Need advice for a new motherboard - x99?

[goaskalice00]

Well guys, I fried my motherboard

Time for an upgrade I'm looking for a board that will be relatively future proof (I'm definitely upgrading to Intel's Skylake CPU and Nvidia's Pascal GPU in a year or so). It also needs to be compatible with what I already have - a Gigabyte Windforce 770 GPU and a Intel i5-2500k processor. Aesthetic value is also wanted.

I'm hearing a lot about the x99 motherboards. What are the advantages to buying one of these? Should I go with the cheaper 97 boards, given my needs?

I'm sticking with a mid-tower chasis, so mini is of no interest to me.

What do you guys recommend?

 

[backoffmanImascientist]

Your processor fits a 1155 socket mobo and no other. X99 and Z97 are on 2011V3 and 1150 respectively. They require CPUs specifically made to fit them.

Here's a list of 1155 mobos that will fit your chip:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/motherboard/#xcx=0&s=14&sort=a8&page=1