6th Generation Skylake Motherboard Recommendations (non-overclocked)

[tylerz777]

So I've been looking into the different options for motherboards to go along with my i5 6600 @ 3.3Gighertz, 16GB 3000Mhz Corsair Ram. What I'm looking for is m.2/NVME support as well as SATA (I've got 3 Sata III SSDS and would like to add an NVME drive). From what I understand the Z series boards are mostly for overclocking, but do they offer better features such as improved support for expansion devices and such ? Right now I am torn between ther AUS ROG STRIX H270F GAMING or the ASUS ROG MAXIMUMUS VIII HERO. They seem to be for more advanced CPUS (8th generation) but also seem backwards compatible ? I'm not sure if I would be able to make use of the advanced features with an older generation CPU ? If someone could please offer some advice it would be much appreciated. I have also looked into H170 and Z170 boards that are all LGA 1151 compatible, but I just don't know what to pick that will satisfy my needs. Thank you for your time.

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-H270F-GAMING/
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/MAXIMUS-VIII-HERO/

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

From my understanding, NVME is usually on a PCIe card and support simply comes down to the BIOS. Which the Maximus will have. I'd say go with the maximus, and then down the line if you come accross a K series Skylake chip for a great price you can always just pop that bad boy in and start overclocking because you'll already have the motherboard for it.

So to sum up, get the Maximus and update it's BIOS to the latest version. The best way to update the BIOS on ASUS boards without much hassle (that I've personally found) is to connect using LAN and then do the update from within the BIOS using the network update option. Then simply upgrade to a K series for overclocking if and when you feel like it.

 

[tylerz777]

I believe I mixed up M.2 and NVME, my mistake. I want the MOBO to be compatible with both M.2 and SSDs simultaneously and from what I have read some motherboards will disable SATA ports if you use an M.2 drive ? I'm also never planning on overclocking, I much prefer stability to bleeding edge performance so I'm not sure if I should splurge on extra features that I will not use ? I am currently leaning towards the STRIX based on a high percentage of one star amazon reviews on the Maximumus VIII Hero.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

ah, ok. I see what you are asking.
This is posted on the website you linked for the specs.

1 x M.2 x4 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)*1

*1 When the M.2 Socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 1 will be disabled.

So if you are putting an M.2 drive in there, and it's a powerful one that can run in PCIe mode, then unless you've got a million PCIe addons taking up slots and using lanes then just run it in PCIe mode. Alternatively, as it states, it will use the SATA 1 port for it which to my knowledge is a 6GB/s port and most SATA SSD's only require and run in 3GB/s mode so you're not missing out there. In fact, the board has 6 SATA ports on it that run up to 6GB/s so like I said, if your M.2 drive is an NVME drive or similar that can get a speed boost from using PCIe lanes then you can let it run in SATA mode. Or, if you have 6 devices total (whether it be an SSD, HDD or some other device that connects using SATA) to take up those ports then you'll run it in PCIe mode as well.

Also, you won't be running unstable if you overclock. Only if you overclock to an unstable level and keep it there. I have my CPU overclocked to 4.6Ghz because that's where it stays stable. (It actually goes to 4.7Ghz stable but it just runs a little hotter than I'd like it too). It's not unstable in any way and I keep my PC going 24/7 for the most part. As long as you don't try to go beyond a CPU's limitations and try to keep it there and have appropriate cooling solutions then you are golden. But with my OC I am getting the performance that I paid for in my CPU, because, if it can go there, then why am I not putting it there? It's extra performance at no cost to me. Sure, it'll put a little more strain on it's lifespan but the difference is so little that it doesn't matter, like, as an exaggerated example, without the OC it would last for 20 years, but with the OC (and of course proper cooling to keep the temps down cuz that's what'll kill it the fastest) it'll last for 17 years. But in the short term, those numbers are small and in the long term, well, I'm not gonna keep a CPU for that long.