Brands, brands, brands

[ForYourHealth]

I'm currently shopping around for a motherboard and I am wondering about what you guys think of the different available makes. Do any of you have a preference and a decent reasoning behind it, or does it not really matter?

I've looked at a couple gigabyte boards, but I keep hearing about this "boot loop" problem (especially with Z68s), which makes me kind of hesitant.
I've also read plenty of reviews on various sites and comments here at TH saying people have specific preferences for a brand, or that certain brands are better for certain reasons. Just a few minutes ago, I read a comment saying gigabyte mobos are better for overclocking.

Do any of these claims have merit? Or does it not really matter and I should just go with the best price value regardless of make?

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

For me I think you get about the same level of quality and overclocking ability from Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. Our boards have a reputation for being rock solid but not being as good of an overclocking board. Lately we have been working to product better overclocking board with boards like the Intel® Desktop Board DZ77GA-70K being a very good board for overclocking.

There are a couple companies out there that are producing some good boards and they are really working to move up the list (like ASRock).

 

[Deleted member 217926]

^ I agree with most of this.

For a system you will overclock I would put Gigabyte and Asus on top with ASRock and MSI a small step down but still very good. Intel boards are rock solid and will be compatible with everything you can think of but they are generally poor overclockers.

 

[ForYourHealth]

Thanks a lot for the responses! I'm looking for a board for a gaming set up and will probably be learning how to overclock so I can do it. I just want to be careful because I know you can screw it up and it can't hurt to use good hardware.

What about besides overclocking? Anything of those big brands (gigabyte, Asus, ASRock, MSI) stand out about the other for any other reason like value or reliability?

It seems like it might not really matter that much and if I find a board with features I like, I should get it regardless of brand.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

It seems like it might not really matter that much and if I find a board with features I like, I should get it regardless of brand.

Really that is the key is look at the features that you are looking for and see if you can find a board that matches up with them.