ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 vs Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3

pdarrah

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Jul 9, 2004
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I'm working on purchasing the parts to build a PC for my 16yo son. It will be used for gaming & all his other stuff (homework, youtube, writing music, programming, etc). I've been quibbling over which motherboard for a few day & now there are some sales that make me think I should just decide & get something ordered.

I don't really NEED a Z170 since I'm going with an i5-6500 right now, but I am hoping to have this as upgradable as possible so he can make changes as his needs change over the next few years as he heads to college.

Although we (his parents) are experienced with computers & have done plenty of upgrades over the years, neither of us have tried a complete build before. This is an xmas gift from his grandparents & part of the idea is to give him some hands-on experience inside a computer.

Is either of these boards "better" than the other? Is one of them any easier for a 1st time builder to use?

I've attempted to compare them and it looks like the Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 has some minor differences in I/O ports, maybe 1 more slot and support for SLI (The ASRock says Crossfire only). It does have a couple USB 3.1 ports where the ASRock has 3.0, but that probably isn't that big a deal yet.

I have no idea if the SLI support is likely to be important for future upgrades. The only other factor is appearance (since the case has a window & this might be a big deal for a 16yo boy!) The Gigabyte board looks more red on the screen & the ASRock has more of an orange-red look - the case is black & red. (Of course, monitors often don't show exact colors so that may not be accurate) and the Gigabyte has LED tracepath lights that might look cool. (but it looks like he could add LED lighting to any case for $10-$15)

Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3: $127.99 (SuperBiiz)
ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4: $109.99 (Newegg)

Any input is appreciated!
 
Solution
Better go with the Asrock. It's a better made motherboard overall. It has better caps (12K nichicon Golden caps), more/better power phases, more features, better sound quality, and etc.

Just a thing; Never go for the Brand, always go with the actual product.

MegaAgente17

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May 5, 2015
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4,640
Better go with the Asrock. It's a better made motherboard overall. It has better caps (12K nichicon Golden caps), more/better power phases, more features, better sound quality, and etc.

Just a thing; Never go for the Brand, always go with the actual product.
 
Solution