Getting an i7 7700k, is the Prime Z270-A good enough?

[apav]

Hi guys,

I'm currently about to upgrade my build and was recommended this motherboard. I understand that this is a good, well rounded budget motherboard and you really can't go wrong with it, but since I'm splurging for the i7 7700k should I at least go with a motherboard of similar quality, like the TUF Mark 1 (since this is a workstation/gaming PC)? Or in the case of motherboards, does that not really apply? Could I go with one of the best CPUs on the market and a basic motherboard and be absolutely fine?

So I guess what I'm really asking is, is the price difference between the Prime Z270-A and the TUF Z270 Mark 1 worth the benefits you're getting when you're using a high end CPU like the i7 7700k?

Thank you!

 

[Herc08]

I wouldn't say BASIC, but something form ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, or MSI should do you just fine. The Prime Z270 is just fine.

 

[jpe1701]

The higher end motherboards are only worth it if they have a feature that you need. The prime z270a is a great choice. Nothing wrong with using a midrange board. The performance will be the same.

 

[apav]

I wouldn't say BASIC, but something form ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, or MSI should do you just fine. The Prime Z270 is just fine.

Well I meant basic because that is exactly what Prime is compared to the other Asus Z270 lines. It's still a great board, but if I'm buying one of the best CPUs on the market shouldn't I be looking at intermediate enthusiast level boards at least? I'm not gimping myself by getting a high end CPU and a "budget" board right?

 

[apav]

The higher end motherboards are only worth it if they have a feature that you need. The prime z270a is a great choice. Nothing wrong with using a midrange board. The performance will be the same.

Well I want to use this PC as a workstation for web/software development as well as for gaming. If the thermals allow, I will probably give the 7700k a light overclock since I'm looking to get a 1440p 144hz monitor in the near future. I also leave my computer on a lot. That's why I was considering the TUF Mark 1. But I'm not using it to run a server or do any heavy overclocking, so maybe I should just stick with the Prime instead.

 

[Herc08]

I wouldn't say BASIC, but something form ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, or MSI should do you just fine. The Prime Z270 is just fine.

Well I meant basic because that is exactly what Prime is compared to the other Asus Z270 lines. It's still a great board, but if I'm buying one of the best CPUs on the market shouldn't I be looking at intermediate enthusiast level boards at least? I'm not gimping myself by getting a high end CPU and a "budget" board right?

No not at all. It also depends on what you are going to do with that i7. The 7700K is not an enthusiast chip, it's still mainstream.

 

[Herc08]

The higher end motherboards are only worth it if they have a feature that you need. The prime z270a is a great choice. Nothing wrong with using a midrange board. The performance will be the same.

Well I want to use this PC as a workstation for web/software development as well as for gaming. If the thermals allow, I will probably give the 7700k a light overclock since I'm looking to get a 1440p 144hz monitor in the near future.

It you are looking for a light overclock (below 4.5ghz) then a high-end motherboard is just like donating that extra money to the company.

 

[jpe1701]

I wouldn't say BASIC, but something form ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, or MSI should do you just fine. The Prime Z270 is just fine.

Well I meant basic because that is exactly what Prime is compared to the other Asus Z270 lines. It's still a great board, but if I'm buying one of the best CPUs on the market shouldn't I be looking at intermediate enthusiast level boards at least? I'm not gimping myself by getting a high end CPU and a "budget" board right?

The higher end motherboards are only worth it if they have a feature that you need. The prime z270a is a great choice. Nothing wrong with using a midrange board. The performance will be the same.

Well I want to use this PC as a workstation for web/software development as well as for gaming. If the thermals allow, I will probably give the 7700k a light overclock since I'm looking to get a 1440p 144hz monitor in the near future.

Yeah the z270 will be perfect. I'd use the money saved for a better gpu.

 

[apav]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm still struggling to decide if I really want to go with an i7 7700k over an R7 1700, but at least I know now that whichever I decide on the Prime series is my best bet.

 

[jpe1701]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm still struggling to decide if I really want to go with an i7 7700k over an R7 1700, but at least I know that for both the Prime series is my best bet.

Hard choice. If you go with Ryzen I'd use the b350 chipset because it is cheaper, still overclockable, and has all the features you need.

 

[danielthegreate]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm still struggling to decide if I really want to go with an i7 7700k over an R7 1700, but at least I know now that whichever I decide on the Prime series is my best bet.

Depends really on the frame rate you are targeting for your gaming.
If you are willing to sacrifice almost 70-80% of your performance in every other application for 10-20 more fps in the range of 100+ fps in games, then the 7700k. On the other hand, the 7700k is subjectively already crazy fast, so you can't go wrong.
Between the i5 and Ryzen, the Ryzen 5 ( preferably 1600) would be a clear choice, but i7 vs R7 choice is personal preference.

 

[apav]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm still struggling to decide if I really want to go with an i7 7700k over an R7 1700, but at least I know that for both the Prime series is my best bet.

Hard choice. If you go with Ryzen I'd use the b350 chipset because it is cheaper, still overclockable, and has all the features you need.

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm still struggling to decide if I really want to go with an i7 7700k over an R7 1700, but at least I know now that whichever I decide on the Prime series is my best bet.

Depends really on the frame rate you are targeting for your gaming.
If you are willing to sacrifice almost 70-80% of your performance in every other application for 10-20 more fps in the range of 100+ fps in games, then the 7700k. On the other hand, the 7700k is subjectively already crazy fast, so you can't go wrong.
Between the i5 and Ryzen, the Ryzen 5 ( preferably 1600) would be a clear choice, but i7 vs R7 choice is personal preference.

If I understand it correctly, the i7 is a little better overall in current/past games due to most games still not properly utilizing multiple cores, whereas the R7 is significantly better for workstation use, content creation, multitasking, etc. i7 is pretty much bug free but its socket is nearing the end of its life and four cores isn't really future proof. Ryzen is a new architecture so it has issues to be ironed out, but it is more future proof assuming most games will start taking advantage of more cores soon.

If that's the case, seems in my best interest to go with the i7 7700k now and upgrade when four cores start to become a bottleneck, assuming that will happen within the next few years. I get the immediate benefit of more fps in games. I'm not too sure if I will be doing any multitasking where the difference between the two would be noticeable. I mentioned web and software development. I am taking a course where I will be learning how to do both in hopes to pursue a career in that field. Does anyone know if the CPU choice really matters for that?

Thanks again.

 

[jpe1701]

You have a really good grasp of the situation. The I7 will serve you well for those purposes.