Asus Z87-A vs ASRock Z87 Extreme3 vs MSI Z87-G45 Gaming for gaming?

Alsharad

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Feb 10, 2014
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I'm looking for a motherboard for my build
This is my first build so I don't want to OC but I chose Asus Z87-A, ASRock Z87 Extreme3 and MSI Z87-G45 Gaming because I want SLI for the future and their price is good

so which one is better?

my budget is around $100 for the mobo

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.29 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-140 66.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.50 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR2-140 66.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.50 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
 
Solution
I guess you are mentioning Z87X-d3h since z77 is ivy bridge...

Well that motherboard is actually better than others in terms of components like power phases (true 8 phase, while others are using doublers), better mosfets, inductors and capacitors. Better audio chip and NIC than z87-A.

However it doesn't have a debug led which really helps in case of a problem. Extreme 4 has it.

And also there are some reports of stability problems from Gigabyte z87 users who are trying to use 4 sticks of ram. I'm not sure if it's solved by a BIOS update yet. Better check Gigabyte forums and ask around if you consider buying this board.

Alsharad

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Feb 10, 2014
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Better in what way?
 

Francisco Costa

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Nov 16, 2013
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It packs more features.
 

feelingtheblanks

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Jan 3, 2014
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Like Francisco said Extreme 4 packs more feature and also better in terms of power phase complexity, mosfet quality, capacitors and such... Has also slightly better audio chip and NIC like G45 Gaming.

So it's Extreme 4 > G45 > Z87-A
 

Alsharad

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Feb 10, 2014
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Thank you guys but what about Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H?
 

feelingtheblanks

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Jan 3, 2014
412
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I guess you are mentioning Z87X-d3h since z77 is ivy bridge...

Well that motherboard is actually better than others in terms of components like power phases (true 8 phase, while others are using doublers), better mosfets, inductors and capacitors. Better audio chip and NIC than z87-A.

However it doesn't have a debug led which really helps in case of a problem. Extreme 4 has it.

And also there are some reports of stability problems from Gigabyte z87 users who are trying to use 4 sticks of ram. I'm not sure if it's solved by a BIOS update yet. Better check Gigabyte forums and ask around if you consider buying this board.
 
Solution