What is the difference between the ASRock H97 Pro4 and the Z97 Extreme4?

[WackyOwey]

First of all I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read this thread, so the other day I ordered an intel i5-4690K and also the ASRock H97, unaware that this motherboard can not overclock. However, I am unsure of the difference between the two? Shall I just stick with the H97 or shall I send it back and get the Z97? I arn't too bothered about overclocking unless it is REALLY worth it. Thanks in advance.

FYI my current specs are:
Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
CPU
AMD A8-6600K
Richland 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 798MHz (11-11-11-28)
Motherboard
MSI A55M-E33 (MS-7721) (P0)
Graphics
CVTE TV (1600x900@59Hz)
Radeon R9 270X Sapphire 2G Edition
Storage
931GB Seagate ST1000DM003-1CH162 ATA Device (SATA)
Optical Drives
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-224DB ATA Device
Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device
Power Supply
Corsair CX600M 600W ATX 80+ Bronze PC Power Supply

 

[Eximo]

Well, aside from the overclocking not a whole lot. Most H97 boards support crossfire. Usually you have to bump up to the Z97 to get Nvidia SLI.

 

[rockie_]

- - -

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Here's an official comparison from the ASRock website:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/compare.asp?SelectedModel=Z97+Extreme4&SelectedModel=H97+Pro4

 

[WackyOwey]

Thanks for all the responses guys, so overall do you think that seen as I arn't TOO bothered about overclocking I may aswell just stick with H97? Other than the overclocking limitations there isn't much that is worse.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z97-vs-H97-What-is-the-Difference-562/
Z97 vs H97 - What is the Difference?

 

[WackyOwey]

Thanks a lot, they are literally exactly the same I suppose, just the lack of overclocking unfortunately :/ will the i5-4690k and the H97 be sufficient to play large open world games in max settings do you know? (Eg Dying light)?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows 7 64-bit / Windows 8 64-bit / Windows 8.1 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500 @3.3 GHz / AMD FX-8320 @3.5 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM DDR3
Hard Drive: 40 GB free space
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 / AMD Radeon HD 6870 (1GB VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Sound: DirectX compatible
Additional Notes: Laptop versions of graphics cards may work but are NOT officially supported.



Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows 7 64-bit / Windows 8 64-bit / Windows 8.1 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K @3.4 GHz / AMD FX-8350 @4.0 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM DDR3
Hard Drive: 40 GB free space
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 290 (2GB VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Sound: DirectX compatible
Additional Notes: Laptop versions of graphics cards may work but are NOT officially supported.

 

[WackyOwey]

Ahh brilliant that should be ok then