Cheap Mini ITX motherboard to fit Intel - Core i3-7100

[theo.superjock2142]

I am building a mini form factor gaming rig for around $500:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gcCxwV

I am getting an error message saying: Some Intel H110 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Kaby Lake-S CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions.

Will this Motherboard work with the core i3? Should I be looking at another Motherboard/CPU option for my gaming rig?

 

[raisonjohn]

If you are using a 7th-gen (Kaby Lake) CPU, you should pair it with a 7th-gen motherboard such as the B250, H270, or Z270, to eliminate the possibility of having an unupdated BIOS that will not work out-of-the-box when using 6th-gen H110 mobos.

Examples:

MSI B250i Pro: MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)

MSI H270i Gaming Pro AC: MSI - H270I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($83.88 @ OutletPC)

 

[Calvin7]

H110 motherboard requires a 6th Gen CPU to update BIOS in order to use a 7th Gen i3-7100. A G3900 Celeron will cost you an additional $40.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk4-vzfOu1gIVhFmGCh3CpgK9EAYYASABEgL-svD_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1285808

 

[theo.superjock2142]

If you are using a 7th-gen (Kaby Lake) CPU, you should pair it with a 7th-gen motherboard such as the B250, H270, or Z270, to eliminate the possibility of having an unupdated BIOS that will not work out-of-the-box when using 6th-gen H110 mobos.

Examples:

MSI B250i Pro: MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)

MSI H270i Gaming Pro AC: MSI - H270I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($83.88 @ OutletPC)

Is there a possibility that the ASRock - H110M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard or other 6th gen Motherboard would come stock with the BIOS update? Is there any way to check this? i'm pretty set on using this CPU (I think it's the best at this price point for a budget gamer unless someone else provides something better)

 

[raisonjohn]

Only way to check is to contact the supplier directly and verify or have the H110 mobo be provided with an updated BIOS (using a 6th-gen CPU) as a request, if possible, so that your 7th-gen CPU would work.

If by chance the mobo doesn't, you need to buy a 6th-gen CPU so you can update the BIOS yourself (before using the 7th-gen CPU).

If it does have an updated BIOS already, then, that i3-7100 will run/boot up your Asrock H110M mobo out-of-the-box.

Note also that the H110 mobos only run the RAM in 2133MHz speeds (unlike the B250 and H270 mobos I suggested). So, since in your parts list, you will be using 2400MHz RAM, it would only run in a downgraded 2133MHz speed.

Alternatively, to save on costs, you can consider getting the 7th-gen Pentium G4560 instead of the i3-7100. The G4560 does have 2-core but is one of the few Pentiums that HAS hyperthreading (4 threads) which is similar to the i3-7100 (also with 2-core/4-thread) but runs at a slighlty higher clock speed (+400MHz). Their difference is only about ~10% in performance (http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Pentium-G4560-vs-Intel-Core-i3-7100/3892vs3891) but you can save $20 for a better and appropriate motherboard.

The Pentium G4560 pairs nicely with the GTX 1050 Ti (and, to an extent, even a GTX 1060).

The cost of your i3-7100 + Asrock H110M-ITX/ac is at $178.88.

The cost of the G4560 + MSI H270I Gaming Pro AC (if you really need wi-fi connectivity) is $173.67:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($89.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - H270I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($83.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $173.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-18 14:37 EDT-0400

If you don't need wi-fi, and wired/ethernet connectivity is enough for your rig, you can get the G4560 + MSI B250I Pro for only $161.77 (after a $10 rebate in Newegg):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($89.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $161.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-18 14:39 EDT-0400

If you really really want that i3-7100 at $109.89, and pair that with any of the above suggested 7th-gen motherboards, the H270I costing $83.88 or the B250I costing $71.98, it will only cost you a total of either $193.77 or $181.87, respectively (the first being $14.89 more and the second being just $2.99 more -- all for which don't need a BIOS update and will run your 2400MHz RAM at its rated speed).