Please explain expensive motherboards to me.

[Bogdanov89]

I know about sockets and chipsets on motherboards, also about stuff like USB 3.0 and SATA 3 and maximum RAM speed supported.
However, as an amateur gamer, i am having a hard time understanding what exactly we get when we pay for an expensive motherboard.

I compare a motherboard of a 130 euros to a motherboard of a 250 euros, and to a motherboard of 400 euros (all are gigabyte/asus with intel z97 with 1150 socket) - and i can barely find noticeable difference in the technical spec comparison.

Yea the expensive motherboards look fancy, they have a better sound chip or network chip, and perhaps have more PCIe ports for multiple GPUs - but to me as an amateur gamer pretty much all of those features are borderline unnecessary.

Am i missing something else, some hidden features worth paying almost quadruple the cost?
What do we exactly get when we pick a 400+ euro motherboard instead of a 130 euro one (both from same company and chipset/socket)?

Thank you for helping me out.

 

[thadman]

much improved dynamic power regulation, VRMs are expensive

 

[fralexandr]

other than the increased PCI-E for multi-GPU setups (the ability to do x16 on ALL or more PCI-E slots instead of the more common x8 or x4), usually it's just for some more overclocking headroom (better power delivery, additional heatsinks, etc) and some build quality improvements, like reduced motherboard flex/reinforced parts.

just because those features aren't worth that much to you doesn't make it worthless to others and doesn't make it cheap to implement.
It's similar to buying an i7 5820k vs an i7 5930k, or buying a TITAN Black vs a 780 ti

part of it is how the market works. There are costs to doing business when dealing with lower quantities of product/fewer sales.
the specs on all of those parts are pretty similar, but the higher end part costs significantly more

 

[schmuckley]

I'd need specific examples.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, what you are looking at would help here. Sometimes it is brand name, sometimes it is chipset, ports, pci-express lanes, etc. Lots of things can affect the price.

 

[corkyg]

Ketchup79 makes a good point. A specific example comparison would be more useful. Added features and capabilities can also impose higher design, production and QC costs. This is sort of like asking why does a Mercedes-Benz cost more than a VW Bug.

 

[piasabird]

The power circuits can be enhanced to promote overclocking i.e. VRM. While I have no use for a motherboard much over say $140, If you want to spend more than that feel free.

Besides gaming there could be enhancements for killer sound amplification or isolating the sound circuits and the USB circuits to prevent background noise. There are pros and cons associated with this and other competing technologies. For instance, for Video HDMI can be used for simply using pass through of sound and video if it is fully HDPC compliant and in that case it can be passed to a sound amplifier or a HDTV that does all the decoding and amplification.

 

[JackMDS]

However, as an amateur gamer, i am having a hard time understanding what exactly we get when we pay for an expensive motherboard.

If the differences that are cherished by others seems irrelevant for you, then by all means buy the list expensive in your EURO Zone.

Or look at the top of the Forum you will find there are top specialists recommendations.

Attention Low-End Gaming System Builders.

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Or - Attention Mid-Range System Builders

Motherboard - ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

[inachu]

I'd need specific examples.

Much faster FSB! FRONT SIDE BUS

 

[mfenn]

Yea the expensive motherboards look fancy, they have a better sound chip or network chip, and perhaps have more PCIe ports for multiple GPUs - but to me as an amateur gamer pretty much all of those features are borderline unnecessary.

Basically your intuition is correct here. If you don't believe that the extra features are necessary for your use case, then there is no reason to pay extra for them. And indeed, your belief is correct for your specific example. For a normal single-GPU gaming machine, you do not need to spend $400 on a motherboard because a $100 will do everything that you need of it.

That doesn't mean that nobody benefits from more expensive motherboards: adding PLX chips for more usable PCIe throughput between GPUs, higher capacity VRMs for higher overclocking headroom, hydrophobic coatings for the sub-zero crowd, and so on all have their uses in specific cases (just not yours).

However, the cynic in me does say that most over the top boards are bought by fools, and only a small percentage of the $400 mobo club actually use the boards as designed.

 

[aranatecharete]

If you want the extra features just go for it, if not then stick to the basic model that would be readily available and much cost effective

 

[lehtv]

If you want the extra features just go for it, if not then stick to the basic model that would be readily available and much cost effective

No, don't just go for it. Do your research, check if you actually have use for the extra features, and then decide whether to go for it or not.

 

[norseamd]

For high-end motherboards most of it is for multi-gpus and overclocking. If you are not considering those then at most you probably want a mid-range motherboard. Like lehtv said do research as the benefits tend to outweigh the risks but remember lots of knowledge is beneficial but some knowledge can be dangerous. Look for a wide range of opinions and ask lots of enthusiasts. You can also come back to Anandtech and start another topic when you think you know more but want to check what you read to make sure it is accurate.