Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Hi hexus,
I've been out of PC building for a while. I have been using an i7 920 on a Gigabyte ex58 ud5 for six years since I built it. I'm just looking to by in kit for a Skylake build (i7 6700k I think) and I am looking for opinions/advice please.
My last two builds have been on Gigabyte mobos and have never had a problem. In fact the ud5 has been great without any issues and solid as a rock even on OC. However, this time I'm being tempted by reviews for the ROG and MSI.
Anybody got any experience of the below boards please?
Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 7
ASRock Z170 Extreme6
Asus ROG Z170 Maximus VIII Hero Skylake
MSI Z170A Skylake M7 GAMING
Not sure on the technical differences an these at all!
Also I have a Corsair Hydro H50 cpu cooler on my rig and would really like to move it over from 1366 to 1151 but hearing a lot of conflicting info on whether it is doable or perhaps not cool enough?
I don't plan to OC for a couple of years, and have one SSD and three HDD in my current build. Use onboard sound and do a lot of gaming with gigabyte 970 gfx card.
Thank you guys,
PZ
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
For expensive boards like these it is probably best to check the reviews either here or on Tom's Hardware - they detail differences between practical PCI-e spacings, sata locations, etc. The hexus competition states that the AS ROG Maximus Hero VIII has SupremeFX for it's audio (whatever improvement that show's I do not know, maybe said reviews can help you).
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
As a x58 user myself its always sad to see another one go :(
If you could find an i7 980 at a good price (doubt it) then I'd honestly recommend upgrading to that. Mines going to last me at least another 2 years, just bought some RAM for it whilst still available.
All the boards you've found will be very similar performance wise on stock. MSI and ASRock have 12 phase power vs 8 on the ROG. From what I've read some get better results on 8 over 12 for OC'ing. But you'd have to be doing something serious to really notice.
I'd be wanting at least 1 USB 3.1 Type C connector on a new Motherboard to help future proof it a bit.
I quite like the Gigabyte one with two M.2 connections, they seem to have made good use of space.
Other things would really be down to needs and preferences.
If you narrow it down a bit then I'd suggest researching the boards you like with emphasis on stable overclock configurations and results.
With your H50 Water cooler it claims compatibility with the following:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Corsair
Compatibility
IntelĀ® LGA 1150, 1155, 1156, and 1366. .
IntelĀ® LGA 2011-3 with mounting bracket kit (sold separately).
As 1151 is the same physical fan specification as 11xx you will be able to use it assuming you bought this when the 11xx sockets were around, otherwise you may need to buy a mounting bracket if you only have one for the 1366.
I don't think the H50 is up to much overclocking though so when you come round to it you'll want something a bit beefier. From what I've read its not much better than air cooling.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Thanx GreMMi thanx AGTDenton,
Yes I'm going to be sad to say goodbye to my x58 it's been one of the best boards I have ever had tbf.
And for that reason alone I'm very tempted towards the gigabyte gaming 7.
I usually build a system then not think about PC components until I build a new one. Back a few years ago that would be every year. The x58 is still going after six years! That is unheard of for me, and I've kinda lost my technical mojo.
I bought a Crucial MX100 512GB SSD and a 970 last Xmas and that's been all.
I take it the m2 is a totally new standard of SSD and won't fit my SSD?
Thanks guys,
Pz
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
The Gigabyte Z170X Gaming comes with a 4 year warranty !
Ping!
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Go with;
Long warranty, good looks (personal preference), optimal I/O and board layout, support for as many features as you need/want, any free things which come with it ;)
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Your current SSD will still fit into any of those mobos fine with the SATA connections. The m.2 connection is for M.2 SSDs which generally read a lot faster, so with two spaces like AGTDenton pointed out, that is some pretty solid future proofing IMO.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Yeah I'd be leaning towards the Gigabyte one as well
M.2 replaces mSATA, something I skipped, its almost like an exposed SSD but connects and sits directly on the motherboard with no cables. It is a confusing interface as there are 3 connection types, just because they want to make life difficult.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Parts ordered!
I've gone with the gigabyte gaming 7 mobo,
Retail i7 6700k, I was thinking the i5 Skylake but in the end didn't want to step down from i7 920 to an i5.
Ram - 1 - Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz.
My old rig parts I'm going to go with -
Cooler master cosmos-S case,
Hydro H50 cooler.
Gigabyte g1 gtx970.
Fingers crossed for the Xmas build - will need a few nips of Bells hand steady liquid
Thanks guys for your help
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
You'll be fine :) enjoy the rig!
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
I think going for i7 is a good choice, I wouldn't want to go from a i7 back down to a i5.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
if the asrock z170 extreme 6 is anything like m z97, it's a cracking board.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AGTDenton
Yeah I'd be leaning towards the Gigabyte one as well
M.2 replaces mSATA, something I skipped, its almost like an exposed SSD but connects and sits directly on the motherboard with no cables. It is a confusing interface as there are 3 connection types, just because they want to make life difficult.
There are actually 16 different configurations of keys and lengths! However, for the sakes of SSDs, there's only one that needs to be considered at the moment, which is B and M keyed, and 2280mm long. You should of course double-check your component and motherboard compatibility before anything else but generally an SSD slot and M.2 SSD will fit each other.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
I have an Asrock extreme7+. If the 6 is anything ike it, I'd have no problem buying it. That is as long as it has the features that you are looking for.
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
I have the maximus formula viii bought purely for its looks and the fact it has ROG Armour. Makes handling the board so much easier! Plus the aura lighting is very cool
Re: Skylake mobo's too much choices. Advice plz
The MSI Z170A Skylake M7 GAMING is where you want to going!!
MSI have Military Class certified motherboard for tough and stability. I don't see any this advantageous on another motherboard.
They have also regularly update their softwares packages (drivers, BIOS, chipset).
If you want to use your hardware for years, then MSI is the answer