Which mobo should I get? (Z97 for new 4790k)

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jkteddy77

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My current specs are in my signature, and I want to swap my 990FX and 8350 out for a Z97 and 4790k (8350 bottles my r9 290 in BF3,BF4,BFH in DX11 mode, and runs MANY other games very poorly... Just don't ask, fiddled with it for 5 months, and my GPU usage is still dropping to 60% in a majority of games... Read my other threads if you're curious as to why the 8350 is not enough for my r9 290)


So, I like Asus, and want a more premium MOBO. Say, The $150-$215 range.
I want the option to be able to add another R9 290 in the future, and a Board with some OC potential just in case that 4790k with a 4.4ghz turbo isn't enough ;)

I would like some input, as Intel in general confuses me (I'm smart enought to know the 4790k is THE i7 I need though. (tired of troubleshooting this 8-core...) It's at 4.6ghz, and still not strong enough.

Anyways, Here's some Asus boards I'm looking at, and am very confused as to which I am looking for...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132116&cm_re=z97-_-13-132-116-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132117&cm_re=z97-_-13-132-117-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132125&cm_re=z97-_-13-132-125-_-Product
Now, what about Asus Pro vs Asus Maximus Hero here? What's their pros cons? Is one better than the other?
Also, is it worth getting the Wifi PRo vs normal Pro... or is the wifi card a gimmick (I got LAN, but wifi could come in handy in my future living spaces. No 50ft Ethernet cables....)
Only 2 PCI 3.0 slots.... dunno if that's a big problem or not, since I am running an R9 290 already, and don't really need 3 of them? even 2 would be enough for years.

I love Asus, but I see the MSI Gaming series here here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130771&cm_re=z97-_-13-130-771-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130768&cm_re=z97-_-13-130-768-_-Product
LOVE them USB ports, and a Dedicated sound card built in? Also has dedicated power input for audio, so I could fully power Higher end Audio Headsets without a headphone amp.
Gaming 5 vs. Gaming 7?

Gigabyte really confuses me here...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128707&cm_re=z97-_-13-128-707-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128706&cm_re=z97-_-13-128-706-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128704&cm_re=z97-_-13-128-704-_-Product
Gigabyte is a little sketchy and cheap looking with these mobo's...
Can anyone vouch for them? Quad PCI is overkill on the one, and none of their boards seem to have the best features... I had an old Gigabyte before and it was just a mobo... had NOTHING over its competitors. The sniper seems a tad intriguing? I'm not so sure.
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So, I am looking at:
-Onboard sound
-I am planning on getting an SSD with the i7 and z97, so don't know which would be better for that.
-M.2 and Sata Express look like they'd be handy to have.
-Onboard audio amp is intriguing as well ;)
-It still needs to be able to keep my 1866mhz RAM and r9 290 happy. Also, the 4790k will be the BEST i7 x7xx CPU ever created, and Devil's Canyon is a monster. Are any of these boards just not good enough for the 4790k?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117369&cm_re=4790k-_-19-117-369-_-Product

I do plan on putting my Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo on the 4790k (Its better than the stock cooler right? I think...) I shouldn't need to OC for a while, so...

Is there any board here that WOULDN'T fit on. It is a pretty nice sized heatsink. My case is big enough, I'm worried about colliding with the DIMM slots or the VRM/NB/SB heatsinks.
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I know that's a LOT of info, but any amount of input or opinions are appreciated!
 
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leigh76

leigh76

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Im having a bit of a love affair with the Asus ROG series lately.......
A few months ago I was looking around for a mobo for a 4770k build and after much deliberation I went for the Maximus VI Formula.
P_500.jpg

Absolutely no regrets, and it screams quality from visuals to performance and options.
Be aware that it is heavier than a standard mobo, and it is also 1 of the sexiest motherboards available ;)
However that comes in at around £374 usd and obviously is a Z87 board :0

The reason I include it here is 1) with the DC refresh prices on z87 + 4770k for example and gonna drop a little..... and 2) Im sure they will be bringing out a Z97 update for the formula at some point in the near future.

So .....we move on to the brand new Asus Maximus VII Ranger Z97.....

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_RANGER/

P_setting_000_1_90_end_500.png

I think this board fits your requirements perfectly.

I have very recently almost finished a 4790k build using this board, and cant recommend it enough, and its exactly in your price range.

DSC_0036.jpg


The only problem is Im not sure if it is available where you are yet?

Anyway have a look on the asus product page at the ranger.... get excited, then thank me later ;)
 
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jkteddy77

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egh, I settled for the Asus Z97 Pro, and I think it will do me well.
 
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jkteddy77

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Asus Pro seems to be quite similar to the Hero, but while the hero had a few more feautures, it seemed to be lacking some that the new Z97 boards had.
Z97 Hero isn't much different than the Z87 hero is it? Asus Pro has Sata Express for my new SSD I'm getting, and I think the Ethernet port in the Pro, Sabertooth , and the Hero as well if I remember right.
If you put the Ranger or Hero side by side with the Asus Pro, the only thing the Pro DOESN"T have is Supreme FX and its preset features (Crystal sound 2 has most the same features, just the supreme fx is more Game oriented) and the Pro only supports 3200mhzRAM while the hero and ranger support 3200+mhzRAM (I prorbably won't be running ram over 3200mhz... I'm probably alright...
Their BIOS even look the same side by side, just different aesthetic design.
Hero had more software and functions, but I personally hate using hardware based software :/
Might not even install the Suite 3 software, and use 3rd party software instead. I want that Crystal Clear sound panel though. I can assign macros and use my own sound software on my own.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97PRO/

Thw Pro is a bit more mainstream focused, and is better built for business situations (as you can see by its filthy casual use they advertise in the link... Home theatre use? really?), but has the same capabilities as the Hero, just less mobo buttons and software as far as I see.
Seem like about 95% of the Hero's features are on the Pro, and they use almost the exact same parts by the looks.
Don't think I'm missing out on too much, and I doubt the Red and Nickel would look good with my bright yellow GPU :/
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfGcIuzCQAAIgC1.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BfHxuCWCUAA1HYq.jpg:large
Can't wait to rip out that 8350 :p

I'll let you know how it works out, as my Asus Pro, Samsung 840 Evo, and i7 4790k should be here by the end of this week.
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

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You'll be happy with it! A builder I network with from FL built a pair of Pro's right out of the gate and praised them highly, been thinking about it or the Ranger when released in the States (if it ever happens) for a build for my son's Boy Scout Troop as a quasi server, he wants to take his Troop and try and go paperless, have a group of Tablets for use in the Troop and eliminate the paper rosters and sign in/up sheets they use all the time, training guides, tracking badges and troop trainings and all
 
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jkteddy77

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Oh yeah, I'm excited, glad I didn't settle for a Gaming 7 board, as Asus alywas delivers for me. For a server, I'd look at a Pro vs. a Hero or Ranger, they seem to operate HDD and SSD's faster, while the ROG series focuses on the RAM much more. I personally got the Pro as it really does have almost every feature the ROG boards do, and I kinda like the simpler look they went with (got enough Red LED's in my room, no need for more LED lights on the board...)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9lpucr3ayk7bgh/2014-06-29%2023.14.34.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2r4qx4nyzvqap1/2014-06-29%2023.18.09.jpg

The entire underside of my table is color changing LED's xD
 
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jkteddy77

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You run a Hero? you are definately the expert here Blackbird :p

If for some reason I find that the Hero is SIGNIFCANTLY better, I think I'll just wtick with the pro, but I won't know til' it gets here.

Reason I got the 4790k is since I'm getting low gpu usage with my 8350/r9 290 in BF3/BF4/BFH beta in DX11, but BF4 and BFH run fine with Mantle... Also, BF3 single player runs fine with its DX11...
What is causing this?
I reinstalled all drivers, unparked cores (win8.1 too), even reinstalled windows to a fresh HDD, still low gpu usage in BF games with DX11 only?
I run sniper elite 3 fine, running faster than most 780's I see on youtube -_-
 
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leigh76

leigh76

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Pro, indeed it was in my shortlist for my previous build but the Formula fitted the theme I had in mind and I had little extra cash burning a hole in my pocket ;)
The Ranger I'm now using for my 4790k build seems absolutely rock solid so far.
I'm under water running per core at 50,49,47,47 very very happy with it.
 
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