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ASRock Z97 Pro4 ATX Motherboard

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  • Overclocking
  • Components
  • ASrock
  • Motherboards
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a b V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 6:11:48 PM

Hi all,
I'm thinking of getting the title motherboard because I want to buy a Pentium G3258 and just overclock the hell out of it. I have a corsair H55 so cooling shouldn't be too bad, and I'm looking to keep my budget for the motherboard and processor < $200. I need a Z97 motherboard because I want to overclock it to high levels. Is this a good motherboard to use? I've heard mixed reviews about ASRock motherboards, so I'm a bit wary at the moment.

More about : asrock z97 pro4 atx motherboard

a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 6:44:57 PM

Should be fine, the Rock has good mobos, I only build on three brands, the Rock mobos are #2 behind Asus for me, then comes GB.
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a b V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 7:51:33 PM

I've heard that ASRock is the cheapest motherboard manufacturer in terms of quality. Is this true?
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 8:00:26 PM

What you've heard is probably years old, originally the Rock was a little brother to Asus and it's primary purpose was to make low end mobos for entusiast sales as well as for prebuilt computers, they broke away from Asus some years back and since then have been steadily climbing the laddre, they passed MSI in total sales around 2010 and have been continuing to distance themselves as sales continue to increase, when IB was released the Z77 line of mobos the Rock really stepped up, their Z77 eXtreme 4 is the best selling and best rated mobo of the Z77s....I use many of them for client builds and have had no problems with any in the last 3 years or so. Very good mobos.
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a b V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 8:04:02 PM

Tradesman1 said:
What you've heard is probably years old, originally the Rock was a little brother to Asus and it's primary purpose was to make low end mobos for entusiast sales as well as for prebuilt computers, they broke away from Asus some years back and since then have been steadily climbing the laddre, they passed MSI in total sales around 2010 and have been continuing to distance themselves as sales continue to increase, when IB was released the Z77 line of mobos the Rock really stepped up, their Z77 eXtreme 4 is the best selling and best rated mobo of the Z77s....I use many of them for client builds and have had no problems with any in the last 3 years or so. Very good mobos.


okay :) 

What about OC'ing? Will it be fairly straightforward with the CPU I want (the Pentium G3258)? I'm somewhat new to overclocking.
I've heard people say that all you have to do is raise the CPU multiplier and it should do the rest. Do I need to adjust anything for a stable overclock? I know you have to adjust CPU voltage at certain overclocks when it gets too high, but if I just raise the multiplier and the CPU clock about 1GHz (to 4.2) will I need to up the voltage? I'm worried I'll do something to the processor if I don't do everything right.
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 9, 2014 8:11:17 PM

Ocing is generally fairly easy in the lower end, as you take it higher you start getting into voltage changes, balancing DRAM to the OC and all kinds of things can play in....would suggest looking for some OC guides for your CPU and take it from there - keep lots of notes as you go so when you hit a wall or crash you know the settings to head back for and can then take things further
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a b V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 12:29:22 PM

What's the difference between the Pro4 and the Pro3? If it's just the crossfire, sata express, and lower supported memory speed, then should I save myself the $10?
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 6:51:08 PM

If I remember right, that's about it, when you start working up through models it's generally just 1 or 2 little things that are added as you progress upward ;) 
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a b V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 8:43:20 PM

Tradesman1 said:
If I remember right, that's about it, when you start working up through models it's generally just 1 or 2 little things that are added as you progress upward ;) 


I also found the MSI Z97 PC Mate. I'm a bit more comfortable with MSI boards as I'm using one now and I've used them in the past. It's close to the same price ($10 cheaper) so does that sound like a good price? It's a Z97 so it should be good for OC'ing right?
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 8:49:16 PM

I myself and most builders I know won't touch MSI due to their poor QC, so sorry I wouldn't but one. :( 
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a b V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 10:38:04 PM

Tradesman1 said:
I myself and most builders I know won't touch MSI due to their poor QC, so sorry I wouldn't but one. :( 


I'm really confused now. I've heard that MSI boards are typically some of the higher end, and ASRock are some of the lower end. I'm not sure whether to buy the ASRock board of the MSI board because each has their own mixed opinions.

Can you suggest me a board that's made by someone who's the most reputable like Asus that's within the $120 price bracket? (Or Gigabyte)
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 10:48:40 PM

At $130 is the Z97-C....MSI used to be in the top 3, a few years back, and ASRock started off making entry level mobos for Asus then broke away on their own, that all changed years ago, the Rock passed MSI to become the #3 manufacturer around the end of 2009...MSI sales have been dropping going back to around 2008 and continue to, the Rock continues to increase sales. Their mobos are top notch, I started using them quite abit with the P67, then alot when the Z77s came out their Z77 eXtreme 4 was the best rated and best selling mobo of the Z77s
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a b V Motherboard
July 10, 2014 10:56:43 PM

Tradesman1 said:
At $130 is the Z97-C....MSI used to be in the top 3, a few years back, and ASRock started off making entry level mobos for Asus then broke away on their own, that all changed years ago, the Rock passed MSI to become the #3 manufacturer around the end of 2009...MSI sales have been dropping going back to around 2008 and continue to, the Rock continues to increase sales. Their mobos are top notch, I started using them quite abit with the P67, then alot when the Z77s came out their Z77 eXtreme 4 was the best rated and best selling mobo of the Z77s


http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-DDR3-Motherboards-Z97-K-CSM/...

Found this. Seems like the best thing I can buy. Are ASUS motherboards the highest end mobos? I know the UEFI bios is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've seen that it has 1 click OCing that's supposed to be better. Is this the best motherboard I can get at the moment?
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a c 424 K Overclocking
a c 1797 V Motherboard
July 11, 2014 8:20:54 AM

Asus is my primary that I look at
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a b V Motherboard
July 11, 2014 3:12:38 PM

Tradesman1 said:
Asus is my primary that I look at


So go with the asus then?
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