Is this the right MoBo for my build? GTX980 Micro ATX PC

[Fire and Salt]

I am building a new gaming rig, now that the 900 series is finally out.

I already purchased a EVGA superclocked ACX 980. It supposedly a little noisly, and its puts the heat right back into the case, but I am planning on using the corsair air 240, which has great airflow. It also looks like I could add two "bottom" fans that will blow air right on the graphics card.

I also figure that I will overclock an i5 4690k, since it has basically the same gaming performance of the i7 4790k once overclocked, for $100 less. The water cooler will be a nice addition anyways since I can blow the heat out of the case, which should help keep the graphics card cooler.

Here is what I have planned so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($155.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (Purchased For $585.66)
Case: Corsair Air 240 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1435.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-04 00:09 EDT-0400

Not going to buy an optical drive... haven't used mine in 6 months... looks like I will be installing windows 8.1 from a flash drive.


I'm not too set on the Ram / HDD / SSD... PSU might be a little overkill, but it is on sale.



The thing that has me most concerned is my choice of motherboard...

I am thinking of using the MSI Z97M Gaming, it has some attractive features:
-Supports overclocking, lots of frequency choices
-Supports SLI, a benefit if some future game actually utilizes SLI well... if the game I am playing then doesn't... well I won't SLI, but the option is nice.
-Good audio
-Killer LAN? Is this of any benefit? supposedly it can prioritize game traffic... I would rather my TS2 lag, as opposed to the game itself.
-Supposedly has 2 USB ports that are optimized for high polling rate gaming mice.... is this going to make my steelseries sensei any more responsive? I can't imagine it would make much of a difference...


My concerns are:
-the 4690K is only supported with the more recent bios version.
so... if i get an old board... will it be set to lower speeds, or will it not work at all? MSI says you can update the bios from windows... but if I will fry my CPU just trying to get it running, that wont work... people use this board with this CPU all the time, so I know it can be done... I just don't know how exactly.

From MSI site: "When updating BIOS via M-Flash, please make sure that your USB storage device is recognized as "Removable Device",
If your USB storage device is not recognized as "Removable Device", please update BIOS via MSI Live-update under windows."


-The RAM is not listed on the supported ram list... however, mushkin website says it is rated as DDR3-1866 running at 1.5v with a CAS of just 8... seems like a great deal for just $82 for 2x4GB
(there is other ram that apparently has better specs, but most of them require 1.65v to do so, and apparently the memory controller on the haswell refresh chips wears out faster if its running at more than 1.5v)
I can't imagine that absence from the supported ram list actually means that it wont work... they probably just didn't test it, right? If the ram matches the specs, it should work fine, right? I would just have to set the speeds manually in the BIOS, perhaps?



thanks!




EDIT:
Hmm, the SLI capability of the board may be irrelevant anyways - there isn't any space between the cards so Im sure heat would be a big problem.
Not really planning on SLI anyways, since the performance benefits don't seem to scale well for most games...





The other board that I have been looking at is the ASRock Z97M OC Formula
(The ASRock Z97M Pro4 seems decent as well, but I'm not sure it is as good for overclocking... and it definitely doesn't support SLI)

The ASUS MAXIMUS VII GENE is of course, appealing as well, but I'm not sure it is worth the extra money...

 

[Fire and Salt]

Well, I couldn't decide on what to get... so I just went ahead and spent the extra $50 to get the Asus Maximus VII Gene...


Normally I go cheap when I can't decide... (hence only 8 gigs of ram) but since the MoBo is probably the most difficult thing to switch out if it doesn't work well... Well, time is money heh

 

[Theocnoob]

You can't install the fans in the bottom of the Air 240 when using an mATX mobo. It won't fit.

You can go over 1.5V with RAM with Haswell. It's not dangerous. Just out of spec.

Anyways the Air 240 is an ITX/MATX case. It works best with ITX IMO. When you go MATX you lose some things like the ability to put fans in the bottom.

 

[petteyg359]

Well, I couldn't decide on what to get... so I just went ahead and spent the extra $50 to get the Asus Maximus VII Gene...


Normally I go cheap when I can't decide... (hence only 8 gigs of ram) but since the MoBo is probably the most difficult thing to switch out if it doesn't work well... Well, time is money heh

With that philosophy, you should go straight to a Corsair 900D

 

[Fire and Salt]

You can't install the fans in the bottom of the Air 240 when using an mATX mobo. It won't fit.

You can go over 1.5V with RAM with Haswell. It's not dangerous. Just out of spec.

Good to know about the 1.5v. I kinda figured as much. In any case, the less voltage I can get away with, the better.



You can probably fit fans in the bottom of the air 240 with a Micro ATX MoBo... , although the product literature and all reviews seem to say otherwise. This depends on the thickness of the motherboard (and how many plus and such are down there.) The included 140MM fans will definitely not fit.


I think 2 80mm fans would fit if there is nothing in the lower PCI slot, but maybe I can do a bit better than that, even. They would blow directly on the video card, for sure... though they would be screwed in by only 3 of the 4 corners, and this might require drilling an extra hole... I didn't order any 80 or 92mm fans because I wanted to measure things in person.

With that philosophy, you should go straight to a Corsair 900D

Haha maybe... well its not usually my philosophy... only because I didn't want to hold up the entire build because of 1 item...

 

[matt2950]

I have this case and a mini itx board and i can fit fans in the bottom. i just about managed to fit a 140mm thermalright tr-ty 147 fan in the top

 

[Theocnoob]

I have this case and a mini itx board and i can fit fans in the bottom. i just about managed to fit a 140mm thermalright tr-ty 147 fan in the top

Yes with Mini ITX you can fit fans in the bottom. It's just with MATX that you can't.