Which one for an i5-4670? GA-B85M-D3H vs GA-Z87M-D3H

[felipebari]

Which one of these motherboards is the better choice to go w/ an i5-4670?

The GA-Z87M-D3H is $20 cheaper than the GA-B85M-D3H where I live. Another choice would be the GA-B85M-D3PH, and it's the cheaper of the three.

GA-B85M-D3H (pricier)
GA-Z87M-D3H ($20 less)
GA-B85M-D3PH ($50 less)

Also, does any of them support SLI? I know they officially support Crossfire, so I don't get why they wouldn't support SLI.

I won't overclock the CPU. I just want a cool, stable build.

I currently have an FX-8350 w/ the GA-78LMT-USB3 and the NB overheats, causing the PC to freeze and reboot often. I tried everything to improve cooling, but it remains unstable. Since I don't have a better option for an AMD micro-ATX board, I'm switching to Intel.

So, what board should I go with? Thanks.

 

[i7Baby]

Get the Z87 - it'll also SLI.

 

[felipebari]

Get the Z87 - it'll also SLI.

That's great to hear! Does this board come with an SLI bridge? If not, where can I purchase one?

Out of curiosity, is the Z87 a superior chipset than the B85? I wonder why it's cheaper here.

Sorry for the noob questions, I haven't had an Intel or Nvidia build in years.

 

[GhislainG]

The GA-Z87M-D3H can't SLI because it doesn't meet the requirements. It has one PCI Express 3.0 x16 and one PCI Express 2.0 x16 running at x4, but SLI requires x8. You should buy the GA-B85M-D3PH (which seems to be sold in Brazil only) if meets your requirements.

 

[i7Baby]

Its a mATX. Get an ATX Z87 mobo.

 

[felipebari]

The GA-Z87M-D3H can't SLI because it doesn't meet the requirements. It has one PCI Express 3.0 x16 and one PCI Express 2.0 x16 running at x4, but SLI requires x8. You should buy the GA-B85M-D3PH (which seems to be sold in Brazil only) if meets your requirements.

Thanks. What micro-ATX card would support SLI? All these cards support Crossfire, but I have no interest in that since the current AMD cards consume a lot of power. I wanted to go w/ a GTX 970 SLI.

Its a mATX. Get an ATX Z87 mobo.

Unfortunately I can't do that since I have a Phenom M case. Also if I were to purchase an ATX board I'd probably keep the FX-8350.

I'm sorry but I feel like I'm getting mixed signals here. If we forget SLI, which of these 3 boards listed is the best performer for their respective price differences?

 

[i7Baby]

The Z87

 

[GhislainG]

With a single GPU they basically perform the same, but select the one that best meets your requirements and features.

Socket 1150 micro-ATX motherboards that support SLI at a reasonable price:
- ASUS GRYPHON Z97
- GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5
- ASRock Z97M OC Formula
- MSI Z87M GAMING

Look for motherboards that meet SLI requirements (minimum is PCI Express 1 x16 and 1 x8 slots) and then check if SLI is supported.

 

[felipebari]

The Z87

They both perform similarly. The Z87 has more USB 3.0 ports and is able to OC DDR3 to 2933 MHZ and that is pretty much it. However the reviews scare me. The GIGABYTE GA-B85M-D3H is better going by reviews. If I were you I would bite the bullet and get the Z87.

With a single GPU they basically perform the same, but select the one that best meets your requirements and features.

Thanks guys. I think I'll go with the Z87 then. Looks like a nice board for a decent price, and within my budget.

Furthermore, can I expect my heating issues to be gone by going w/ Z87 Intel? The only reason I'm switching platforms is because I'm really tired of micro-ATX AMD boards. I had two of them in the past 3 months. The first one would overheat the VRMs, and the current one overheats the NB. It's frustrating.

And one last question if you allow me: I currently have an R9 290. Is the i5-4670 overkill for this single card, or will it be a nice balance? I'm not a fan of overkill if I could save some money instead.

Socket 1150 micro-ATX motherboards that support SLI at a reasonable price:
- ASUS GRYPHON Z97
- GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5
- ASRock Z97M OC Formula
- MSI Z87M GAMING

Look for motherboards that meet SLI requirements (minimum is PCI Express 1 x16 and 1 x8 slots) and then check if SLI is supported.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I looked for prices on these boards here and they're a bit too expensive. They go over $350, making the SLI not that sweet of a deal anymore.

I think I'll stick to a single GPU for now and hope for better power efficiency in the next-gen of AMD cards. I wanted to SLI the GTX 970, but CF-only boards are much cheaper.

 

[GhislainG]

Intel based micro-ATX motherboards tend to have less heat problems simply because the CPU draws less power. I'd keep the current CPU selection to ensure no game is CPU bound (some may still be, but certainly less than an i3).

 

[Zerk2012]

For the processor your buying all the boards will perform exactually the same.
The Z97 board will give a total of 0 performance increase.

 

[felipebari]

Intel based micro-ATX motherboards tend to have less heat problems simply because the CPU draws less power. I'd keep the current CPU selection to ensure no game is CPU bound (some may still be, but certainly less than an i3).

That's great to hear, I'm really tired of chipset heating issues.

I've ordered the Z87 board and the i5-4670. It ended up being cheaper than both the B85 and H87 boards, which sounds like a great deal.

For the processor your buying all the boards will perform exactually the same.
The Z97 board will give a total of 0 performance increase.

Thanks for the input. The Z87 was actually cheaper than inferior models here, so I'm happy with that.