Recommendations on a 7th Gen Intel Motherboard (i7-7700)

[Vini]

Long story short, I upgraded my CCTV machine from an i7-2600 (Dell Optiplex 790) to an i5-7400 (Lenovo m710s). On paper, they're similar in spec (to the point you might even ask why - better energy efficiency on the 7th gen basically), but the lack of cores on the i5 actually turned out to be a problem.

So I've just installed an i7-7700, which has shown the benefits I was hoping for.

The result now is that I have spent roughly £400-500 on, and souping up a Lenovo m710s which runs 24/7. Cue, new problem - temperature, and we're not even in summer yet!

Its got me thinking. I have a lovely Chieftec Scorpio case sat here doing nothing, and I'm sure I have a PSU lying around. Given I've already forked on a 32GB RAM upgrade, nVME HDD and now CPU. I'm only a Motherboard (and potentially a PSU) away from a complete system build, and one that I can move out of the cramped Lenovo chassis, into my spacious Scorpio and fill it with fans - a cooling dream (albeit noisy).

My question therefore, whats the best Motherboard for an i7-7700?


(another option I have not yet explored, is the possibility of gutting the Lenovo and shifting it into the Chieftec - past experience suggests manufacturers like Lenovo don't use standard ATX stuff though, and if I buy a mobo, I can flog the Lenovo on as-is)

[PC-LAD]

honestly just find a cheap used z270/h270/b250 board and you will be fine. Id be most inclined to go for the h270 as you cant oc but you might want the PCIe lanes for drives

[Vini]

honestly just find a cheap used z270/h270/b250 board and you will be fine. Id be most inclined to go for the h270 as you cant oc but you might want the PCIe lanes for drives

I've been looking at the Gigabyte Z270-HD3 LGA1151 DDR4 ATX Motherboard, as eBuyer pretty much have it at half price.

Gigabyte Z270-HD3 LGA1151 DDR4 ATX Motherboard 828870 91 in stock £51.99 £51.99
StarTech.com 6in 4 Pin to 8 Pin EPS Power Adapter with LP4 - F/M 188284 436 in stock £2.97 £2.97
Cooler Master Hyper 212x 4 Heatpipe 1x 120 Pwm Fan Tower Cpu Cooler 745618 22 in stock £24.99 £24.99



Whats the difference between the Z270 and Z270P?

Ultimately, any board I get will be "better" than the stock Lenovo I'm sure.

[Vini]

What the hell, I've ordered the above kit


Seemingly gone balls deep with an entire build. Bizarre considering my old CCTV box was just fine, in hindsight.