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z97 itx - choosing the right option for audio quality - PLEASE HELP

Tags:
  • impact
  • Gaming
  • MSI
  • Motherboards
  • PC gaming
  • Realtek
  • z97
  • Build
  • E-ITX
  • Asus
  • Audio
Last response: in Motherboards
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October 11, 2014 10:07:31 AM

Hello everyone,

I'm in going to begin my first gaming build next month with a 4790k and a GTX 970 at the heart of my build. My question is: how different is the audio quality (specifically output) between different itx motherboards?

My choices for a motherboard are:

MSI Z97i Gaming AC $190 - Has Realtek ALC1150 and Audio Boost 2

Asus Z97i-Plus $150 - Has Realtek ALC9 892

Asus Maximus VII Impact $240 - "SupremeFX Impact II + Sonic Radar II" and own sound card


I'd like to stay budget conscious since I'm spending quite a bit on the cpu and gpu purposefully, but I will be using a Kingston HyperX Cloud Pro gaming headset and I've heard it really benefits from a strong audio output. Is it really worth and extra $40 for MSI's audio boost and Realtek Alc1150 over the $150 Asus? I'm new to overclocking and have heard that Asus' software is very easy to use in comparison. At the end of the day I want great audio output and quality while not breaking the bank by maybe spending $100 more for a ROG board.

Any thoughts would be very appreciated :) 

Rob


More about : z97 itx choosing option audio quality

a b 4 Gaming
a c 281 V Motherboard
a b Ĉ ASUS
October 11, 2014 10:29:17 AM

Don't know what to tell you.
I have no personal experience those different audio chips.
In general, motherboard HD sound is good, at least to my tin ear.
I am using the maximus vii gene which supposedly has similar superior sound.
I do think it is better than earlier sound, but by how much in comparison to the alternatives, I can't say.
Unless you can find a knowledgeable review of sound chips, any will do, but I suspect the asus will be a touch better.

On overclocking, it is simple, without using any of the bios capabilities.
Particularly for a i7-4790K. You are looking at 4.0-4.4 turbo at stock. You hardly need more.
I experimented with higher overclocks but finally decided that stock was all I need.
Once you go higher than the 1.20 vcore that stock will run at, you start to need much better cooling.
In a ITX sized case, that can be a problem.

What case will you be using?
A GTX970 is perfect, but try to find one with the stock blower cooler. It will keep a small case cooler.

In the end, I suggest you spend more and buy the asus. If you don't, you will forever wonder if you should have.

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October 11, 2014 10:47:54 AM

Thanks for the advice. Here is my current proposed build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/r.denluck90/saved/WtV2FT

I will be swapping the fans on the h80i with sp120 corsair fans. Since I'm using the 250D I will either use a h80i or h100i. I figure to improve air flow and keep my budget down a little I'd go with a front mounted h80i and have dual exhaust 120mm fans on the side of the case opposite the gpu.
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Related resources
a b 4 Gaming
a c 281 V Motherboard
a b Ĉ ASUS
October 11, 2014 1:52:54 PM

My thoughts:

1. Buy a 2 stick 8gb ram kit of 2 x 4gb. You will operate in dual channel mode.

2. I have become a bit jaded on the subject of haswell cooling for overclocking.
How high you can OC is firstly determined by your luck in the bin lottery.
I had high expectations from the Devil's canyon parts and their better thermals.
I found out that the thermals really do not matter unless, perhaps, you are a competitive overclocker.
Haswell runs quite cool, that is, until you raise the voltage past 1.25v or so.
Once you go past 1.3v, then you really do need very good cooling to keep stress loads under say 85c.
But, voltages higher than 1.30 are not a good thing for 24/7 usage.
Even if you can handle the heat, how much do you really need that extra multiplier from say 4.4 to 4.6?
My thought is that it is better to use the exotic cooling funds for a quieter and less expensive air cooler.
Anything extra can go to a stronger graphics card for the gamer or a SSD.
I think you would do well with a noctua or phaneks tower cooler with a 140mm fan.

3. I think the supplied fans will do the job.
If anything, the only change might be to use a single 200mm fan in front.
Larger fans push more air at lower rpm and are quieter.

4. Corsair CX is only a fair budget psu. I might overprovision a bit with a Seasonic 620w unit.
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October 11, 2014 2:44:53 PM

Yeah I have 8gb ram in my build log that I posted with that link.

The only other great quality cpu cooler that can fit in the 250D is a low profile noctua nh-c14 or something along that line and its around $70-80 so I thought why not just get the h80i.

The max clearance the 250D has with the optical drive removed (which I will be removing) is 139mm ish. So I'd like to keep the heatsink away from the window if I could.

I agree I'd rather save money cause haswell processors stay cool to a certain point and then get really hot with little returns graphically. What would you recommend for the cpu cooler under 135mm in height? I'd like good aesthetics and to be affordable.

I also planned on putting a Bitfenix Spectre Pro 200mm red led fan in the front if not going with the h80i. I want a red and black theme for the gpu/ram/mobo/fans
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a b 4 Gaming
a c 281 V Motherboard
a b Ĉ ASUS
October 11, 2014 6:13:23 PM

I don't think you need exotic cooling, but the stock cooler will spin up and get noisy under load.
Under top load, it will not cool as well as an aftermarket cooler.
Looking at the case, I am surprised that 135mm is the limit. Perhaps that stat is allowing a 25mm fan to be located in the top,
Measure your space. Most tower coolers will be 160mm or very close if they are to use a 120mm fan.
Tower coolers with 92mm fans are noisy.
If you really need low profile, I can recommend the noctua NH-L12. It is about 115mm high and cools very well. The nice thing is that it is very quiet. I use one in a lian li Q08 case along with a G3258 overclocked to 4.3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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