New 1150 motherboard build issues

[pepsijoe]

So I have read just about every posting that I can concerning Z97 architecture motherboards. I had originally looked at socket 2011 v3 instead of the 1150, and obviously I came back... Money isn't the issue, I am looking for aesthetics, performance (wanting to go with 32GB of 3200MHZ RAM), will be using a 4790 i7, 2 ea. GTX 980 cards, 2 ea 500GB SSD, and some additional internal storage perhaps 6TB.... I understand that there are a lot of people who are partial to certain brands, ASUS, EVGA, MSI etc...so your input is greatly appreciated, as long as there is supporting information. This is primarily a gaming PC (If you couldn't tell). Finally, as if this discussion wasn't open enough, I am considering the board (and CPU) as the SOLE basis for everything that follows, case included.... Any good guidance out there?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I think that you will get a better response if you use all your research, and 'pick' a board or three that you think is right and ask for comments and advice on them. This is a huge 'tell me all you know' ask and involves a fairly rare combination of parts (overclocking i7 4790 with SLI 980s). There are a huge number of members on this board, but very few will have the specific knowledge of this combination.

 

[pepsijoe]

That is my problem...I can't decide on any of them....I would like built in Wifi...other than that, I just want to know what is "the best." I am looking at more than 30 boards...narrowing the selection down is something I have difficulties with. Which is why I am asking for help.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

What are your aesthetic constraints?

I would start by looking at something like the Asus Z97-Pro(WiFi/ac) and look at its excellent feature set and compare alternatives to that. If you find something better, make that your new standard.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8249/asus-z97-pro-wifi-ac-review/7
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-intel-amd-motherboard,3902.html

There is no universal BEST. Budget no object, takes out one factor, but it all depends on what you REALLY need.

WiFi (built-in or PCI-e)
Serious overclocking (8+ power phases)
SLI (x8 x8 slots)
32Gb 3200 Mhz
Unspecified aesthetics

That will cut down the list quite a bit.

 

[pepsijoe]

So this is what I did...now I just have to wait until it all arrives tomorrow

INTEL CORE I7-5960X CPU EXTREME 20M CACHE 3.50 GHZ
ASUS RAMPAGE V EXTREME MOTHERBOARD
2x EVGA GEFORCE GTX 980 SUPERCLOCKED 4GB GDDR5
SilverStone Strider 1500w Modular Power Supply
2x ADATA XPG Z1 DDR4 32GB 2800 KIT (4X8GB)
2x SAMSUNG 850 EVO-SERIES 2.5" SATA III SSD 500GB
2x WD RED 4 TB 3.5" SATA NAS DRIVE
2x PIONEER BLU-RAY BURNER INTERNAL 16X OEM
Corsair Hydro Series H110 Liquid Cooler
CoolerMaster Cosmos II Case