New build question

[powersmo]

Ok, putting together a new build for gaming and home computer use. Not really looking to overclock so I got a i-4590 for the cpu. Looking at several website (newegg, tiger, etc) as long as I stick to the -97 series mb's I shouldn't have any issues with working fine. Question is the quality mb manufacturing such that it doesn't really matter the brand? Reading the reviews, it seems that every mb I look at have had issues and DOA's. Recommendations would be appreciated. I was considering the AsRock H-97M Anniversary for about $70 as well as the AsRock Z-97 at about $75. Not wedded to AsRock but they seem to be the big sellers on the egg.

 

[MustISO]

I've had good luck with Asrock, ASUS and Gigabyte but yeah I know what you mean about the DOA reviews. I wouldn't let it bother you, I've never had a dead motherboard and I've installed a lot of them. If you have a frys or microcenter near you buying locally is always a good option.

 

[Smoblikat]

I second ASRock. Ive owned at least 3 of their boards personally, and I have used them in many more computers. ASUS is another great brand, but they are also expensive.

 

[powersmo]

Thanks for the input. The AsRoack Z97 looks pretty tempting at just $75. I wish I had a MC nearby but the closest is way out of the way for a sunday afternoon drive.

 

[Acidicheartburn]

Based on what I've seen (read), ASUS seems to be the most "premium" MOBO manufacturer out there, with Gigabyte in second place and MSI third or tied for second. I've read that MSI's fan controllers in the BIOS are a little more up to date than Gigabyte and I can confirm that Gigabyte's are a little less user friendly and flexible. AsRock is a budget brand but I've read a lot of positive reviews about AsRock from people who use their stuff, and I don't seem to read a lot of negativity about the brand. I think that in this case, go for the motherboard that fits your budget with the most desirable feature set.

If it comes down to two different boards, try and see how easy it is to contact customer service for warranty/RMA issues just in case you get a bad board or something breaks. I personally will chose a company that has a phone line to call for RMA problems over one that only has e-mail or online support only.

As others have said, you're going to read about a lot of DOA and bad motherboards in Newegg reviews and what not pretty much regardless of the manufacturer. There will be some that are worse than others, but by and large motherboards are the most likely component to fail or be broken in a PC. This is a sad truth that we have to deal with, and you should always buy a motherboard with that knowledge in the back of your mind.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Most of the negative feedback in New Egg is user error, I don't shop the others. I also have MC near by, but not close. New Egg has about the best prices, but you can find better on other sites if you search.

 

[Acidicheartburn]

Most of the negative feedback in New Egg is user error, I don't shop the others. I also have MC near by, but not close. New Egg has about the best prices, but you can find better on other sites if you search.

Microcenter usually prices equal or near Newegg. They also price match Newegg. Yes, you'll have to pay tax but the convenience of having a store to return a potentially dead motherboard to is worth it in my opinion, even for an hour (one way) drive. Buy a mobo online and get a DOA and you've got to wait weeks to get a new one unless you pay for faster shipping.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Most of the negative feedback in New Egg is user error, I don't shop the others. I also have MC near by, but not close. New Egg has about the best prices, but you can find better on other sites if you search.

Philly is correct.

For motherboards, the 5-egg reviews are lower because it requires more user involvement for proper configuration. People who lack patience or experience are going to have trouble even with a stellar product. That's a behavioral dimension to understanding customer reviews, and there are more.

If users/buyers aren't happy with something -- whether due to their own ineptitude or a manufacturing defect -- they have a bigger incentive to post a customer-review. People who don't find fault with the product have less an incentive to provide feedback.

So the 1-egg and 2-egg reviews will have a serious bias as statistics indicative of quality-control percentages. The reviews will show considerably greater "defective" percentages than the actual QC rates for what's coming off the assembly-line.

Customer reviews -- if the accumulated sample-size is big enough -- may be a way of assessing what sort of problems you might expect, and what caused those problems.

Barring "DOA" events, if a buyer suggests that something "didn't work," you might look more closely at the review to find out the product wasn't compatible with the OS he was using, but someone else may give a glowing report for your own OS choice. But here -- I digress.

 

[powersmo]

Great feedback from the team, I appreciate. I had noticed that some of the comments did seem to be user related and not just the board. And as with any computer tech, there will always be one out of ??? that just are broke from the factory. With that I think I will go with the ASRock H97. Seems to be a good baord and should do what I need it to do, start, work, shut down. As for the tax issues, we always get slammed with the taxes. The only way I can seem to get around that is Ebates or something like it that will pay a percentage back on the purchase. It's not much but it makes the inner me feel like I didn't get totally boned.

 

[DenyGFX]

ASRock is a subsidiary of ASUS making lower end boards. 1 board on the Z97 chipset that I've seen and heard great reviews about is the MSI Z97 SLI Krait edition.

Asus boards are good but quite pricy at times. You can get the same performance out of a Gigabyte or MSI at a lower price. EVGA boards are also well built and have a great warranty, however, their RMA policy is slow. If warranty is an issue then go ASUS or MSI they have the best customer service in the industry.