LebGeeks

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#1 January 25 2019

ironman
Member

Assistance with choosing a MOBO

Hey guys,

What are your recommendations as a MOBO for an i5 8400?

Those are the motherboards that are in stock.

1) MSI Z370 Tomahawk -> 170$
2) MSI Z390 Tomahawk -> 210$
3) Asus Z370 TUF Gaming Plus > 200$
4) MSI Z390 Gaming Pro > 230$

I know that i don't need a Z series since the CPU doesn't support overclocking, however i might change the CPU later one this is why i am getting a Z series.

Note: Pc and Parts said that they will restock in like 10 days. Should i wait?

Thanks.

Last edited by ironman (January 25 2019)

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#2 January 25 2019

bobo619
Member

Re: Assistance with choosing a MOBO

What will you be upgrading to? I would almost always go with Asus because of their uefi is more user friendly and they are well built boards but msi also are good. I would buy the Z390 chipset as it is newer.

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#3 January 25 2019

ironman
Member

Re: Assistance with choosing a MOBO

Probably a 8700K or 9600K...
No idea yet.

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#4 January 25 2019

Aly
Member

Re: Assistance with choosing a MOBO

All these boards support 8th and 9th Generation CPUs (except the Z370 they need a bios update and it will work fine).
You wont notice any performance difference between these boards, so just go for the one that looks better to you.
Last time PCandParts told me they will restock in 10 days and it took them 2 months, so this ETA might not be accurate.
You can also consider the ASRock Z370 Extreme 4 from Macrotronics, it has some decent reviews and the price is also good.

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#5 January 25 2019

Tech Guru
Member

Re: Assistance with choosing a MOBO

If you are aiming to upgrade for the i9 9900k later , do not go with any.

Either

MSI GodLike Z390

or

ROG Maximus Z390 XI Extreme  (Which I personally have chosen for the i9 9900k)

oNWeVRa.jpg

Overclock.net have compiled a nice list including the VRM stages / Quality and divided the z390 boards into tiers.

As the Voltage phases increases with the amp per phase results in a better overclocking stability / less heat the VRM , less tolerance to power and/or thermal throtelling.

Other wise ,

Difference between Z370 vs Z390

Native USB 3.1 10Gbps Data Ports
Integrated Wifi on the Chipset

FJhovcS.jpg
fkmJ31O.jpg

Source: Anandtech

Since the price difference between the z370 & Z390 is slim,  I will definitely go with any z390 board now & later upgrade. For the i9 9900k OC / i9 9900k non OC upgrade plan as I have mentioned. Otherwise of anything from i7 9700k & downward a good z390 board is sufficient.

Last edited by Tech Guru (January 25 2019)

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