Custom Build: Need Help Picking Out a MOBO

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Michaelcortez

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I custom build this PC about 3 years ago, and now my motherboard which is a MSI Z97 Gaming 5 debug at 00, is now not working and the manfu said its either the CPU or MOBO. I have two CPU's so I swapped them out with the same problem. Basically it does not POST. The monitor is ember yellow (I know the monitor works since I tried it on another pc and using this very second). So I need help finding a new MOBO for my components since the MOBO i have is discontinued. If someone can please help me my specs are below:

PSU: EVGA SuperNova 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR 80+ Gold 750W Fully Modular EVGA
Graphics Card: EVGA GEForce GTX 980 04G-P4-2983-KR 4GB SC Gaming W/ACX 2.0
Hard Drive: Samsung 850 PRO 2.5" 512GB Sata III 3D NAND SSD MZ-7KE512BW
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Intel Core i7-4790K Quad-Core 4.0 GHZ LGA 1150
Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 120mm pwm fan
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower USB 3.0

*Replacing* MSI Gaming Z97 Gaming 5 LGA 1150


*Forgot to mention that I have Windows 7 on my SSD if that makes a difference*

Thank you for your alls time and help on this.
 
Solution
Darkbreeze
They are compatible. ASUS tech is full of you know what. Pull the RAM with the system off and reseat it.

If that doesn't work, try increasing the DRAM voltage in the bios by .005v or whatever minimal increment it will allow.

Also, double check the user manual and make sure you have the correct two memory slots populated. It can make a difference which slots they are in and the two slots required for two module operation are not always the ones that seem to make sense.

On your board, with only two modules installed, they should be installed in the two slots that are furthest from the CPU, or closest to the the edge of the motherboard. They are slots A1 and A2. Your board supports memory from 2133mhz all the way up to potentially...
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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There are literally zero boards available, new, for sale from vendors. Possibly you can get a "new" one through ebay or you can certainly get used ones through Ebay or Amazon but of course those are a crapshoot and you'll be rolling the dice on whether you end up with one that's in the same condition as yours or not long from it. Certainly there are still options out there, but not many, and practically all are a gamble.

Vendors simply don't stockpile old hardware like they used to because the upgrade cycles are so close now and few users actually use the same hardware for more than a few years anymore.

Looks like there are a few H97 and lower chipset boards available new on Amazon, but you won't be able to overclock on them and will lose any Z97-only features your board might have had. If you are not overclocking and are not using multiple graphics cards, that might be an option.

 
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Michaelcortez

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Hello Darkbreeze,

Thank you for your response. I do not ever plan to OC and I plan on only using that one graphics card that I have EVGA GeForce GTX 980. I do not think I ever used too many of the Z97 features, except the temperature for the CPU.

I am open to any motherboard, preferably not an MSI, this is the first time I ever got one and it broke, while my 8 year old pc which has a Gigabyte is running and I am using that now in the mean time.

Hopefully this helps on what I am looking for.
 
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Michaelcortez

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I am in the USA (TX) and got Windows 7 on my SSD. I am hoping to replace this mobo because to be honest the system ran really good till the mobo failed. I have gotten an ASUS once lasted me the whole time, Gigabyte (got it in 2010 and that is what I am using in the mean time right now), and this MSI gave out in 3 years.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Looks like you're going to use your judgement and take your chances. I'm not seeing ANY new motherboards, H97 or Z97, for sale at all. Plenty of used ones on Ebay and Amazon, but nothing new. And mostly the prices of a used board are about the same as what a new H97 or Z97 would have been a couple of years ago.

People know that the motherboards give out far sooner than the CPU or memory, so if they have them, they are proud of them when it comes to the asking price. There are a few sub 80 dollars used ones on Ebay, but those are the ones I'd be skeptical about.

Might be time to simply upgrade if you're going to shell out 150 bucks for a used board. I'd look around on Craigslist and on the classified section here. Might get lucky.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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No, that is not compatible. You have a Haswell i7-4790k, which is an Intel LGA 1150 socket. You want a motherboard that is either Z97, H97 or B85.

Z97 is the highest level, H97 is in the middle and B85 is also in the middle, but doesn't have all the features that might be present on H97, which itself lacks some features found on Z97. There are also H81 chipset boards that are LGA 1150 but you don't want those unless it's absolutely necessary as they are the bottom of the barrel, cheapest models. Not great quality. Lacking in most features.

So, you MUST have a motherboard that is Z97, H97 or B85 chipset and it MUST be LGA 1150 socket.

Any of these will work but you really do not want a model that is listed below tier 3, and preferably tier 1 or 2 considering you have a four core eight thread processor, for any of these chipsets.

Z97 - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383187/motherboard-tier-list-z97-chipset.html

H97 - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383217/motherboard-tier-list-h97-chipset.html

B85 - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383978/motherboard-tier-list-b85-chipset.html

 
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Michaelcortez

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So at this point the best thing to do is probably just build a new rig.

1. Would it be best to get every part new, or is there some that can still be used? Just a little painful since the Video Card was so expensive, and have a brand new CPU intel sent me, but if that is what is best then I am down :).

If a new rig is recommended, I will likely start a new thread for that. My primary use for it is work (spreadsheets/word/outlook) and personal gaming FPS/MMOs etc. I have never OC my computer before.


 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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This would be the MOST recommended method to proceed, if it were me.

You will need a new CPU, motherboard and memory. Everything else can almost certainly be used with the new build.

You can probably sell the old CPU and memory.

You will need new memory because your current system uses DDR3 memory. ALL new platforms since about 2014 have used DDR4 memory. They are not compatible.

As I said, there ARE some options out there though. Let me look around and see if I can find you anything. Kind of sucks to have to upgrade when all you need is a motherboard and your system still does everything you need it to.
 
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Michaelcortez

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Option 1: Thanks darkbreeze I appreciate that your going to see if you can find anything.

Basically what I am trying to do is get this computer fixed with a new mobo (I do not OC), because I am trying to get it to replace my old pc that I am using now that is 8 years old. I was planning on building a new rig come Black Friday, to replace the one that is currently broken with the mobo, that way I can get rid of the 8 year old pc since my 3.5 year old pc will be the back up to the newly build.

Option 2: If we can't find anything I will then do as you mentioned sell my CPU + Memory, purchase a new Mobo/CPU/Memory. Then come Black Friday (hopefully there are some sales), I can then build a new rig and use the fixed pc as a back up.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Honestly, if you get a new cpu, motherboard and memory, and you already have a HAF case, EVGA G2 power supply and GTX 980, there is really nothing else to buy. You would be entirely up to date.

You could do something like this now, no need to wait for Black Friday which is a waste of time and a joke anyhow. PC components for "sale" on Black Friday rarely ever include anything new enough to matter. Typically, PC hardware that is on sale on Black Friday is usually leftover inventory from the previous or two years past that didn't sell and is offloaded at a minor discount. There are better daily sales on Newegg, Amazon and other hardware retailers usually that make Black Friday pointless if you know what you're looking for.

PC part picker will usually show you where the best prices are for a given component.

Do you have a firm preference for either AMD or Intel, as both have highly competitive CPU products right now. AMD is a bet less expensive in most cases and typically I've been an Intel guy for a while now but the AMD Ryzen products make it very hard to continue recommending Intel, especially since current and future CPUs and motherboards will have backwards and forwards compatibility on AMD all the way through 2020 or thereabouts. Never sure what will or won't be supported on the next release with Intel.

 
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Michaelcortez

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I will just do your recommendation and get a CPU/MOBO/Memory. Use everything else the same. Then I will sell the memory and cpu (which intel just sent over to me). I am usually the same an intel person and they even RMA my current processor even though it was past a few months which was awesome of them. I have had both AMD and Intel and neither have ever fail on me.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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This will be solid. I went with Intel primarily because there are fewer complications regarding memory compatibility and issues related to that. I can certainly whip up a good AMD configuration if you prefer, but I think this unit which has 6 cores with hyperthreading for 12 simultaneous threads and a max single core Turbo speed of 4.6Ghz should do very well for your purposes. I didn't go with an unlocked K series processor as you indicated that overclocking was not an option for you.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - Prime H370-A/CSM ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.92 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($151.99 @ Newegg Business)
Total: $583.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-08 02:19 EDT-0400
 
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Michaelcortez

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Thank you darkbreeze for the suggestion of parts. I have ordered all 3 of them and should be able to start putting it all together by Tuesday when the last part arrives :). You have been amazing throughout the process and really appreciate your help.
 
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Michaelcortez

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Hey everyone,

If someone can please help me out. I bought the following mother board and RAM sticks and I put the pc together and it boots up, but it is showing 8GB of ram instead of the 16GB. I contacted the MOBO company for help but they are saying that the RAM and MOBO are not compatible. Is there a way to see what is compatible and not? Is there a reason why these sticks are not compatible?

Motherboard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BVQ9LYT/?tag=pcpapi-20
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232175

 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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They are compatible. ASUS tech is full of you know what. Pull the RAM with the system off and reseat it.

If that doesn't work, try increasing the DRAM voltage in the bios by .005v or whatever minimal increment it will allow.

Also, double check the user manual and make sure you have the correct two memory slots populated. It can make a difference which slots they are in and the two slots required for two module operation are not always the ones that seem to make sense.

On your board, with only two modules installed, they should be installed in the two slots that are furthest from the CPU, or closest to the the edge of the motherboard. They are slots A1 and A2. Your board supports memory from 2133mhz all the way up to potentially 3000mhz according to the QVL data sheet for your motherboard.

Do you have the XMP profile enabled in the bios?

What speed is the memory currently configured for and what is the voltage set at? Try setting the voltage to 1.25 or 1.3v if it is currently set to 1.2v, which is the default nominal voltage setting for those modules.
 
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Solution
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Michaelcortez

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I swapped the ram sticks to reseat them and see if the same dim is reading the stick and now it works and at 16GB. They are full of I know what. I was telling them if it reads one stick why can't it read the other? That it made no sense , if it was not compatible it should not read any of it. They said that they didn't know but it was not compatible.

XMP profile in the bios is shown as disabled. The slots are A1(Black)A2(Gray) , then B1(Black),B2(Gray)and the manual says to put it in B2 and A2 which is the 2nd slot and 4th slots (gray).

Thank you so much for your help.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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You are right. A2 and B2. There is a note in the memory section that seems to be contradictory but the image of the population rules does indicate A2 and B2, so my bad on that. Glad you got it working. Now, it is likely operating at the default speed of 2133mhz.

Next thing you want to do is try to get it working at it's advertised speed of 2666mhz, so I would enable the XMP profile and see if you are still good and if the memory speed increases to 2666mhz. If there are problems, try upping the memory voltage from 1.2v to 1.205v. No love, try 1.21v, etc., until it will POST and boot.

 
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