Trying to decide between a Gigabyte H97 and various Z97s

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990
First of all, thanks for taking the time to help me out!

So basically, I'm looking for quality/reliability, and stability above all else. All I need are on board audio, LAN, SATA things for an HDD and an optical drive. I don't intend on overclocking, but I would like to have the option to SLI down the road... I don't know if I'll ever actually SLI, but I wouldn't mind having the option because I'm planning on going with a GTX 760.

Thank you!
 
Solution
Tradesman1

_________________________________-

I only use three brands for client builds, Asus the Rock and GB....With the Z77s think the Rock aad had the best handle on the chipset, then came the Z87 and that was definitely Asus with...
Sort by date Sort by votes
Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960
Do you have a particular CPU in mind? Guessing a K model, in which case the Asus Z97-A may be your best pick. Great mobo, OCs well, handles DRAM well, SLI, would make a good base for you and be open to CPU upgrades come the release of Broadwell
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


My overall budget is about $1600 CAD, so about $1300-1350 USD. I'm actually looking for a locked CPU xD. Specifically the i5 4690, currently $10 off. I know, kinda dumb for someone who may consider OCing in the future, but I think I might go for Broadwell down the road, maybe an unlocked CPU. May I ask why AsRock and Asus and not Gigabyte?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


I was thinking a K model when Broadwell comes out and the i5 4690 (non-k) now. I have the Asus Z97-A in my favorites, been looking at it for a while. So, that Asus motherboard would be better than a Gigabyte? Is Gigabyte not a great motherboard manufacturer?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Gam3r01

Gam3r01

Titan
Jan 12, 2013
25,417
976
115,440
Those are just brands I prefer for their reliability and overall price/performance. Gigabyte is good, I just never had a fancy for it.
I know its hard to make this decision now, but it will help in the future, do you ever actually plan to OC?

If you dont know for sure, or plan to, get a board that will let you. I had no intent when I built my rig, but hey presto, 4.2GHz up from 3.4.

If you know for sure you never will you can get H-Series boards and save a few bucks, but by doing so you pretty much say you wont OC.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960

_________________________________-

I only use three brands for client builds, Asus the Rock and GB....With the Z77s think the Rock aad had the best handle on the chipset, then came the Z87 and that was definitely Asus with the best mobos and from what I've seen so far they are carrying over into the Z97s, I still like GB but don't think they are on a par with Asus or the Rock right now. At the moment (got a note today) the Asus Z97-A is the biggest seller of the Z97s, The Hero and Pro are right up there also.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


I doubt I will, but I won't say no for sure... I'd still like SLI if I could get that though. Why can H97s CrossFire but not SLI? I thought the issue was the lack of 8x8 split of the PCIe lanes that was the issue for SLI.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


It's a bit pricey.... I only have $1,000 on PayPal atm, was going to order tonight. Otherwise, price isn't an issue. I'll see what I can do as far as reducing overall costs and maybe go with the Asus. It has loads of features I'll never use, but if it's the most popular, it must be considered good. I want quality and reliability above all else, something that will "live" for a long time and I can rely on without randomly breaking 2 months after purchase or something. Of course, all tech comes with bad eggs in the batch, but it's nice to lower that percentage of flawed products as much as possible.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


So, to be safe I'm gonna go with the Asus Z97-A. Two more things, first, since I'm a total noob... Will setting up a build with this Asus mobo and working with the mobo be harder because it's got so much more potential?
And second, is it, is it a high quality motherboard in your opinion? Would you buy it?

Also, will the Asus Z97-A and the EVGA Supernova G2 fit well in a Cooler Master HAF 922 case or a Fractal Design Define R4 case? I don't know much about how the dimensions work in relation to these parts... Forgot all about that crucial part..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960
Should be fine all the way around, could even go the 912 case (and still have plenty of room....and yes I'd buy the Z97-A and in fact am thinking of doing just that, and building a new computer for my Mom,it will be far more powerful than what she needs, but then too I'll have another 'backup' comuter in the house that's available :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


Awesome, thank you so much, both of you! Can't wait, the building should be fun (kinda stressful but fun), and can't wait to play some Civ 5!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


I guess it doesn't seem that hard, from the vids I've watched, but the parts are expensive... I'm more afraid of breaking something.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


That is a very good point. I'm glad I've taken the steps to start a build, it should be very interesting. That being said, I made the order and totally forgot to check the CPU support list, I don't think the Z97s support the i5 4460, which is what I bought because it was on sale. They need a BIOS update, but can you turn the PC on to do the update with an incompatible CPU?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


Thank you! I was thinking the extra 300Mhz weren't worth $40 or so for the 4690. Are 300Mhz noticeable? Will strategy game processes like turn times be noticeably better?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
67,883
40
126,960
Not so much now, when working with folks we set a budget and then work within it, and try to get the most powerful, CPU andwe can for longevity sake, it really depends on what the rig is for, but whenever possible, I try to get a K model in, even if there's no interest in OCing when we talk, having a K now provides for basically a free upgrade down the road
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MrCanEHdian

MrCanEHdian

Honorable
Apr 9, 2014
588
0
10,990


Basically I will be playing a lot of Civ 5, Fallen Enchantress, Sins of a solar Empire, Far Cry 3, Civ Beyond Earth, Age of Wonders 3, Wargame: Red Dragon, Planetary Annihilation.... That kind of stuff, mostly strategy with some FPS and maybe RPG.

I'm hoping the i5 4460 will be enough to process turns well, good AI, big maps with loads of AI in Civ and FE, loads of AI in FC3 editor, that kind of stuff.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom