Asrock B250M Pro4 vs MSI B250M Mortar Arctic

[JDG14]

Hi, helping my brother on deciding what to choose between the two. He decided to start new with his Tecware Quad build.

Here are the following specs.
Processor: Intel G4560
Ram: Corsair LPX 16gb
GPU: Onboard (For now)
SSD: L7 Evo 120gb SSD
HDD: Excelstor 160gb HDD (Will replace eventually with 1tb)
Chassis: Tecware Quad White

As for the PSU, I'll be lending my spare Aerocool VP500 PSU. My question here also, is it enough to power this Rig + GTX1060? That's the Graphics Card my brother is planning to buy in the future (I hope the price will go back to normal).

And as much as I like to turn him to AMD side 😀 I can't because I don't have a spare graphics card right now.

But still your opinion matters to us also. If we're opting for Intel, which is better board between the two? Or If AMD is the better choice here, what board and entry level graphics card would you recommend?

Thanks a lot 😀

 

[raisonjohn]

Hi, helping my brother on deciding what to choose between the two. He decided to start new with his Tecware Quad build.

Here are the following specs.
Processor: Intel G4560
Ram: Corsair LPX 16gb
GPU: Onboard (For now)
SSD: L7 Evo 120gb SSD
HDD: Excelstor 160gb HDD (Will replace eventually with 1tb)
Chassis: Tecware Quad White

As for the PSU, I'll be lending my spare Aerocool VP500 PSU. My question here also, is it enough to power this Rig + GTX1060? That's the Graphics Card my brother is planning to buy in the future (I hope the price will go back to normal).

And as much as I like to turn him to AMD side 😀 I can't because I don't have a spare graphics card right now.

But still your opinion matters to us also. If we're opting for Intel, which is better board between the two? Or If AMD is the better choice here, what board and entry level graphics card would you recommend?

Thanks a lot 😀

The choice of motherboard depends on what features you want and what ports/connections you need.

Between the two, the Asrock B250M Pro4 and the MSI B250M Mortar Arctic, you get the following similar features:

Both have 4x RAM slots supporting up to 2400MHz speed and 64GB capacity
Both have 6x SATA ports
Both have 2x PCIe3.0 x16 slots (running in x16/x4 mode) and supports 2-Way AMD CrossFire
Both have 6x USB ports at rear panel (2x USB2.0 + 3x USB3.0 Type-A + 1x USB3.0 Type-C)
Both require a 24-pin ATX power cable and an 8-pin ATX12V/EPS power cable from your PSU
Both use Intel I219V LAN Controller and use Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec
Both are standard mATX size (244mm x 244mm), White + Black Themed, and has an I/O Shroud
Both have 6 Power Phases
Both have 2x USB2.0 (9-pin) internal headers and 1x USB3.0 (19-pin) internal header

What sets them apart are these main differences:

Asrock has HDMI, DVI-D and VGA onboard video outputs | Msi has HDMI, DVI-D and DP
Asrock has 1x PCIe3.0 x1 + 1x PCI slots | Msi has 2x PCIe3.0 x1 slots
Asrock has 2x M.2 sockets (both up to 32 Gb/s) | Msi has 1x M.2 socket
Asrock has 2x CPU_FAN (1 is 3-pin) + 2x CHA_FAN headers | Msi has 1x CPU_FAN + 3x CHA_FAN 4-pin headers
Asrock has no RGB LED strip header | Msi has 1x RGB LED strip header
Asrock has no ambient LED lighting | Msi has White-colored ambient LED lighting
Asrock has 3x 3.5mm Audio Jacks at the rear panel | Msi has 6x 3.5mm Audio Jacks

Specs-for-specs, the Msi B250M Mortar Arctic has more features but has one less M.2 socket. It is up to your personal preferences and requirements which of the above motherboard will suit your build, given the above differences.

As to the PSU, your current Aerocool VP-500 (Value Series) is a low-quality unit. Though it can provide 34A (or 408W at the 12V rail) which is enough to power your rig, the PSU's performance, efficiency, and reliability is poor.

I would strongly recommend to get a better-quality unit, such as the Corsair CX450M or the Seasonic M12II-520 EVO to run your G4560 + GTX 1060-6GB rig:

Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)

SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)