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Motherboard recommendations...

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HeatM1ser2k4

HeatM1ser2k4

Member
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Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Location
Philly
Im about to build a new computer for the first time in 8 years!!! I was hoping to get a few recommendations from you guys since Ive been out of the loop for a while. Im either buying the i7-8700K or the i7-9700k. What are good, stable boards for performance and overclocking? Are there any boards that I should steer away from?
 
Do you have a price ceiling? There are many good choices and only a few bad options. Mostly boils down to feature sets such as how many fan headers, what kind of USB ports, how many PCI-e slots, how many SATA and m.2 PCI-e NVme ports, etc.

Will you be heavy into overclocking?

What form factor are you wanting? ATX? mATX? ITX? Will you be reusing your present case and other hardware?

We need considerable more info than what you have given us in order to be of much help to you.
 
Im about to press the buy button on some new goodies and I kinda want to see what ppl say in this thread. Im choosing an MSI board. I have heard good things about them and I understand the MSI boards are good overclockers. I have been a big fan of Asus boards as well. But like trents said, what are you going use it for ? You may find a very price friendly board with all the toys 'you' need and it does the job without busting the wallet. Why spend a boat load of cash for stuff you wont use? Im looking to get a good OC on my system when finished. Im not going Xtreme cooling or anything like that so I dont need subzero features on my board. However, since it is air cooled I did pay attention to how many fan headers it has on it. I want a good OC too so i made sure to check the power circuit etc...
As far as boards to avoid I would avoid anything not made by a reputable company. Asus, Asrock, MSI, Abit, Gigabyte to name a few(These ARE reputable companies). Find the board the fits your needs and have at it. And keep us posted on the new build. :)

Z

EDIT: Button has been pressed as per siggy :D Coming from a 2600K to this is just jaw dropping. You Will enjoy the upgrade.
 
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HeatM1ser2k4 said:
Im about to build a new computer for the first time in 8 years!!! I was hoping to get a few recommendations from you guys since Ive been out of the loop for a while. Im either buying the i7-8700K or the i7-9700k. What are good, stable boards for performance and overclocking? Are there any boards that I should steer away from?
Click to expand...

You should go for the newer Z390 chipset, not the older Z370. My former i7-8700K was overclocked to 5 GHz using the cheapest Gigabyte Z370 motherboard so there's no reason to overspend IMO. My personal experience with more budget friendly MSI boards is meh, I've had more luck with Gigabyte and Asus over the years.
 
Long gone are the days where overclocking matters on the boards, really. It's cooling the CPU that becomes the challenge before most motherboards crap the bed. That said, I certainly wouldn't go the cheapest either.
 
trents said:
Do you have a price ceiling? There are many good choices and only a few bad options. Mostly boils down to feature sets such as how many fan headers, what kind of USB ports, how many PCI-e slots, how many SATA and m.2 PCI-e NVme ports, etc.

Will you be heavy into overclocking?

What form factor are you wanting? ATX? mATX? ITX? Will you be reusing your present case and other hardware?

We need considerable more info than what you have given us in order to be of much help to you.
Click to expand...

I'd say my budget is $200. I'd like ATX. Im going to replace my case eventually, but for now Im workign with the one Ive got. Id like to eventually overclock, and I do a lot of gaming. I'll be keeping my Ati R9 290 for the time being, as well as my SSD and 3 HDDs. I have a Corsair 750w PSU, so I think Imn good there....and I think Im going with an i7-8700k.

DaveB said:
You should go for the newer Z390 chipset, not the older Z370. My former i7-8700K was overclocked to 5 GHz using the cheapest Gigabyte Z370 motherboard so there's no reason to overspend IMO. My personal experience with more budget friendly MSI boards is meh, I've had more luck with Gigabyte and Asus over the years.
Click to expand...

Thank you...thats really helpful to know
 
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Look at some reviews for details. :)

Really, it boils down to features you need, the price, and looks as was said earlier. Any boards you linked (outside of the entire list, lol) will suit your needs and overclock that cpu to its thermal limits. It's what you want or need out of the board more than anything. I prefer an asus or msi bios, but...that's me. Giga's is fine too, many prefer it. Looks are subjective really so it comes down to features you want and need.
 
EarthDog said:
Look at some reviews for details. :)

Really, it boils down to features you need, the price, and looks as was said earlier. Any boards you linked (outside of the entire list, lol) will suit your needs and overclock that cpu to its thermal limits. It's what you want or need out of the board more than anything. I prefer an asus or msi bios, but...that's me. Giga's is fine too, many prefer it. Looks are subjective really so it comes down to features you want and need.
Click to expand...
So none of the boards have an advantage when it comes to overclocking?

This is the one I'm leaning towards:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E168131...PG_Z390_Gaming_Edge_AC-_-13-144-213-_-Product
OR
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCY7K9L/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

One other question I had: Do you get good overclocking results from traditional heatsinks, or will I want to shell out extra money for watercooling? Will it make that much of a difference?
 
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Of all the boards listed, go Gaming Pro Carbon.... assuming it has the features you need.

As far as overclocking advantages, no... not really. But you will want good cooling. :)
 
trents said:
For a good overclocking experience with the 8700k you would need top end air or at least 240mm radiator water. https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16835608018 or https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D1...Noctua+ND+D15&qid=1567568076&s=gateway&sr=8-3 but will either fit in your case? What is the make And model of your case?


The MSI board you linked is mATX so of those two I would go with the Asus Prime which should do you fine.
Click to expand...
Right now I have some crappy case that I'll replace in a few weeks. I'll put a pic of it here, but its nothing special. Just an ordinary ATX case, old and very dirty. I'm highly considering the CORSAIR H115i RGB PLATINUM

Thanks for pointing out the MSI board was the wrong one...here's the real MSI board I was considering:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E168131...PG_Z390_Gaming_Edge_AC-_-13-144-213-_-Product

EarthDog said:
Of all the boards listed, go Gaming Pro Carbon.... assuming it has the features you need.

As far as overclocking advantages, no... not really. But you will want good cooling. :)
Click to expand...

So the Carbon Pro AC is better than the Gaming Edge? I see the Carbon Pro AC has a better wifi adapter...but is there anything else thats better on that mobo vs the Gaming Edge?

One other question...THIS DRIVE will fit in the Carbon Pro AC, right?

case.jpg
 
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You do know you can do a side by side comparsion of motherboards at newegg, right?

For a $4 difference, the Gaming Pro Carbon AC is the better board. It has the same VRM, but better aesthetics...armor around the DRAM and PCIe slots... a heatsink for the M.2 slot... etc.

You really are splitting hairs here :). Pick a board... I promise so long as it has the features you need, you will be happy!
 
EarthDog said:
You really are splitting hairs here :). Pick a board... I promise so long as it has the features you need, you will be happy!
Click to expand...

:plus1:

I got my i7-8700K running at 5 GHz with the cheapest Z370 motherboard Gigabyte sold at the time. I paid just under $100 for it. I did have to delid my CPU though.
 
a mATX board will fit in an ATX case, just so you'll be aware. So will an ITX board. The expansion slots and the offset holes are standardized in their positions. With the mATX and the ITX there are just less of each.
 
Looks like a good choice. Good cooling is going to be the most important hardware factor (aside from the silicon lottery) in your overclocking success.
 
I'm not sure which processor you picked i7-8700k or the i7-9700k?? I know on the 8700k to hit 5GHz all cores with low temps you will need to De-lid the CPU. I have mine De-lidded with LM under the IHS and can hit 5.4GHz on all cores. This is also my Temp/Power wall as 1.5v will not make 5.5GHz :(

I have other comments but they are more under the GPU section :)
 
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