What is the point of an expensive motherboard?

[tejasnarra]

I bought an Ryzen 1800X in the recent Newegg sale and I see that there are a lot of motherboards that are exceptionally well priced such as this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128991&cm_re=gigabyte_b350-_-13-128-991-_-Product

My question is what advantages do boards like the Asus Maximus Hero have over this board? I want a modest overclock but nothing wild, and I'll mainly be keeping to gaming and maybe some rendering here and there. So, is there a reason to go for a more expensive motherboard.

 

[rocktalkrock]

If you just want to do a modest overclock this is all the motherboard you need. More expensive motherboards like the Maximus Hero will still remain stable at much higher overclock speeds.

 

[drea.drechsler]

I bought an Ryzen 1800X in the recent Newegg sale and I see that there are a lot of motherboards that are exceptionally well priced such as this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128991&cm_re=gigabyte_b350-_-13-128-991-_-Product

My question is what advantages do boards like the Asus Maximus Hero have over this board? I want a modest overclock but nothing wild, and I'll mainly be keeping to gaming and maybe some rendering here and there. So, is there a reason to go for a more expensive motherboard.

Look at the quality of the VRM FET's and the number of phases; more phases and better quality allows greater overclocking headroom.

Look at the quality of the audio CODEC and shielding/isolation/filtering; a better audio section can provide lower noise, higher dynamic range and more features.

Look at the quality of the network adapter: more fragging, less lagging.

Look for WiFi and it's quality.

Look at the number and types of included USB ports. More USB3.1 Gen 2 and/or Ty. C ports suggests additional circuitry.

Number and bandwidth of integrated M.2 adapters. Two or more providing full NVME speed suggest additional circuitry and cost.

Look for chipset: an X370 chipset allows for SLI of Nvidia GPU's and, as well, more PCIe lanes allowing for more hi-speed USB, more M.2-NVME, WiFi... etc.

Lastly... look for that all important bling! Covers over I/O ports, RGB LED's and headers, color-schemed chipset/VRM heatsinks that will dazzle your eyes and make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and out.