Gents,
A previous thread (in another section) convinced me to go 1151 for my sister's upgrade build. I had settled on the MSI Z170A Krait 3X for the board, but I started doing a bit more research on Newegg with those awesome filters they now have, and realized I might have a few more options than I originally thought. Thing is, I can't really differentiate between them.
I'm only trying to build her a computer that will be future-proof. She's only using it as an HTPC (Netflix, iTunes movies/TV shows, etc.), web browsing, and basic office work. It's connected to her TV in her living room, she uses it a lot. I'm planning on throwing in an i3-6100 with 8GB of RAM.
These are the features I was looking for in a board :
- Reliability. I need this thing to last five-six years, maybe beyond;
- HDMI output. Shouldn't need to mention this, as all of the boards I've been looking at have an HDMI out, but just to make sure. Integrated graphics are just fine for her, shouldn't need a separate video card;
- Optical S/PDIF output. This is essential as she regularly plays music on iTunes or Google Play music or whatever, and she needs the sound output to keep going when the display goes to sleep;
- M.2, for future-proofing (she already has a regular SATA 128Gb Samsung SSD, but in case it fails in the next few years...?);
- Intel NIC. She has her modem right next to her computer, so it's hooked up via Ethernet. Yeah, I know, an Intel chip is probably not essential, but my experience with FreeNAS servers has taught me the value of a good quality NIC;
- Solid audio chip. Was looking at the RealTek ALC1150, preferably, or even better if possible;
- 6 x SATA ports. She has her SSD and three other hard drives (system back-up, media, and media back-up [clone of Media, via SyncToy), plus her optical drive. She only needs five, but I guess an extra isn't bad. *IF* there was a really good board out there with only four ports, I guess I could put her system back-up on her media drive (I guess that way, the back-up would itself be backed up);
- USB Type-C connector at the back. Not essential for now, but again, I see this as a huge enabler for the future. She's an iPhone user, so not much benefit yet, but still, I think this will yield huge benefits in the coming years.
Budget is in the neighborhood of 200$ Cdn, but I could be convinced to go higher if I was shown there would be a tangible gain. Form factor not an issue - she has an NMediaPC N2000B case, which supports full ATX boards.
So yeah - the two motherboards in my title are two that I've found that are remarkably similar and that offer me all the features I want. There are probably others - beyond the list I've made above, I don't know what I'd gain or lose by going with models other than my original Krait. So, my question to you guys : given the requirements above, any recommendations? Is there something I'm missing?
Cheers!
A previous thread (in another section) convinced me to go 1151 for my sister's upgrade build. I had settled on the MSI Z170A Krait 3X for the board, but I started doing a bit more research on Newegg with those awesome filters they now have, and realized I might have a few more options than I originally thought. Thing is, I can't really differentiate between them.
I'm only trying to build her a computer that will be future-proof. She's only using it as an HTPC (Netflix, iTunes movies/TV shows, etc.), web browsing, and basic office work. It's connected to her TV in her living room, she uses it a lot. I'm planning on throwing in an i3-6100 with 8GB of RAM.
These are the features I was looking for in a board :
- Reliability. I need this thing to last five-six years, maybe beyond;
- HDMI output. Shouldn't need to mention this, as all of the boards I've been looking at have an HDMI out, but just to make sure. Integrated graphics are just fine for her, shouldn't need a separate video card;
- Optical S/PDIF output. This is essential as she regularly plays music on iTunes or Google Play music or whatever, and she needs the sound output to keep going when the display goes to sleep;
- M.2, for future-proofing (she already has a regular SATA 128Gb Samsung SSD, but in case it fails in the next few years...?);
- Intel NIC. She has her modem right next to her computer, so it's hooked up via Ethernet. Yeah, I know, an Intel chip is probably not essential, but my experience with FreeNAS servers has taught me the value of a good quality NIC;
- Solid audio chip. Was looking at the RealTek ALC1150, preferably, or even better if possible;
- 6 x SATA ports. She has her SSD and three other hard drives (system back-up, media, and media back-up [clone of Media, via SyncToy), plus her optical drive. She only needs five, but I guess an extra isn't bad. *IF* there was a really good board out there with only four ports, I guess I could put her system back-up on her media drive (I guess that way, the back-up would itself be backed up);
- USB Type-C connector at the back. Not essential for now, but again, I see this as a huge enabler for the future. She's an iPhone user, so not much benefit yet, but still, I think this will yield huge benefits in the coming years.
Budget is in the neighborhood of 200$ Cdn, but I could be convinced to go higher if I was shown there would be a tangible gain. Form factor not an issue - she has an NMediaPC N2000B case, which supports full ATX boards.
So yeah - the two motherboards in my title are two that I've found that are remarkably similar and that offer me all the features I want. There are probably others - beyond the list I've made above, I don't know what I'd gain or lose by going with models other than my original Krait. So, my question to you guys : given the requirements above, any recommendations? Is there something I'm missing?
Cheers!
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