Help deciding between motherboards

alonbl

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Mar 28, 2013
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Hi guys, I'm planning to build a new PC with a K cpu and OC it. I need your help choosing the best mobo from the list below. BTW where I'm from there is no Asrock so my options are:

MSI Z370 GAMING M5
MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON
ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-H (didnt find E version here)
Asus PRIME Z370-A
Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 5
 
Solution


Except for the Asus Z370-H (which is lower in performance and considered "mainstream"/semi-entry-level), all the others are considered in the "higher-end" level, with only slight differences. I'd skip the Z370-H for its weaker MOSFET structure and lower VCore phase count.

Selecting among the Msi Z370 Gaming M5, Msi Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon, Asus Z370...


Except for the Asus Z370-H (which is lower in performance and considered "mainstream"/semi-entry-level), all the others are considered in the "higher-end" level, with only slight differences. I'd skip the Z370-H for its weaker MOSFET structure and lower VCore phase count.

Selecting among the Msi Z370 Gaming M5, Msi Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon, Asus Z370 Prime-A, and Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5 will depend on which features or connectivity you need.

All of the four aforementioned boards have or use:

  • ■ 10x VCore phases, all using ON Semi FETs (with the Prime A and Gaming 5 using better variants than the others).
    ■ At least 2x M.2 slots, all supporting PCIe3.0 x4 speeds (with the Gaming 5 having 1x more for a total of 3x.)
    ■ 3x PCIe3.0 x16 slots (with the Gaming 5 sharing bandwidth with one of its 3x M.2 slots, as the rest only have 2x M.2).
    ■ 6x SATA3.0 ports (all in 90-degree orientation, except for Pro Carbon having 4x out of 6x in 90-degree layout).
    ■ 4x DIMM slots (all reinforced with armor shielding, except for Prime A).
    ■ At least 6x PWM/DC fan headers (with the Gaming 5 having 2x more for a total of 8x).
    ■ On-board LED Debug indicators (but only Gaming 5 and M5 have the 2-digit hexadecimal LED Code Display).
    ■ ALC1220 audio codec (with Prime A using a variant S1220A, and the Pro Carbon using 2x ALC1220 or dual codecs).
    ■ RGB lighting and Sync support, including at least one +12V RGB header (but Gaming 5 and M5 have additional headers)
    ■ 2x internal USB2.0 headers, 1x USB3.1-C port, 1x USB3.1-A port (with slight differences on USB3.0/2.0 port quantities).
    ■ 2x internal USB3.0 headers (note that Gaming 5 only has 1x traditional 19-pin USB3.0 but it does have a 1x 20-pin Type-C USB3.1 header only capable of running in USB3.0 speeds, so it's similar).
    ■ I/O shroud/cover (but Gaming 5 and M5 extends its shroud all the way down to act as an Audio shroud/cover).
The other apparent differences among the four are as follows:

  • Gaming 5 and Pro Carbon have a grand total of 8x USB ports, while M5 has 7x, and Prime-A has 6x.
    ■ All use Intel I219-V LAN controller, except for Gaming 5 which uses an arguably slightly lower performing Killer E2500.
    Gaming 5 has a pre-installed Wi-Fi module (albeit, only Intel 3165 1T1R 433Mbps), while the others have no Wi-Fi.
    M5 has a BIOS Flashback button at mid-board and a Clear CMOS button at rear panel (the rest have none).
    Prime-A has a Power button and MemOK! button mid-board (the rest have none).
So, with the above differences, its up to you which specific feature or connetivity you need among the four boards in consideration.

For more information, and to easily compare other specifications of motherboards, see the comparison tables here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3546694/z370-motherboards-lga1151v2-comparison-tables.html
 
Solution


Thank you so much for the detailed explanation!
Can you say which of the four mobo's would be the best for overclocking and the most reliable?
 


Thanks!
But I had some Gigabyte products that failed on me and never had MSI. So I think I'll go for the MSI M5.