Is it worth spending more than 200$ on a mobo?

Samson90

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Feb 10, 2016
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Hello guys

I was finishing choosing the parts of my next skylake rig (that nearly took me a month to complete).

Yesterday I started to have doubts about my mobo. Im now wondering if an Asus z170a is good enough.
Newegg link

Is a Sabertooth or a ROG Maximus mobo way better than my budget z170??

Will they handle OC better, have better temp and survive longer? Will I see any difference in data speed?

P.S: Im not planning to use 2 GPUs, go water cooling or do any kind of extreme overclocking.

Thank you for your opinions!!!
 
Solution
BETTER AUDIO:
That's one feature alone that can warrant the extra money. In fact, you may spend more if you decide to buy an addon sound card.

Example ($220USD approx): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviiihero

You also have to look at:
- quality, longevity
- aesthetics
- other features?

If you COMPARE at the Asus site between the original you linked and Hero/Ranger boards you can see what feature differences there are. For now, here's the Ranger version ($20 cheaper than Hero at $200), but drop down to the AUDIO info:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/MAXIMUS-VIII-RANGER/
If you aren't doing any of those things then a less feature rich motherboard would probably be okay.

Motherboard is generally not responsible for performance at all. Aside from better cooling and power phasing for overclocking the cpu, they are all very similar. Most Haswell tests showed it was more up to the CPU then anything else. Haven't seen any really comprehensive round ups on Z170 motherboards.

If the board you pick has the features you are after, it is likely enough.

From a visual inspection I would the Z170a and something like the ASUS ROG HERO are quite close in terms of power phase components.
 
In my opinion always get the best that you can afford. You never know if you will need the extra bells and whistles in someday. You don't want to buy something, then get buyers remorse because you wanted something better for a "little more money" thats my opinion. But no I do not believe it is necessary to get a hugely expensive motherboard. All data speeds will be about the same, some may have better cooling but generally motherboards dont overheat, and yes some handle overclock better or some even automatically overclock. Check your motherboard manufacturer and description for more on overclocking.
 
BETTER AUDIO:
That's one feature alone that can warrant the extra money. In fact, you may spend more if you decide to buy an addon sound card.

Example ($220USD approx): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviiihero

You also have to look at:
- quality, longevity
- aesthetics
- other features?

If you COMPARE at the Asus site between the original you linked and Hero/Ranger boards you can see what feature differences there are. For now, here's the Ranger version ($20 cheaper than Hero at $200), but drop down to the AUDIO info:
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/MAXIMUS-VIII-RANGER/
 
Solution

And then someone goes out and buys a soundblaster sound card and pairs it with $20 speakers >.<
 


Sure that happens, I'm simply answering the question of what benefit can a $200 motherboard have.

I would think it somewhat obvious you need reasonably good speakers to benefit. I wouldn't spend $800 on a graphics card and buy a $100 monitor either (though that happens a lot now that I think about it).

Quality if not said above is another reason. Don't get the cheapest motherboard as it can end up costing you in the long run. It's not always about price though so you need to look carefully at Amazon and other reviews (Amazon BTW is completely messed up.. there are so many products with reviews from SIMILAR products all mixed into the same item. Monitors, DVD's etc)
 
No but my point is, buy what you need. I spent $80 on my mobo and spent $200 on my fathers because he needed 10 sata ports and wanted digital audio out. Motherboards are unique in the sense that you SHOULD indeed plan ahead. Know what you want and choose accordingly. In my case I wanted an OK Z overclockable motherboard that didn't support SLI because I knew I was going with the highest single powerfull GPU I could go for because I know SLI works sometimes not always. If you know you need 10 sata go X99, if you want SLI get a board with SLI.

Now if none of those mean NOTHING to you, you will probably be fine with the cheaper board. I've used the Rampage V extreme and it is indeed an impressive board, but unless you use it to it's fullest you are better off saving the money. I wanted a GOOD $1200 PC that could game, and bought a $600 laptop for work. As always buy what you need, not what someone tells you.