Question Gigabyte Z490M GAMING X vs MSI Z490-A PRO

[zoump]

I am going for i5-10600k. It won't be a gaming PC and it's my first build.
Which one of the above should I choose and why? I couldn't notice any important differences, but I'm not expert on this.

So, based on brand, which of the above has better:

Driver updates (e.g. Intel ME, Chipset, etc.)
Support / Customer Care
BIOS features
BIOS updates
Software

Tell me your opinion, thanks in advance.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

There's a slight problem in the way you've fashioned the thread, primarily how you don't want this build for gaming but people who aim for the Z series are people who overclock(and game) and want to squeeze the most out of their investments(with said overclock).

Which one of the above should I choose and why?
What are you looking for in your motherboard/system purchase?

Chipset - is the same, so drivers will be the same except for the NIC implemented
BIOS features - that is dependent on GUI/user input, some like them, some don't
BIOS updates - they all update the same, use pen drive and manually flash the BIOS with corresponding BIOS
Software - they can vary, some are removed after a board is released while some might be added

If the system is not for gaming, might just look into the H410 chipset, dial down the processor to a non-K suffix unit and pick up a dual channel DDR4-2666MHz ram kit.

One more thing, why are you comparing an matx motherboard to an atx motherboard? Their form factors are different and due to less real-estate, some things can be left off the table.

 

[zoump]

Thanks for all those info. Maybe I'm confused.
I'm a junior dev, so I mostly have a lot of software running together, especially browsers. It's not gaming, but still a big load. I chose Z chipset and 10600k just to be able to overclock in the future if I need something more - I don't want to hit the limits in the next year(s) as my tasks on the PC get more and more demanding. I don't know if this thinking is good.

Also, I thought that form-factor is not something that matters. Could you give me some info to read about this and learn more?