Asus vs Asrock itx?

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pavel

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I guess it looks like it's strictly a mobo topic/discussion but I have questions that goes beyond mobo comparisons. :)

I looked at all the mini-itx mobos available to me (Cdn market/availability) and despite the high prices, I would reduce the options to these two (if I go itx).

I'm just wondering which to pick. The Asus is $209 (Cdn) and the Asrock is more $$ @ $264 (only two sellers so far and often out of stock).

These are the two boards:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132641
http://www.vuugo.com/computer-hardw...170-Gaming-ITX-AC.html?tracking=5108053939762
At NCIX, they're almost always out of stock.

Anyway, I think I should lean towards the Asus simply because of a cheaper price?

The Asrock has more features but is a bit more money. Is there any interesting info about these two boards to help choose?

I would like the option for memory for virtualization so it was one reason I was considering mATX. But, I discovered there are some options for 32GB Memory (DDR4) albeit at a price premium. That's the limit for itx boards, I think....Right?

But, 32GB total is only a bit cheaper if I ultimately bought 2 pairs of 16gb (2 x 8GB) - I think similar Corsair (to compare) would be about $130 x 2 = $260. The cheapest 32GB (16GB x 2) is $275 total on Amazon (at the moment). Is this overkill for memory? I don't have a budget yet for all this but I would just save $$ until I could get it. I don't think it's a bad idea to max. out the money on the ITX board.

My plans for the rest of the build as follows:
cpu: i5-6500
case: Silverstone SG13
gpu: EVGA GTX 750 (already have)
psu: SFX of some kind - when is the Corsair coming out? I'd probably get one of the Silverstones if I can do my build before the Corsair is released

Wifi, usb 3.1 are 'nice-to-haves' and a bonus so I worked out the option of adding them in the mATX board(s) and I think after I did, the final price is close to the itx boards? Does that sound accurate? The nice thing about an itx build is that it's quite portable/compact/light and although I wouldn't move it around a lot, there are times I would. I was wondering about the pros/cons of mATX compared to it and thought that expanded memory was a limit/con for itx. But, 32GB is an option albeit at a high price and of course, I can't go to 64GB like I could in a mATX board but i doubt I'd need to.

The ITX boards I am comparing/considering are as good as many of the mATX boards, right (for similar price - $150-$260)? For sound, the onboard is sufficient and I could add a DAC later if I need to improve it. But, after I buy the parts, I probably won't have the means/funds to add a DAC until later on.

As for memory, I guess I'd go with the cheapest kit as it's probably more important to have the extra memory than the speed (for virtualization)? I might do some light gaming but it's not the priority - I think I'd go with the locked cpu so I can make do with a low profile cpu cooler etc.

'Hope I get some feedback/replies... been wrestling with form factor questions and comparisons for a while. :) Do my comparisons/evaluation make any sense? :) Thanks in advance.
 
I'm running the Asrock - I chose it over the Asus Maximus Impact as I wanted the M2 slot. I fitted a 6700K CPU (I wanted some sort of delta over my previous i5 Ivy) which was expensive and so it didn't seem logical to drop to the Asus Pro Gamer ITX to save a little cash. For your system the cheaper Asus may be fine. I have found a use for USB 3.1 type A socket as the power delivery suits my external drive which doesn't run reliably on normal 3.0 sockets.

For RAM it is not logical to go for 32GB - esp at the price level of your system, 16GB DDR4 is fine and speed wise I doubt you'll see much benefit above 2666 speed.

For a case I've just swapped to a Fractal Core 500 which was larger than my previous SUGO 08 and can recommend. My 970 GPU is shorter than many but I wanted the space to upgrade in the future as GPUs really do improve every couple of years - whereas the CPU will hopefully last longer.

For PSU I'm running a Chieftec 500W SFX-L which is similar in many ways to the Silverstone but does not have a fan off-on transition point. I've tried the ATX sized Corsair CS550M 550W which fits (as the cable arrangement is suitable) but found the fan started to grind after a few days use - maybe because it is fitted fan down in an ITX case.
 
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If you are getting a 6500, I would recommend looking into some other then the z170 chipsets.

I myself will probably buy the MSI H110I pro paired with either 6500 or 6700 depending if I rly rly want HT.
 
I'm wondering about the 4-pin power, though....Is it important?

I thought of bumping because I had some further questions and requests (for some info and advice).

I'm looking at the itx cases and even mATX but there's so many that are potential contenders so I was hoping some readers who have these cases or have looked at them could comment?

if micro ATX (mATX):
CM N200
Silverstone PS08B - $50
Silverstone TJ08B-E $140
Rosewill Legacy U3 - $120 (w/o window; $145 w/ window)

if Mini-ITX:
LIAN LI PC-TU100
Silverstone SG13
SilverStone RAVEN RVZ02B
Silverstone FTZ01
Silverstone RVZ01
Fractal Design Node 202
SilverStone Milo Series ML08B-H

If I go with the GTX 750 video card I already have and use the i5-6500 and Intel stock heat sink or get one that is somewhat better like the Noctua NH-L9i, since some of these small cases are a little cramped? Or is it more important to cool the video card in these cases especially considering the cpu is not one that you OC (without major tweaking)?

I kinda like the SG13 and Node 202/Silverstone 'thin' cases but some don't even have a case fan and the ones that do are positioned in the 'gpu portion' of the case?

I like that they're very light and portable. I thought I could sacrifice some features and get an itx mobo. I am not sure how to compare the ASRock, ASUS and Gigabyte as they are mostly features/price to me - more features/more expensive in that order.

I guess I can solve any sound issue (some posters are finding an issue with the ALC1150 chipset having a bit of buzzing/interference?) with a DAC later on. If I find I would like more RAM, I could get 2 16GB sticks and max it out. USB 3.1 will be 'Type A' with the Asus but that'll do. Gigabyte's itx mobo has a Qualcomm NIC but I was thinking the other one might be sufficient.

I think by the time I can buy/build, the Corsair SFX will be out....so, maybe half a year or a year from now? LOL! Seriously, I think the timing should work out.
 
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