What's the best ≤ $400 Z170 (LGA 1151) MB for Gaming?

LCBChef18

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What's the best ≤ $400 Z170 (LGA 1151) MB for Gaming?

The two that i've been comparing are the Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha and the Asus Z170-Deluxe.

I know what you might be thinking... "Why limit yourself to Asus." The short answer is i'm not.

The long answer? I'm currently running an Asus Crosshair Formula V and it's still kicking, hard. It's taken a beating and i've never had problems with it. My first MB was a Gigabyte MB and it died just after a year. So i'd rather stay away from it.

I'm ALL EARS for other manufacturers. I've always liked the MSI products. I guess you could call me an Asus fanboy. :)

Bonus Question! I'm planning on going with the i7-6700k 'Skylake' Which DDR4 16 or 32 GB set would work best? Are 2 dimms still better to overclock than 4?

Things that are important to me:
1. Stability
2. Longevity
3. Performance
4. Kickassery
5. Overclock-ability
6. Audio quality? I have a Z906 sound system and feel like it might function better with the ROG.

Cliff note: I'm coming to Intel as an AMD purist. I've never had an Intel product.... Ever. I even use AMD GPU's! :D
 
Solution
For gaming, I'd just go with the version that will allow for multiple GPUs so you can expand:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9533/intel-i7-6700k-overclocking-4-8-ghz/8

http://ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?page=3&itemid=3948

as money spent on a fancy board and super cooling is really best directed towards more GPU. Something like this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GRvZxr/msi-motherboard-z170akraitgaming3x

Being that overclocking a 6700k makes so very little difference with gaming......

Geekwad

Admirable
For gaming, I'd just go with the version that will allow for multiple GPUs so you can expand:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9533/intel-i7-6700k-overclocking-4-8-ghz/8

http://ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?page=3&itemid=3948

as money spent on a fancy board and super cooling is really best directed towards more GPU. Something like this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GRvZxr/msi-motherboard-z170akraitgaming3x

Being that overclocking a 6700k makes so very little difference with gaming......
 
Solution

LCBChef18

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Thanks for your response!