Z87 LGA 1150 motherboard, so many choices! Asus vs Gigabyte vs MSI?

WeelyTM

Honorable
Mar 4, 2014
12
0
10,520
Hello there, I'm looking for some advice on which motherboard to use as I start piecing my new build together. I really wish I could wait a bit longer, see how the new Intel z97 mobos shape up and how the NVidia Maxwells perform... but I need this for work-at-home options ASAP (~70 hours M-F for more than a month now, ~60 for a few months before that, + weekends, and still ramping up, wife is not happy - need the flexibility to come home earlier but still able to work late)

Main usage: Gaming and work (Visual Studio 2010/2012/2013 - frequently multiple instances, TFS 2012 (lots of throughput - about 50 gigs per enlistment and I run 1-5 at any given time), running occasional local content builds that are designed to be run on build servers).

I know an i5 is good enough for the gaming half, but for work, I need the extra threading... building and linking many large projects frequently sucks without at least 8 cores (and a good SSD, oh god, the SSD makes it sooooo nice).

I have been trying to narrow down parts, settled on z87/i7-4770K for a build that should last me a year/year and a half. Figure the GTX 780ti should let me do high-quality gaming when I get the chance (and maybe add another if this guy lasts me longer than 2 years). I'm pretty open to changes on the parts, mostly threw it together from other builds posted on here or on pcpartpicker. There will likely be at least one more SSD, and all those fans are copypasta off of another guy's build (so I don't forget to plan my own... my memory sucks like that).
I would like to eventually play around with OCing, but in the short term I need quality and stability. When crunch eases, I'll have more time to fiddle with it and tune things.

There are so many good recommendations for motherboards, I'm just lucky to be able to narrow it down this far (yeah, this list was down to 3 at one point, up to ~30 the next day)... really spoiled for choice here.

Asus Maximus VI Hero

Asus Z87-PRO

Asus Sabertooth Z87

Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H

Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H

ASRock Fatal1ty Z87

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming


Lot of above-and-beyond onboard audio solutions here... I'm wondering about the quality of these, if any are or definitely are not good enough to replace a good soundblaster card.
I'm not an audiophile when it comes to most things... I'm not picky when playing music or watching movies. But I play by sound in a lot of games... so I like really damned good 3D positional audio (I know implementation plays a large role in this from game to game, but still...).

This is what I've got so far (mobo is placeholder until I choose one, and cooling is just reference for now)
PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($719.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A15 PWM 140mm Fan ($21.74 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2180.33

Also wanted to thank everyone who posts on this site with their experiences and informed opinions, giving build suggestions and solid tips. I've been really frustrated trying to get this build off the ground for a long time now (been without my own personal PC for 2+ years now... ), and I just don't have the time to invest in hardware research like I used to. In the past 2-3 weeks, I've been able to gather so much info just from here and the links people post, which has really made this build finally within reach!
 

WeelyTM

Honorable
Mar 4, 2014
12
0
10,520