Bought i3-4150, need new uATX mobo

[SvenGolly]

I got a great deal at Fry's on the CPU so now I'm trying to decide on a mainboard. I mostly run Creative Suite, do some light gaming, run music production software (Audacity, Sonar, etc.) and plan to use my existing GTX 460 v2 in the new board along with a new 240GB S-III SSD. I'm changing from an AMD Phenom II-X4 system to this since I really wanted to get USB 3 (front panel too). I'm thinking of going for a full 16gb of RAM right off even though the prices are painful.

Anyway, I started out thinking the MSI H81M-E35 V2 would be sufficient but then I started looking at various 87/97 series boards and wondered if they might be a little more future proof (better CPU later or something). The MSI is $60 while most of the 87/97 boards are in the $80 - $100 range. I'm not planning on OCing anything at this time but I suppose having that ability couldn't hurt.

I'm wondering what you guys think of these ASRock boards? I like that they all have digital audio out (just in case)

ASRock H97M Pro4 - $82
ASRock Z97M Pro4 - $99
ASRock Z97OC Formula - $120 after rebate

Feel free to suggest alternatives for my build. I am planning on running Windows 7 since I have a license for it unless someone really thinks I need Windows 8.1.

 

[Termie]

Be careful if you go with an H81/H87 board - you'd want to make absolutely sure that the shipping BIOS is compatible with the 4150.

My recommendation would be the H97M Pro4. Great specs, very fair price. I've had no trouble at all with ASRock boards. They are generally a bit cheaper than the competition, and the only criticism I can think of is that the boards are thin and heatsinks aren't particularly robust. For your system, neither of these traits will be an issue.

The Z97 chipset offers nothing to you, by the way, as it only adds overclocking of -K series chips.

 

[SvenGolly]

Thanks. Sounds like a plan.

 

[wangotango]

As an experienced professional builder and tech, I would stay away from ASRock boards. I have seen many with voltage regulation issues but you may get lucky. I would suggest a Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H for stability and longevity. If you already have a licensed W7 and you like it, stick with it. You may have to call to MS to get it activated but it's quick and painless. W8.1 may irritate you for a while learning where everything is at.

 

[SvenGolly]

I went with the ASRock H97M Pro4 with 16gb of GSkill RAM, Seagate 3TB HD and PNY 240GB SSD for Windows 7 and programs. Boot-up is about 6 seconds and except for a couple of minor hiccups (issues updating drivers), so far everything is running smoothly. Unlike many reports I've seen (not with this particular combo, just in general), I had no trouble partitioning and installing Win7 to the SSD straight off.

Next up is to test the USB 3.0 stuff.