Motherboard tier list: Z97 chipset

[jeffredo]

I've read time and again that unless your on water cooling and have a very good chip the most you can expect with any Haswell at reasonable voltage is about 4.5 - 4.6 Ghz (regardless of what Z97 motherboard you choose). They not nearly as power phase count dependent as previous generations thanks to an integrated voltage regulator and power phases. Basically, "tiers" are only applicable as far as features, build quality and possibly milking an extra 100 Mhz out of a chip at best. For an air cooled overclock by an OCer of moderate skill and patience an $80 4 power phase count Asrock Z97 Anniversary is about as good as a $230 Asrock Z97 Extreme 9. AMD's of course are a totally different story.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

I just wanted to point out that you left the Sabertooth Z97 MARK S board out of the list. I know it's the MARK 1 version in different clothing, but still, people looking for Tier 1 motherboards should be made aware of its availability.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Wow this is very helpful! In my country not all parts are available and I'm looking for a cheap but quality z97 board. I was torn between the z97 machine and the MSI guard pro but the z97 machine is cheaper but I had second thoughts as I've never heard the ECS mobo before but after looking at this it is actually 1 tier ahead of the guard pro so I'm gonna go for it. Thanks so much OP!

 

[Udash3C]

Can someone kindly explain why the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 is in the Tier 1 Class B list, vs the Tier 2 Class A list that the MSI Gaming 5 and the Asus Pro Gamer etc are in?

From what I've read, Gigabyte's Gaming 5 should be inferior to the MSI Gaming 5.

Also, big thanks to OP for taking the time to make this list!

 

[Joshua Bernhardo]

Does asus z97-a still the best mobo to get and combo with i5-4690k?

 

[Udash3C]

Does asus z97-a still the best mobo to get and combo with i5-4690k?

Maybe this can help a bit? It's slightly outdated, but most of the popular ones are on it:

http://sinhardware.com/index.php/vrm-list

 

[roogac]

Can you help me with the choice betwen MSI Z97A GAMING 7 and Asus Z97 PRO GAMER?

I am building a new rig with Core i7 4790K and need a decent motherboard, i do not plan on breaking world records with overclocking. Is it worth spending the extra, when the Z97-PRO GAMER has all the features i need. The only reason for me to go for MSI is higher tier here. It is 50$ more expensive here in my country.

 

[insider9]

Great list, thank you it's been really helpful.

MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming I'm currently researching is in Tier One-Class B but lacks M.2. I'm not really bothered about it. Other than that considering I can get it £20 cheaper than Tier Two-Class A MSI GAMING 5. Is it worth it? Reviews are difficult to come by and most of them is for MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming.

It will be used with i5-4690k (oc 4.5GHz) and SLI GTX 970 (both also oc).

Thanks in advance

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Great list, thank you it's been really helpful.

MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming I'm currently researching is in Tier One-Class B but lacks M.2. I'm not really bothered about it. Other than that considering I can get it £20 cheaper than Tier Two-Class A MSI GAMING 5. Is it worth it? Reviews are difficult to come by and most of them is for MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming.

It will be used with i5-4690k (oc 4.5GHz) and SLI GTX 970 (both also oc).

Thanks in advance

Been involved with about a dozen builds w/ this board

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_6_review/10

The ranking is based on setting the board which recorded the highest combined fps in the gaming tests at 100% and ranking the others by fps as a % of the fastest one.

MoBo % of Leader

MSI Z97 Gaming 9 - 100.00%
MSI Z97 Gaming 5 - 99.86%
MSI Z97A Gaming 6 - 98.96%
Asus Z97 TUF Sabranco - 96.13%
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 - 95.00%
Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force - 94.95%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Hero - 93.67%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Formula - 93.58%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Gene - 91.69%
Asus Z97-A - 89.57%
MSI Z97 Mpower MAX AC - 88.20%
MSI Z97S Krait SLI - 71.01%

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_5_motherboard_review/15

Another ranking appears below .... based upon which boards might be best avoided. The % listed are the percent of board owners who posted highly negative (1 egg) user reviews.

Asus Z97 TUF Sabranco - 3% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132414
MSI Z97 Mpower MAX AC - 4% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130765
MSI Z97 Gaming 5 - 10% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130770
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Gene - 11% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132136
MSI Z97A Gaming 6 - 12% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128709
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 - 14% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128709
MSI Z97S Krait SLI 19% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130801
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Hero - 19% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132125
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Formula - 26% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132247
Asus Z97-A - 27% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118
MSI Z97 Gaming 9 - 28% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130808
Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force - 29% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128704

 

[insider9]

Great list, thank you it's been really helpful.

MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming I'm currently researching is in Tier One-Class B but lacks M.2. I'm not really bothered about it. Other than that considering I can get it £20 cheaper than Tier Two-Class A MSI GAMING 5. Is it worth it? Reviews are difficult to come by and most of them is for MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming.

It will be used with i5-4690k (oc 4.5GHz) and SLI GTX 970 (both also oc).

Thanks in advance

Been involved with about a dozen builds w/ this board

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_6_review/10

The ranking is based on setting the board which recorded the highest combined fps in the gaming tests at 100% and ranking the others by fps as a % of the fastest one.

MoBo % of Leader

MSI Z97 Gaming 9 - 100.00%
MSI Z97 Gaming 5 - 99.86%
MSI Z97A Gaming 6 - 98.96%
Asus Z97 TUF Sabranco - 96.13%
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 - 95.00%
Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force - 94.95%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Hero - 93.67%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Formula - 93.58%
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Gene - 91.69%
Asus Z97-A - 89.57%
MSI Z97 Mpower MAX AC - 88.20%
MSI Z97S Krait SLI - 71.01%

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_5_motherboard_review/15

Another ranking appears below .... based upon which boards might be best avoided. The % listed are the percent of board owners who posted highly negative (1 egg) user reviews.

Asus Z97 TUF Sabranco - 3% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132414
MSI Z97 Mpower MAX AC - 4% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130765
MSI Z97 Gaming 5 - 10% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130770
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Gene - 11% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132136
MSI Z97A Gaming 6 - 12% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128709
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 - 14% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128709
MSI Z97S Krait SLI 19% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130801
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Hero - 19% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132125
Asus Z97 Maximus VII Formula - 26% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132247
Asus Z97-A - 27% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118
MSI Z97 Gaming 9 - 28% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130808
Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force - 29% http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128704

Thank you for very comprehensive answer. I've read the links provided and it definitely makes more sense now.

EDIT
I went for Asus Z97 Pro Gamer coming tomorrow.

 

[ConfuciusSayyy]

Hey guys I'm looking for a red/black motherboard, so I think I've narrowed it down to these

ASRock Fatal1ty Professional (is the Sound Core3D the same as that of the Sound Blaster Z in terms of quality? I have that card. It has both Killer NIC and Intel LAN, which is great since I've heard that Killer is bad. Also this board seems kind of unpopular for some reason as nobody seems to have it, which could be a problem if it lacks driver support . LOVE THE DESIGN!)


ASUS VII Hero/Ranger (What are the differences? Both are currently unavailable or $500, but have really nice lighting, apparently Intel LAN is better?)

Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5/7 (not sure about differences between 5 and 7 or if it's worth it, does it have any lighting?, also Killer NIC=bad?)

MSI Gaming Z97A 7/9AC/9ACK (is it just outclassed by Gigabyte? Does have that really nice 3.1 USB, but also has the infamous Killer NIC which I don't understand why it's bad)

I used the comparison features on their sites but I was wondering if there were differences between say the Gigabyte Gaming 5 and Gaming 7 that go beyond connectivity options, but like quality improvements or more OC stability? Aesthetics are important and I really like lighting, but I'm also looking for performance I'm not doing anything crazy like liquid nitrogen cooling lol, just an i5 4690K with a H100i). Also, onboard audio doesn't matter since I have a Sound Blaster Z soundcard anyway.

Also, is this actually accurate?: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_6_review/10

 

[ConfuciusSayyy]

Can someone kindly explain why the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 is in the Tier 1 Class B list, vs the Tier 2 Class A list that the MSI Gaming 5 and the Asus Pro Gamer etc are in?

From what I've read, Gigabyte's Gaming 5 should be inferior to the MSI Gaming 5.

Also, big thanks to OP for taking the time to make this list!

Sorry for the late response, but I think Gigabyte has more true phases which theoretically makes it better for overclocking

 

[Udash3C]

Can someone kindly explain why the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 is in the Tier 1 Class B list, vs the Tier 2 Class A list that the MSI Gaming 5 and the Asus Pro Gamer etc are in?

From what I've read, Gigabyte's Gaming 5 should be inferior to the MSI Gaming 5.

Also, big thanks to OP for taking the time to make this list!

Sorry for the late response, but I think Gigabyte has more true phases which theoretically makes it better for overclocking

I've already purchased the board for some time, but thanks!

 

[zeyuanfu]

Hey guys I'm looking for a red/black motherboard, so I think I've narrowed it down to these

ASRock Fatal1ty Professional (is the Sound Core3D the same as that of the Sound Blaster Z in terms of quality? I have that card. It has both Killer NIC and Intel LAN, which is great since I've heard that Killer is bad. Also this board seems kind of unpopular for some reason as nobody seems to have it, which could be a problem if it lacks driver support . LOVE THE DESIGN!)


ASUS VII Hero/Ranger (What are the differences? Both are currently unavailable or $500, but have really nice lighting, apparently Intel LAN is better?)

Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5/7 (not sure about differences between 5 and 7 or if it's worth it, does it have any lighting?, also Killer NIC=bad?)

MSI Gaming Z97A 7/9AC/9ACK (is it just outclassed by Gigabyte? Does have that really nice 3.1 USB, but also has the infamous Killer NIC which I don't understand why it's bad)

I used the comparison features on their sites but I was wondering if there were differences between say the Gigabyte Gaming 5 and Gaming 7 that go beyond connectivity options, but like quality improvements or more OC stability? Aesthetics are important and I really like lighting, but I'm also looking for performance I'm not doing anything crazy like liquid nitrogen cooling lol, just an i5 4690K with a H100i). Also, onboard audio doesn't matter since I have a Sound Blaster Z soundcard anyway.

Also, is this actually accurate?: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z97_gaming_6_review/10

Hey,

First of all, I would like to mention that Killer LAN is mostly software-based, unlike Intel and Realtek, who make hardware-based NICs. If your Killer software were to crash, then it would be really bad. Besides, software doesn't offer much of an advantage in terms of connection speed (that is limited by the speed of the internet you paid for)

Second of all, Asus Maximus boards are NOT worth the price. Sure, they have cool LEDs and stuff but the only things they have over a standard board, say the Z97-A, is gimmicky stuff like gold plated ports (which don't offer any performance increase AFAIK). The best price/performance choice here would be something like the Z97-A I mentioned earlier.

Third of all, Gigabyte/MSI Gaming boards are mostly just regular ones with a different color scheme, Killer LAN and a higher price tag (not really worth it IMO).

Last but not least, the OC3D article must be biased or something, since there is a HUGE difference in some of the FPS numbers (which isn't a regular thing).

P.S. if you want lighting, you can get some inexpensive (but not necessarily low quality) LED strips from sites like Newegg to stick inside your case.

P.S. 2 unless you`re an extreme audiophile or something, the audio codecs shouldn't make much of a difference if you already own a sound card.

 

[A Stunned Wookie]

Alright guys, i'm struggling to find a good motherboard that supports Nvidia SLI for my two EVGA Geforce GTX 980 Ti's FTW's. I had two options, but i narrowed it down to this motherboard, using the Motherboard tier list on the forums, i ended up with "Asus Motherboard Z97-PRO GAMER."
I have everything ready, and sadly i figured out my old motherboard "Asus z97k" doesn't support SLI (only crossfire).

Motherboard that i want: Asus z97- Pro Gamer
Old motherboard: Asus z97k
CPU: i5 4690k LGA-1150
PSU: Corsair HX1000i
GPU's: Nvidia Geforce GTX 980 TI's FTW edition x2
Case: Thermaltake Core V51 Mid Tower
RAM: G skill Ripjaws X 2133 Mhz 8x2gb

I've got some links if needed, New motherboard- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PT5E32M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1FMFK4SMG0W4E

Old Motherboard- http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-DDR3-Motherboards-Z97-K-CSM/dp/B00K2R6E60/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1458373099&sr=1-14&keywords=asus+z97

If y'all need anything else like spec wise, let me know and i'll try and reply as soon as possible!

New Edit: I made a thread on this but i was told a good motherboard for my build would be the MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition (which it looks decent but i am not very positive on this mobo.) Using the tier list, the pro gamer ranks higher than the krait and i've heard more good things about the z97 Pro Gamer than the Krait.

Would appreciate any feedback or an even better motherboard, i also don't plan to overclock( i can't understand it and don't want to risk any damage)

 

[insider9]

Alright guys, i'm struggling to find a good motherboard that supports Nvidia SLI for my two EVGA Geforce GTX 980 Ti's FTW's. I had two options, but i narrowed it down to this motherboard, using the Motherboard tier list on the forums, i ended up with "Asus Motherboard Z97-PRO GAMER."
I have everything ready, and sadly i figured out my old motherboard "Asus z97k" doesn't support SLI (only crossfire).

Motherboard that i want: Asus z97- Pro Gamer
Old motherboard: Asus z97k
CPU: i5 4690k LGA-1150
PSU: Corsair HX1000i
GPU's: Nvidia Geforce GTX 980 TI's FTW edition x2
Case: Thermaltake Core V51 Mid Tower
RAM: G skill Ripjaws X 2133 Mhz 8x2gb

I've got some links if needed, New motherboard- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PT5E32M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1FMFK4SMG0W4E

Old Motherboard- http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-DDR3-Motherboards-Z97-K-CSM/dp/B00K2R6E60/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1458373099&sr=1-14&keywords=asus+z97

If y'all need anything else like spec wise, let me know and i'll try and reply as soon as possible!

New Edit: I made a thread on this but i was told a good motherboard for my build would be the MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition (which it looks decent but i am not very positive on this mobo.) Using the tier list, the pro gamer ranks higher than the krait and i've heard more good things about the z97 Pro Gamer than the Krait.

Would appreciate any feedback or an even better motherboard, i also don't plan to overclock( i can't understand it and don't want to risk any damage)

I can definitely recommend Asus Z97 Pro Gamer. Great quality board, decent bios and software. Done a build 8 weeks ago and the motherboard and was really impressed. i5-4690k overclocked to 4.8GHz using Hyper 212 Evo stable with decent temps. Daily running on 4.6GHz and low voltage. Not SLI'd yet as only got one GTX 970 so far but will in the future. One thing I could do more of (though not sure if it's present on other boards) is fan headers.

One thing i can tell you is basic overclocking on this motherboard takes less than a minute and I'm sure you'd be fine. You just answer 3 questions and boom you're done.

 

[stavrosmast]

Will z97 anniversary be OK with 4790K (4,4ghz) and OC it to 4,5 with hyper 212 evo and a 980Ti oc'd?