Limitations of the MSI Z97 PC MATE?

[shmann]

I bought this board as part of a combo with the G3258. They have both treated me well, but I started a new job, and I'm starting to think about how I might want to upgrade. Specifically, I'm looking at the GTX 970 and the 4790K.

I know that the PC MATE is considered a low-end motherboard, but can someone explain why that is? Besides the obvious lack of SLI support, what other limitations do I have from using this board? The only other issue I've encountered is the lack of LLC control for overclocking, which can be irritating, but so far for me, has not made me feel like I need an upgrade.

People also mention that it's not the prettiest (I could care less), and that it's not as rigid as they would like (not sure why that's an issue at all).

Thanks in advance!

p.s. here's the proposed build if you're interested: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PR4Tt6

 

[Tradesman1]

As long as it's working, should be OK, at least for now, get the new CPU and see how well it OCs, if not happy might look at the Z97-A Asus mobo, it's very good, also would change the DRAM to 2x4GB or 2x8GB to use dual channel

 

[rolli59]

You pretty much pin pointed the limitations, not for dual card setups and not really set up for maximum overclock other than that it is just a basic board and may serve well for years even with a moderate overclock.

 

[shmann]

As long as it's working, should be OK, at least for now, get the new CPU and see how well it OCs, if not happy might look at the Z97-A Asus mobo, it's very good, also would change the DRAM to 2x4GB or 2x8GB to use dual channel

How will I know how well the board OCs vs the chip itself? And what features can affect how well a board OCs? thx

 

[rolli59]

The more power distribution (more phases) and control you have over power distribution in UEFI/BIOS to the CPU the better the board will OC. As well the boards power circuitry is better on those OC boards. You will not know which part is stopping higher clocks until you try the CPU in a different board.