One z97 board vs another

[Infinite66]

Unfortunately I'm making the move from my current Amd cpu to Intel. Specifically the i5 4690k. I'm looking at the MSI z97 gaming 7 and gigabyte z97x-udh5. Both are within $5 of each other at my local microcenter.

Looks aside, I'm only really interested in 2 features. The VRM sections because I intend to overclock the i5 to he'll and back, and 3 pcie 3.0 slots. The reason for the 2nd one is because I have 2 thicker r9 290s that I currently have in the first and third slots to allow them to breathe and not cook each other.

As it stands I'm currently leaning towards the MSI board because I've heard of problems with revisions of the gigabyte board. Having to flash etc etc. My only hangup is MSI VRM capability. Are they good, bad? Last I heard MSI power phases were trash. This was the concensus for AMD chips at least. Is this different for Intel stuff?

I would appreciate the help

 

[Bishoff]

The MSI boards are great actually. You'll be good with pretty much any Asus, MSI or Asrock board on Z97. The giga's are ok, but like you mentioned I'm not a fan of their constant revisions for the same model #.

BTW the MSI Gaming 7 has a 12 phase VRM section. More than adequate for some nice OC'ing. I'd jump on the gaming 7 without worry.

 

[Infinite66]

The MSI boards are great actually. You'll be good with pretty much any Asus, MSI or Asrock board on Z97. The giga's are ok, but like you mentioned I'm not a fan of their constant revisions for the same model #.

BTW the MSI Gaming 7 has a 12 phase VRM section. More than adequate for some nice OC'ing. I'd jump on the gaming 7 without worry.

Awesome thanks for the input. It's good to know the MSI board is everything it appears to be. I'm wary of gigabyte because I've been burnt in the past dealing with their revision and BIOS garbage.

Thanks again

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Look at the ASRock Z97 Extreme4 or Extreme6, you're looking at boards that cost much more than you'll need to spend.

 

[Infinite66]

Look at the ASRock Z97 Extreme4 or Extreme6, you're looking at boards that cost much more than you'll need to spend.

I saw those on Newegg, but I'm buying this stuff from my local microcenter, and the only one they have is the ext4 and it is refurbished, not new. Plus after bundle deal for buying the cpu and motherboard together, I'll get the MSI gaming 7 for $135.

Not to mention I'll be getting $200 back for my current 990fx Saber tooth.

All on all, to make the transition to Intel, I'm only looking at $140 out of pocket, so why not buy something really good?

Plus I had USB 3.0 driver issues with my asrock 990fx ext9 in the past. Thanks for the tip though.

Edit: they just restocked on the Z97 ext6. They're priced at $195 though. The gaming 7 is only $175 currently.

 

[Bishoff]

This might be an option for you. It's the MSI gaming 6 and with the coupon code, it takes $25 off, and you get USB3.1 That's a nice deal right there. i'd go to MicroCenter and just buy the 4790k fo rthe cheap in-store option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...844&cm_re=MSI_gaming_6-_-13-130-844-_-Product

Only thing is you get an 8-phase PWM section but I really don't think it matters on this platform. It's AMD that really needs that Good ASUS VRM section for OC'ing. Maybe someone else can chime in on the 8phase vs 12.

 

[Nebulous]

The Z97 Extreme 6 is a formidable board. I luv mine. Got to clock the 4790k to 4.7Ghz right out of the starting gate. No muss no fuss. Not fan of the MSI board as I've had my share of fatalities with them. The Asus boards, tho very good, have gone downhill. For 20 bux more I would get piece of mind. Small price to pay for something that's been tried and true.

 

[Infinite66]

This might be an option for you. It's the MSI gaming 6 and with the coupon code, it takes $25 off, and you get USB3.1 That's a nice deal right there. i'd go to MicroCenter and just buy the 4790k fo rthe cheap in-store option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...844&cm_re=MSI_gaming_6-_-13-130-844-_-Product

Only thing is you get an 8-phase PWM section but I really don't think it matters on this platform. It's AMD that really needs that Good ASUS VRM section for OC'ing. Maybe someone else can chime in on the 8phase vs 12.

I could get the gaming 7 from microcenter for the same price though. That's $160 with $25 off, so $135. The gaming 7 is $175 but I get $40 off because of the bundle deal of buying the cpu and mobo at the same time. Thanks for looking out though.

- - - Updated - - -

The Z97 Extreme 6 is a formidable board. I luv mine. Got to clock the 4790k to 4.7Ghz right out of the starting gate. No muss no fuss. Not fan of the MSI board as I've had my share of fatalities with them. The Asus boards, tho very good, have gone downhill. For 20 bux more I would get piece of mind. Small price to pay for something that's been tried and true.

The ext6 does look like a good board. Only problem is the third pcie slot. It is pcie 2.0 at x2 speed. Where as the gaming 7, the third slot is pcie 3.0 at x8. This'll allow me to run both my 290s at faster speeds, while also keeping them farther apart from each other so they don't overheat.

 

[Nebulous]

I got both the board and cpu from a microcenter bundle. Friend of mine got it for me. Wish I had a MC nearby

 

[Bishoff]

I got both the board and cpu from a microcenter bundle. Friend of mine got it for me. Wish I had a MC nearby

you and me both. They need to hurry up and add more locations.

 

[Infinite66]

I got both the board and cpu from a microcenter bundle. Friend of mine got it for me. Wish I had a MC nearby

you and me both. They need to hurry up and add more locations.

That sucks guys. I'm about 10 minutes away from microcenter. 15 with traffic. I make weekly visits usually. Just to see what other thing I totally (not really at all) need that is on sale.

 

[Bishoff]

Let us know if you get that gaming 7. MSI's new boards look awesome. I almost bought the gaming 6 to update my HTPC/server/couch gamer, but I decided to wait for Skylake. I bought some DDR4 ram instead

 

[Infinite66]

Let us know if you get that gaming 7. MSI's new boards look awesome. I almost bought the gaming 6 to update my HTPC/server/couch gamer, but I decided to wait for Skylake. I bought some DDR4 ram instead

Will do

 

[caddi daddi]

my asrock extreme 9 boards really let my 4790k thump, a bit of overkill, featurewise but I bought right at release.

 

[Infinite66]

Ugh. Well the 2 gaming 7 boards they had in their online inventory were apparently a mistake. Their inventory never updated and turns out they had none left. Ended up getting the Asus Z97 AR. They had the gaming 5 in Stock, but it only had an 8 phase vrm section. And looking at them, they're actually physically smaller than any other 8 phase z97 board on the shelf.

I'll post back with results and such. Just getting it setup now. Figured I'd tell everyone so they're not waiting on MSI board results

 

[Bishoff]

Ugh. Well the 2 gaming 7 boards they had in their online inventory were apparently a mistake. Their inventory never updated and turns out they had none left. Ended up getting the Asus Z97 AR. They had the gaming 5 in Stock, but it only had an 8 phase vrm section. And looking at them, they're actually physically smaller than any other 8 phase z97 board on the shelf.

I'll post back with results and such. Just getting it setup now. Figured I'd tell everyone so they're not waiting on MSI board results

Why settle for that board? It's also an 8-phase vrm. I really don't think you'll have any issues, but I wouldn't get it just because it's all they had.

 

[Dlaw]

With the way that Intel chips have voltage regulation built into them, power delivery from the board has become less of an issue. The EXT6 is a solid board, and as long as you don't get an MSI board that's DOA, from what I've read, they're solid as well. The most important things to look at when buying a board for a 4690k or 4790k is the feature set, and making sure that you don't overspend. Most any Z97 board will do for the actual CPU.

You also want to look at reviews (professional ones, if they're available) to see if there are any known issues with the board you're looking at. You don't want to have to troubleshoot for a bad SATA controller, or PCIe issues, etc.

As far as that ASUS board, as long as it functions properly, I wouldn't worry too much about weather or not it'll be able to handle your setup.

 

[Infinite66]

Why settle for that board? It's also an 8-phase vrm. I really don't think you'll have any issues, but I wouldn't get it just because it's all they had.

The board I bought is also 8 phase yea. But just looking at the actual size of the vrm sections themselves, the gaming 5 ones were tiny. As for settling, I most definitely did not. This was my original choice, but saw all the stuff the gaming 7 came with, so figured why not. Since they didn't have the 7 in Stock, I just fell back to my original choice.

- - - Updated - - -

With the way that Intel chips have voltage regulation built into them, power delivery from the board has become less of an issue. The EXT6 is a solid board, and as long as you don't get an MSI board that's DOA, from what I've read, they're solid as well. The most important things to look at when buying a board for a 4690k or 4790k is the feature set, and making sure that you don't overspend. Most any Z97 board will do for the actual CPU.

You also want to look at reviews (professional ones, if they're available) to see if there are any known issues with the board you're looking at. You don't want to have to troubleshoot for a bad SATA controller, or PCIe issues, etc.

As far as that ASUS board, as long as it functions properly, I wouldn't worry too much about weather or not it'll be able to handle your setup.

Yea. I looked into the z97 - AR quite a bit before. Reviews of it are solid on every major seller site, the board has a solid voltage regulation section, the third pcie slot is x8, and it even has an m.2 sad slot.

Not to mention the board looks good too. That is just a plus. Had this board not been what I wanted, I would have bought something else. I hope you're right. Doing first boot and Windows install now. Hopefully everything goes good.