What is the best chipset for i7-4770 nowadays

[albpara]

Hi everyone!

My motherboard died today so I need to find a replacement for my old 4th gen processor (i7 4770, no K).

The problem is that I am not sure what chipset suits it best today... H87 was the one used 4 years ago but is it still the best option, there is no too much motherboards mounting it!

 

[albpara]

Here is a list of compatible chipsets: http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/Intel/Core_i7/i7-4770.html

B85
Q85
H81
Q87
H87
Z87
H97
Z97

 

[mcconkeymike]

The Z87 or Z97 would be the most feature rich chipsets, but they would also be the most expensive since they are made with overclocking in mind, which you can't do with the 4770. The H97 or H87 would probably be your best bet for features and price. You are correct that any new socket 1150 motherboards are getting hard to find so you may not get the luxury of being picky. I would be careful about buying used, especially if you haven't seen it run. Good luck with the search.

 

[albpara]

Most of the motherboards I found... are mounting H81 chipset which as far as I understand, is like a downgrade from H87

 

[mcconkeymike]

Yes, H81 is the more "budget" version of the H87. They typically have less power phases and less "bells and whistles" than higher end boards. If that's all that is available to you, I'm sure it will work, but the higher end H87/H97 or the Z87/Z97 boards will be better if you can find one for a good price.

 

[albpara]

Is hard to find a Hx7/Zx7 motherboard... only H81 or B85 are available at reasonable prices

Will be a significant difference on choosing a H81 motherboard... I know that there are many differences (I read this https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z87-H87-H81-Q87-Q85-B85---What-is-the-difference-473/), but for the end user, what will be the impact?

I basically use my computer for gaming, hackintosh, virtualizing and frontend programming