So why would I ask which MB in a thread with hundreds of posts after 13 years...

Despite the profile I had posted several times over the 13 years I've been here but I am guessing they got ate in forum changes/updates or maybe even disasters.

So here I am many years later asking once again what MB do I want.
I have already pretty much decided on a i5-4690 as a CPU and I have been eyeing the many many choices of the Z97 boards now out today.
I have looked over the very rock solid MB Earth and others have suggested however this motherboard has many things I do not need or won't use.

I am looking for a good gamer motherboard, but it is unlikely to ever be overclocked.
This is a budget build and the more I save the better chance I have of getting it done.
Why ask on a Overclockers forum the best motherboard not to overclock?
The answer is one thing I have done over the years when I had a question or needed suggestions was to just trust the opinions of you guys here who are much more into the recent builds and issues of the name brands.
What was good 4,10,15 years ago isn't always what is good today.

So what am I looking for?
I am looking for a Version97 chipset that is good for gaming.
My leading contender is the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128709
It is at the very limit of my budget once all the other things have been added in.
Can I do better for this price , cheaper? Or is this as good as I am going to get for this price.

I guess it depends on what the definition of "is" is.

Every z97 board is going to game the same within fractions of a percent. If you aren't going to overclock you then base your purchase on features. Do you need sli/xfire capability, are you going to use integrated sound with a headset or just optical out etc etc etc.

The board you picked is a great midrange board for pretty much any air or water overclocking, and has decent on board sound. But if you are going to use a single video card, not overclock, and have a sound card or don't mind basic Integrated audio, that board isn't really going to game any different than the much cheaper h81 based motherboards that start around 50$.

You should probably get the i5 4690K CPU, it's about the same price and if you get a wild hair, at least you be able to attempt some overclocking. Most of your gaming performance is going to come from the video card you choose and not the motherboard selection.

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper H6. It's a great non-overclocking board and it's only $90 USD. Not much point to overclocking the Haswell/Haswell refresh chips these days for gaming. Just get a decent B/H (not Z) board, some fast RAM, a nice SSD and a decent GPU and you're gaming. You'll really like this board I suggested and it won't break the bank. Have fun.