Which Motherboard to Choose?

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Hi,
I'd like some advice or recommendations on which to choose from these boards and why? My preference is for Performance and Durability(?).

* Asrock Z97 Fatality Killer Series
* Asrock Z97 Extreme 4
* MSI Z97 Gaming 7
* Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 7
* Asus TUF Sabertooth Mark 1

Thanks!

6R1M01R3 · Aug 3, 2014

Either the MSI or Gigabyte gaming 7.
The Sabertooth has looks, durability and performance but also quite pricey. If I am not wrong, price is about the same as the VII Hero.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

6R1M01R3 :

Thanks for your recommendation! The prices here in our Country for those 4 Mobos (Except the Asrock Fatality) are almost Close about 10k to 12k PHP or $250-$300 because they're on sale so the price isn't much of a problem. I've read some problems with the Sabertooth from some past post here on Toms.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

Get the Asus TUF Sabertooth Mark 1

< MSI has poor QC

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Thanks for that! Still looking in for more reviews for the boards before I buy them next week since I'm planning on getting either i5 4690k or i7 4790k, whichever fits my budget.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

I have the 4790k I love it.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Yeah, the benchmarks looks good and fits my performance needs since I'll be leaving mg A10 5800k to try out Intel.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

You won't believe the diffference.

I was running several AMD builds , Intel is just leaps ahead.

The Gigabyte board is also nice.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Hopefully I notice the increased performance or I would be depressed if it does not. Mainly on Encoding and Transcoding videos as well as recording.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

Yes with the 4790k the encoding is brilliant.

Get 16 gigs of memory,

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Planning on getting another 8Gb since I only have 8GB worth of ram right now. I'm a bit 50/50 on that Sabertooth as I've read some bad things about it on past TH threads.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

I have the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK

Great board.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Looks like it but that would be over my budget already. The ones I mentioned are on sale on a Computer Store I've been buying my parts at.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

I like the ASUS and Gigabyte stay away from MSI.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

I've read a few that MSI has some quality issues sometimes so my eye is currently set on Gigabyte and Asrock.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

Both are good choices , MSI QC is not good.

6R1M01R3 · Aug 3, 2014

liisyaoron :

So you have a lot of motherboards for what I've read so far.
MSI bias is really bad feedback.
@liis: Look if you can buy the Maximus VII Hero, it's around the same price of the Sabertooth Mk. 1, better overclocking, good durability and neat looks. The Asus Z97-PRO is a mainstream motherboard with good features and build, should be considered as an option within that price range.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

Maximus VII Hero < I have this one too with a 4670k.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

6R1M01R3 :

liisyaoron :

So you have a lot of motherboards for what I've read so far.
MSI bias is really bad feedback.
@liis: Look if you can buy the Maximus VII Hero, it's around the same price of the Sabertooth Mk. 1, better overclocking, good durability and neat looks. The Asus Z97-PRO is a mainstream motherboard with good features and build, should be considered as an option within that price range.

How about the Ranger? It's a bit 50/50 for the Hero at this point. I only have 1 GPU and wouldn't be adding anytime soon.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

The Ranger is the little brother of the HERO , best price point with great features.

liisyaoron · Aug 3, 2014

Cool, I'm leaning on the Ranger for now if I can afford the Hero then I'll get that. So far, I'd like to know if anyone has thoughts or currently owns the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 7.

Dark Lord of Tech · Aug 3, 2014

I love the new Gigabyte lineup.
http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/gigabyte-z97x-gaming-7-motherboard-review/14/
Here's a decent review.

Which Motherboard to Choose?

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