What's the best 1150 socket Haswell motherboard(s)?

[warptwist]

Hey

So i'm concidering upgrading my i5-2500k to the I7-4770k. But not sure wich motherboard that would fit best with my needs. I'm proberly aiming for a mid-range motherboard.

Currently the only thing i hate about my current motherboard is lack og USB ports. It "only" has 4 on the back, with extra 4 front because of the case. but ½ of those are 3.0 and so far it seems only my WD external drive is able to support it. Rest are not functional in 3.0. (Webcam, Mouse, Keyboard, other External and Phone)

[chazus]

I guess my first question is.. Why do you want to upgrade, besides the USB port issue? And why the i7?

Pretty much any $130-$170 Asus, Asrock, or MSI board ought to do the job.

[stellvia]

I'm partial to Gigabyte boards. The Z87 D3H or UD3H boards from them should do you well. ($135 and $170 respectively)

[Nyteyes]

ASUS, take your pick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ame=LGA%201150

[Fluorescent0]

Currently the only thing i hate about my current motherboard is lack og USB ports. It "only" has 4 on the back, with extra 4 front because of the case. but ½ of those are 3.0 and so far it seems only my WD external drive is able to support it. Rest are not functional in 3.0. (Webcam, Mouse, Keyboard, other External and Phone)

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure USB 3.0 is compatible with USB 2.0.

[neuk]

ASUS, take your pick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ame=LGA%201150

In Europe, Asus is terrible for after sales support though.

[Msi]

ASUS, take your pick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ame=LGA%201150

MSI->Asus anyday (my opinion)
Asus is overpriced

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ame=LGA%201150

[Manakuski]

Asus is the best, stay away from Asrock. Gigabyte is not bad either.

[Deleted]

Asus is the best, stay away from Asrock. Gigabyte is not bad either.

Asrock is fine.

I think any of the greater manufacturers are ok at the moment (Asus, asrock, gigabyte and msi). Just look for some reviews, there are probably plenty of "compare" reviews now.

[Eon Drache]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131980

Free 8GBs of Ram

Also, you're probably missing a driver to make those USB 3.0 go at 3.0 speeds.

[Exotath]

Asrock is owned by Asus. It was first started as niche branding for clients that needed unique motherboards that had things on it like two different types of memory or AGP + PCI-e slots. Over the years the brand has gained in quality and popularity. Now it is a contender against its own parent company and makes some pretty solid enthusiast boards.

Just throwing that out there.

Having said that...I don't like Gigabyte boards. I have had several and have always had either USB problems, memory compatibility problems, and bios that have either great features in one release and then crap stability in the next.

I am going to build a new system in the following months and will go with an Asus, eVGA, or top end intel branded/made board. (Yes intel's boards aren't too shabby.)

Best of luck.

[Deleted]

I am going to build a new system in the following months and will go with an Asus, eVGA, or top end intel branded/made board. (Yes intel's boards aren't too shabby.)

Intel boards arent bad, they are just too expensive compared to other boards. They tend to offer less features at higher price points (unless that changed with z77/87)

[Exotath]

Been reading good things about the new z87 version. Its also the only z87 with thunderbolt at the moment. $286.00 is steep but I'm still leaning that way.

[DeltrusDisc]

Asus is the best, stay away from Asrock. Gigabyte is not bad either.

Asus was the best, but lately they have started falling from their king of the hill position, and their customer service in many cases is not winning them any customers.

ASRock is not the same ASRock from years past. They are their own company who produce very high quality products.

See my CPU OC Leaderboard thread in my signature, there are a lot of very good, stable overclocks in there using ASRock motherboards.

---------- Post added 2013-06-10 at 03:35 PM ----------

Been reading good things about the new z87 version. Its also the only z87 with thunderbolt at the moment. $286.00 is steep but I'm still leaning that way.

What would you actually need Thunderbolt for? There's very very very few peripherals that even support that standard, yet.

[Parrin]

I'm really impressed with the AI Suite III that comes with ASUS's new boards. Not because I see a big need for it among most overclockers, but because the repetition really kills my desire to tweak a new system after about the third reset. The AI Suite III looks like it was created for my level of motivation. LOL

[stellvia]

It needs to be said that: All manufacturers have good and bad boards. And even the best boards can still come to you DOA. Just do your homework and read the reviews for which specific boards from each one are good. And don't fret some bad reviews, as most 3-4 egg boards are probably fine.

[Exotath]

There are some nice thunderbolt external raids that I am interested in.

[chazus]

It needs to be said that: All manufacturers have good and bad boards. And even the best boards can still come to you DOA. Just do your homework and read the reviews for which specific boards from each one are good. And don't fret some bad reviews, as most 3-4 egg boards are probably fine.

This is... not entirely true. Asus, Asrock, and MSI rarely have 'bad boards' as far as models go. Also, bad brands (ECS, Jetway, Biostar) will often get GREAT reviews because when their boards DO work... People think it's great due to price, when its just a matter of them lucking out and not getting a bad one.

[Vampiroth]

Asus maximus vi hero is affordable and nice for gaming. Come with Kaspersky and Daemon tools for free as well.

[Cows For Life]

Hey

So i'm concidering upgrading my i5-2500k to the I7-4770k. But not sure wich motherboard that would fit best with my needs. I'm proberly aiming for a mid-range motherboard.

Currently the only thing i hate about my current motherboard is lack og USB ports. It "only" has 4 on the back, with extra 4 front because of the case. but ½ of those are 3.0 and so far it seems only my WD external drive is able to support it. Rest are not functional in 3.0. (Webcam, Mouse, Keyboard, other External and Phone)

Current 8-series chipsets have an annoying issue with the USB 3.0 ports and suspend states. If that would affect you, it might be best to wait a few months for the version 2 chipsets to arrive later this year.