Gigabyte or MSI g45 z87 motherboard? *Need quick answer

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O Possum

O Possum

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Hello.

I've purchased all the other parts of My build (except for the ram and motherboard. Getting different ram since tiger direct sold out of it)

And I was wondering which was the better motherboard.

The MSI g45 which is $139 through microcenter online.

Or the GIGABYTE GA-Z87-D3HP

I have the MSI picked in the parts list because I was going to go with it at first. But now I'm just making 100% sure I'm getting the best one I can at that price range. I had this doubt because I never hear the end of praise for gigabytes motherboards so you could see why I would be hesitant.

I'd really like to hurry up and order the motherboard so my parts will all arrive around the same time.
 
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O Possum

O Possum

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Thanks for the advice but it's a bit too late to change things.

Like I said in the op I've bought everything except for the motherboard and the ram.

So I assume you're saying that the gigabyte mobo is better than the msi g45?

Also thanks for the link to the ram.

 
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O Possum

O Possum

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And the board you posted is better than the one I posted in the OP?
 
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O Possum

O Possum

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I just checked. The msi has better reviews than the gigabyte one. Although the gigabyte only had 2 reviews both were negative (On amazon) I know site reviews aren't exactly the most accurate thing but still it does make you worry a bit.

If you wouldn't mind answering this. What makes the gigabyte one better than the g45? Like specifically what is the difference? Is the g45 bad or just a little bit worse than the gigabyte? I'm only going to be using this computer for gaming.
 
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TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

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reviews mean nothing to when there are 2 reviews and not to mention most people who get a good board dont put up a review

the main difference is gigabyte uses much higher quality vrms and a few more connectors. the only thing msi has to go for on the g45 gaming is the nic which can help you prioritize your internet to certain programs. personally it makes no difference anyways
 
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Madn3ss795

Madn3ss795

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Unless you actually held the 2 board by self, I don't think you can make a clear statement on which has better VRM. A quick look through the layout show that both board have the same amount of phases in their power design, but MSI one use SFC which quality is higher than Gigabyte's.

And unless you actually used a Killer LAN controller then the statement "personally it makes no difference anyways " is questionable.

Talking about connectors, the only thing Gigabyte win here is 2 more usb3 ports on the back and they are both controlled by NEC chipset instead of Intel so don't expect optimal performance from those ports ( using NEC usb3 ports myself anyway ), while MSI G45 gaming gives Coaxial sound output and Clear CMOS button. If we take internal connectors into comparison also then MSI G45 gaming gain advantages due to mSATA and voltage checkers, but the lack of Legacy PCI slot can make people with old PCI cards say no to it.
 
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TheBigTroll

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actually, all you need to do is search up the mosfet driver and chokes themselves. the gigabyte uses the IR 3553 mosfet drivers that can handle up to 40A a piece and the chokes they use also are rated for 40a. they are pretty much the 2nd best (the 3550 is the higher end one at 60A and are used on the OC FORCE and the older z77 up series)
 
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O Possum

O Possum

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And @Madn3ss795

I...I have no idea what either of you are talking about to be honest. I'm really new to this stuff.

is the g45 a bad motherboard? Or is it just that the gigabyte one is a bit better? because I can get the g45 for about $15-$20 cheaper. Would I end up unhappy if I went with the msi one? I only intend to play games and in the future when games demand it (hopefully the distant future or if I win the lottery) I'll get another 770 to sli with.

And that extra $20 is sounding pretty pleasing since I didn't account tax in my budget and it turns out I had to pay tax for it (which is weird because I've never had to pay tax before when ordering from amazon ,State is KY).

Is the gigabyte that much substantially better than the msi? If it's only a bit better or pretty much the same I'll probably end up getting the msi one.

 
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O Possum

O Possum

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I can't seem to find a 'z87x-d3h' board (searching on newegg) the first thing that pops up is a differently named msi board.

How much exactly is a 'fair bit better'? Enough better to warrant and extra $15 +$7 shipping? I guess what I'm asking is would I really be missing out on/regretting anything if I went with the g45?

I know these questions are probably a bit ignorant but as I've said before I'm really new to this stuff and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can.

 
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O Possum

O Possum

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Which one are you referring to it being better in terms of power delivery? The msi one or the gigabyte one we were talking about?

Also, again sorry for what I assume must be an asinine question but what do you mean by power delivery?
 
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O Possum

O Possum

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What does that do tho? How does it make it better?

Again sorry about all these questions it's just I don't know a lot about this stuff.

Does the g45 have a bad vrm? Or is it just that the gigabyte one has a better vrm?

 
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TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

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if you read the above posts, i mentioned about what the gigabyte used for their vrm/power delivery on their board.

the g45 does not have a bad vrm. its quality is mid-range for the most part. the gigbayte on the other hand has a much better design so yeah, the gigabyte is better
 
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Madn3ss795

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Better at mosfet, worse at other parts. And unless someone test both the boards at the same time, it's still unclear how helpful are those part, because IMO, 8 phases design will limit those extra in power delivery, more or less. Therefor, again, you can't simply point out which is better.

You totally focused on one advantage and skipped the rest. What kind of giving advice is that?
 
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O Possum

O Possum

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Which board do you think I should get?

Just trying to get as many opinions as I can to make my decision. The rest of my parts are supposed to come tomorrow. It's not like I could put my build together right then tho even if I had chosen a mobo. I decided to order my computer parts now and I was going to decide on a monitor later since I needed to do more research on monitors.

 
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TheBigTroll

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the z87x-d3h from gigabyte. i think the entire conversation i was pretty clear about it
 
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O Possum

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Oh I know you were recommending the gigabyte one. I wasn't confused about that. I was asking him which one he recommends.

Just wanted to get as big a pool of opinions as I could to help make my decision.

 
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O Possum

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But would I be missing out on anything if I did?

Troll has been pretty clear the gigabyte one is a bit better.

But then again I'm not going to be doing anything very intense on my build. Just games really.

It's starting to feel more like a choice between red and blue. Or blue and dragons.

My parts actually just came in. I just got done bringing them inside so they wouldn't be left out in the heat. (case was a lot heavier than i thought it would be :pfff:).

I think it was all the parts since it was both amazon and newegg boxes. So now I just like mobo, ram, and a monitor and keyboard.

 
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