Help me pick a motherboard for my setup and usage

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Poroto

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Jan 9, 2017
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Hello!

So I'm building a pc from scratch and I'm wondering what mobo fits best to my usage and current components I already have.

I currently already have:

CPU: i7 6700
Cpu Cooler: Stock. (as the cpu is locked I see no reason spending extra $ on a dedicated one).
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz (PC4-25600) C16 Memory Kit - Black.
SSD: Intel 600p Series 256GB M.2 80mm SSD (SSDPEKKW256G7X1).
Graphics: ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 8GB ROG STRIX OC Edition Graphic Card STRIX-GTX1070-​O8G-GAMING.

It will mainly be used for gaming and light coding.

I was looking at the ASUS Z170-A ATX DDR4 which seems to be at a decent price and is z170 chipset based... is this a solid pick or would you guys recommend any other? Budget is $150 or less. I am kinda a noob when it comes to mobos, so I could really use some suggestions!


Thanks!

PD: I am also missing PSU, so feel free to recommend one too.
PD2: I did try to do my research before asking the community, but with so many options, chipsets and alternatives out there I decided it would be wise to double check with you guys.
 
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Multipack

Multipack

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Sep 5, 2016
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A z170 chipset board is kind of pointless with a non-K i7 6700, as it's a locked chip and the primary reason for getting z170 is for the overclocking features. If you plan on SLI'ing two cards or overclocking RAM (above DDR4 standard 2133MHz frequency) then it may be necessary. Otherwise I'd recommend the B150 chipset. H110 is the budget variety and I'd avoid that unless you are looking for a cheap solution.

Any PSU from the top two tiers here would be great, and with your build I'd aim for 500w minimum. Seasonic are very reliable and competitively priced.. www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html?_ga=1.151155836.499395850.1474638331
 
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Isokolon

Isokolon

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Jul 24, 2016
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Well 3200MHz RAM only works on Z170/Z270 at the rated speed and sometimes needs a CPU to be OC'd.
However Z boards are made for OC which can't be done with your CPU

For Z170, the Asus Z170A or the Gigabyte Gaming K3 / UD3 are the best boards in their price range.
As the difference between 3200MHz Ram and 2133/2400MHz is rather small, I'd probably go with a nice B250/H270 board like an Asus gaming.



As for PSUs it depends on your budget.
Roughly sorted into categories:
Seasonic PRIME
Corsair AXi

EVGA Supernova G3
Super Flower Leadex II
Seasonic SS
Corsair Hx

Corsair RMi / RMx
EVGA Supernova G2 / GS
XFX XTR
Super Flower Leadex
Seasonic X

Seasonic G
Super Flower Platinum King / Gold King
XFX TS Gold
Antec Edge / Truepower Classic

XFX TS. Bronze (450-850W) / Pro / Core
Seasonic M12II / S12II / S12G
Antec High Current Gamer (HCG)
Corsair CXM (450, 550, 650)

Any of those units will do, the further down the unit is listed the cheaper (generally) and the less performance/comfortable the units get.
 
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Poroto

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Thanks for the fast reply!

Good point regarding z170 chipsets and locked CPU's, appreciate that ! However, what's the max memory speed b150 offers? Afaik it is like 2300 mhz or something along that? my ram sticks are 3200 mhz so I'd be wasting speed by getting that chipset, right?
 
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Poroto

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Jan 9, 2017
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Thanks for the reply!

Could you please recommend me a non z170 chipset based motherboard, I know it won't offer 3200mhz speeds, but since it doesn't make a big difference according to you I may consider one either way.

Needs to support booting from m.2 drives and be compatible with my current setup, of course.

Thanks for the PSU options as well, 600w would be enough for now and possibly future upgrades, right?
 
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Isokolon

Isokolon

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Jul 24, 2016
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550W can support a GTX1080 and an i7
So 650W isn't even necessary (although sometimes the same price or cheaper)

Generally I'd recommend a B250/H270 board but there hasn't been too many releases so far.
And those quality boards that have been released are waaay overpriced (wouldn't spend 140$ on a H270 board)

The Gigabyte H270 Gaming 3 looks pretty good but it's 125€ right now
For that kind of money you can get a pretty good Z170 board -- prices are kinda jacked ATM for the 200-series chipset.
So if you can wait for the prices to settle for some weeks, that'd be my recommendation.

Otherwise if you're ordering this week, pick a nice Z170 board. My personal favourite in this category for your needs is a Gigabyte Z170 UD3 or a AsRock Z170 Fatal1ty K4 (not fond of Asus' premium price policy).
They should be compatible with Kaby Lake if you were to upgrade and you're only missing out on octane support (which you won't need in this cycle anyway) and 4 PCI lanes (also not too big of a deal unless you're looking to SLI and adding multiple PCI cards)

A cheaper solution would be a H170 / B150 board. One of the premium board.
Like an Asus B150/H170 Pro Gaming, a Gigabyte H170 Gaming or my personal favourite, the Gigabyte G1.Sniper B7.
Haven't checked M.2/PCIe booting on these though.
 
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Poroto

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Jan 9, 2017
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Yeah, unfortunately I do need to decide on a board within this week :(.

Also, according to Amazon current prices, the Asus Z170-A seems to be the cheaper (135 us dollars) compared to UD3 ($145) and AsRock Fatality k4 ($150) which are the ones you mentioned... I wonder if there's any feature I'm missing by getting the Asus board rather than the ones you mentioned?

I know I wont be using much of the features z170 offers, but I do want to get the best board possible for my budget !

Thanks once again, you seem to be narrowing my board list pretty good.

PD: Seems the Asus one is for prime members only, just noticed.
 
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Poroto

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Jan 9, 2017
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Thanks for the help!

Took your advice and bought the Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboard GA-Z170X-UD3 with a 33% discount on purse.io, should be arriving in two days.

Thanks for the help once again, you were great!

PD: Won't be using z170 features at all but well, it ended up being pretty cheap for such a sweet board. Also, double m.2 will come in handy.
 
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