z87 vs z97

[Kerolose Nasser]

Thx for the help in advance
So after I saved money for almost a year 2 buy my 1st pc gaming I have 3 options and it has been driving me nuts to choose
1st option buy a z87 motherboard

2d options w8 1 more month for the z97 which will be ridiculously expensive but I can buy it

3rs option a friend of mine is traveling to the us and asked me if I need anything to bring back I checked the prices and it was waaaay cheaper than here ... I can get the z97 deluxe for the price of maximus vi hero but he has only 2 conditions ... he would put it in his luggage and 2 be deliverd 2 him .. the delivery is easy but am not sure if it is okay 2 put the motherboard in the luggage knowing that it is thrown and pushed and it might get damaged ... so any idea on what I should do ... and where I live there is only like 2 z97 models and I dont like them

 

[olafgarten]

As long as the motherboard is still in the box it should be ok, just tell him to put a fragile sticker on the suitcase. although z97 isn't much of an upgrade, you can still use it with broadwell. Also I wouldn't get the z97 deluxe for gaming, I would get one of he ROG boards, like the hero, it will be cheaper and have more gaming oriented features.

 

[Suztera]

If you plan to get a Haswell Refresh cpu or want upgradability to Broadwell cpu then Z97 is your only choice.
With your friend buying it for you, if the box is packed against soft materials around it and is in the center of the luggage, it should be fine.

 

[sourodip]

Where are you from? Can your friend gurantee the mobo's safety? It would be packed, so there are less chances of the MB to break or damage.
Z97 boards supports intel's 5th gen. broadwell cpu's,so in future if you need to upgrade to a broadwell then you don't have to change your mobo.
Z87 boards are also good if you don't intend to upgrade to a broadwell cpu in future.
There are many boards available. Give us your budget and mention the country's name from where you are or from US if you want your friend to bring in the mobo for you.

 

[EthanG]

My 24 inch Asus monitor made it from Hawaii to North Carolina with proper placement of my clothes.... The motherboard will be just fine in it's retail packaging. How well do you really think shipping companies handle the millions of boxes they come across?

 

[Kerolose Nasser]

I live In egypt and my budget is 9k le which is around 1.8k usd for everything except case cooling and vga

 

[sourodip]

Ok,except case cooling and VGA. I guess,that includes the monitor and the OS,right?
Here's a build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mLDt99

 

[Kerolose Nasser]

Srry .. I already bought a monitor and the os is 8.1

 

[olafgarten]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YBPPQ7 How about this?

 

[Kerolose Nasser]

That buils is the best I could.hope for .... but worest case ... maximus vi hero core- i7 4770k - 120 ssd - msi gtx 789 - kingston hyberx beast 16g those are the stuff that is avaliable in egypt

 

[olafgarten]

That should be good, I chose the case because I like how it looks, could you link me to an Egyptian retailer, so I could see what's there?

 

[Kerolose Nasser]

http://www.egprices.com/en/category/computers

This site is up 2 date with the exact prices

 

[olafgarten]

Well due to the crazy prices in egypt, it seems that the build is 13000, is there any way you could order from elsewhere?

 

[Kerolose Nasser]

I could ask my friend 2 get the parts from the us but he won't guarantee the safety of the parts so it is either get less for more or pay less and get better parts with the chance of getting them damaged with no warranty

 

[olafgarten]

I'm sure the parts will be fine if they are left in their boxes, don't get the case from the us, that's too big, but the GPU is half the price, the CPU and motherboard are aswell.

 

[DHFF]

Most airlines let you take an extra carry on Bag for about $50. If he is willing to carry an extra bag, you might rest easier knowing he is carrying the parts in a bag with him rather then left to the devices of the airline baggage department.

 

[DHFF]

Or you could try an H97 from an e-store in Egypt. It would still have future compatibility an it might be a little cheaper then the Z97 board.