Z97 vs X79?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Solution
logainofhades


$405 for a 2.1ghz chip? No thanks. I would rather have a 3.3ghz 1230v3 for $245.
Sort by date Sort by votes
The IB-E is a generation behind, plus the x79 chipset is three generations behind. X79 isn't even as good at the Z77. I have an x79 system, and I'm annoyed with the lack of 6Gb SATA ports. I've actually pre-ordered the Asus Z97-WS board in anticipation of the 4790k's release. If it costs the same as a 4770k, or up to $20 more expensive, then I'll go for it. If it is too expensive, I'll just go for the 4770k.

My 3930k has it's advantages, with six cores and all that PCIe IO, but the chipset around it is just too out of date. I have 5 SSDs in my system, for various purposes. Running three of them at only 3Gb just because the chipset is out of date is really annoying. Gigabyte attempted to help that on my board with 3 additional Marvel 9172 controllers, but those horrible things are slower than using the 3Gb ports from the chipset.

Couple that with the horrible BIOS, horrible compatibility, and horrible support from Gigabyte, and this board has been begging to be replaced since I got it. Do yourself a favor, whatever board you get, avoid Gigabyte.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Z97 is an LGA-1150 platform chipset. X79 is an LGA-2011 platform chipset.

The i7-4960x, i7-4930k, and i7-4820 are LGA-2011 platform microprocessors.

If you do want to purchase one of the above microprocessors you must purchase an X79 motherboard. I only recommend Asus X79 motherboards as most other vendors have massive issues. The Rampage IV Black Edition is the cream of the crop.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think the relevant comparison is between LGA 1150 and LGA 2011. The LGA 1150 has Z87 and the new Z97, and the LGA 2011 has X79, and there will soon be an X99 (as longanofhades mentioned in his post above).

There are questions about SATA ports on X79, but your primary consideration in whether to buy into LGA 2011 should be whether you'll need either more than 4 cores or 16 PCI-e lanes, which is the max you can get on LGA 1150 (i.e. same for Z87 and Z97). If so, your only option is to move up to LGA 2011.

If you are going to do LGA 2011, then you either will go with the existing X79 or wait for the Z99 boards. As dgingeri pointed out above, X79's limitations are with the number of SATA ports natively on the chipset, so you will need less SSDs with higher capacities rather than more SSDs with lower capacities. There are only 2 SATA 6.0 Gbps ports on the X79 chipset, although motherboard manufacturers do add supplemental ports on their own controllers. ASUS tends to make good ports. Other than that, though, non-SSD drives will be fine on any SATA port (e.g. CD/DVD drives and HDDs).

As for X99, you'd be looking at very considerable cost. It will use DDR-4, which is very expensive RAM. The boards will also utilize 8 core Intel CPUs, which are projected to be more expensive at release than X79 chips with 6 cores were. On the upside, you'll get all of the new technologies. That will include PCI-e based storage with SATA Express and M.2 storage devices, which allow way faster SSD drives than you can currently use (note, both of these storage protocols are also available on Z97).

So, ask yourself, "What is my expected use scenario, and what is my budget?" You'll be able to go from there. If you are going to just do gaming, Z97 is arguably the best platform for up to two video cards. The single core performance is currently better (which may change with new X99 CPUs), and the platform is way more affordable. If you are going to do things heavily CPU dependent, then you'll want to step up to either X79 or wait for X99 on the LGA 2011 socket. That would include heavy photo editing with high resolution images, video editing, 3D rendering, and other things like that.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upvote 0 Downvote


$405 for a 2.1ghz chip? No thanks. I would rather have a 3.3ghz 1230v3 for $245.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom