Hi guys
I'm considering buying a new mainboard for the socket 1150. I thought of buying the i5-4690k (or non k, idk yet) and i can't decide between these 4 mainboards. What do you think? Also please consider special features for each mainboard and my priceranger of about max 120 euro.
My current CPU AMD FX-6100 (also say if you think an upgrade isn't neccessary)
My GPU AMD Radeon 7950

Please tell me if you have other ideas or thoughts and please give me reasons.

Thanks MrTomati

9 years ago

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Which mainboard?

View Results
ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer
Asus Z97-Pro Gamer
GigaByte Z97-D3H
MSI Z97S SLI Plus
other (please comment)

Well, I don't know very much about this but I don't think the ASRock one has many special features to justify it's price?

9 years ago*
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Motherboard*

9 years ago
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Huh? You can say mainboard as well?

9 years ago
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Well never heard it as such, and googling doesnt really give it a good result, and from my guess mainboard is particularly used in german (my guess is you are). But it's not a big deal.

As for your question, cant help you but if you ask us to think about special features, what features would be important to you?

9 years ago
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its called a mainboard or motherboard guys both are right lel

9 years ago
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Both are correct. I've heard mainboard plenty of times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard

9 years ago*
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Mainboard existed first, because in ye olde days lots of other boards would be plugged into it. These days motherboard is more commonplace but either works.

9 years ago
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mainboard cant be used cuz its never been used before, cuz its motherboard lol

9 years ago
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Logic board*

9 years ago
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Got a hipster here, huh? =P

9 years ago
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Nah, just worked in mac/pc/smartphone repair business for some time :D

9 years ago
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From the computers i had that i remember the configurations i had ASRock in one and it died in 2 months and i got a replacement Gigabyte which works well for 7 years now. I got Gigabyte with my new computer and its worked fine since i got it, but that has been incredibly short time.

If you get non K version, you can get H97 chipset, thats what i got. I'm not sure if thats the case with others, but my i5 4460 is running on the hot side so be careful with that, you might want to get an aftermarket cooler anyways.

9 years ago
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Gigabyte is a good brand.

9 years ago
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Definitely the Asus if you can afford it, it has way better components than the Z97M-D3H and it will probably last longer.

Although I would wait for Skylake (LGA-1151, 2015 Q3) and don't upgrade your gpu until 16nm models.

9 years ago*
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^^^ This.

There are cheaper ASUS boards that might have what you need, so you could save some money, there. ASUS is the brand you can rely on, and Gigabyte is good, too. You'll want to get the i5 4690k if you plan on overclocking. Otherwise, the non-k version will be fine.

A better option, in my opinion, is to wait. There's new stuff coming out in the not-too-distant future that will push prices down and offer new alternatives. You'll be able to save a substantial amount of money on an upgrade if you just wait.

9 years ago*
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the asus and the gigabyte mainboards are also my favorites and i already have a be quit dark rock 3 pro (or something like that)

9 years ago
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okay but if i wait don't you think the new gen is going to be very expensive?

9 years ago
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Not much, maybe around 50 euros.
Is there any reason to update at all?
As atb85 is saying, maybe your best option is to get a (cheap) better cpu for your current computer, and maybe upgrade the whole thing in 18 months or so.

9 years ago
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my problem is just that some games like gta V and ghost recon phantoms are laging.

9 years ago
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There isn't a "cheap" and much better cpu for his current socket. Although he could wait for Intel's Skylake, which is coming in a few months!

9 years ago
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Depening on your current motherboard, you could probably upgrade your cpu to some 8-core from AMD with a lot less work, and with similar gaming performances.
All the MBs you named are good. Pick the one with the features you actually need. If you don't have special needs, just pick the one with longer warranty. If they are the same, pick the cheapest. :)

9 years ago
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i just thought that intel cpu are much more efficient and i think i need a new PSU to power an AMD CPU.My current mainboard is the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0.

9 years ago
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You may also need a new PSU for Haswell CPUs( Haswell C6/C7 Low-Power States)- although you may switch off that power saving option on some boards.

9 years ago
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My PSU is 530W and 80+ Bronze. The AMD CPU has 220W and my GPU 300 so i thought i have to buy a new PSU when buying a AMD CPU. But the i5 has only 84W and i thought that 80+ Bronze is enough for the Haswell gen.

9 years ago
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If i were you i'd get an AMD FX 8320e, you can go cheaper and wouldn't have to buy a new motherboard,though its your call.

7950 is about equivalent to R9 280, right? If so thats still a great GPU, you wouldn't need to change that imo.

9 years ago*
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I'm still very satisfied with my GPU. And I'm just thinking that the performance benefit of the 8*** series is just not worth 150 euro. but maybe the benefits of he intel idea isn't worth it either. I don't know :-( I'm so confused and i also have to think about my drivers license which i'm going to make next year.

9 years ago
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If you need a drivers license, that should be your top priority.

9 years ago
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Suit yourself, but Intel CPU is more expensive and you need to buy a motherboard too, while you can get an AMD CPU for about the price of motherboard alone. If DirectX12 benchmarks are to believe AMD CPUs are gonna get better because they are gonna use all cores.

9 years ago
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The FX 8xxx series is a damn good CPU family. Granted, the only series in the entire FX line that is actually worth something, but they really are good for their price.

9 years ago
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You may want to look up if your PSU offers c6/c7 low power states. The weird problem with the new Haswell CPUs is actually quite the opposite as you mentioned- they draw far less power than the AMDs which isnt such a problem but they have a new power saving function that shuts down parts of the CPU to save energy- at the lowest point they work in the range of 0,05 Amps on the 12V rail. But the older PSUs are only certified to 0,5 Amps(I think ATX 2.3 and earlier). So, if the Chipset tries to go lower than 0,5 Amps- the system gets instable or the PSU even shuts down. Anyway, on some bios you can shut off that power saving function and you can still use older PSUs. I also had a very good 80+ PSU but decided to get a new one to use all new power saving functions as it is my workstation computer ... aaand I want to go green :3

9 years ago
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If you have the budget and are about to overclock, then go for the Asus. The higher class Asus boards offer a lot for the money you pay. Great quality, good bios and overclocking.
Anyway, if you choose a non k CPU then I'd go for a good H97 Chipset Mainboard. I just built my new computer with a Xeon 1231V3 CPU and chose the Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H Mainboard. In my opinion it offered the best value for the money as it has everything I need: 6xSata(1Sata Xpress+M.2),3xPSM Controllers,4xRAM AND a good Soundchip ALC1150.(I paid 77,-€ here in Germany... no idea why the prices went up that much for that board by now- it now costs the same as its Z97 Version here, hehe- so basically my Vote goes for the Z97).

9 years ago
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Prices went up because currently the euro is fucking weak against the US-$..unfortunately for us, now we pay even more on overpaid products.. bleh

9 years ago
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ergibt sinn :3

9 years ago
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Ich komme auch aus Deutschland :-)
But i don't know about overclocking. If it's too difficult i will probarbly not do it but if there are programms to do it, really good tutorials or the extra power is so high i think i should buy the k version.
And what about the Xeon CPUs. I heard a lot about them but where are the benefits (what do you like about you're Xeon?)

9 years ago
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Haha ok :) yeah Deutschland xD
I'm mostly using my computer to render and work(After Effects). So I would benefit from a Multithreading CPU- which are the I7 CPUs. The Xeon 12XX E3 series are basically i7 CPUs without overclocking possibilities, no integrated GPU and a few less important multimedia features. Speedwise it renders like a i7 4790(but costs around 50,-€ less). I love it.

9 years ago*
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Dunno why all the asrock hate, Im running a z97 anniversary, never had a hiccup.

9 years ago
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I don't think it's hate. I love my ASRock mobo, but the price on the one OP linked is just ridiculous.

9 years ago
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Try asking yourself what you really need in a mainboard: how many ports of this, that and those? Like, do you need SLI as in the MSI-Board you name in the poll? probably not, because you neither have two graphics cards, nor are they nvidia lol.
Also, especially here on steamgifts just about everyone who feels remotely entitled to will just name the board he/she has. Which doesn't have to be a bad thing, nor a good thing. But something being "good" for somebody doesn't necessarily mean it does fir your palate, nor that it would actually be a good choice (like, for example, reccomending an overpriced product)

Look for what you need in a mainboard, and for that only. More stuff on a mainboard means more stuff can break down, which makes it a liability. Especially those $200+boards tend to croak very easily after a while. More ain't always better, but the price class you're spectating is quite good. I'd go with the gigabyte one, personally, because it offers probably just as much quite about anybody needs.

Alternatively, wait a few months for Skylake, upgrading to that will cost the same (although you're gonna have to buy new RAM, too) but bring you more performance.

9 years ago
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i thought about waiting for the skylake gen. I'm just very impatient^^ and i thought the new gen is going to cost a lot more. But if the upgrade only costs 50 euro more like geosmin said i will wait until there.

9 years ago
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The two PCIe 3.0 ports on the MSI Z97S support both SLI and Crossfire.

9 years ago
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Okay what do you guys think about a Intel Xeon E3 1231 v3 and a h97 Mainboard? Just a thought from me

9 years ago
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If you want to game then no. Xeon isn't meant for gaming.

9 years ago
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Okay why not? I just saw that the general performance is a little bit better.

9 years ago
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Xeons are meant for servers. They can run dozens of software threads, but runs games poorly. If you are adamant on changing to Intel, buy a Core i5 4x90K one.

9 years ago
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Oh nvm, I mistook this for the expensive Xeons with 18 cores... E5 series. lol, sorry.
If you don't plan on overclocking the said CPU and H97 chipset are nice. These Xeons don't have internal GPU unlike the core i5 but they will pull ahead on games that make use of more threads (which is rare) and live streaming.

P.S. If you want good solid advice, I suggest asking your question on Tom's Hardware forums.

9 years ago
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+1 for Tom's Hardware. I start all my upgrades with a visit to that site.

9 years ago
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If you aren't buying an unlocked chip then there's no point spending so much on a motherboard, a Z97-A from ASUS would be enough but you could even go cheaper.

9 years ago
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I know but i'm so unsure if I should oc the CPU or not.

9 years ago
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That's mostly up to you. A moderate OC is pretty quick and easy though, just don't push it to the edge as that's when it becomes a hassle and voltages required spikes.

Even if you DID go with a K chip a Z97-A would OC as good as the rest of them. Tech Report took the cheapest ASUS board and got the same OC results as higher end boards, these days OC results come down to chip lottery. I wouldn't suggest to buy a high-end board unless you specifically need a feature it has.

9 years ago
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nothing to think about i have been building pc's for years your only dependable options are asus,asus,asus, im not just a fanboy of there or anything i just go with what works i have literally used all brands and multiple makes and only two have not failed me asus and evga and asus has been around a lot longer so i go with them,

side note avoid anything with the Fatal1ty name on it especially motherboards they are just crap boards with gimmicky crap stuck on them, rarely last very long and way over changer for them.

9 years ago
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I would suggest ASRock or ASUS, but not such overkill boards. Especially for something as mundane as a 4690. Buy something that costs half as much. These motherboards are meant for expensive rigs with far more expensive CPU than the most common mid-range 4690.

9 years ago
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Okay I watched a guide how to overclock and that didn't seem to be really difficult. So I stay with the i5-4690k. You guys said definitely Asus but is it possible to overclock on the gigabyte Bord? I know the components are better at the Asus Bord but are these high class components necessary?

9 years ago
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If you want to overclock more than five-ish percent, then yes, get a higher-grade motherboard. ASUS, ASRock and the more expensive MSI boards are good picks. Although, frankly, I would say ASRock. Their boards have really good quality and somewhat cheaper than ASUS. Also, I generally tend to find slightly better configurations on slot arrangement and availability on ASRock. (With the last ASUS I tried I couldn't fit more than two RAM sticks in because the factory CPU cooler obstructed the way… on my ASRock this problem is not even a possibility. It's a pain to plug in the SATA cables into the mobo though…)

9 years ago
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they are if you want to overclock it defiantly,when you overclock you are running your board and components at higher voltage and getting much higher heat levels throughout the system,as far as gigabyte's go they used to make a solid board but they have really gone down hill over the years,personally i haven't touched one in about 4 years now after having three go bad on me within a 6 month window,they may have shaped up since then but i will never go back to them after having to deal with there terrible support system.

9 years ago
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I got myself the ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer (Intel Core i5 4570 no K) more than a year ago. Never had any problems with it. I don't have it running 24/7 and have a very good yet quiet cooling system with lots of air flow across the board. I believe that's actually a crucial fact. Cheaper products probably will stop working faster when operated at the edge of its specs (especially temperature wise but also voltage wise). So that's another component I went for quality: the PSU.
Before that I had always very high quality components in my builds but this time i thought I'll try to save some money, which I put into a nice new case. That's actually what I learned from a lot of builds from friends, cases last way longer than any components in them...

9 years ago
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The one I'm currently using is the MSI Z97S SLI (with an i5 4690K), and I haven't had any problems with it.

9 years ago
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