Actually, this is a question I contemplate for myself in the plan to build a new machine in 2015. People will say all sorts of things: "Wait for Skylake;" "Wait for Broadwell;" etc. I no longer need to get the latest-greatest-most-recently-released hardware. Putting it another way: I can delay a building a machine with this year's current hardware -- until next year.
So I've been studying the posts here at the forums and reviews of socket-2011 and socket-1150 motherboards, processors . . . RAM.
For socket-2011-v3, you would purchase quad-channel DDR4 RAM at some expense. DDR4 is still relatively new (another reason I'll wait until next year). So you could expect better RAM kits to become available "as time goes by."
You can purchase a hex-core i7-5820K Haswell "E" processor for socket 2011 and the X99 chipset for maybe $350+. You will not get built-in Intel graphics, but for most people, a dGPU is preferred anyway. With that processor, limited to 28 PCI-E lanes, you should be able to have "tri-SLI" if you want it.
The Haswell E processors are fabricated with the older and more expensive method of attaching the IHS/processor-cap with Indium solder.
The i7-4790K quad-core "Devils Canyon" processor for socket 1150 uses a "polymer TIM" instead of indium solder, but supposedly eliminates thermal issues of the earlier Ivy Bridge processors that preceded Haswell.
If you intend to overclock your system, you can do it -- with some attention to CPU cooling. You will only get so far using heatpipe cooling technology. You can take the Devils Canyon (socket-1150) from its spec turbo-speed of 4.4 Ghz to 4.6 or 4.7, but indications seem to suggest that it won't amount to much in performance gains. You can overclock the Haswell E processors in different feasible ranges depending on whether you choose the i7-5960X ($1,000+), the i7-5930K or the i7-5820K. The latter model offers to most overclocking promise, with expectations ranging from maybe 4.4 Ghz to 4.6/4.7.
You can examine projects of other forum members as they explored their own cooling solutions. HEre is a recent project for the i7-4790K socket-1150:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2408847
And here is a recent project (in progress) for the i7-5820K socket-2011-v3:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2407453
You should also ask yourself the question as to whether you really "need" or want six cores and 12 threads (hyperthreading), or whether 4 cores (8 threads (with HT) is more than sufficient. If you plan on doing a lot of rendering and encoding which would actually use those extra cores, then the Haswell E is more reasonable. But most games won't use that extra power.
What is "more popular" and "less popular," I can't say. Some folks build high-end systems for the processing-power, bragging rights, curiosity -- any number of reasons. The Devils CAnyon, on the other hand, is a very powerful quad-core CPU.
The ROG boards are very popular and offer more features than many folks may use. On the other hand, there are "mid-range" ASUS boards with equal phase-power design which would overclock just as well: they don't have all the extras of the ROG boards.
So it also depends on your budget and usage patterns. I still haven't made up my own mind completely. But I offer you these thoughts about it. They should be worth something: I'm exclusively an "Intel guy."
And on the matter of budget, you would only need DDR3 RAM for the socket-1150 option. Maybe you already have DDR3 from your AMD boxes that are equally compatible with your Intel motherboard choices.
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