New CPU and Motherboard Recommendations?

Here’s what I’m currently running:

CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series
Memory: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 16GB (4x4GB), Vengeance, Buffered, 9-9-9-24, CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
Graphic card: EVGA GTX 970
PS: Corsair TX 950W
SSD: Samsung EVO 850 500GB
HDD: 1TB Western Digital 7200 RPM
HDD: 500GB Western Digital 7200 RPM
Case: NZXT Phantom 410

I’m looking to pick up a new motherboard and CPU from Best Buy to complement this setup. I’ve been eyeing a couple of options:

plus

Or, honestly, I'd be open to any other Z97 board from ASUS, Gigabyte, or whoever else. What has your experience been with these? I’m planning on overclocking the processor right out of the gate, so I'd appreciate your thoughts.

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?products_id=14771 I’m thinking about picking up this motherboard.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/...7#.Microsoft

Ryan Gonzalez4 said:Here is my current setup:

CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series
Memory: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 16GB (4x4GB), Vengeance, Buffered, 9-9-9-24, CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
Graphic card: EVGA GTX 970
PS: Corsair TX 950W
SSD: Samsung EVO 850 500GB
HDD: 1TB Western Digital 7200 RPM
HDD: 500GB Western Digital 7200 RPM
Case: NZXT Phantom 410

I'm looking for the best motherboard and CPU combo for this build. I was checking out something like this:

+

Or maybe any other Z97 from ASUS, Gigabyte, etc. What are your experiences with these? I'd want to overclock the CPU right away.

Look, you're going to throw way too much money at a combo that won't actually give you much of an edge in gaming. There's basically zero difference between that high-end setup and just running an i5 4460 on a decent H97 or B85 board. If you really want to overclock, then sure, go for it—but honestly, the smartest move for your wallet would be to grab a standard 4460 and a solid H97 motherboard. You could spend that extra cash on beer every day for a long time instead. 🙂

ASUS Z97-PRO gamer Intel Core i5-4690K

Total: $1049 UziShop

Honestly, I’d probably just go with a used motherboard instead. You aren't really going to see any real gains by sticking with the 4690K. 😉

Adam Moore3 said:Look, you're basically throwing money down the drain on a setup that won't actually give you any real performance boost in games. Honestly, there's zero noticeable difference between that high-end combo and just grabbing an i5 4460 paired with a decent H97 or B85 motherboard. If you're dead set on overclocking, then sure, go for it, but if you want to be smart with your budget, stick to the basic 4460 and a solid H97 board. You could save enough cash to grab a beer every single day for a long time instead. 🙂

he already has a great cooler ready to go for a 4460... lol

Alexander Moore67 said:He’s already got a killer cooler for it to run at 4460... lol

Yeah, you're right.. 🕺 I didn't even realize we were talking about liquid cooling. But honestly, if everything else is top-tier, there's no point in getting anything less than high-end. Though, I don't know, any i5 feels pretty pointless compared to a 4460 when it comes to gaming anyway.🤷

crimsonstag84 said:ASUS Z97-PRO GAMER
Intel Core i5-4690K

Total: $1049 Best Buy

Personally, I’d be much better off just grabbing a used motherboard; there isn't really any meaningful upgrade path if you stick with the 4690K 😉

I hear you, I realized the exact same thing. I was originally entertaining the idea of jumping to an LGA 1151 socket with a Core i5-6600K, pairing it with 16GB of DDR3 RAM and such, but once I crunched the numbers and saw it would cost $1667 plus, I decided it just wasn't worth the headache.

In the end, I went with what my buddy suggested:
http://www.newegg.com/p/motherboard-z77a-g45-game/

It's a simple fix—just swap out the broken board for this one and the whole crisis is over, all for about $283.