choosing a motherboard?

WTHaPenguin

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Jul 18, 2014
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hey guys, i just built my first computer, and i found out that my motherboard was doa (only one of the ram slots works so i can use all of my sticks)

i currently have an asrock h97 pro4 and the website i ordered from is giving me the choice to refund or replace. i have a friend who told me i might as well just upgrade to an asus or gigabyte board, because they are more reliable and generally better. i gave this some thought because my motherboard only has one pcie and i thought that if i ever wanted to run two cards, i'd have to upgrade it anyways.

basically, my question is: which motherboard can i get, for around the same price, that would be a better selection and that i wont have to upgrade when i upgrade my build in the future?

the motherboard i have now is around $90 dollars, and keep in mind that i already have purchased it, so i wont have to pay full price for something, necessarily, if you get what i mean.

The max ill be willing to go for a motherboard would be 125, and only that if it offers some great advantages over the one i have now. if the next set of motherboards are over that price range, just let me know and ill just have it exchanged.

for clarity purposes, here is the rest of my build:
intel i5-4460
gskills ripjaw 2x4gb
nvidia evga geforce gtx 770 sc acx
crucial mx 128gb ssd
seagate 3tb hdd
and i have a 620w power supply

im not sure if motherboards differ much from eachother, but if they do, id like one that resembles the layout of the one i have now, asrock h97 pro4. the wiring was a little confusing for me and id like to just be able to replace the cables without having to consult the manual as much as i did the first time around

thanks guys