Any comments (peculiarities?) or suggestions would be appreciated. Couldn't get all four to compare @ newegg so...
newegg compare three and one seperate
pcpartpicker compare all four
Primarily considering the three H97M since not really interested in overclocking or SLI (or even CrossFireX), however this Z97M has other merits. Cost is less of a consideration if actually beneficial. The only 3D games currently played are Forgotten Hope and Project Reality mods for Battlefield 2. If BF5 turns out good then I'll try it, but the point is that EAX5 is required and I already have a PCI X-Fi DSP for that and an $80 PCIe Sound Braster Z is not necessarily better. Also, H97 mobos with multiple PCIe x1 are useless for expanding storage versus those with one PCIe x4 and two PCI.
ASRock H97 PRO4
+Intel Ethernet
Foxconn H97M Plus
+SATA Express
Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H
+better reliability & support?
+DualBIOS
Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5
+better reliability & support?
+DualBIOS
+Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3
+SATA Express & M.2 (only one can be used)
+PCIe x8
-Qualcomm Atheros Ethernet may be less reliable and compatible
-higher cost & lower value, especially if extras don't pan out
newegg compare three and one seperate
pcpartpicker compare all four
Primarily considering the three H97M since not really interested in overclocking or SLI (or even CrossFireX), however this Z97M has other merits. Cost is less of a consideration if actually beneficial. The only 3D games currently played are Forgotten Hope and Project Reality mods for Battlefield 2. If BF5 turns out good then I'll try it, but the point is that EAX5 is required and I already have a PCI X-Fi DSP for that and an $80 PCIe Sound Braster Z is not necessarily better. Also, H97 mobos with multiple PCIe x1 are useless for expanding storage versus those with one PCIe x4 and two PCI.
ASRock H97 PRO4
+Intel Ethernet
Foxconn H97M Plus
+SATA Express
Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H
+better reliability & support?
+DualBIOS
Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5
+better reliability & support?
+DualBIOS
+Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3
+SATA Express & M.2 (only one can be used)
+PCIe x8
-Qualcomm Atheros Ethernet may be less reliable and compatible
-higher cost & lower value, especially if extras don't pan out
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