Chosing mini itx board ??

[The_Governour]

Hi,

I am about to choose a mini itx board for my 4670k but I cant decide which one out of these.

1. MSI Z87I Gaming AC - 106.95 euros

2. Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI - 132.95 euros

3. Asrock Z97E-ITX/AC - 143 euros

4. Asus Z97I-PLUS - 171.95 euros

The chosen motherboard will be housed in a 250D so not many cables will be seen, also to note that it will be paired with a water cooled 780.


I have had ASUS mobos before and they are great, but right now then I am on a slight budget that could move up or down (better down) and I am wondering if spending the premium for a Asus Z97I-PLUS - 171.95 euros - is worth it or not?

The cheaper MSI Z87I Gaming AC - 106.95 euros looks tempting for that price, but I have seen that the cable placing is horrible on that mobo ( even though cables wont be seen in the 250d that much)

As of the Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI - 132.95 euros & Asrock Z97E-ITX/AC - 143 euros then I have no idea as I dont have any previous experience with them.

As of now with a full family and stuff then I dont have too much time for pc, I would go for a slight OC to about 4.4 ghz and do some gaming when i do have the time.

Some help??

 

[DanTheDJ]

I always go by the following phrase: you get what you pay for. All these boards look decent and should stand up to some OCing

 

[The_Governour]

I always go by the following phrase: you get what you pay for. All these boards look decent and should stand up to some OCing

In its day (2013?) then the MSI Z87I Gaming AC got a Gold Award, but all seem nice - even the Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI and that is a z97 etc.

What i am asking is if the price difference is worth the $$ difference? Anyone have any experience with these mobos?

 

[Doomslayer]

I would say ASUS, but i'm a ASUS fan boy

 

[MrKambo]

Is there a reason you haven't looked at the Asus Impact?

 

[barnsley]

As someone who owns a Z87i gaming AC I'd say its only worth it if you can deal with the stupid Killer LAN software. Apart from that crap its a great board. A bit of an odd layout so you have to be a bit more careful with case choice (I had to disassemble my 901 to route the 24 pin in).

 

[JR23]

Also consider the socket placement depending on your choice of cooling, it does vary quite a lot and that makes a big difference in a small case.

JR

 

[The_Governour]

The Asus Impact is out of the budget and also I dont think I will be needing all the extras and stuff to really see the difference in price - I work a lot and have kids, wife, house etc and I dont have that much time for the pc. Even I do have it as a hobby when I can.

The mobo that I will chose will be housed in the 250D and will be fitted with a EK supremacy water block - all will be cooled with a 240 rad + 120 mm rad, also a 780 with waterblock.

As of the layout then for now I think I will have to discard the MSI Z87I Gaming AC as all will be so squeezed close to the 240 rad.

Posts merged

As someone who owns a Z87i gaming AC I'd say its only worth it if you can deal with the stupid Killer LAN software. Apart from that crap its a great board. A bit of an odd layout so you have to be a bit more careful with case choice (I had to disassemble my 901 to route the 24 pin in).

What is that? How come its so bad?