Almost the same... But not. ASUS PRO vs PRO Gaming

[Pr3dict]

Hi All,

I'm building a PC that I should be overclocking and its pretty simple.

i5-6600k
GTX1080 FE
G.Skill TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive

I just picked up https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO-GAMING/ because it was basically the only thing micro center had in stock.

But I read a review for https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO/ and it seems like this is the better motherboard?

Can someone confirm if I should stick with this board which seems like it is discontinued or should I jump to another board?

I need to stick with buying at http://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/westbury.aspx or another close by (queens maybe) because of the sweet combo deals they have.

Thanks!!

 

[EarthDog]

Why would you want to change? What features are you missing the other boards have that you NEED?

Outside of that, it really is a 6 of one, half dozen of the other, type situation.

 

[Johan45]

I'm sure the gaming board will suit you just fine. Is there something in particular that "bothers" you about it ?

 

[Pr3dict]

Nothing that bothers me but Quality comes to question. I want a board that has good quality parts and from the reviews over at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132567 it seems people have had some issues with it..

Also, it kind of scares me a little when a company discontinues a board that is less then a year old. (Reason I think it's discontinued is you can only find it on ASUS website by searching google)

 

[EarthDog]

Newegg reviews... LOL. We have a thread ridiculing those. 90% of newegg users posting reviews are clueless. Its only good for DOA type statistics as half of what you see are likely user/configuration errors.

Seems to me its a solid board... have you read any other reviews on either of them (google [name of board] reviews)?

 

[Pr3dict]

"What the testing shows create a compelling argument for whether a ROG brand is truly necessary to get the best gaming performance. At stock settings, the clear answer would be no –with the more budget-orientated Z170 clearly showing that it’s the better board out the box with little hassle. The ROG Maximus definitely features more future-proof memory and better, more stable overclocking tools, but for the more moderate, regular PC gamer out there it isn’t’ the better choice"

http://www.lazygamer.net/technology/pc-hardware/intel/asus-z170-pro-gaming-reviewbudget-brilliance/

I am going to overclock to hopefully 4.5ghz based on what I saw on the skylake overclock thread.

If this board can handle that then sure. If not then ... then what lol.

 

[EarthDog]

Either board will easily handle 4.5Ghz assuming the CPU/your cooling solution will let it. In other words, any decent board (which both are) will not hold back your overclock.

You do not need a high end board for overclocking with ambient cooling methods.

 

[Pr3dict]

Thats good to hear. I bought http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835856005 as my CPU cooler. I currently am using a Thermaltake Frio in my computer now thats running a 2500k.

Should I be good or should I be jumping back on the Frio or water game?

Case is http://www.norcotek.com/product/rpc-450b/ - It's rackmount and its going in a rack... Cooling the case is 2 120mm fans pulling air in the front that have 95 CFM and 2 80mm 87cfm fans that pushing air out the back

 

[EarthDog]

Not sure you will get 4.5GHz out of that cooler... depends on the chip, airflow in the case, and ambient temps. Only time will tell.

 

[Lochekey]

Are you sure that child is going to fit? The case has a listed height of 178mm, the cooler has a height listed at 155mm. That leaves just 23mm, this may seem like a lot but once you remove the thickness of the chassis panels and account for the height of the mobo and standoff you will be getting really tight on space.

I cannot tell from the pictures but it looks like the 2 front 120 fans are split apart so that is not ideal for a drop in water cooling option unless you are willing to do some modding.

I don't have a great solution off hand right now but I would definitely do some more research on what fits that case before committing to a cooler.

 

[Pr3dict]

Are you sure that child is going to fit? The case has a listed height of 178mm, the cooler has a height listed at 155mm. That leaves just 23mm, this may seem like a lot but once you remove the thickness of the chassis panels and account for the height of the mobo and standoff you will be getting really tight on space.

I cannot tell from the pictures but it looks like the 2 front 120 fans are split apart so that is not ideal for a drop in water cooling option unless you are willing to do some modding.

I don't have a great solution off hand right now but I would definitely do some more research on what fits that case before committing to a cooler.

Yeah it may be very tight if not at all. My issue is that I need a rack mount case and that looked like the best one for the project.

If I do a all in one water option I can probably mod the rear 80mm fan spot easier. There is a good amount t of room above the fans to accounts t for the size difference.

My only other option I can think of is to do an exterior water solution like one of the Koolance setups. Issue with that is I don't see a good return. I literally have only the cpu and the graphics card in there. No other hard drives or anything so I don't know if it would be worth it.

 

[Johan45]

There are some decent "C" type ,down blowing coolers as well.

 

[Pr3dict]

There are some decent "C" type ,down blowing coolers as well.

Interesting. I just read a review for http://www.technologyx.com/featured/noctua-cpu-cooler-review/4/ and it seems that a c type cooler isn't that bad. I had always assumed it wouldn't be as good as a tower one. If this doesn't fit then I will review this option further... I just hope it does because returning coolers is probably annoying lol