Best bang for the buck motherboard for an i5-6600k on air

[balloonshark]

I'm looking to get an i5-6600k cpu that will run on air. I'll also be using a MSI GTX 960 OC and 8 or 16GB of ram. Which ATX or mATX motherboards will allow decent overclocking? If you have a similar system are you happy with your motherboard? Any pros and cons you could share? If you're unhappy which board what would you choose? How much were you able to OC?

What I'm looking for:

1. Decent overclock on air
2. Decent sound chip
3. Reliability with good BIOS and driver support
4. $80 to $130 on sale price
5. Most bang for the buck
6. Hopefully a couple of rear USB 2.0 ports

I don't keep up on hardware so if there are other features I should be looking for please let me know.

 

[Burpo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1R&cm_re=Z170_realtek-_-13-128-841R-_-Product

 

[balloonshark]

That looks like a really nice board Burpo. Thanks for the suggestion.

Someone may be picking up the board at a B&M store for me so I would like to create a "shopping list" of boards in the event one isn't in stock.

 

[Burpo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=asus_z170_open_box-_-13-132-567R-_-Product

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO-GAMING/specifications/

 

[balloonshark]

That one looks better but the reviews are kind of scary. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...e=ASUS_Z170_PRO_GAMING-_-13-132-567-_-Product

 

[MongGrel]

That one looks better but the reviews are kind of scary. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...e=ASUS_Z170_PRO_GAMING-_-13-132-567-_-Product

At least you could return it if not working out for you.

The Asus P6T7 I have in the main rig these days I bought open box off The Egg at least 6 years ago is still kicking along fine.

Was a nice investment here at the time.

 

[mogans]

Asus z170 pro gaming seems good.

 

[SuperJaw]

Got my Gigabyte z170x-UD3 for $150cdn after rebates which is like $100USD.
Seems pretty decent
-USB 3.1 type c (intel controller)
-2 M.2. PCI 3.0 x4 slots
-SLI
-Good Audio solution ALC1150

-Support BCLK OC on non-k with the right bios (my i3-6100 does 4.6Ghz)

Everything you need and not much you don't.

 

[balloonshark]

Got my Gigabyte z170x-UD3 for $150cdn after rebates which is like $100USD.
Seems pretty decent
-USB 3.1 type c (intel controller)
-2 M.2. PCI 3.0 x4 slots
-SLI
-Good Audio solution ALC1150

-Support BCLK OC on non-k with the right bios (my i3-6100 does 4.6Ghz)

Everything you need and not much you don't.

Good to hear you like that board. I like the fact it has a digital audio out even though I don't need in right now.

I'm also kind of shocked at the amount of bad reviews on these new z170 boards.

 

[UsandThem]

Good to hear you like that board. I like the fact it has a digital audio out even though I don't need in right now.

I'm also kind of shocked at the amount of bad reviews on these new z170 boards.

A lot of the bad reviews if you look at them is most likely user error.

The new z170 chipset has a lot of new features that many people haven't used before. A lot of complaints on trying to install Windows 7, m.2 ssd installation, UEFI configuration, etc.

I'm sure there are some boards with true issues (like there has always been), but a lot of the issues people could prevent by reading the manual.

 

[balloonshark]

A lot of the bad reviews if you look at them is most likely user error.

The new z170 chipset has a lot of new features that many people haven't used before. A lot of complaints on trying to install Windows 7, m.2 ssd installation, UEFI configuration, etc.

I'm sure there are some boards with true issues (like there has always been), but a lot of the issues people could prevent by reading the manual.

Perhaps you're right or I hope you are right.

The last board suggested seems to have problems with the memory slots. Then again SuperJaw seems to like the board. I see a lot of inconsistency with some of the boards.

I normally use the manual quite a bit when building though. Despite building only 2 computers I do notice each board had its quirks.

 

[UsandThem]

Perhaps you're right or I hope you are right.

The last board suggested seems to have problems with the memory slots. Then again SuperJaw seems to like the board. I see a lot of inconsistency with some of the boards.

I normally use the manual quite a bit when building though. Despite building only 2 computers I do notice each board had its quirks.

The reviews of the Gigabyte UD3 board you referred to would give me pause on buying it.

The reviews are consistent there is some type of issue going on. It could dead DIMM slots, memory incompatibility, or could be an issue that just needs a BIOS update.

I have the UD5 version of that board, and I picked it after reading professional reviews and then user reviews to see if there was any type of trend going on. It has been a great board for me. Well built, no problems installing it, and easy to set-up Windows with. It was recently on sale for $149, but right now it is back to its normal price of $189.

In my opinion, the two most important parts of a computer are the motherboard and power supply. Sometimes it might be worth it to spend a few extra bucks on something you are going to have for a while.

 

[balloonshark]

The Gigabyte UD5 you mentioned keeps coming up. I'm glad to here you like it. I'll add it to the list.

 

[usyed1]

ASRock all the way.

 

[rivethead]

Would recommendations change if the CPU were an i7-6700k?

My list is almost identical to balloonshark's:

What I'm looking for:

1. Decent overclock on air (I'd be happy with 10% clock speed increase)
2. Decent sound chip
3. Reliability with good BIOS and driver support
4. Most bang for the buck

I wouldn't think the i5/i7 cpu would matter too much in mobo choice. But please let me know if there are nuances I should be thinking about.

 

[Burpo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0868&cm_re=z170_gaming-_-13-130-868-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=z170_gaming_open_box-_-13-132-567R-_-Product