My 1st PC Build - Need Mobo advice

[inFamousTyy]

Need Mobo advice - 1st PC Build

Hi guys. I'm completely new to the forums here at oc3d. This website was referred to me by a friend and I could really use some advice from more experienced builders.

I'm really stuck on what motherboard to buy.. let alone what mobo to even look at. I researched a ton but I'm still pretty confused. From what I've read, mobos are the most difficult to shop for. That being said, my CPU and GPU I have already picked out:

Intel Core i5 6600k Skylake
Nvidia GTX 980 (MSI vs EVGA vs Gigabyte) - Another recommendation please?

With these two parts in mind, I could really use some recommendations. I would like for my motherboard to have onboard 802.11ac WIFI, unless you all really recommend buying my own PCI WIFI piece or a WIFI USB adapter.. these are the things that are in my mind and I appreciate everyone's input in ahead of time. Won't a PCI WIFI card take up a PCIe lane on the mobo, and if so will that limit me?

No budget for the mobo.. that being said I don't want to drop an arm and a leg on it. Also, I want a mobo that is future-proof if you know what I mean.

Thank you.

 

[AlienALX]

Don't buy the 980 it's a tragic waste of money. Either get the Radeon 390 or a cheap 390x (you can get them for around £299 now). If you are absolutely dead set on Nvidia then either get the 970 and overclock it (et voila, one 980 sorta kinda) or save up a little bit more and get the 980ti.

I'm a bit crap at Skylake boards so I will leave that in the capable hands of some one else

 

[inFamousTyy]

Don't buy the 980 it's a tragic waste of money. Either get the Radeon 390 or a cheap 390x (you can get them for around £299 now). If you are absolutely dead set on Nvidia then either get the 970 and overclock it (et voila, one 980 sorta kinda) or save up a little bit more and get the 980ti.

I'm a bit crap at Skylake boards so I will leave that in the capable hands of some one else

Thank you for the reply! May I ask why the 980 is a waste of money? I guess I can wait a bit longer and save up more for a Ti.. I just wanted the 980 model and knew it was the latest that nvidia has come out with. As far as skylake boards, I think Asus may be my best bet from all the reviews I'm reading

 

[tinytomlogan]

Motherboards wise if it was my own money Id be buying an Asus, even the Z170-A is an epic board for £110

If it has to have on board wifi you are looking at the Z170 Deluxe or the Hero Alpha (cheapest models with that feature)

 

[inFamousTyy]

Motherboards wise if it was my own money Id be buying an Asus, even the Z170-A is an epic board for £110

If it has to have on board wifi you are looking at the Z170 Deluxe or the Hero Alpha (cheapest models with that feature)

Thank you, I appreciate it. Tbh, those are the exact 2 I'm deciding between. I'll more than likely go with the Hero Alpha and start saving a little more for the 980Ti vs 980

 

[Kilbane]

1st off welcome to the forums fella.

GPU wise, if you are after best single card performance then the 980ti is a better investment. However if your trying to keep the build price down then a 970 or a 390 will offer a great gaming experience @1080p. You have not said what monitor you are looking to game on so can't really say anything much more on the subjest.

Motherboard wise, Asus are always a good bet. If your looking at Overclocking the CPU then I would personally go to one of the Maximus VIII ROG boards. WiFi onboard would be the extreme yet will cost a small fortune over say the Hero or Formula. If you use a PCIE x1 Wifi adapter (Short PCIE slot) it will not effect the PCIE lanes needed for your GPU and will be fine for what you are needing.

Edit : Forgot about the Hero Alpha now having WiFi, great board for what you need

 

[barnsley]

For Motherboards ASUS are a solid bet. The other manufacturers also do reasonable motherboards but if you want something that is well known on the internet then go ASUS.

Remember that you don't need to 'waste' money on getting a top of the range motherboard unless you can see yourself using those extra features down the line.

The 980 is junk as a single card unless you find one on a daily deal (aka heavily discounted).

 

[Tolemac]

Hi and welcome to OC3D

As the above post have said go ASUS ( I only use ASUS boards as I find them very reliable) as for you GPU the 390 or 390X are best price to performance cards right now matey

 

[AlienALX]

Thank you for the reply! May I ask why the 980 is a waste of money? I guess I can wait a bit longer and save up more for a Ti.. I just wanted the 980 model and knew it was the latest that nvidia has come out with. As far as skylake boards, I think Asus may be my best bet from all the reviews I'm reading

You absolutely may fella, that's what we are here for

Right now the prices of the 980 make it a LOL card. It doesn't really fit in anywhere because the 970 is almost as good, sans 500mb or so of extra VRAM and a few more ROPS. However, in gaming the 970 will perform every bit as good as the 980 @ 1080p and 1440p and 970s can be had for around £230. Radeon 390s are every so slightly faster (I mean a tiny amount) than the 970 and they also cost £230. The Radeon is better though because it has 8gb VRAM (more than you will ever need) and the VRAM is full fat with a nice big fat memory pipe giving you great memory bandwidth.

The 980 really needs to cost what the 390x does but it doesn't. It's massively over priced for a card that performs as it does.

This is why if you are a hardened Nvidia fan your options realistically are either a 970 or the big bad wolf, the 980TI.

It's impossible to justify the cost of the 980 for the performance it gives and where it sits.

 

[Dawelio]

You absolutely may fella, that's what we are here for

Right now the prices of the 980 make it a LOL card. It doesn't really fit in anywhere because the 970 is almost as good, sans 500mb or so of extra VRAM and a few more ROPS. However, in gaming the 970 will perform every bit as good as the 980 @ 1080p and 1440p and 970s can be had for around £230. Radeon 390s are every so slightly faster (I mean a tiny amount) than the 970 and they also cost £230. The Radeon is better though because it has 8gb VRAM (more than you will ever need) and the VRAM is full fat with a nice big fat memory pipe giving you great memory bandwidth.

The 980 really needs to cost what the 390x does but it doesn't. It's massively over priced for a card that performs as it does.

This is why if you are a hardened Nvidia fan your options realistically are either a 970 or the big bad wolf, the 980TI.

It's impossible to justify the cost of the 980 for the performance it gives and where it sits.

This is what me likey with this forum *Thumbs up*

 

[inFamousTyy]

You absolutely may fella, that's what we are here for

Right now the prices of the 980 make it a LOL card. It doesn't really fit in anywhere because the 970 is almost as good, sans 500mb or so of extra VRAM and a few more ROPS. However, in gaming the 970 will perform every bit as good as the 980 @ 1080p and 1440p and 970s can be had for around £230. Radeon 390s are every so slightly faster (I mean a tiny amount) than the 970 and they also cost £230. The Radeon is better though because it has 8gb VRAM (more than you will ever need) and the VRAM is full fat with a nice big fat memory pipe giving you great memory bandwidth.

The 980 really needs to cost what the 390x does but it doesn't. It's massively over priced for a card that performs as it does.

This is why if you are a hardened Nvidia fan your options realistically are either a 970 or the big bad wolf, the 980TI.

It's impossible to justify the cost of the 980 for the performance it gives and where it sits.

Wow. Just want to say every single one of you guys (or ladies ) are awesome. Thank you for the swift replies.

I'm definitely going to go with the 980Ti now. You guys sold me on it. I would prefer to not run AMD on my first build. I'm going to get the Asus Maximum VIII Hero Alpha. If I have anymore questions I will let you guys know

Posts merged - Please use the multi-quote button instead of posting multiple times in a row

1st off welcome to the forums fella.

GPU wise, if you are after best single card performance then the 980ti is a better investment. However if your trying to keep the build price down then a 970 or a 390 will offer a great gaming experience @1080p. You have not said what monitor you are looking to game on so can't really say anything much more on the subjest.

Motherboard wise, Asus are always a good bet. If your looking at Overclocking the CPU then I would personally go to one of the Maximus VIII ROG boards. WiFi onboard would be the extreme yet will cost a small fortune over say the Hero or Formula. If you use a PCIE x1 Wifi adapter (Short PCIE slot) it will not effect the PCIE lanes needed for your GPU and will be fine for what you are needing.

Edit : Forgot about the Hero Alpha now having WiFi, great board for what you need

I appreciate your welcome and your advice! Going with the alpha! What does a good quality, but affordable 1440p monitor run at these days?