Do I need this expensive motherboard?

[Jtgrimes]

I currently have an ASUS Z87-Plus on my parts list and I'm trying to save some money. Do I need this motherboard for best performance or can I get a lower asus board and not be affected? I plan to overclock and I need to run a few drives including ssd's so i need 6gb/s

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jtgrimes/saved/2hSP

 

[Tradesman1]

The Plus or the Z87-A would be as low as I'd go on Z87 if you want to OC any

 

[RealBeast]

The Plus or the Z87-A would be as low as I'd go on Z87 if you want to OC any

After many hundreds of builds, I must totally agree with Tradesman1 on this. I've used 15 or 20 ASUS Z87 Plus or A boards and everyone has been a beauty.

 

[Jtgrimes]

Are the difference between them worth the $20?

 

[_guillem]

In my opinion when it comes down to cpu and mobo i try to get the best possible, i mean these are the components that last longer, its not like adding more ram or more hdd...

 

[RealBeast]

Having used both, the A is fine IMO unless you want the onboard wireless of the Pro. I do not consider the 2 extra ASMedia SATA ports worth anything, as I would add a card if I needed more than 6. The Intel LAN port is a slight plus but not for the money.

 

[Tradesman1]

Having used both, the A is fine IMO unless you want the onboard wireless of the Pro. I do not consider the 2 extra ASMedia SATA ports worth anything, as I would add a card if I needed more than 6. The Intel LAN port is a slight plus but not for the money.

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Plus not Pro - two different animals, the Plus is a little better handling heat and OCing and has a couple extra SATA nand USB 3 ports - really just if the PLUS has anything you think you'll need