What mobo for i5 4690k?

[Joel Oberlin]

Guys, simple as that. Which one?
(Im going to put the prices in my currency)
-Asus Maximus Ranger $3600
-Asus Sabertooth Mark2 $3300
-Gigabyte z97x Gaming 5 $2800
I will use it with i5 4690k and gtx 970. I love the Sabertooth, but it's more expensive. Gigabyte is ok? Feel free to advice me, I want to choose the best one. Thanks in advance!

 

[matt1-0-1]

They are all good motherboards. IMO, the ROG Ranger is the nicest one - I think that the Gigabyte one is a little tacky, but they all have pretty much the same feature set. If you are on a tight budget, go with the Gigabyte one, the Maximus Ranger is probably a good compromise between the two, but if you really like the aesthetics of the Asus Sabertooth, and are willing to spend a little extra, then grab that.

 

[Tradesman1]

I'd go the Sabertooth, or if budget permits the Ranger

 

[synphul]

Gigabyte builds solid boards. If I'm not mistaken at the last intel lanfest, it was a gigabyte board they used to break 3 overclocking world records. The only drawbacks of the gigabyte might be the bios menu since they changed it. Asus are a little easier to navigate. That particular gaming 5 board is a bit odd since it's shorter than full atx and misses a few of the motherboard standoffs. Just be careful installing components (ram etc) after installing the board since it might flex more than others. Other gb z97 boards don't seem to have this issue.

Which board has the features you need? Some boards try to do it all, but unless you need the features it's just added cost and no real added value. For example, no reason to buy a top end board and overpay for the ability to 3 or 4 way crossfire if you don't intend to take advantage of it. Then it just becomes bragging rights and won't add any performance to your system. Admittedly newer boards try to be 'stylish' and some are hard on the eyes (if you have a windowed case and it's on display) - for some it's important to match a 'theme' of colors. For me it's function over design all day long. I can't see what color my southbridge heatsink is when I'm looking at the monitor