Most reliable brand of motherboards ?

[unseenmorbidity]

ASRock 1.45% (vs. 1.91%)

• ASUS 1.90% (vs. 1.96%)
• Gigabyte 1.92% (vs. 1.90%)
• MSI 2.36% (vs. 2.20%)

ASRock enjoys a noticeable drop in its return rate to take orders, and ASUS passes in front of Gigabyte. MSI retains its last position with a global rate slightly up. It should be noted that ASUS offers on some models, TUFs and ROGs, a direct home-pickup support that is probably used by some of the customers, which artificially lowers the figures for these models which are certainly not the More sold.

Here are the 5 cards sold with more than 100 units showing the lowest rates, we use italic to recall the lowest samples (less than 200):

• 9.52% MSI H97I AC
• 6.64% MSI Z170A Gaming Pro
• 5.17% MSI Z170A Gaming M5
• 5,00% ASUS Maximus VIII Hero
• 4.90% MSI X99A Gaming 7

The presence of MSI is important in this ranking. Filed by chipset, the return rate for failure is the following at Intel:

• 4.80% X99
• 2.71% Z170
• 1.91% H170
• 1.64% B150
• 1.60% H110

And here for AMD:

• 2.13% 990
• 2.67% 970
• 1.56% A88X
• 1.11% A78
• 0.77% A58 / A55

As often, return rates are higher on the higher end chipsets, which are usually associated with motherboards that promote overclocking and additional features, two factors increasing the risk of failure. Here are the rates obtained by manufacturers only on the Z170:

• 2.10% ASUS
• 2.19% Gigabyte
• 3.43% ASRock
• 4.44% MSI

This time it is ASUS that arrives first, followed by Gigabyte. The scores of ASRock and MSI are not very good. In detail here are the return rates for Z170 motherboards (more than 100 sales, italics between 100 and 200 sales):

• 6.64% MSI Z170A Gaming Pro
• 5.17% MSI Z170A Gaming M5
• 4.76% MSI Z170A Gaming M3
• ASUS Z170-Deluxe
• 2.88% ASUS Z170-A
• 2.84% Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI
• ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING
• 1.82% MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
• 1.71% Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P
• ASUS Z170-P D3
• 0.59% MSI Z170-A PRO

And here is what it is for the X99, unfortunately few models are beyond the minimum sample:

• 4.90% MSI X99A Gaming 7
• 3.76% Gigabyte GA-X99-SLI
• ASUS X99-A USB3
  
  
  http://www.hardware.fr/articles/954-2/cartes-meres.html

 

[whm1974]

I have a ASRock myself and been using it for four years now with no issues. Of course I don't overclock or run heavy workloads on my system. For new builds, I would avoid most cheap low end boards like the H110 based ones and get at least something mid range.

 

[unseenmorbidity]

I have a ASRock myself and been using it for four years now with no issues. Of course I don't overclock or run heavy workloads on my system. For new builds, I would avoid most cheap low end boards like the H110 based ones and get at least something mid range.

I was trying to figure out which board to get for a new zen build, and I found this data. I was dismissing asrock as 2nd tier, but I might have to reconsider now.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If it's simply an outright "return rate," then it's not a statistical sample but a population statistic. Otherwise, I'd say the differences are within a margin of error.

There are a lot of reasons why there are returns in addition to faulty boards. Half the time, the consumer misses some configuration factor or doesn't know what he/she is doing. If I find a 5-egg ratings at the Egg at 50%, I might consider the board worth the risk of buying it. But for any board I've ever window-shopped at the Egg, there is always a wide scatter among the five possible egg-ratings.

 

[unseenmorbidity]

Well you should look at the reviews on amazon. Carcinogenic dog feces would get 3 stars!

 

[UsandThem]

If you are wanting to buy a good Zen motherboard, then you really should wait a bit after launch. It always seem that immediately after something launches, there will be an initial rush of issues. Issues from design, compatibility, or software/BIOS.

When looking at reviews, I discount a good portion of them because you can tell they have no idea what they are doing. For example, some use RAM not on the QVL lists. All manufacturers will ship DOA boards. So basically for every 100 boards they ship, anywhere from 2-4 of them will have issues (2% to 4%). What I look for are trends. If I look at reviews and then the motherboard support sites, and I see people writing about the same issue, then I will avoid it.

The hardware review sites only test a particular motherboard for basically one day, so they can only give their initial thoughts on the board. The key thing to do when it comes to components is to use them every day while you can still return them to the retailer (generally 30 days). Generally if there is a manufacturer defect, it will appear within that period. Then if you use a service like Shoprunner, the return shipping is free. You want to deal with the retailer and not the manufacturer.

I own currently own Asus, Asrock, and Gigabyte motherboards. Outside of their utility software being crappy, they all have been rock solid.

 

[unseenmorbidity]

That's exactly what I want, but I don't want to wait. My current MB has been going like 6 years. If I could get another one of those, then I would be happy.

 

[whm1974]

That's exactly what I want, but I don't want to wait. My current MB has been going like 6 years. If I could get another one of those, then I would be happy.

If you are to build a RyZen box, then maybe go for a B350 motherboard and don't overclock. Running at stock speeds should make everything last longer.

 

[Elixer]

The sample size is just way too small to make anything of these stats.

There are a ton of reasons people return motherboards, some from user error, some are faulty boards, and so on.

 

[unseenmorbidity]

If you are to build a RyZen box, then maybe go for a B350 motherboard and don't overclock. Running at stock speeds should make everything last longer.

I probably won't oc much at first. It's pointless until your cpu is actually a bottleneck.

 

[whm1974]

I probably won't oc much at first. It's pointless until your cpu is actually a bottleneck.

Which is why I don't overclock either. Well that and I want stuff to last longer.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

For the last three step-up generation builds I've done, I've avoided regular computer use with them for the first few months until I'm sure of the overclock settings. Of those, they get a "shake-down" stress-test annually.

There ARE other good boards of different manufacture. I tend to stick with ASUS for various reasons. I never had a new ASUS board that was DOA or defective, and never had one die early. If I miss some features on some other maker's board, it would be because I wanted something in particular with an ASUS board.

 

[lukart]

I've dropped MSI long time ago, they been trash since ages...
Made the switch to Asrock and never looked back, already done many builds using them and never had to return and or came with any major issues.

 

[Leyawiin]

Only had one motherboard completely "fail" and it was way back with a Biostar nForce3 250. A few have had onboard LAN failures, but I'd use an a PCI-E LAN card instead of RMAing. I guess if you build PCs for a living you might notice differences from brand to brand.

 

[mxnerd]

I love ASROCK and I don't overclock either.

ASROCK is feature rich and have very good price.

 

[l1amrob]

Yes, they generally are great value products but what it amazes me is how reliable they are even being lower cost compared to others.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I recently RMA'd a MSI 970 Gaming; I was very satisfied with the turn around on a new board. I have G45 Gaming z87 that is wonky too. MSI has always been the biggest hit or miss board maker IME. I do not recall ever RMAing a Asrock, despite using dozens of them. Gigabytes with solid caps have been nuke proof for me too.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I recently RMA'd a MSI 970 Gaming; I was very satisfied with the turn around on a new board. I have G45 Gaming z87 that is wonky too. MSI has always been the biggest hit or miss board maker IME. I do not recall ever RMAing a Asrock, despite using dozens of them. Gigabytes with solid caps have been nuke proof for me too.

See? "Dozens." Different members encounter different sets of opportunities for first-hand observation.

Basically, since 2006 I simply took a couple months to search and read serious test reviews. My worst mistakes came in purchases I made in 2007. With the last two upgrade generations I have made -- Sandy/Ivy and now Skylake -- the research and reviews were tempered by basic requirements and variously excluded this or that "deluxe" feature. I've used MSI graphics cards but never a motherboard. There are plenty of others, and they show up in comparison reviews in combinations. My epic build projects, like this last year's Skylake (still some tweaks to make, no less) -- seem to come only with ASUS board selections. I just won't commit to any guarantee that the pattern continues over the next 2, 3 or 5 years.

I think they just make a darn good board, and even the "Zxx[x]-A" boards in the lower tier seem pretty good.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

ASUS mobos had better be 99.999999% reliable because you'll probably rue the day you have to RMA it...
Haven't owned too many recent MSI mobos other than an old P67A-GD65(B3) and two launch Z87-GD65s, all of which have been solid.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

ASUS mobos had better be 99.999999% reliable because you'll probably rue the day you have to RMA it...
Haven't owned too many recent MSI mobos other than an old P67A-GD65(B3) and two launch Z87-GD65s, all of which have been solid.

Last time I "had" to RMA an ASUS board was 2007 -- the Striker Extreme 680i. Really, I think it turned around in maybe two or three weeks. If that seems long, the replacement was good. Somehow, I think it was a bad BIOS flash, and I might have resolved it by simply purchasing a pre-flashed PLCC chip. Was I more ignorant then than I am now?

Certainly.

 

[MadOver]

Been having great look with Asrock on my builds.
Already doing another with the X1700 and Fatal1ty X370

 

[bigboxes]

ASUS mobos had better be 99.999999% reliable because you'll probably rue the day you have to RMA it...
Haven't owned too many recent MSI mobos other than an old P67A-GD65(B3) and two launch Z87-GD65s, all of which have been solid.

I was an Abit fanboy before they went under. However, I have been with Asus for my main rig since 2009. My P6T Deluxe v2 is still going strong in my HTPC. I had to return back to Amazon the workstation board in my sig when I was building my current rig due to faulty ram slots. Outside of that it's been a incredibly reliable workhorse. For my wife's computer (A10 7850K) I used a Gigabyte board and it's been without issue.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

^ Wasn't intimating that ASUS mobos are unreliable (I find that they are, which is why nearly all my rigs use them, eg. M5A99FX Pro 2, M5A97 2, P8Z77-V Pro/LX/M), just that have heard lots of horror stories regarding their RMA service.

 

[crashtech]

I'm a recovering ASUS snob. Having gone through dozens of ASUS, Gigabyte and ASRock boards as well as a handful of MSI and ECS units as a semi-pro reseller, I no longer see any need to pay the ASUS tax. ASRock to me is a clear value leader, with designs and quality that are usually only distinguishable from ASUS by their color scheme, except for perhaps on the highest-end units, where ASUS has bling, branding, and features as well as mindshare. But for boards under ~$200, ASRock is hard to beat.

 

[bigboxes]

^ Wasn't intimating that ASUS mobos are unreliable (I find that they are, which is why nearly all my rigs use them, eg. M5A99FX Pro 2, M5A97 2, P8Z77-V Pro/LX/M), just that have heard lots of horror stories regarding their RMA service.

I've heard the same. However, once they are up and running it my experience that I haven't had a need to RMA an Asus board during the warranty period. Just an anecdotal observation.