A Good Mini ATX Mobo?

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

ASrock H87M-ITX
Intel Core i5-4590
G. Skill (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 (F3-1866C9D-8GAB)
Corsair CX500M PSU
Seagate ST1000DX001
MSI N760 2GD5 Overclocked ITX Graphics card
Cooler Master Elite 110 Case

Hi all - I've been having trouble getting video output out of a new build above. I've already posted on the subject but I've been unable to solve the issue despite some very helful advice from the community.
This morning I'm going to take it into a repair shop as a last resort to see if it's a bios update issue.

This is the second mobo (rma'd the first one) and if it does turn out to be another faulty mobo again then I won't be buying the same mobo again.

Can anyone suggest a decent mini-itx mobo as good or better than the above that they'd recommend for all round entertainment and good gaming characteristics. (Thinking Stalker series/CoD/FEAR/Metro series on a 42" HDTV at reasonable graphics quality and 60+ fps). I'd like to retain the other components so I'd want it to be completely compatible with them and here's the most important bit, I'm looking for a stress free out of the box experience with this new mobo.

Thanks all, in advance.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

Sorry - I meant mini ITX

Darkbreeze · Oct 11, 2014

Do you have a budget in mind for the board?

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

Asus H87I Plus

Darkbreeze · Oct 11, 2014

Without knowing your budget it's hard to guess at what level of performance you're looking for, but in the middle of the pack, without digging too deeply into you wallet, this is a solid well built board that's a strong performer in all categories and has pretty much all the features you could want including M.2 support.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($156.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $156.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 03:32 EDT-0400

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

You may also consider these:

Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI

Asus H97I-Plus

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

Darkbreeze :

Like to keep it to <£150 - sorry that's about $240

huilun02 · Oct 11, 2014

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132123

If you need integrated Wifi:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128721

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

If going for Z series chipset then consider these

Gigabyte GA-Z97N-Gaming 5

Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI

Z series mobos will work great with factory unlocked CPUs. Nevertheless, they can work with factory locked CPUs.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

Not too bothered about WIFI this system will sit close to our modem so I'm going to h/w it.

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

Then stick with Gigabyte GA-Z97A- Gaming 5.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

Thanks all - much appreciated, looks like the Gigabyte.

huilun02 · Oct 11, 2014

From Amazon UK

Gigabyte GA-Z97N-GAMING-5
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GA-Z97N-GAMING-5-Z97N-GAMING-Motherboard-Integrated/dp/B00KE8G7OQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413013555&sr=8-1&keywords=gigabyte+z97n+gaming

Gigabyte H97N-WIFI
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-H97N-WIFI-LGA1150-Mini-ITX-Motherboard/dp/B00KC7ZY2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413013701&sr=8-1&keywords=gigabyte+h97n

Asus H97I-PLUS
http://www.amazon.co.uk/H97I-PLUS-Motherboard-S-ATA-Express-Socket/dp/B00K80MYDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413013388&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+h97i

In all seriousness there's not much point getting Z97 for running Mini ITX cards. There's a greater chance you might relocate your small PC and the Wifi will come in handy.

Darkbreeze · Oct 11, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£105.59 @ Aria PC)
Total: £105.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

By all accounts this is a superior mini-ITX board in it's price range according to many reviews. For the most part, it's only surpassed by the mini-ITX ROG boards, which are nice, but not essential.
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 09:13 BST+0100

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

UK based! I misread it as $. Anyhow, Gigabyte GA-Z97N-GAMING-5 is still a solid choice here with £111.12 price tag.

OP: you have budget of £150 or less. You can grab Asus Impact VII, if you wish to in £166.94. Just saying.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

Wow - the impact looks like the dogs. I feel budget creep coming on. Its an option I'll be seriously considering.

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

Impact is from ROG (Republic of gamers) series by Asus. Very good mobo in mini-ITX mobos.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

EasyLover :

Just come back from the repair shop who've confirmed the ASrock is faulty. That's 2 now with exactly the same fault. Its cost me an extra £55 adding up the paste& paste cleaner for the 2nd build, maplin VGA lead at an eyewatering £20 and the repair shop diagnostic. RMA'ing the board and don't ever want to hear the word ASrock again.

On another note - just bought the Maximus :wahoo:

Coming Monday or Tuesday shame I'm working away. Will keep you updated.

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

Maximus Formula? 6 or 7?

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

EasyLover :

This one from Amazon;

Asus Maximus VII Impact Motherboard (Intel Z97, DDR3, S-ATA 600, Mini ITX, 1x PCI Express 3.0 x16, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac - Dual band, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, USB 3.0, mPCI-E Combo IV and KeyBot, Socket 1150)

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

Ahhh! Great. Congrats. Good luck dear.

TeeSee1962 · Oct 11, 2014

EasyLover :

Cheers - and thanks for the head's up on that board.

EasyLover · Oct 11, 2014

No issue. Glad to assist.

A Good Mini ATX Mobo?

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