Asus Z97-A vs Gigabyte GA Z97X-SLI & Power Supply?

[DrivenMuffin]

Hello all,

I previously made a PC build help thread, and received a lot of great answers, but I am still stuck on which motherboard to pick as well as a question about my power supply.

I currently have the Asus motherboard in my PC build, but have been torn between the two for about a week now. The Gigabyte motherboard is quite a lot cheaper. I am not sure what features they both have, or anything technically specific, so I need your guy's help.

If you suggest the Asus, could you please tell me what about it is worth the extra money (other than the sleek look). If you suggest the Gigabyte, could you please tell me what about it is better than the Asus, and/or if there are any other Gigabyte motherboards that are better than the GA Z97X-SLI.

Lastly, I have a question for my PSU. On pcpartpicker, the estimated wattage is showing under 400W. I currently have a Corsair CX 600W PSU on my build, but I want to know if I need the 600W, or a lesser wattage. Please recommend one as well.

 

[GRUxTSAR]

I'd go with the Z97-A unless the Z97X has features that you need. I'd also strongly suggest to avoid the Corsair CX series entirely as they are only good for budget PCs. Personally, I'd shoot for around 650w-750w regardless because that will give you room for future upgrades and/or SLI/Crossfire of midrange cards. For your PSU, I would look at Antec, EVGA, Seasonic, or XFX.

 

[DrivenMuffin]

I'd go with the Z97-A unless the Z97X has features that you need. I'd also strongly suggest to avoid the Corsair CX series entirely as they are only good for budget PCs. Personally, I'd shoot for around 650w-750w regardless because that will give you room for future upgrades and/or SLI/Crossfire of midrange cards. For your PSU, I would look at Antec, EVGA, Seasonic, or XFX.

Thank you! I am not really sure what features I need...can you tell me if the Asus / Gigabyte would work with this build? And which would be more appropriate for it?:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($152.71 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($95.72 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.71 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.97 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: LG 23EA53V-P 23.0" Monitor ($168.23 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($117.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M65 Wired Laser Mouse ($55.79 @ DirectCanada)
Headphones: Corsair Vengeance 2100 7.1 Channel Headset ($90.38 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1660.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-23 21:57 EDT-0400

 

[GRUxTSAR]

Everything looks good, but if I were you, I'd get a 4gb GTX 760 because that will allow you to SLI in the future and still have enough VRAM to max all the future games. You also seemingly forgot to change the PSU (The Corsair CX series are notorious for failures). Here is a list of PSUs. Try to get something from either Tier 1, 2A, or 2B.

One more thing; I'd take a look at the Corsair Raptor M45 instead of the Vengeance M65 due to laser mice having acceleration which will hinder your aim in games, but that is completely up to you as mice are a subject of personal preference.