Hello,
I am currently putting together components for a mini ITX gaming build to go into an EVGA Hadron Air enclosure. I already have an I5 4590 processor and 8 GB of HyperX Fury DDR 3 RAM (x1). I plan on using a GTX 970 as the GPU (or maybe a GTX 960 if I chicken out on $$ at the last minute).
My question is this: How much does the mainboard really matter for a mini ITX build? Aside from features (which is not the emphasis of my question), does the chipset really matter that much on these mainboards in terms of plain, raw performance? What I mean is, since the number of connectors, lanes, channels, pipelines... etc... is stripped down anyway for the mini ITX form factor, does the chipset itself (H81 vs Z87/97) even matter that much at the end of the day?
The thing is I can pick up an MSI H81I MB for ~ $60 bucks and save some $$ for the GPU (GTX 970). But if this MB is going to "undercut" my other components in terms of performance in some way, I'd rather just cough-up the extra $$ for a "better" mini ITX MB such as the EVGA Stinger, MSI Gaming Z87I/Z97I or an ASUS or ASRock mITX board.
(BTW, overclocking is not a huge deal for me.)
As always, any suggestions or advice appreciated!
I am currently putting together components for a mini ITX gaming build to go into an EVGA Hadron Air enclosure. I already have an I5 4590 processor and 8 GB of HyperX Fury DDR 3 RAM (x1). I plan on using a GTX 970 as the GPU (or maybe a GTX 960 if I chicken out on $$ at the last minute).
My question is this: How much does the mainboard really matter for a mini ITX build? Aside from features (which is not the emphasis of my question), does the chipset really matter that much on these mainboards in terms of plain, raw performance? What I mean is, since the number of connectors, lanes, channels, pipelines... etc... is stripped down anyway for the mini ITX form factor, does the chipset itself (H81 vs Z87/97) even matter that much at the end of the day?
The thing is I can pick up an MSI H81I MB for ~ $60 bucks and save some $$ for the GPU (GTX 970). But if this MB is going to "undercut" my other components in terms of performance in some way, I'd rather just cough-up the extra $$ for a "better" mini ITX MB such as the EVGA Stinger, MSI Gaming Z87I/Z97I or an ASUS or ASRock mITX board.
(BTW, overclocking is not a huge deal for me.)
As always, any suggestions or advice appreciated!
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