Help picking out basic Z170 Motherboard

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sprtfan

Senior member
Nov 17, 2003
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Either ATX or mATX will work. I'll be pairing it up with a i3 6100 and would like to be able to overclock it. I tend to keep my computers for a while so I'd like M.2 port and USB 3.1 but are not a must.

I don't need SLI or Crossfire or something that is great at overclocking. I have an external sound I'll be using so sound chip is not a priority either. I was going to order a ASUS Z170-E from Newegg while it was on sale for $85 after rebate but waited to long and missed it. It would still work but at the higher price I thought I should check out some other options.
Thanks
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
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Do Asus Z170 boards even support "BCLK OC"? I didn't know that they ever did.

I'm using a pair of ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX mobos, with "SKY OC" capability (BIOS 3.00, nothing newer), to OC a pair of G4400 Skylake Pentium CPUs.

Later BIOS revisions for this and many other ASRock boards that supported "SKY OC" mention removing it, so YMMV.

OCing locked CPUs has drawbacks. Primarily, no power-saving (since the OC feature shuts down the PCU), and no iGPU available.

So if you don't mind having to use a discrete GPU, and having it run at max power draw 100% of the time, then sure, go for it.
 
UsandThem

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
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VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
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UsandThem said:
This is the last news I heard about overclocking a non-k CPU with Asrock boards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asrock-non-z170-bclk-overclocking-motherboards,31362.html

I think Asrock will be on Intel's naughty list between their original Sky OC and now their bclk overclocking boards.

Intel has been known to hold grudges and flex their financial influence when needed (no AMD CPUs offered in Dell PCs for a very long time).
Click to expand...

"H110M-DGS / Hyper" - BCLK OC H110 mini-ITX? Yes, please! Where can I find one of these little gems. Though, lack of working iGPU due to BCLK OC, means that the mini-ITX will have to utilize a discrete video card, which, depending on the chassis, could completely negate the benefit of ITX.

Edit: Not sure where TH came up with that one, it doesn't show up on ASRock's own site, like the other "Hyper" boards do.
 
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sprtfan

Senior member
Nov 17, 2003
257
5
81
Thanks, I really don't need to overclock right now anyway but might down the road if I upgrade the CPU at some point. I guess the question is still the same on what I'm looking for in a motherboard though. Anyone have a recommendation? I could stick with the Asus Z170-E but I saw a MSI Z170A Krait Gaming 3X on sale now for $120 AR. I've never used an MSI though and normally stick with Asus or Gigabyte. Thanks
 
S

sprtfan

Senior member
Nov 17, 2003
257
5
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Since OCing is not really an option, maybe I should open my search up to H170 boards as well.
 
UsandThem

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
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sprtfan said:
Since OCing is not really an option, maybe I should open my search up to H170 boards as well.
Click to expand...

You could. The H170 boards are very comparable to the Z170 boards outside of overclocking. I recommend regardless of whatever chipset you go with, getting a board with Realtek ALC1150 sound codec on it if you aren't planning on using a discrete sound card. It's actually really good for gaming and music.

However, with the same features, they are generally priced very similar and you could probably pick up a good Z170 board on sale for roughly the same amount.

It just depends if you plan on upgrading to a 'K' CPU at some point, or if you just plan on using the i3 until you do your next full upgrade.
 
nerp

nerp

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
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H170 is basically Z170 with no OCing capability. You get all the great features, though. I have an H170 board and I love it. Not a bad idea to get the Z170 board, though, and pop in the i3 like you want with the knowledge that you can toss in a 6700K down the road or something and OC it.
 
M

mv2devnull

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2010
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Code: 
[B]Chipset differences[/B]
[U]Feature                     H170    Z170[/U]
CPU Overclocking              No    Yes
DDR4 Ram Speed           2133Mhz    3466(O.C.)/.../2400(O.C.)*/2133
Max Native USB 3.0 ports       8    10
PCI-E  3.0 x16 slots     One x16    One x16 or Two x8
PCI-E  Configuration    16 x 3.0    20 x 3.0
In other words, the amount of "ports and slots" can differ between H and Z, but is that a more or less significant difference than the OC?
 
UsandThem

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
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mv2devnull said:
In other words, the amount of "ports and slots" can differ between H and Z, but is that a more or less significant difference than the OC?
Click to expand...

Yes. That only really matters if you are wanting to run SLI/Crossfire cards or a ton of PCI-E devices like NVMe drives. Many times using m.2 slots, even installing SATA based drives will use/disable certain lanes. Each board is different in this regard, but they will state this under detailed specs on the manufacturer's product page. Each one of those devices use a certain amount of lanes. Most people outside of enthusiasts will not use all 20 lanes on the h170. In fact, they wouldn't use a h170 board to begin with. That chipset is targeted for mainstream users.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2099-intel-chipset-comparison-z170-h170-h110
 
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sprtfan

Senior member
Nov 17, 2003
257
5
81
For what its worth, the ASUS Z170-E went back on sale on Newegg for $85 AR so I ended up getting it. Thanks for the help
 
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