Looking for a Z97 board under $200 and can overclock well.

[Oshimoto]

Hello,

I have asked questions like this in the past but I have kind of narrowed down my options now, sort of. There are so many Z97 boards to chose from that I am finding it hard to actually say I like one over the other. So I come here again in hopes of getting the help I need to set my mind toward one instead of like 15. Here are the boards I have been considering:

ASUS Z97-A (I have heard lots of good things about this board but I am not sure if it's the best bang for the buck or if it is the best for overclocking)

ASUS Z97-PRO (once again I have heard good things but it's pretty much the same thing that I have with the one above.)

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 (Sounds good and looks good. I especially like the 5 year warrenty that comes with it.)

ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO ( I know that lots of people say the ROG boards are over priced and over hyped but this is in my price range, sort of, and looks pretty good in my eyes but I may just be missing something.)

MSI Z97 MPOWER (This sounds like a great board and have been leaning toward getting it because of the extra power you can put towards the CPU, and it has some good reviews but I still would like another opinion other than mine when it comes to this board.)

MSI Z97 GAMING 7 ( I just recently found this one so I don't know much about it but it looks good and boasts good performance, I do not know if it actually delivers though.)

ASRock Z97 OC Formula (this isn't even out yet and is a little over my budget and does not have all the USB ports that I would like but I really don't know much about this board, so I put it here to get some more info.)


Well If you read all of that, I thank you. I know it's basically a wall of text and no one likes that but I really need some help trying to figure out which one of these really is best.

Thank you for all of your help

 

[EasyLover]

My vote is with Asus Hero VII or Asus Z97-A. Great mobos with good functionality. If you can spare bucks then go for Hero VII and you won't regret it.

 

[Oshimoto]

My vote is with Asus Hero VII or Asus Z97-A. Great mobos with good functionality. If you can spare bucks then go for Hero VII and you won't regret it.

Yeah, I would be willing to go $20 over my budget for an increase in performance.

How is it for Overclocking? Since I am definitely going to be trying to push my CPU.

Thanks for the help!

 

[EasyLover]

It is very good for overclocking: Read these reviews:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/asus_maximus_vii_hero_review/5
http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1308&page=24

 

[Oshimoto]

It is very good for overclocking: Read these reviews:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/asus_maximus_vii_hero_review/5
http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1308&page=24

Great! That really helps me make my decision. In fact I think that pretty much makes it.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[EasyLover]

No issue. Glad to assist.

 

[Tradesman1]

I'd go the Z97 Hero and did, I've put the same 4770K I had in my Z87 Hero and it OCs higher with less voltage and runs cooler, handles DRAM better and the BIOS on the Z97 is a bit better. Great mobo

 

[EasyLover]

I'd go the Z97 Hero and did, I've put the same 4770K I had in my Z87 Hero and it OCs higher with less voltage and runs cooler, handles DRAM better and the BIOS on the Z97 is a bit better. Great mobo

Man, you are so quick sir. I'll wait till broadwell is out. Btw your specs need to be revised now!

 

[Oshimoto]

I'd go the Z97 Hero and did, I've put the same 4770K I had in my Z87 Hero and it OCs higher with less voltage and runs cooler, handles DRAM better and the BIOS on the Z97 is a bit better. Great mobo

Great, I'm glad to hear that it performs well. I am getting a 4790K and would like to have the abilty to push it to its limits so knowing that the board is a straight upgrade from the Z87 is always good.

I have seen many people complain that the ROG boards are just over priced and over hyped, I have never owned one myself to confirm and I have always thought they were built well but with people saying that they aren't worth it, it swayed me away from them but I have been looking into the Z97 Hero and it seems it's the real deal and with both of you guys confirming that it is a good board I think that this is the one I am going to go with.

Thanks for the help and info

 

[Tradesman1]

I'd go the Z97 Hero and did, I've put the same 4770K I had in my Z87 Hero and it OCs higher with less voltage and runs cooler, handles DRAM better and the BIOS on the Z97 is a bit better. Great mobo

Man, you are so quick sir. I'll wait till broadwell is out. Btw your specs need to be revised now!

______________________________

Planning to, but first have to finalize the Z97 Hero, mentioned I have a spare 4770K in it now, but am still trying to decide on going to the 4690K or 4790K, and also on GPU(s), when I got my 780's was thinking I'd split them when the Devils Canyon refresh came out, but am not looking at the 780 coming out from Asus, they have a 6GB model on the way calling it the Strix, has the CU cooling and supposed to be ultra quiet. DRAM is in the air also, at the moment I've split my 32GB set of 2666 Tri's (running the 16GB in the Z97 at 2800)...sort of playing with making the Z97 more of a gaming type rig and stick with the Z87 as more of a production rig. Right now tied up with a coouple other projects and doing some prebuilds for the release of the DC CPUs.....so haven't really had much free time (and it shows in the forums here) don't think I have even half the responses i normally have this late in a month