Which Z97 motherboard????

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somePcNoob

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Sep 21, 2014
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Thinking of building myself a pc for uni for gaming/3D modellling (engineering degree) and general work. There are so many z97 motherboards out there with so many different features. I was wondering which one would be most appropriate for my uses and build (below). These are the ones I am currently considering (max budget is around £120).

ASRock Z97 PRO4 (£80)
MSI Z97-G55 (£85)
MSI Z97 Gaming 5 (£103)
Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H (£107)
ASRock Mod 1150 Z97 Extreme4 (£107)
Asus Z97-AR (£112)
Mod 1150 ASUS Z97-A (£118)
Asus Sabertooth Mark 2 (£120)

And this is my build:

CPU - Intel Core i5 i5-4690K
CPU Cooler – Hyper 212 evo
Motherboard - ???
GPU - Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 2GB
RAM - HyperX FURY Series 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 1866MHz
PSU - EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G1
Optical - Samsung 24x Retail SATA DVD Writer
SSD - HyperX 120GB SATA3 3K 2.5-inch Gaming SSD
HDD - WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive

All advice much appreciated
 
Solution
MeteorsRaining
4.5Ghz should be do-able on both MoBos. Both have awesome Power phases and VRMs, but SB M2 lacks a M.2 port, which A has. So you should go for the extra port, as any other advantage of SB M2 won't have much real world advantage, it does has 6 6Gb/s ports vs 4 of Z97-A, but you won't connect 6 SSDs will you? So Z97-A will be my choice, due to M.2 port.
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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Jul 27, 2014
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ASUS Z97-A is a great MoBo, awesome for OCing and brilliant VRMs. Sabertooth is a step ahead, and a steal for 120 quids, I'd get it over Z97-A. If you're likely to run VMs, then avoid Asus, their MoBos don't support VT-d. ASROCK is a good choice then as EXTREME4 supports it. But other than VM support, Asus SB M2 all the way :)

Also, consider replacing the PSU with a cheaper one, as 650W is not enough for SLI and not needed for single 760, something like XFX Pro 550W will be more than fine, OCing included.
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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Jul 27, 2014
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VRMs regulate voltage to be supplied ot CPU, and they are essential for OCing, as bad VRMs will not supply voltage efficiently and adequately. VRMs can get hot when supplying more voltage, so they have to be cooled, Asus Z97-A and SB M2 have great thermals, which help a lot in keeping the VRMs cool and ultimately adding to OCing. Also, Power phases are important, which are great in the mentioned MoBos, learn more about them:
http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/what-are-power-phases.169661/

If you're to OC, you'll need good VRMs.
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

Champion
Jul 27, 2014
8,346
3
50,565
4.5Ghz should be do-able on both MoBos. Both have awesome Power phases and VRMs, but SB M2 lacks a M.2 port, which A has. So you should go for the extra port, as any other advantage of SB M2 won't have much real world advantage, it does has 6 6Gb/s ports vs 4 of Z97-A, but you won't connect 6 SSDs will you? So Z97-A will be my choice, due to M.2 port.
 
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Solution
rockie_

rockie_

Splendid
Sep 20, 2014
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Get i5 4590 + H97 mobo (like Asrock H97 Pro4 or Z97 Pro4)+ GTX 970 4GB VRAM . GTX 760 is outdated and has 2GB VRAM !

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£148.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£79.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£63.60 @ Kustom PCs)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (£289.64 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.09 @ Aria PC)
Total: £715.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 13:55 BST+0100
 
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