Lower-end LGA1150 Mb recommendations?

[n47h4n96]

Hello all,



Soon I will be upgrading my CPU, RAM and motherboard to replace my current LGA775 rig. I want to use my computer mostly for gaming on Battlefield 4 and GTA.



I am opting for an I5-4440 paired with my current MSI R9-270x Hawk 2GB, however due to the locked processor I do not require a Z-series chipset neither do I plan to run my R9 in a crossfire configuration due to my current 430Watt PSU being the limiting factor.



I am looking for a motherboard with:

-LGA1150

-8GB DDR3 support or higher

-Optical audio out

-Single PCI-16x

-preferred with right angled SATA headers.



Do you have any recommendations or good experiences with lower-end LGA1150 motherboards?

 

[Charlie98]

The cheapest board that meets all your criteria is the ASRock H87M Pro4 @ $83. Looks like a pretty nice board with a lot of features.

I'm a Gigabyte man, myself, but I have use an ASRock board for an econo build and it has performed very well, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending one.

 

[n47h4n96]

Thank you for your reply Charlie98, from your suggestion I found a different motherboard with the same chipset but costs alittle less. It is an "MSI H87M-G43" I will post a link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-H87M-G4...GA1150/dp/B00CXOMGF8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

What do you think?

 

[Charlie98]

Looks pretty good! I don't have any experience with MSI products so I can't recommend it either way, but if it fits the bill... give it a try!

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Looks pretty good! I don't have any experience with MSI products so I can't recommend it either way, but if it fits the bill... give it a try!

MSI is generally pretty good. Of course there have been occasional bad boards, but no more then other manufactures.

BTW, have you considered something B85-based? B85 boards usually provide 97-99% of H87 features, while being cheaper.

 

[n47h4n96]

I haven't Insert_Nickname altho when researching around I have came across many boards with a B85 chipset. I will have to research into that more, the MSI H87m-G43 has everything I am looking for in a motherboard however if I can get a cheaper board with the same features, that will be better.

Do you have any recommended B85 models inmind?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Do you have any recommended B85 models inmind?

Any recommendations will depend on what exact features you need. I've never believed in paying more for features I'll never use. Of course if I can justify using a feature in the near future, that's a different matter.

A good standard B85 board would be the Asrock B85M-HDS, Gigabyte GA-B85M-D2V or MSI B85M-E33. For something a little fancier, the ASUS B85M-G is a good choice (I'm a fan (pun intended ) of ASUS's fan-control software (FAN Xpert)). The top-of-the-line B85 board would be the ASUS B85 Vanguard, but it's expensive for a B85 board. It also has every bell and whistle you can think of...

If you could provide some details of what you need, it'd be a help...

 

[n47h4n96]

Thank you or your feedback Insert_nickname, I have just had a look at the boards and they are good recommendations. However I am also looking for optical out, the features I would like are:

-Optical out
-LGA1150
-4 DDR3 DIMMS
-PCI 16x (Not planning on running a crossfire configuration)
-Right-angled SATA headers

A friend of mine recommended a MSI-B85-G43 + Asus Xonar DGX sound card however that costs £75. I found a motherboard that has the features I am looking for all as a whole which is the MSI-H87m-G43 that costs only £55.

Buying this motherboard with:

-I5 4440
-MSI R9 270x Hawk 2GB
-GSkill 2x4GB DDR3 CL8 PC12800 @1600MHz
-Corsair CX430M

I don't think a crossfire configuration would be necessary for this system, it costs more to have a second PCI 8x (This board only has an additional PCI 4x), my current PSU is only 430Watts and also the HAWK series graphics card is made for overclocking, therefore I should be able to get alittle more from the single card.

It is a well-balanced build only costing me around £500 including HDD's (2x500GB, Primary/Backup), Zalman Z9 plus and a 4-way fan controller.

 

[Charlie98]

From what I've seen, most of the lower-end B85s don't have the right-angle SATA ports. If it's not a deal-breaker, some good deals can be had in the B85... just make sure it has all the rear ports you want... some don't have HDMI, for example.

 

[Gronnie]

The cheapest board that meets all your criteria is the ASRock H87M Pro4 @ $83. Looks like a pretty nice board with a lot of features.

I'm a Gigabyte man, myself, but I have use an ASRock board for an econo build and it has performed very well, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending one.

I have this board in a HTPC and would have no problem recommending it.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I found a motherboard that has the features I am looking for all as a whole which is the MSI-H87m-G43 that costs only £55.

That sounds very reasonable for that board. Either that one, or the Asrock H87M Pro4 will fit nicely, and as you said have all the features you want. I see no problem recommending either.

I only broth up the B85 because you can sometimes get some very good deals if you just need a basic board without fuss. Choosing such a board will inevitably involve a few compromises here and there however. Since you can get the features you need at a fair price with the H87M-G43, I don't see any reason not to.

From what I've seen, most of the lower-end B85s don't have the right-angle SATA ports. If it's not a deal-breaker, some good deals can be had in the B85... just make sure it has all the rear ports you want... some don't have HDMI, for example.

This^^

(not that having a HDMI port matters much when using a discrete graphics card... :biggrin

 

[Charlie98]

(not that having a HDMI port matters much when using a discrete graphics card... :biggrin

True. When I was building my HTPC, I had to make sure my B75 board had HDMI... as it turned out I stabbed a HD6450 in it anyway, making it a moot point.

...but I was just illustrating a point...

 

[TheGoat Eater]

The lower end of the MSI GAMING line are great deals - good price to performance/features!