the USB 3.0 connector in the middle of the motherboard -.-

Which one do you think is the best Mini ITX H270?

Honestly, they look the same. I'm a big fan of GB, but this model is not appealing at all. I have had bad experience with ASRock, but since this is no extreme mobo, I suppose it'll be safe. Plus it has VRM cooling, the front m.2 slot with you like and a better overall layout.