Recommendations for a Motherboard

[Gerardo Garcia]

As i continue on the search for parts for my first PC build, I am stuck on a motherboard. I'm using a Intel Core i5 6600k. I'd want to overclock this system, so I've limited it down to some motherboard types

• Z motherboards
• ATX boards
• LGA 1151
• DDR4
• $150 USD(or a little over) or less

(Sorry if I sound new, I am ).


ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED

 

[lehtv]

Asus Z170 Pro Gaming $149
Asus Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura $155
Asus Z170-A $155
Asus Prime Z270-A $160
(Amazon prices)

These boards are nearly identical in specs.

• Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura has RGB led lights, while the non-Aura version just has some red on the heatsinks
• Z170-A has a slightly worse integrated audio compared to the others (but still good; you'll hardly notice a difference)
  
• Z270-A supports Kaby Lake processors out of the box, but Z170 does too with a BIOS update (although your CPU is Skylake and requires no BIOS update)

Personally I'd go for the Z270-A since it's the newest of the bunch.

 

[EXCellR8]

I agree, 270 if you can find one within budget... ASRock has a couple of boards that fit the bill also.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Look at the reviews for overclock benchmark comparisons, but even the ASUS "-A" models should be more than enough. Personally, I try and get the largest phase-power-design spec I can.

I spent $180 on my Sabertooth Z170 S, and the price dropped to about $160 before it shot back up to $300 and disappeared from the Egg site (last time I looked). 12 (8+4) power design, but the "+4" goes for the Intel graphics -- which I don't use. Stellar overclocking. You should be able to match that with ANY of those boards -- I would think

I won't "dis" AsRock or the others, but there are various reasons I like the ASUS line.

But for "first-time" build with intention to overclock -- don't "cheap yourself out" on the one hand, but don't buy unnecessary feature on the other. And read some lab-test reviews before you plop down your ducats.

 

[lukart]

I won't "dis" AsRock or the others, but there are various reasons I like the ASUS line.

But for "first-time" build with intention to overclock -- don't "cheap yourself out" on the one hand, but don't buy unnecessary feature on the other. And read some lab-test reviews before you plop down your ducats.

Well, actually thats pretty true, when it comes to overclock, don't cheap out. But what you might not know is that actually AsRock gained its name from overclocking, they build the best overclocking boards around and yes even compete with asus.

 

[Pick2]

I prefer Asus and Gigabyte boards. The one ASRock MB I bought back in 2005 is still running today, so I'd have no qualms about buying another one.


from wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASRock

ASRock was originally spun off from Asus in 2002 in order to compete with companies like Foxconn for the commodity OEM market. Since then, ASRock has also gained momentum in the DIY sector and plans for moving the company upstream began in 2007 following a successful IPO on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.[2]

In 2010 it became part of Pegatron.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Well, actually thats pretty true, when it comes to overclock, don't cheap out. But what you might not know is that actually AsRock gained its name from overclocking, they build the best overclocking boards around and yes even compete with asus.

I wouldn't contend that in any way. The brand and the organization behind it was a spin-off of ASUS, as I remember or correct me.

Back in maybe 2013 or early 2014, I needed a Z77 motherboard. The only new-from-the-factory I could find at Egg was the AsRock Z77 Extreme 3 or something similar to that -- a $130 board. I was going to get a chance to try one.

For some reason I can't fathom, I had been spending a lot of time with soldering iron under a magnifier, and I had some question about a visual defect -- lack of gold on a contact -- on a new i7-2700K retail. So I was using my magnifier again with that. The contact was either part of several that were ground, or it was just a dead and unused contact.

So when the AsRock board arrived new in shrink-wrap, I took a look at the socket with a magnifier. Something had really gone wrong with the machine which fits those socket-pin-springs to their mounting holes in the socket. There were pins coming out of the socket in places other than the pinout-holes. there was a bent spring-pin. It was a disaster, and I was not even going to try it with a processor and RAM to see if my eyes were deceiving me. I just wrapped it up and RMA'd it for refund.

That doesn't speak to what you could expect from an AsRock board -- I couldn't find something like that described in customer-reviews, which I otherwise thought were at least fair and more towards good. But I took my search for either a Gen-3-capable Z68 board or another Z77. I made a good discovery at Ascendtech.com's store-front, and found the Gen3 version of my P8Z68-V-Pro. All BIOS updated, tested, refurbed as necessary and ready-to-go for ~$80. It may be that the board was surplus-new and not corporate-IT-recycled.

I know AsRock has come up since those boards first appeared. I should look at some specs on their latest Z170 or Z270 and scan the product web-page -- to update my opinions and disappointments.