Need Intel 1150 Mobo input for build

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realism51

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I have been looking for a good Motherboard to use with the i5-4670k I will be purchasing. Need some advice on it.

Ive been searching through newegg for a decent mid level board that has a high reputation and good ratings. However, pretty much all the 1150's on New egg that show a 5-4 egg rating only has between 40-55% 5 egg rating, and a smattering of 1-4 eggs. When I look at this it makes me think, okay so only about half of the boards people got work great, so there is a 50 - 50 chance of getting a bad board or something wrong with it. How far off base am I in this assumption.

The board will be paired with an 7870 ghz edition GPU. I am not a huge overclock fan, I do OC when its called for but I dont like to push the limits. maybe a 4-4.2 Ghz OC at max, but not the 4.4-5 Ghz OC ive seen some listing.

Current CPU is only OC'ed to prevent bottlenecking.

On a side note, to get a super dependable board I may be willing to hit the upper end of $, but not really wanting to hit $200
 
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ACTechy
This board has got pretty solid reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591

Also I would pay attention to things like "Winner of 22 Motherboard Awards" like this MSI board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

Consider as well, many people who love something won't bother writing a review, though the few people who have a bad experience will be quick to. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, but it can swing reviews a certain way sometimes.

Cheers!
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JackNaylorPE

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Have to remember a good\portion of those reviews are by people who have no clue what they are doing.

Ever notice that no one ever finds a bent pin when they take the MoBo outta the box ? ..... they only seem to find them after it don't post :) ... and they have already bungled.....er installed the CPU. I dont get worried unless the 1 & 2 eggers get up above 20%....note the cheaper the board. generally the less experienced the user.

Check the MSI Z87 G45 ..... 22 Motherboard Awards .... like 15% 1 and 2 egg reviews. I have done 2 builds w/ it ... quite impressed.
 
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ACTechy

ACTechy

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This board has got pretty solid reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591

Also I would pay attention to things like "Winner of 22 Motherboard Awards" like this MSI board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

Consider as well, many people who love something won't bother writing a review, though the few people who have a bad experience will be quick to. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, but it can swing reviews a certain way sometimes.

Cheers!
 
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Dags

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I bought boards from all manufacturers the last 15 years. The only motherboards that I used and never had a problem with while they were super stable, fast and above expectations, are the gigabyte ones. That's my $0.02. I currently overclock a 3.2 Phenom II X2 at 4.4GHz with all 4 cores unlocked on a gigabyte entry level budget motherboard. But you can also check something like this http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4484#ov
 
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realism51

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ACtechy - True I do try to take into account for complainers and the uneducated. I dont find myself necessarily trusting Winner and recommended titles. I had an Asus board that was like that, it and the 2 other RMA boards all borked and failed within 6 months. Ive normally been an ASUS fan, but they seem to be found lacking lately. I have a Gigabyte board in now, it does seem to be doing okay, only had one incompatibility issue.

I do have hesitancy to try new companies. MSI, i have heard of before but never used any of their products, they dont seem to come off as highly touted like gigabyte and ASUS.

Jack - I will take the 15% comment into consideration.

The one board posted http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591 does look nice, especially for the price, but I look at only 5 reviews and go, law of odds and chances.
I usually aim for something with fairly high reviews, not just point wise, but like highest amount of comments/ratings.
 
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ACTechy

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For sure. When all else fails, stick with companies with excellent customer service/reputation. Bummer about your problems with ASUS.
 
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realism51

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Funny story though - short version - RMA'd an ASUS board, USPS lost it for about 4 months in the mail, then it shows up at ASUS, they cant fix it so they send me out a replacement, but ended up sending out the wrong board type. Didnt even know they kept any old M2 boards. I was like wow, memories of my first build. Geh, I feel old now. Got the right board after a while though.

anyhoo, whats the difference if any between these two:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-1150-2-Way-Displayport-GA-Z87X-UD3H/dp/B00CU4L508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378531111&sr=8-1&keywords=ga+z87x+ud3h

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591

The first picture in the amazon one is incorrect. Im thinking they are the same board, but I have always seen Amazon to have a lower price. This is a decent difference in $
 
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JackNaylorPE

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That's an excellent approach ..... I hadn't tried any of their products up until Z77 and even then hesitantly.....had one user who really really wanted a MoBo w/ the dragon on it :)

But ya really have to look at a variety of sources....

-Geek Site reviews - I'm not talking PC mag and CNet ... overclocker sites...the ones with 8-20 page reviews
-Trade press problem reports
-User reviews (excluding the bent pins and I blew my BIOS flash folks)
-Component and Feature lists - I was comparing two boards recently....one at $220 and one at $165 and was surprised to see how lopsided it was....in favor of the $165
-Component List ....Blackwing chokes , 19k japanese caps, etc

Also when ya see one site go all gaga over a review..... I tend to think...."someone's trying to make friends w/ somebody" .... but when site after site starts repeating .... then I take notice. For example"

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_z87_gd65_gaming/12.htm

MSI has been using components that meet or exceed MIL-STD-810G for some time as part of its Military Class build philosophy. Parts such as Super Ferrite Chokes that run at up to 35 degree Celsius lower temperatures, have a 30% higher current handling capacity, and a 20% improvement in power efficiency; Tantalum filled Hi-C Caps that are are up to 93% efficient; and "Dark Capacitors" that feature Lower ESR and a ten-year lifespan all tied into a PCB with improved temperature and humidity protections as part of the "Military Essentials" package......In the end MSI's Z87-GD65 is a board that comes with an expansive feature set that includes all your basics and the extras that set them apart such as the V-Check points, upper end audio, Dual BIOS ROMs, KIller Network package, Military Class IV package, and a three-year warranty. Couple that with good looks that carry the dragon theme through the board, and you have a winning combination at $189.
Click to expand...

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z87_gd65_gaming_review/15

Now and again a motherboard appears that is so obviously brilliant, and so affordable, that we wonder if anything will be able to top it. For a while that crown was held by the ASUS Sabertooth, both in X58 and then P67 variants. Then MSI stole the crown with the Z77 MPower. Looking at the Z87 GD65 Gaming we think it's going to take something extraordinary to top it, such is the perfect storm of price, performance, features and looks.

The switch to Military Class 4 has given us an extremely ready overclocker too. You're always thermally limited when overclocking and the i7-4770K is one of the most demanding around. Considering the amount of cooling we're using we think that although the GD65 is capable of bringing 5GHz from our i7-4770K you'd need a proper water loop to make the most of it.

Performance is outstanding. The stock results were a particular highlight. We know a lot of people still just like to put their CPU in and go, without overclocking it first. Despite how easy it is these days we know that the fear factor still exists. So you'll be glad to know that the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming really rocks hard even at stock settings. Naturally the overclocking is blistering too, with some OC3D records broken.

MSI have laid the gauntlet down to all the other manufacturers. Gorgeous to look at, blistering performance and all at a very affordable price, the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming is not only the new benchmark for Z87 motherboards, but probably for all motherboards.
Click to expand...

After reading those reviews I started paying more attention to user reviews on newegg and originally problems with the Killer NIC held me back..... a driver release solved tho. I still use mostly Asus boards in the hi end .. say $250+ (Sabertooth, WS, Extreme, Rampage, Formula) ) .... but between $150 and $250, at least w/ Z87, I feel that their feature list doesn't stack up as well w/ the competition as it once did.
 
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JackNaylorPE

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Different boards

GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD3H - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128592

GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-D3H - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591
 
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realism51

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Jack - The dragon is cool, but Im not much on the flash bang theory, if it works and provides goodness, then its all good with me. Although I do have to admit that I ditched the traditional PC case of a Corsair Carbide 300R (I think that is it) Yeah its a tiny bit cool on the inside, but man do those HDD/SDD drive bays and Expansion bays make it so much easier. I think the ability to run my cables on the backside of the case and through a hole to eliminate clutter and improve air flow is worth it just by itself. Used to have to rock it with min 4 case fans plus Hyper 212. Now i only have H80i on default or silent. No other fans.


I think I have narrowed it down to the two Mobo choices posted up above. the MSI Z87-G45 and the GA-z87x-ud3h.
Having some difficult in selecting.
The GIGABYTE seems to emphasize on redistribution and lower heat and scaled power performance as needed. I like that the USB ports all have their own fuse (dealt with power outage that blew half my USB ports and LAN port on an Asrock). The addition of the OPT fan support sounds like it will work well with my H80i.

The MSI does sound a bit gimmicky when talking about Military class 4 components and Ferrite (ive never dealt are really heard of it so I dont know how uber it is or isnt.) Super raid seems meh, (never used Raid), but the VGA boost does intrigue me greatly. I like to crank up settings on my games, although generally never turn AA or such up to max. maybe 2x but thats it. Will it really boost my 7870 GHZ edition card a bit? I will one day perhaps push to invidia when I can easily afford it, but i know what I have is really rather good and comparable. The network boost sounds good, same with the audio boost. Biggest issue I have with most boards is the audio not being up to par for me. Crackle crackle, what? OC genie worth it?

Only real cons is the GIGABYTE has only 5 reviews, the MSI has 61, but ive never used an MSI product and dont know what to expect
 
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realism51

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Ah okay, I see it now. then i would be picking between the UD3H and the MSI. I like the long lasting capacitors, but really dont think i will need a max of 10k hours
 
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JackNaylorPE

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My thoughts on the GD65 are akin to the reviewer I quoted above.....if someone has a MoBo budget between $150 and $225, it's the board i recommend ....a s for the caps and chokes and stuff..... they are very hi efficiency which means low heat. Thatz why the OC crowd has gone gaga over the thing.
 
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realism51

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Hmmmm, Then I guess I will go out on a limb here and take a plunge with MSI and go for the GD65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-130-692&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=5#scrollFullInfo

and see how that rolls. Some reports of bad DIMM slots and the Killer E2200 software sounds like its more problematic than what its worth but can be turned off. Im trusting you MSI, dont let me down
 
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realism51

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Update:

DO NOT GET THIS MOTHERBOARD if you use any of WaterBlock, closed loop or not. I had to do some modification and reverse installation just to get my H80i to work with this board. The heat spreader by the rear ports is so high that the H80i actually sits on them. The Mobo 8-pin power socket is covered by the H80i and sits so close that you have to bend the power cords alarmingly to seat the H80i in the case. Also it seems that the CPU slot and the DIMM channels are shifted to the left about an inch. This makes putting the waterblock for the H80i on impossible, you will need to install the water block before mounting the fans and cooling unit since it covers about a half inch of the cpu and the bracket screws. Because of the H80i cooling pipes on the right side of the CPU, there is pressure against the first RAM module, doesnt cause issues, but makes for some thinking of "will it break moments".
 
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JackNaylorPE

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Normal water blocks should be fine

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/07/10/msi_z87gd65_gaming_lga_1150_motherboard_review/4#.Ujju7D9Vq5I

MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING LGA 1150 Motherboard Review

NOTE: For all Subsystem Testing, an Intel Core i7 4770K (3.5GHz) and 2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance (2400MHz DDR3 10-12-12-31@1.65v) memory modules running at DDR3 1600MHz speeds (stock testing, 2400MHz overclocked) were used. The CPU was cooled with a Koolance Exos 2.5 and CPU-370 water block.
Click to expand...

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Motherboards/MSI-Z87-GD65-Gaming-Motherboard-Review/Testing-Configuration-and-Benchmarks-Use

Laing DDC pump with EK-DDC X-TOP Rev 2 Plexi
Swiftech MCR320-QP Radiator
Swiftech Apogee HD water block
Click to expand...

I'd advise against ALC units in any case. The way I see it, water cooling has two reasons to bother:

1. Lower temps - the H series do NOT do this any better than the better air coolers
2. Lower Noise - They H series are as much as 4 times as loud as the better air coolers.
 
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realism51

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Yeah, I had air cooling prior - Hyper 212+ to be exact. Good cooling just seemed a tad noisy for me and Bummer was I couldnt put the side of my case on without moving stuff about. Had a see through side window on old case and had to take the plastic cover, rotate it and shave some just to get it to work with the Hyper 212+ .
And the water cooler gives a little convenience for me, Losing the manual dexterity in my hands so trying to play piano and the tech magician at the same time with the Hyper 212+ just wasnt happening anymore.
 
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