Intel Z170 LGA-1151 Motherboard Roundup

mikeny · Aug 7, 2015

Was hoping to see a Asus ROG in the middle of this.

Crashman · Aug 7, 2015

RazberyBandit :

They bounced around a little but not by enough to cause me any concerns (less than 150 KHz). My original table says 100.0 MHz because that's where they settled in (that table gets killed/cannibalized during the "internet friendly" conversion these days).

kaigen :

I'm told that the CPU actually has 20 lanes and that four lanes are reserved for the Alpine Ridge controller, but I have NOT looked into this yet because I haven't tested any of those boards

shrapnel_indie · Aug 8, 2015

Sadly, I have to wait for some of the boards that have shown up in the news sections ahead of this release

Hopefully THG can do a review on the Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI sometime here in the near future as it has a feature I find promising for my use (parallel port?).

lunyone · Aug 8, 2015

So for a semi-basic gaming PC built around current Skylake CPU's that are offered right now, you would be looking at:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($251.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1237.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-08 01:52 EDT-0400

TechyInAZ · Aug 8, 2015

So for a semi-basic gaming PC built around current Skylake CPU's that are offered right now, you would be looking at:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($251.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1237.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-08 01:52 EDT-0400

Looks great. I'd personally get the Z170-A instead of the -P since it's

.

Then a GTX 970 instead.

mikeny · Aug 8, 2015

Is the i7 overkill? I was going for the gold lol......

CPU i7-6700k
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro 110i (if it's released for socket 1151
Motherboard: Asus ROG Max Hero z170
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro 500GB (Windows and drivers)

Storage: Samsung Pro 850 SSD 500GB (Steam Games)
Storage: Samsung Pro 850 SSD 250GB (Origin Games
Video Card: Asus ROG (if it comes out) 980ti x2....SLI
Case: Corsair 760T ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 850 80+ Gold modular
Monitor: Asus RoG g-sync 27" monitor

Crashman · Aug 9, 2015

TechyInAZ :

So for a semi-basic gaming PC built around current Skylake CPU's that are offered right now, you would be looking at:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($251.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1237.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-08 01:52 EDT-0400

Looks great. I'd personally get the Z170-A instead of the -P since it's

.

Then a GTX 970 instead.

OK, but how would you build this if you only had $800?

lunyone · Aug 9, 2015

Crashman :

Well since I can't select an non-OC'ing i5 CPU right now (~$180ish price):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($251.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $786.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-09 01:41 EDT-0400

I could go for a R9 280x, but there is limited options there and the price is a bit much for the more stable GPU's in the 280x range.

Since the only 2 CPU options right now are 6600k and 6700k, their aren't even any affordable <$100 Mobo's to match up with a non-OC'ing CPU's (i5 4 cores like the i5 4460 on Haswell-R).

Best situation is to get an i5 4460 equivalent on S170 (Skylake) with ~$50-75 Mobo (B85/H97 equivalent) with GTX 970/R9 290(x) GPU.

AkhandChakra · Aug 9, 2015

How about this, my Dream Skylake PC - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jinishans/saved/28F9TW

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zj78Bm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zj78Bm/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 31MU97C-B 60Hz 31.0" Monitor ($1299.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 31MU97C-B 60Hz 31.0" Monitor ($1299.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $4559.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-09 03:27 EDT-0400

shrapnel_indie · Aug 9, 2015

mikeny :

For current games, all you really need is an i5.

mikeny :

the H110i is LGA115x compatible, right? LGA1151 doesn't change the 115x footprint for CPU cooling mounts.

mikeny :

ROG branded parts are overpriced in reality... If you look around, I'm sure you can find something cheaper that will work just as well.

mikeny :

Three SSDs? You can save some $$$ by combining at least two into a single drive with multiple partitions.

stairmand · Aug 9, 2015

Better still, just use folders instead. Having separate partitions for origin and steam is moronic.

mikeny · Aug 9, 2015

shrapnel_indie :

mikeny :

For current games, all you really need is an i5.

mikeny :

the H110i is LGA115x compatible, right? LGA1151 doesn't change the 115x footprint for CPU cooling mounts.

mikeny :

ROG branded parts are overpriced in reality... If you look around, I'm sure you can find something cheaper that will work just as well.

mikeny :

Three SSDs? You can save some $$$ by combining at least two into a single drive with multiple partitions.

Thanks for your input

I was getting lonely

mikeny · Aug 9, 2015

stairmand :

I was thinking of keeping them separate. 99% of my games are on Steam. Truly the only thing I play on Origin is The Sims 4 and my nostalgia moment- Theme Hospital.

TechyInAZ · Aug 9, 2015

AkhandChakra :

How about this, my Dream Skylake PC - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jinishans/saved/28F9TW

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zj78Bm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zj78Bm/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 31MU97C-B 60Hz 31.0" Monitor ($1299.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 31MU97C-B 60Hz 31.0" Monitor ($1299.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $4559.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-09 03:27 EDT-0400

Your build is designed 100% for X99 not Z170.

AkhandChakra · Aug 9, 2015

TechyInAZ :

Can you pls let me know which of the parts are for X99 (though I'm new to DIY building my 1st PC), I thought I've used mostly z170 stuff.

TechyInAZ · Aug 10, 2015

AkhandChakra :

You can easily run Z170 with that system, however X99 is better for you because X99 comes with more than 40+ PCIE lanes. Compared to 36 with the Z170 system (CPU lanes plus chipset lanes).

Change the mobo to Z170, get a quad channel RAM kit, and a I7 5820K or 5930K.

AkhandChakra · Aug 10, 2015

Building new, so, don't want to go with x99, and I may need more M.2 slots as I've my laptop with PCIe M.2, would swap drives if required, need USB Type-C as well.

BTW, I'm not sure X99 chipset has more PCIe lanes than Z170, I doubt that. Are you sure.

Also, I don't see any RAM kit supporting skylake, hence added just some brand, if you've any spefic one' supported for Z170 pls suggest.

BTW, is there any other specific reason you're suggesting X99, esp. for Gaming cum Workstation PC.

TechyInAZ · Aug 10, 2015

AkhandChakra :

X99 has 48 PCIE lanes compared to 36 for Skylate.

X99 is aimed towards massive storage systems/workstation type environment overall.

But what I've been meaning to ask is why so many PCIE SSD's? What are you doing that requires that much storage? Because not even content creators get half of what your buying in SSD speed.

AkhandChakra · Aug 10, 2015

TechyInAZ :

I understand wrt PCIe lanes, but there's a slight twist to it I feel. (btw, you meant Z170 in your 2nd line I believe)
Z170 has more M.2 and PCIe Gen 3.0 ports than just 1-2 in X99 (that too Gen 2.0 only), so it makes more sense to go for Z170 based board or Q170 (but not sure when it'll be avl) for Workstation cum Gaming PC, so planning for Z170.

Just FYI - http://www.techspot.com/news/59616-intel-skylake-chipsets-reported-upgraded-pcie.html#commentsOffset

As you rightly said, I need bit of few extra SSDs, may not need 3 PCIe to begin with, but would need eventually, due to the Dev work I do typically. I've SQL server running, Azure, few VMs, Android Apps, one SSD will hv Win 8, one with 10 (need to manage few Win store apps), BTW, I'm a Mobl s/w person, run Photoshop, ontop of it Gaming (may not need PCIe) but good to hv. So, both Dev and Gaming.

Like I said, won't go for the entire system to begin with (as I mentioned it's my dream pc), but, slowly go for it.

Being said all these, I'm also closely watching/reading the results/reviews of H vs S proc's (see - https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Haswell-vs-Skylake-S-i7-4790K-vs-i7-6700K-641/), where except photoshop (i use less of it) and more PCIe/M.2, performance wise it looks like both are almost same. So, deciding between them would be a tough call, Ports, DDR4 are the one's tilting towards Skylake !!!

Crashman · Aug 10, 2015

AkhandChakra :

ONE PCIe 3.0 M.2 drive at full x4 bandwidth would consume ALL of the Z170's DMI bandwith. Time to use X99 maybe, with slot adapters?

pete b · Aug 10, 2015

Just ordered the msi board with a skylake i5 6600k. Got a free cooler master nepton 120xl . From Novatech.

Eggz · Aug 10, 2015

You guys are off about the PCI-e lane configuration between Z170 and X99, and it's an important point if you're going to be using all of those expansion cards.

The X99 chipset has 40 lanes of PCI-e routed directly to the CPU. Both the i7-5960x and -5930k support all 40 lanes, but the i7-5820k supports 28 of the possible 40 the chipset allows.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_X99

The Z170 chipset has 16 lanes of PCI-e routed directly to the CPU, and four more rout from the CPU to a splitter branching out to 20 lanes. Those 20 lanes share the bandwidth of the four lanes supporting them, so in no case can those 20 lanes ever go faster (in total) than 4 lanes (i.e. 32 GB/s). http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skylake-intel-core-i7-6700k-core-i5-6600k,4252-2.html

So, in short, you can connect WAY more bandwidth through expansion PCI-e cards on X99 than on Z170. The CPU is also better able to handle it because of additional cores. Each X99 cores is slower than either the i5-6600 or i7-6700, but adding either 50% or 100% more cores totally offsets that.

Especially if you're adding the Intel 750 SSD, you'll want to keep in mind that it's so fast that it can max out CPU cores. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubxgTBqgXV8

You're just going to need a lot of CPU power to deal with that much data traffic. Although, I'm not sure what will use that much traffic.

AkhandChakra · Aug 10, 2015

Eggz :

I came to know DMI 3.0 is bit of an issue (http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Storage/Intel-Skylake-Z170-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Tested-PCIe-and-SATA-RAID-updated), but there are 3 PCIe Gen 3 directly connected to the CPU (as you said), if someone want just 1 tobe used for Graphics card (no need of SLI, etc.), rest two can be used for PCIe 3.0 SSDs, on top of it, we can use USB Typce-c for 4K videos, M.2's come handy when you wan't to switch SSDs between your PC/Laptop, so it's a Win-Win I feel for those want to use Z170 as a Workstation cum Gaming Desktop. Let me know your views on that, whether it works.

Eggz :

I need to check on that, Tx for that info.

Also, we might get more info next week Aug 18-20, during IDC.

Eggz · Aug 10, 2015

You'll find out some information. But the Z-series isn't meant for what you're looking to do, though it wouldn't be bad at all. Desktop chipsets below the X-series are consumer oriented, aimed at mid-range systems. The X-series is made for workstations with all sorts of crap hooked up. Basically, when you need a computer powerful enough to be a kick-butt server but that will operate as a client PC, then the Extreme Intel platform is your go-to move.

Z170 and the Zs before it (e.g. Z97, Z87, etc.) are setup to have either just the integrated GPU, or an add in GPU with a few peripherals hooked up. You're just not going to get as much throughput compared to an 8-core (16-thread) CPU with 40 PCI-e lanes.

Also, keep in mind that if you wait, you'll likely see more PCI-e lanes on the next Extreme Intel platform. If Skylake is upping the PCI-e connectivity on the mainstream platform (Z170), then you can expect that PCI-e connectivity will be a point of upgrade on the Extreme platform as well. That makes sense given the current evolution in PCI-e storage.

jazzy663 · Aug 10, 2015

MSI has really been stepping up their motherboards lately... I would like to put together a Z170 rig with one of them if for no other reason than to see what the new chipset can really do. That said, the amount of stuff that's getting packed onto these new boards is pretty crazy. My one gripe is I'm not seeing a whole lot of legacy support... companies seem to be less and less concerned with that kind of thing nowadays.

Intel Z170 LGA-1151 Motherboard Roundup

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