Intel’s “mainstream” socket continues to spawn enthusiast parts with the company’s fastest-ever gaming-oriented CPU. You’ll probably want a feature-packed motherboard for that, and five companies stepped up to show off the best of the sub-$220 segment.
As enthusiasts, when we pay more, we want to get more. That's not too much to ask, right? That principle certainly applies to the high-end motherboards in today’s round-up. For example, we find a second Ethernet controller on four of the five solutions. They all sport add-on storage controllers. And all but one also include expanded USB 3.0 capabilities beyond the Z97’s paltry six ports.

Three of today’s contenders even spread PCIe 3.0 connectivity across three slots for improved triple-card CrossFire performance (even if none of the board's in our story are quite pricey enough to include the extra bridge logic needed to make them three-way SLI-compatible).
Well, that’s something at least.
We also expect the best possible overclocking performance in this price range, so we’ll test that out using Intel’s new “Devil’s Canyon” Core i7-4790K. Which board can take home the prize?
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| Z97 Mainstream Motherboard Features | |||||
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| ASRock Z97 Extreme6 | Asus Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) | Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H | MSI Z97 MPower | Supermicro C7Z97-OCE | |
| PCB Revision | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.01A |
| Chipset | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 12 Phases | 10 Phases | 12 Phases | 12 Phases | Six Phases |
| BIOS | P1.33 (06/12/2014) | 1204 (06/17/2014) | F8 (06/17/2014) | V1.3 (06/18/2014) | 1.0b (06/27/2014) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.94 (-0.06%) | 99.98 (-0.02%) | 99.98 (-0.02%) | 100.01 (+0.01%) | 99.84 (-0.16%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | None | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Network | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | 1 | None | None | 1 | None |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Video Out | DVI-I, DisplayPort, HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, DVI-I | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort | VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI |
| Other Devices | eSATA | Wi-Fi antenna connectors | None | None | None |
| Internal Interfaces | |||||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8, x8/x4/M.2) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 1 (2-pathways) | 1 (4-lanes, shared below) | None | 1 (4-lanes, shared below) | |
| PCIe 2.0 x1 | 2 (sharing 1x mini PCIe) | 4 (2 shared w/slot above) | 2 | 3 (All shared w/x4 above) | 3 (x4-length open-ended) |
| USB 3.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports, shared PCIe) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 10 (Shares M.2, SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2/SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2/SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2) | 6 |
| SATA Express | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1x M.2 Adapter | None |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | None | 1 | None | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | Output Only | Output Only | None | Output Only |
| Internal Buttons | Power, Reset | MemOK, Power, BIOS_FLBK | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS | Power, Reset, OC-Genie, BCLK+, BCLK-, Go2Bios | OC mode (5), CLR_CMOS, BIOS Restore, Power |
| Internal Switch | BIOS IC Selector | EPU, TPU, EZ XMP | Dual BIOS Mode, BIOS IC selector | OC-Mode, Slow-Mode, BIOS Selector | BIOS Recovery |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric |
| Other Devices | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), Ultra M.2 (Uses 4x PCIe 3.0), USB Port, Serial COM port | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), TB_Header | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), 2x PCI, Serial COM port | M.2 (Sub 2x SATA) | Serial COM port |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||||
| Chipset SATA | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2/SATA-E) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2, SATA-E) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2) | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x M.2 |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 2x ASM1061 PCIe 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA (Shared) | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | 88SE9172 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s |
| USB 3.0 | ASM1042AE PCIe ASM1074 hub | ASM1042AE PCIe | uPD720210 PCIe | ASM1074 Hub | Z97 Integrated Only |
| Networking | |||||
| Primary LAN | WGI218V PHY | WGI218V PHY | Killer E2201 PCIe | WGI218V PHY | WGI217V PHY |
| Secondary LAN | RTL8111GR PCIe | None | WGI217V PHY | None | WGI210AT PCIe |
| Wi-Fi | None | BCM4352 PCIe BT-combo 802.11ac 2-band 867 Mb/s | None | None | None |
| Bluetooth | None | BCM4352 combo, above | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | DTS Connect | DTS Connect | None | None | None |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
- Maximizing The LGA 1150 Mainstream?
- ASRock Z97 Extreme6
- Z97 Extreme6 Software
- Z97 Extreme6 Firmware
- Asus Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac)
- Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) Software
- Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) Firmware
- Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
- Z97X-UD5H Software
- Z97X-UD5H Firmware
- MSI Z97 MPower
- Z97 MPower Software
- Z97 MPower Firmware
- Supermicro C7Z97-OCE
- C7Z97-OCE Software
- C7Z97-OCE Firmware
- How We Tested Enthusiast-Oriented Z97 Motherboards
- Results: 3DMark and PCMark
- Results: SiSoftware Sandra 2014
- Results: 3D Games
- Results: Audio and Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Results: Power, Heat and Efficiency
- Results: Overclocking
- Which Z97 Motherboard Is Best?
My thoughts you can find the hero board within that price range quite easy. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviihero
I'm buying the Asus Z97i-plus because it just mount a 2x M.2 2280 and 2260, and all other connectivity goodness, uninterested in overclocking unless the broadwell i5 K consume less than 90W
I recently bought a Z97I-Plus. Being so used to EATX boards as of late, I was a tad
stunned at how tiny even the packing box is.
initially to see how it behaves. Pondering a GTX 750 Ti, but kinda hoping NVIDIA
will release a newer version in Sept.
Ian.
Hello. I think there are more reasons to buy a ROG product, instead of a Wi-Fi controller...
Better audio quality.
Better MOF-SETs.
Better inductors.
ROG BIOS.
Generally ROG boards have better quality parts.
But in the end we need the reviewers (like you) to review as many products as they can, so we can see the performance difference between them.
Nothing. No one would use wifi on a ROG board that is geared for gaming. I can't see many buyers of the Z97 Pro using wifi either for that matter. Unless of course you like to pack up your tower and walk around with it in one hand and your monitor in the other.
Nothing would be added, just better board quality. No one would use wifi on a ROG board that is geared for gaming. I can't see many buyers of the Z97 Pro using wifi either for that matter. Unless of course you like to pick up your tower and walk around with it in one hand and your monitor in the other tonguing the mouse for movement. But yes that would use that wifi controller.
Nothing would be added, just better board quality. No one would use wifi on a ROG board that is geared for gaming. I can't see many buyers of the Z97 Pro using wifi either for that matter. Unless of course you like to pick up your tower and walk around with it in one hand and your monitor in the other tonguing the mouse for movement. But yes that would use that wifi controller.
Whole heartily agree! With any worth while gaming setup you wouldn't be playing games over wifi anyway. The slap in the face bandwidth wise is enough to keep people away. Lets check Intel Lan/Killer Nic yea I'll stick with one of those two thank you.
Hello. I think there are more reasons to buy a ROG product, instead of a Wi-Fi controller...
Better audio quality.
Better MOF-SETs.
Better inductors.
ROG BIOS.
Generally ROG boards have better quality parts.
But in the end we need the reviewers (like you) to review as many products as they can, so we can see the performance difference between them.
Nothing would be added, just better board quality. No one would use wifi on a ROG board that is geared for gaming. I can't see many buyers of the Z97 Pro using wifi either for that matter. Unless of course you like to pick up your tower and walk around with it in one hand and your monitor in the other tonguing the mouse for movement. But yes that would use that wifi controller.
The problem for Asus is that they like to win awards. Costlier components don't boost a review rating when they don't boost performance or overclocking. In case you missed it, MOST of Asus' deluxe boards have out-overclocked MOST of its ROG boards in Tom's Hardware's tests.
As for Wi-Fi, I've occasionally set up mine as an access point.
As for Wi-Fi, I've occasionally set up mine as an access point.
My apologies for the delay of responding. Due to a surgery after medial meniscus injury, I can't [removed] sit too much on my PC desk for some weeks.
Indeed, every company wants awards in their product page to show how good their product is.
Well, "Deluxe" products could be able to compete in o/c since they have similar PWM phases used. They also have same quality inductors. On the other hand "Pro" products aren't the same as "Deluxe" (they have a good difference in their price as well) and they are missing the things I just wrote (apart from other fearures...).
Also from the time Asus first release a cheap (~$200) ROG motherboard (Hero and Ranger joined a year later...), Tom's Hardware didn't made a review on them yet. And the only Z97/Z87/Z77 Asus ROG product in the reviews is the Z87 Maximus VI Formula, which won an elite award. Asus seems to send Deluxe and Pro products all the time, but they rarely send an ROG motherboard. So I think there is a large margin of error in comparing just one product to a lot of others, the results will be heavily affected by the result of one product (Maximus Formula).
For Wi-Fi, I just use my router's controller which was provided by my ISP, free of charge...
ps: I couldn't miss it since I read Tom's Hardware daily (mostly waiting for each day's article, apart from weekends which you almost never do) with a cup of coffee, like most people read a newspaper, the last five years
ps2: I would love to hear also raja@asus opinion on this.
Watch the language. - G
edit: Sorry G, I didn't noticed it. I mistyped...