What are the deciding factors to choosing a high-end motherboard

[IkeaEraser]

How does one decide between high-end motherboards?

I'm looking at a i7-6900k CPU and 32GB RAM. I can't decide between the many motherboards available (i.e GA-x99-Designare EX, ASUS x99 Deluxe 2, ASUS Rampage V Edition 10)

Amongst the high end, most core specs like RAM support, GPU and others are very similar. And apart from comparing numbers of these core factors, I am unsure and don't understand the many proprietary technology they've developed, much less to compare them.

At first, I used support for Thunderbolt 3 as a benchmark, but I have learnt that it is possible to add Thunderbolt 3 as an afterthought and hence, that renders that bench mark redundant.

I'm open to other high end motherboard suggestions and not limited to the three I have stated as an example. Though, I'd prefer if it was with a LGA2011-3 socket. ECC and RDIMM support is not really crucial I guess.

I would be building a PC to venture into VR and some CAD usage.

Thanks a lot for helping out!

 

[Isokolon]

between the 3 mentioned:

the Gigabyte offers 3x PCIe 16, 1x 8, 1x 4 while the other two offer while the others offer 2x 16, 2x 8
so if you plan on running 3 GPUs or other hardware that profits off the extra lanes, the Desginare outperforms the Asus
also the Designare comes with Bluetooth if that's a factor to you

furthermore, Designare & Deluxe II are regular ATX board
te Rampage needs a case that supports E-ATX boards as it is bigger

the Designare supports M.2/E-Key
the ASUS don't but support U.2/SSF-drives.
not sure you'll bee needing any of those

Designare only supports 3 sys_fans natively
the Deluxe 2 supports 4
the Rampage 6

also the ASUS boards require an additional 4-pin connection to the PSU (the rampage also one additional MOLEX)
while the Designare uses just the standard 1x 24-Pin ATX, 1x 8-Pin EPS12V

but I mean in a price spectrum above 300€ there aren't really "bad boards" anymore
just think about what you really need and pick a board that contains all these features

 

[IkeaEraser]

Ahh! The gigabyte option looks like a wise choice.

Could I ask do the PCIe counts correspond to the 40 lanes supported by the CPU? I do count that it exceeds >40.

In any case, could I ask what is this the recommended card for each PCIe slot? Which would be reserved for GPU, RAM, and what not

 

[Tradesman1]

Check the mobo specs for things you want/need, read reviews on the mobos (published by tech reviewers, user reviews are often flawed as the people are simply clueless with high end mobos) I've got the 6900K and went with the Asus Strix which fits all my needs 😉 in sig

 

[IkeaEraser]

between the 3 mentioned:

the Gigabyte offers 3x PCIe 16, 1x 8, 1x 4 while the other two offer while the others offer 2x 16, 2x 8
so if you plan on running 3 GPUs or other hardware that profits off the extra lanes, the Desginare outperforms the Asus
also the Designare comes with Bluetooth if that's a factor to you

furthermore, Designare & Deluxe II are regular ATX board
te Rampage needs a case that supports E-ATX boards as it is bigger

the Designare supports M.2/E-Key
the ASUS don't but support U.2/SSF-drives.
not sure you'll bee needing any of those

Designare only supports 3 sys_fans natively
the Deluxe 2 supports 4
the Rampage 6

also the ASUS boards require an additional 4-pin connection to the PSU (the rampage also one additional MOLEX)
while the Designare uses just the standard 1x 24-Pin ATX, 1x 8-Pin EPS12V

but I mean in a price spectrum above 300€ there aren't really "bad boards" anymore
just think about what you really need and pick a board that contains all these features

Upon closer inspection, the Designare's 3 PCIe x16 slots seems crippled. Often downgraded to a x8 mode depending on other expansion/storage configuration. Is it important (possible) to find one that is true x16 regardless of other components?

 

[Tradesman1]

That depend on the CPU and number of PCI-E lanes it support a 40lane CPU allows for dual 16X, and then you need to step down to x8 for three or more

 

[IkeaEraser]

That depend on the CPU and number of PCI-E lanes it support a 40lane CPU allows for dual 16X, and then you need to step down to x8 for three or more

That is the same across all 3 boards right? Seems no one is offering dedicated PCIe ports.

I guess I'd choose other components first before deciding on a motherboard. Rather than get the components around the board.

 

[Tradesman1]

Good idea, keep us updated