Looking for mobo suggestion - unsure what chipset to even target

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HCLPfan

Gawd
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Sep 19, 2002
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Hey guys,

Was hoping you would be able to give me some pointers on what I should be looking for in terms of a mobo upgrade. I'm currently running an Asus P6T Delux 1366 mobo with an Intel i7 Bloomfield 2.66GHz and it has been running perfectly fine but feeling like it may be time for an upgrade. What I'm not sure of is if I should be targeting an X99 board? z97? I was thinking maybe an Asus Maximus VII Formula and an i7-4790k? What is the purchasing trend now-a-days and what makes sense based off of what is currently available? Are there particular CPUs you guys recommend to go along with your mobo recommendation?

Core uses for this PC
  • Gaming - Running a GTX770 currently
  • Development - Mainly web dev so no intensive builds or anything
  • Media server - 6 HDD's and streaming via Plex
  • Every day browsing/usage

Requirements for the mobo
  • 6+ SATA slots
  • Thats it...I'm easy :p

Things that are not currently a requirement unless you feel I'd be dumb to get a board now-a-days without these:
  • M.2
  • Externally accessible eSATA
  • Wireless

One other thing worth mentioning is I'm not much into the overclocking scene. No matter how many times I tell myself I wan't to get into it the reality is I'm just going to run the thing stock. I'd like the option to fiddle but extreme customization isn't a requirement.

As far as budget goes, even though my requirements aren't super beefy I'd want to get as top of the line as I can within reason so I'm fine with up to $350 on a mobo or $700 on a mobo/CPU combo. Would love any suggestions you guys have!
 
HCLPfan said:
After doing some research it seems the general recommendation is to go with the Z97 for my use cases. Given that I am thinking the following unless anyone feels something else would be better:

ASUS Maximus VII Formula
Intel i7-4790k Haswell 4.0GHz
Click to expand...

Just curious, you mention you are not into the overclocking scene so why spend extra for the "K" chip?

If you decide do decide to overclock be sure to get the very best in cooling and that will set you back somewhere in the $100.00+ range (those chips run hot when OC'd);)
 
The Maximus is a feature-full board designed for overclocking. If you aren't overclocking, there are plenty of lower-end boards that have all the features you need.
 
Honestly I don't really have a great answer other than if I'm going to spend the money to do an upgrade I want to make sure I have the absolute best I can so it lasts me as long as possible until my next one. I also would like it to look nice/high end as well. I don't currently have plans to water cool or OC so you're definitely right that this board is a bit unnecessary I'm just not sure which boards will give me the same level of high end/speed but not have the unnecessary bells and whistles.
 
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HCLPfan said:
Honestly I don't really have a great answer other than if I'm going to spend the money to do an upgrade I want to make sure I have the absolute best I can so it lasts me as long as possible until my next one. I also would like it to look nice/high end as well. I don't currently have plans to water cool or OC so your definitely right that this board is a but unnecessary I'm just not sure which boards will give me the same level of high end/speed but not have the unnecessary bells and whistles.
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132132

Personally, I'd get that in your shoes. 5 year warranty, no extra bells/whistles, 6 SATA ports. Can always add a RAID card if you need extra ports. Probably more reliable than extra 3rd party add-on SATA controller anyway.
 
kirbyrj said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132132

Personally, I'd get that in your shoes. 5 year warranty, no extra bells/whistles, 6 SATA ports. Can always add a RAID card if you need extra ports. Probably more reliable than extra 3rd party add-on SATA controller anyway.
Click to expand...

Seems like a pretty decent board (don't love the camo but I can manage). Looks like it can't handle very high speed memory though, think that's an issue? I was considering picking up form 2400 G.SKILL ram to go with the Maximus (assuming I went that route).
 
HCLPfan said:
Seems like a pretty decent board (don't love the camo but I can manage). Looks like it can't handle very high speed memory though, think that's an issue? I was considering picking up form 2400 G.SKILL ram to go with the Maximus (assuming I went that route).
Click to expand...

It's a non-issue since you really won't notice the difference between DDR3 2400 and DDR3 1600 RAM in most real world situations. So the cheapest DDR3 1600 RAM would basically feel the same performance wise as the most expensive DDR3 2400 RM set on the market.
 
Dangman said:
It's a non-issue since you really won't notice the difference between DDR3 2400 and DDR3 1600 RAM in most real world situations. So the cheapest DDR3 1600 RAM would basically feel the same performance wise as the most expensive DDR3 2400 RM set on the market.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I'm currently running Corsair Dominator 6GB (2x3GB) 1600 which is also in need of an upgrade (want to take it to 16GB) but I guess it's safe to stick with 1600 then.
 
For the board, what about something more like this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132116

Looks better and has faster RAM support (though I know we just established that isn't extremely important). Not really seeing many other differences.

Mobo's all generally seem the same to me besides asthetics so it's hard to understand what I should be making a call on other than the obvious (socket type, chipset, SATA/PCI-e slots counts, etc).
 
HCLPfan said:
For the board, what about something more like this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132116

Looks better and has faster RAM support (though I know we just established that isn't extremely important). Not really seeing many other differences.

Mobo's all generally seem the same to me besides asthetics so it's hard to understand what I should be making a call on other than the obvious (socket type, chipset, SATA/PCI-e slots counts, etc).
Click to expand...

You basically have to read well-done reviews to understand the differences between the multitude of motherboards out there. Even then it's still luck of the draw whether or not the motherboard will last long. There are $60 motherboards out there that have lasted as long as their $300 counterparts.

Still not seeing a reason for you go with the Asus Z97 Pro though. The TUF series tends to have a higher chance of reliability than other Asus mobo lines.
 
I see. Thanks for your recommendations everyone. I do have one final question though: Any reason I shouldn't go with the Mark 1 over the Mark 2? Just a pricing difference due to the armor and 2nd Ethernet?
 
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