best selection of motherboards to take for a I7-8700K

[ecastan1992]

What would be the best selection of motherboards to take for a I7-8700K? This will be used for gaming most of the time, video editing, and recording. I am planning on building a pc, I currently have a laptop which I will use to stream online via capture card while I game on the new PC(once its built)

Any recommendations?

My budget is flexible but possible between $2000-$2500?
I might be willing to wait for the new GPU that is suppose to come hopefully soon!
No built-in wifi needed as I will be using Ethernet cable

Would you guys recommend overclocking? If so I will need advice on how to do this when building a pc

All the help I can get will be appreciated! Thanks

 

[feelinfroggy777]

The AsRock Z370 Extreme4 is a good motherboard for a good price. It will overclock well and has good features while it wont break the bank. You really don't need to spend $250 on a motherboard as you really don't get much more out of it than a good midrange board. Some of the higher end motherboard may give you a 100mhz higher overclock, but I don't feel it is worth the extra $100 for 100mhz.

For overclocking, you really need to make sure you have good cooling. The 8700k is a hot chip, so you will need a good cooler. The Cryorig H5 is a really good air cooler for around $40. The Noctua NH-D15 is one of the best air coolers around $80. If you go with a liquid all in one cooler, make sure you get a 240mm radiator or larger. The 120/140mm don't cool the CPU very well. Air coolers are quieter than liquid cooling, but some cases and configurations don't support big air coolers.

Here is a good video on overclocking that explains how to do it. It is really easy and there are only a couple of things you need to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcta3RStYSM

 

[ecastan1992]

Thanks for you advice!

Well my budget is pretty flexible does I wouldn't mind getting a better motherboard if it really makes a difference in performance for my whole system.

How about ram wise? What do you recommend dual-channel DDR4 memory or quad-channel DDR4 memory? I was thinking of getting 32gbs but not sure if that's overkill
Also how many watts? I know it's hard to guess if you don't know all the pieces
I'm new to all these stuff but I am learning here and there.

I think I'll stick to air cooler since I don't know much about liquid cooling and how often it needs to be switched

As for the video I will definitely check it out once I get home from work. Although I doubt I will need this.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

If you want a top of the line motherboard, the gigabyte gaming 7 is a great choice.

As for RAM, 16gb will be plenty for now. RAM prices are really high right now, so I would get enough for now and you can always get more later. There are no games that use more than 16gb of RAM. Any additional RAM in your system will just sit idle doing nothing.

The 8700k runs on dual channel motherboards. You wont be able to run quad channel. If you run 4 sticks of RAM, you will still be in dual channel. To go quad channel you will need a Skylake X system or a Threadripper. Those can get expensive in a hurry and wont help in gaming performance. For some work station task, such as video editing, a HEDT CPU will be great. But the 1950x cost $1k and the 8700k will game better.

For your PSU it depends on what GPU you get. The CPU and GPU use most of the power. Everything else is pretty limited. A 8700k and a 1080ti will run fine on a quality 650watt PSU. That is about as much wattage as you will need. Get a good PSU as a malfunction can damage your hardware. A quality PSU from Corsair, Seasonic, or EVGA is what I would recommend.

 

[ecastan1992]

If you want a top of the line motherboard, the gigabyte gaming 7 is a great choice.

As for RAM, 16gb will be plenty for now. RAM prices are really high right now, so I would get enough for now and you can always get more later. There are no games that use more than 16gb of RAM. Any additional RAM in your system will just sit idle doing nothing.

The 8700k runs on dual channel motherboards. You wont be able to run quad channel. If you run 4 sticks of RAM, you will still be in dual channel. To go quad channel you will need a Skylake X system or a Threadripper. Those can get expensive in a hurry and wont help in gaming performance. For some work station task, such as video editing, a HEDT CPU will be great. But the 1950x cost $1k and the 8700k will game better.

For your PSU it depends on what GPU you get. The CPU and GPU use most of the power. Everything else is pretty limited. A 8700k and a 1080ti will run fine on a quality 650watt PSU. That is about as much wattage as you will need. Get a good PSU as a malfunction can damage your hardware. A quality PSU from Corsair, Seasonic, or EVGA is what I would recommend.

I'll look into the gigabyte gaming 7 and see if it's worth spending a little more for it.
You really made it clear for and easy to understand the difference between dual and quad Rams. I feel silly for asking that question now.
So I'll just stick to 16gb ram and upgrade if needed. Any specific ram brand you recommend?

I was thinking of getting an i9 core but really didn't think it was worth paying almost 1k for it.

But really thank you for all your advice! You made it really clear for me. I will take your advice into consideration. I was worry about building my first PC and ending up buying the incorrect pieces.

Also if I end up getting the gigabyte gaming 7 what case would you recommend?
I was thinking of doing some rgb lighting just to make it look nice but it isn't really necessary since it's just for looks.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

RAM brands is not really important. The chips on the RAM sticks are made by the same 3 companies, Samsung, Micron and Sk Hynix. I would get whichever is cheapest. Gskill Series V is good RAM and usually pretty cheap.

Phanteks makes great cases. The Phanteks Enthoo Luxe is really nice. I also like Fractal Design. NZXT and Corsair have good cases too. But with cases, you get what you pay for. I would not recommend putting a 2k system in a $50 case. But that does not mean go crazy either. There are several high end cases on the market around $150.