z87 vs z97?

[petersona95]

Hi, I'm getting a new mobo with my i5 4690k, and was wondering which I should go with.

My options are:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130770&cm_re=z97_msi-_-13-130-770-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130692&cm_re=msi_z87-_-13-130-692-_-Product

Im wondering which will be a better deal for me? Assuming im going with an i5 4690k. Money isn't a problem, however I am set on the red and black scheme as it matches the rest of my rig.

Let me know what you think.

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

Get this one here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130768&cm_re=msi_z97-_-13-130-768-_-Product


I just built a new PC about a week ago, was going to buy this one micro-atx version but they were sold out. Went with the Asus maximus VII gene.
The gaming 7 has more usb 3.0 ports and more Sata connections (these are what will make any difference for you really) against the gaming 5.

 

[Bezzell]

They both look awesome and have nice features. I like that they both have headphone amps. Any options you can see that one or the other has or doesn't?

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Both are good motherboards. I would probably go for the Z97 chipset motherboard. However, I think the Z87-GD65 motherboard is better for overclocking if you are interested, but the Z97 will perform great. Plus, the Z97 is on sale.

 

[petersona95]

Mr venbeer, why is the z87 better for OCing? And I've been reading online that the heat sinks on the z97 are getting in the way of custom cpu coolers which is making me wary of purchasing it.

 

[Bezzell]

Overclocking on any board, whether it be budget, $300, 4 phase, 12 phase, since the z68 chipset is nothing but a marketing ploy. The main factor in the attainable clock speeds of Haswell chips is what's called the "silicon lottery".

For example, it's completely random whether the cpu you get will be a 4.2ghz chip or a 4.8ghz overclockable chip. No motherboard or cooling solution will push it past its given lottery draw. Fanboys will try to get you to buy into the marketing and snake oil of it all, but it's bunk. They have been brainwashed by ad agents and each other.

Some chips will get to 4.4 at 1.3v and go no further. Some will go to 4.8 on lesser voltage. Luck of the draw. It's not the motherboard's ability to provide power, or how much it costs. It's the voltage/heat threshold paired with the diminishing returns of each chip.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Mr venbeer, why is the z87 better for OCing? And I've been reading online that the heat sinks on the z97 are getting in the way of custom cpu coolers which is making me wary of purchasing it.

Well if that's the case, then buy the Z87. It's also a very good choice.
I assume that the Z87 is better at overclocking, not 100% sure. Well it is high end Z87 chipset motherboard so I don't know why it wouldn't be amazing at overclocking.

 

[Bezzell]

Because the CPU itself is the limiting factor, not the motherboard.