Motherboard tier list: Z97 chipset

[MeteorsRaining]

Hey Meteors, either I'm blind, which is entirely possible these days, or the Z97P-D3, which is a different board than the Z97-D3H from what I can see, is missing from the list.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4958#ov

Hey there, darkbreeze

I dare challenge your observation! You're right, the board somehow slipped from the list hehe, has been added in Tier 3

So, what's the reason behind Tier difference in these:

SeaSonic M12II-750W (Bronze) is Tier 1 & Seasonic S12G 550W (Gold) is Tier 2

Entirely different internal structure and component quality. They are built on entirely different platforms but this is a conversation better suited for the PSU tier list.

^That.

 

[prodavid]

Got it...Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Thanks bud.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

No worries

 

[prodavid]

I'd go with 550W Gold, 750W will really be a waste unless you SLI.

So, as you and other experts said... I bought S12G-550W today for the single 970. will share more once i assemble everything soon...Fingers crossed ...hoping I made good decisions... 😀

 

[MeteorsRaining]

So, as you and other experts said... I bought S12G-550W today for the single 970. will share more once i assemble everything soon...Fingers crossed ...hoping I made good decisions... 😀

Spot on with that PSU, will surely be good for the rig.

 

[The newguy]

Which mobo is better from these two ?
1) GA-Z97X-SLI
2) MSI Z97S SLI Plus

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Which mobo is better from these two ?
1) GA-Z97X-SLI
2) MSI Z97S SLI Plus

They'll perform similarly. I'd go with the cheaper one.

 

[The newguy]

Which the best mobo among these ?
1) Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC
2) Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3
3) Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3P
4) ASRock Z97 Extreme3
5) MSI Z97S SLI Plus
6) Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI
7) Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK

Or any other mobo under 150 Canadian dollars

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Z97X-SOC and UD3H-BK will top my list. SOC will definitely be a favourite if you're in for OCing.

 

[The newguy]

Thanks for the quick reply MeteorsRaining,
You've already told me that SOC is better than the UD3H - BK in terms of ocing, but is it also better in sli because I will be doing that. Both of these are exactly of the same price here in Canada so help can you me choose ?
And is the ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer worth more 50$ over these two mobos.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

SLI is not bothered much by the MoBo. There will be no performance difference in GPUs. SOC would be my choice. Z97X Killer isn't worth the extra price, even if it was at same price, I'd have gone for SOC.

 

[The newguy]

Well, thanks for explaining me about the sli thing.

Is this SOC mobo I talking about, mentioned in the tier one class B ?
And why is the SOC Force mobo mentioned before the SOC I guess the SOC Force is better than SOC. And why is the honorable mention placed in the tier one Class A section and the mobo in Class B or is it vice versa or am I completely getting the whole thing wrong.
Thanks again for helping.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Yes, the board resides in Tier One class B. It gets an honourable mention in the top tier as the LN2 version of this board has broken several OCing (memory) records. This board is based off the same components but with standard computer cases in mind. So in a nutshell if you are for extreme OCing, this board is no less than any Tier 1 Class A board.

SOC and SOC Force is the same board, it is a mess up from my side, sorry. I have erased the SOC from the list, as the name is SOC Force.

 

[The newguy]

Hey, I just checked the gigabyte z97x SOC but after a little investigation I found out that soc and Soc force are two different mobos.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

No worries, glad to help.

 

[The newguy]

Hey, I just checked the gigabyte z97x SOC but after a little investigation I found out that soc and Soc force are two different mobos
The SOC mobo http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xsoc

The SOC Force mobo http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xsocforce

 

[MeteorsRaining]

I feel like a novice now, heh. Got it right on the list, then contradicted myself, and now I'm changing it again, God. Thanks for correcting me though! Now I've researched them (again) so that I don't give incorrect explanations.

SOC Force has a couple more OCing tweaks, but unless you're an extreme OCer, you'll be all good with the SOC. The temperature will certainly bound your OC before the Motherboard does. The LAN chip is different, but real world difference is not countable. Other than those, the boards are exactly the same.

Just to brief a bit, these both boards are standard-build oriented versions of the Z97X SOC Force LN2, which is basically a test-bench oriented OCing board with liquid cooling support (natively) and other stuff like that. The capacitors, VRMs and thermals are all the same across all 3 boards, and therefore it pretty much comes down to cooling solution to set the boards apart.

Now, to clear a doubt you may have, SOC Force isn't necessarily a better OCing board than SOC, and it won't give you less temps for same OC or anything like that. It is just a more "OC oriented" version of the already great SOC.

In a nutshell, go ahead with the SOC.

 

[The newguy]

Thank you very much meteors for such a brief and precise explanation will definitely appreciate it.
I cannot find a single review or a YouTube review about the SOC mobo so if you can give me a link or something like that then it will be very helpful anyways you have already helped me a lot so thanks for that.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Yep, the SOC hasn't been review much, partly because the Force version is sold more.

Anyways, this review is pretty in-depth:

http://www.hardwarebbq.com/gigabyte-z97x-soc-motherboard-review/17/

 

[The newguy]

Thanks meteors, can you arrange the mobo in tiers according to their ranks so it will be better for people while comparing mobos.
I had a few questions like
Which is the best mobo in tier two ?
Which is the best mobo in tier one for price range around 140 to 150 Canadian dollars ?
which is the best mobo in teir one and two for the price around 150 Canadian dollars ?

And can you explain me why is the Soc a better overclocking mobo then the extreme 4 although the SOC is having 4 phases whereas the extreme 4 is having 12 phases.
And you said that both the SOC and Soc force have same number of power phases but I found out that the SOC has 4 power phases and the SOC Force have 8 power phases so does this effect very much or I am wrong.Can you please explain me this.

Well thanks for your time meteors.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

The whole concept of arranging boards in Tiers rather than ranking them is based off the fact that some boards are just too close technically to be ranked further. In addition to that, prices are dynamic, they change alot. For eg, A ROG Motherboard can be a steal for CAD 150 (say, on an offer), but will be average competing in the CAD 250 area.

Which is the best MoBo in tier two?

Price only can decide. And as told, it varies from day to day in country to country.

Same will be the answer for other 2 questions.

Coming to the EXTREME 4 motherboard, it has 6 true phases, not 12. Source: HERE.

It has a doubler which makes the phases to be 12, but true phases are 6. SOC has 4 true phases. The catch here is, EXTREME4 has Analog/ Hybrid phases whereas SOC has digital phases, which are generally regarded to be better for OCing.

Nevertheless, EXTREME4 has more chokes which makes it equally good at OCing, but it wasn't mentioned in your list of probable boards.

 

[The newguy]

Hey I have arranged all the available motherboards from the lowest price to my budget limit, can you help me to choose a mobo with good overclocking potential and sli feature and I don't care about the looks or colour scheme i just need performance.The prices are in Canadian dollars.

ASRock Z97 Anniversary $94.95
ASRock Z97 PRO3 $114.75
Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 $119.95
MSI Z97 PC MATE . $119.99
Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3P $124.99
MSI Z97 U3 Plus $129.95
Asus Z97-E $129.99
ASRock Z97 PRO4 $133.50
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI $134.99
MSI Z97-G43 $135.45
MSI Z97 Guard-Pro $136.50
Asus Z97-P $139.99
MSI Z97S SLI Plus $142.95
Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H $144.66
ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer $144.99
Biostar Hi-Fi Z97WE $144.99
ASRock Z97 Extreme3 $148.95
Asus Z97-K/CSM $148.98
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 $149.95
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC $149.99
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK $149.99
Asus Z97-C $154.98
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H $155.50
MSI Z97-G55 SLI $156.37
MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition $158.50
MSI Z97-Gaming 3 $159.98
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 $164.95
ECS Z97-MACHINE $164.99
Asus Z97-A $165.35
ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 $169.95

So which one is the best from these according to you.

Thanks for your time.

 

[MeteorsRaining]

Z97X SOC, Z97-A, Z97 EXTREME4, Z97X Gaming 5 would be my best bet for OCing purposes. SOC being the cheapest, will be my choice.

 

[The newguy]

Thanks meteors but it looks like I am confused (again) so which is the best mobo from the following please justify your choice.
Z97X SOC
Z97-A
Z97X Gaming 5

And can you explain me the difference between the SOC's 4 power phase vs Gaming 5 's 8 power phase and does this effect my overclocking potential or life longevity of the mobo.