Asus Z170-P D3 or Gigabyte GA-H170 D3HP?

[rwoody]

Hi! I'm getting ready to build my first gaming rig, and I will be using the Skylake i7-6700 cpu. I am torn between the Asus Z170-P D3 or the Gigabyte GA-H170 D3HP. Both motherboards are in the same price range ($100-$125). The Gigabyte mobo uses DDR4, has more PCI and SATA connections, and just seems to be more future-proof overall. The Asus uses less expensive DDR3. Since this is a new build, I want it to be future proof, but are the Gigabyte mobo and the more expensive DDR4 worth the addtional cost? I've also seen in various forums that the general consensus is that Asus makes a better product, but Gigabyte has better customer service. Thoughts?

 

[glamdringfh]

Between the two I'd get the Gigabyte GA-H170 D3HP.

- DDR4 RAM is worth the upgrade and costs almost the same as DDR3
- The motherboard has more PCI slots to support possible future expansion
- More SATA connectors will allow you to expand your storage further if you need
- ASUS motherboards are fantastic, but both ASUS and Gigabyte are reliable to buy from.

If you want an ASUS model in the same price range that is arguably better than the Gigabyte, this would be it:

Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $122.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 10:29 EST-0500