Not sure what you're conclusion is. However, I just recently purchased this board and a 4690K. I chose this board based on the lack of extraneous components and aesthetics. I don't need SATA express. I can see myself using M.2 in the future though. It has enough SATA ports, but not too many and no extra SATA controller. I've had several boards over the past few years with eSATA and used it ONCE merely to test the functionality. The big selling point for me is the all black pcb and expansion/RAM slots. I personally water cool and look to possibly throw water blocks on the mosfets and chipset. (I know, doesn't need it. But it's more for the looks than anything.) It overclocks nice, has a good bios layout (another selling point for me), looks great, and didn't break the bank. Also, for modders out there, the red parts to the mosfet heatsinks are removable with two screws per side. Easy to remove and paint to match a color theme, if that's important to you.
@DigitalFreak I feel the same way too. I thought intel nic was integrated into the chipset, If they offered Killer AND intel I might use the killer as a backup incase the intel one burned out instead of having to replace the entire motherboard, this has happened to me twice.... - to repeat, since the intel nic is integrated into the chipset, and if another nic (atheros killer) is added at buyer's expense, why not add two nic ports? or just not add the atheros if cost is truly an issue.
Only MAC part of GbE is implemented in PCH, meaning that adding separate PHY Intel chip is necessary (it's possible this is more expensive solution than Killer E2205).
i agree with you guys.. i will not buy a motherboard that uses a "killer" network card.. the software for the "killer" network card conflicts with my "avira" antivirus program.. someone needs to inform MSI, gigabyte and asrock that no one wants the "killer" network card..
There's also talk that initially there will be controller support for both DDR3 and DDR4. Not sure if it is legitimate. It seems unlikely considering it would be extra space on the die used.
He obviously meant as in "Right now we don't need it." Not that we'll never need it.
Comparix X99 Haswell-E based systems with the likes of this just isn't fair, and you won't be able to put DDR3 into this. Nobody in this market needs DDR4 now anyway, n'or will they within the next few years.
no he didn't obviously mean anything of the sort, because what do you mean by "need" anyway? just because you don't need the performance today, doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it now to future-proof your purchase.
Future proofing sounds good on paper but by the time you actually need to be on something faster chances are you've already moved on to new Hardware perhaps... even several generations on..
No such thing as future proof. What he meant is he isn't dumb enough to squander that kind of cash for very little performance increase. In "real world" bench marking ddr4 doesn't do much. As long as you have good high quality ddr3 your fine. I've been building since 2001. Last years latest and greatest always lasts me at least 3 years, at least. My 2007 build lasted through 2013 with only upgrading the video card, once! Still ran max settings on every game I play. Blind consumers that jump on things for the sake of doing drive up the prices. Nice going, slick!
also, who said anything about "mainstream"? anandtech is a website written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, and noobs interested in future-proofing like me. your point is?
While I am definitely an enthusiast, I'm also not rich, and could never justify wasting money on the x99 chipset. At this point DDR4 is still to expensive to make sense unless you have money to throw away.
(a) There will be a time when DDR4 will be essential and value for money. that is not today. (b) There will be a time quite soon when DDR4 is more common and slightly cheaper than now but still not strictly necessary for today's games, but buying it will be cheaper than buying DDR3 now and replacing with DDR4 later. the rational buyer would buy at that point. My question is will that point ever come and when do you think it will come?
I thought an enthusiast was some one that was enthusiastic about cool new stuff and likes to build. No where in "enthusiast" does it say you have to pay loads of money and get ripped off on bran spanking new tech. your 3k tower is going to cost me 1500 next year! Mean while my setting are just as high as yours and well above 30fps... lol @ suckers! =P
it's not binary choice of futureproof or not futureproof. better futureproofing. parts which will play newest games at highest settings per dollar without needing replacement for longest time. perhaps futureproof is the wrong word. how about "maximum longevity per dollar". bootable PCIE SSD, DDR4, 1440p, 802.11ax, CPU pipeline, GPU pipeline, and choose when to buy based on release dates/cost curve of these.
It's been proven time and again that the best way to "future proof" a gaming rig in particular is spend up on the GPU. With the current crop of Intel CPU's you're only seeing minor performance improvements in compute capability. I know plenty of people still using sandy bridge processors for gaming and multipurpose systems. Also, the biggest benefit from DDR4 will be for rendering, transcoding, onboard graphics, and the like. Games show little benefit from increased RAM speeds. PCIE gen 3 is the best interface we'll see for some time to come and x8 speed will be enough bandwidth for decent dual GPU setups. Anything more than that you'll be spending enough to justify an X99 platform.
m2 SATA would by my only reason why I would buy this board over the z87-gd65(which I have been using for the last year). gd65 has been super solid for me, it OC very well and is super stable, my only issue with it are the bios 'broken' cpu header fan controls.
Last time I checked, most "gamers" used a discrete GPU, making video ports on the motherboard redundant. The Guard Pro seems to be targeted at a more budget overclocking market. Even then, the only time I ever use an onboard graphics output is for functionality testing. And I'm pretty sure most users that have a system primarily used for gaming will attest to the same.
How many people using a VGA monitor are going to be buying a "gaming" motherboard anyway? VGA-out was acceptable on Z68, questionable on Z77, stupid on Z87, and is pants-on-head retarded on Z97. It doesn't belong on Z-series boards - put the HDMI and DisplayPort above the DVI port, and you free up tons of IO panel space for more useful things, like additional USB ports.
Oh well, it's an MSI board, a brand I avoid like the plague these days. I used to buy some MSI components and had great luck with their Lightening gpus. But I'm now stuck in MSI RMA hell, awaiting a third RMA on a gpu that's come back twice in worse shape than when it was sent out. Original failed in 5 weeks, replacement was fubar'd out of the box, the second at least shows something on the monitor but still artifacts, even while just idling. Third time's the charm.....maybe. And if I ever get a working gpu back from MSI, it's for sale immediately and will be my last MSI adventure.
with the latest BIOS (1.06 I think), if you have a coolermaster gaming mouse, you will get stuck at boot. Had me scratching my head to figure that one out. Set up system, all is well, update drivers, ok. Install latest BIOS: no boot. Reset bios: no boot.
I'm not the only one, luckily somebody @ msi forums figured it out that it was his CM Storm mouse causing the issue, my CM Havoc disconnected, the system boots up as normal. On BIOS 1.05 there is no such issue.
the Killer E2205 network software is crap, crashes randomly, uninstalled it after a few days.
I have purchased 5 different boards now in MSI's Z97 gaming lineup and am pleased with the overall results. I like the look of the boards and branding scheme and they all worked flawlessly. Nic and Sound options have been good really.. Not sure why some complain about the Atheros.
If one is looking for a game machine, I noticed that Newegg had the ASRock Z97Extreme 6/ac for less than this motherboard. If you look at the fps you will see ASrock out performed it!
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45 Comments
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spidey81 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
Not sure what you're conclusion is. However, I just recently purchased this board and a 4690K. I chose this board based on the lack of extraneous components and aesthetics. I don't need SATA express. I can see myself using M.2 in the future though. It has enough SATA ports, but not too many and no extra SATA controller. I've had several boards over the past few years with eSATA and used it ONCE merely to test the functionality. The big selling point for me is the all black pcb and expansion/RAM slots. I personally water cool and look to possibly throw water blocks on the mosfets and chipset. (I know, doesn't need it. But it's more for the looks than anything.) It overclocks nice, has a good bios layout (another selling point for me), looks great, and didn't break the bank. Also, for modders out there, the red parts to the mosfet heatsinks are removable with two screws per side. Easy to remove and paint to match a color theme, if that's important to you.dishayu - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
You summed up my thoughts pretty much. I bought this board + 4960K about 3 months ago, has been serving me well.mrcintr - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
any BIOS issues with the 4690k? looking to purchase the same CPU mobo combospidey81 - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
Haven't seen any. It had the first bios release out of the box and picked up the 4690K without a problem. Of course I then proceeded to update it.DigitalFreak - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
You lost me at "Killer E2205 network port".bebimbap - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
@DigitalFreak I feel the same way too. I thought intel nic was integrated into the chipset, If they offered Killer AND intel I might use the killer as a backup incase the intel one burned out instead of having to replace the entire motherboard, this has happened to me twice....- to repeat, since the intel nic is integrated into the chipset, and if another nic (atheros killer) is added at buyer's expense, why not add two nic ports? or just not add the atheros if cost is truly an issue.
chubbypanda - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
Only MAC part of GbE is implemented in PCH, meaning that adding separate PHY Intel chip is necessary (it's possible this is more expensive solution than Killer E2205).asmian - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
+1. No Intel no sale.redwolfe98 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
i agree with you guys.. i will not buy a motherboard that uses a "killer" network card.. the software for the "killer" network card conflicts with my "avira" antivirus program.. someone needs to inform MSI, gigabyte and asrock that no one wants the "killer" network card..gw74 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
why would someone buy a DDR3 motherboard when DDR4 motherboards are a thing?Timbrelaine - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
The many hundreds of dollars they would save?fluxtatic - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
This. For gamers, X99 is an e-peen extender.typographie - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
DDR4 is actually not a thing in the mainstream market. Probably won't be until Skylake's release, either. We don't need it anyway.spidey81 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
There's also talk that initially there will be controller support for both DDR3 and DDR4. Not sure if it is legitimate. It seems unlikely considering it would be extra space on the die used.fluxtatic - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
AMD did it a while back with Phenom II. When my M4A78 board died, I dropped the processor into an M5A97 EVO.That is, AMD might do simultaneous DDR3/DDR4, but I don't think it likely from Intel.
gw74 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
"We don't need it anyway" is presumably what you also said about DDR3 when DDR2 was coming to the end of its lifecycle."No one will need more than 637k of memory for a personal computer"
casperes1996 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
He obviously meant as in "Right now we don't need it."Not that we'll never need it.
Comparix X99 Haswell-E based systems with the likes of this just isn't fair, and you won't be able to put DDR3 into this.
Nobody in this market needs DDR4 now anyway, n'or will they within the next few years.
gw74 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
no he didn't obviously mean anything of the sort, because what do you mean by "need" anyway? just because you don't need the performance today, doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it now to future-proof your purchase.just4U - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
Future proofing sounds good on paper but by the time you actually need to be on something faster chances are you've already moved on to new Hardware perhaps... even several generations on..Nite Owl - Monday, August 24, 2015 - link
No such thing as future proof. What he meant is he isn't dumb enough to squander that kind of cash for very little performance increase. In "real world" bench marking ddr4 doesn't do much. As long as you have good high quality ddr3 your fine. I've been building since 2001. Last years latest and greatest always lasts me at least 3 years, at least. My 2007 build lasted through 2013 with only upgrading the video card, once! Still ran max settings on every game I play. Blind consumers that jump on things for the sake of doing drive up the prices. Nice going, slick!gw74 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
also, who said anything about "mainstream"? anandtech is a website written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, and noobs interested in future-proofing like me. your point is?Salvor - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
While I am definitely an enthusiast, I'm also not rich, and could never justify wasting money on the x99 chipset. At this point DDR4 is still to expensive to make sense unless you have money to throw away.ruggia - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
well, you asked why would someone want it instead of DDR4.So he replied: mainstream
Did you meant to say why would an enthusiast want it?
Teizo - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
Enthusiast means educated. It doesn't necessarily mean wasting money on unnecessary parts.gw74 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
(a) There will be a time when DDR4 will be essential and value for money. that is not today. (b) There will be a time quite soon when DDR4 is more common and slightly cheaper than now but still not strictly necessary for today's games, but buying it will be cheaper than buying DDR3 now and replacing with DDR4 later. the rational buyer would buy at that point. My question is will that point ever come and when do you think it will come?Nite Owl - Monday, August 24, 2015 - link
I thought an enthusiast was some one that was enthusiastic about cool new stuff and likes to build. No where in "enthusiast" does it say you have to pay loads of money and get ripped off on bran spanking new tech. your 3k tower is going to cost me 1500 next year! Mean while my setting are just as high as yours and well above 30fps... lol @ suckers! =PC'DaleRider - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
LOL at the future proof comment. The ONLY way to future proof yourself in computers is not to spend your money.gw74 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
it's not binary choice of futureproof or not futureproof. better futureproofing. parts which will play newest games at highest settings per dollar without needing replacement for longest time. perhaps futureproof is the wrong word. how about "maximum longevity per dollar". bootable PCIE SSD, DDR4, 1440p, 802.11ax, CPU pipeline, GPU pipeline, and choose when to buy based on release dates/cost curve of these.spidey81 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
It's been proven time and again that the best way to "future proof" a gaming rig in particular is spend up on the GPU. With the current crop of Intel CPU's you're only seeing minor performance improvements in compute capability. I know plenty of people still using sandy bridge processors for gaming and multipurpose systems. Also, the biggest benefit from DDR4 will be for rendering, transcoding, onboard graphics, and the like. Games show little benefit from increased RAM speeds. PCIE gen 3 is the best interface we'll see for some time to come and x8 speed will be enough bandwidth for decent dual GPU setups. Anything more than that you'll be spending enough to justify an X99 platform.niceyuk - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Theres no such thing as future proofing.redwolfe98 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
the z97 boards are new.. they are not outdated..gammaray - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
Would have been nice to see the Z97gaming5 compared with Z87 Msi Gd65, if it's worth it to upgrade at all...Cellar Door - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
m2 SATA would by my only reason why I would buy this board over the z87-gd65(which I have been using for the last year). gd65 has been super solid for me, it OC very well and is super stable, my only issue with it are the bios 'broken' cpu header fan controls.ruthan - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
No digital sound out, so im not interested.nos024 - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
HDMI is digital sound out. Likewise USB can be considered digital sound out. Maybe you meant optical out?Antronman - Monday, October 6, 2014 - link
How can this be called a gaming motherboard without an intel port?The_Assimilator - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
How this can be called a "gaming motherboard" when it has VGA output is beyond me.As for the article, "Compared to the Guard Pro, the Gaming 5 gets... HDMI rather than DisplayPort..." that's effectively a downgrade.
spidey81 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
Last time I checked, most "gamers" used a discrete GPU, making video ports on the motherboard redundant. The Guard Pro seems to be targeted at a more budget overclocking market. Even then, the only time I ever use an onboard graphics output is for functionality testing. And I'm pretty sure most users that have a system primarily used for gaming will attest to the same.The_Assimilator - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
How many people using a VGA monitor are going to be buying a "gaming" motherboard anyway? VGA-out was acceptable on Z68, questionable on Z77, stupid on Z87, and is pants-on-head retarded on Z97. It doesn't belong on Z-series boards - put the HDMI and DisplayPort above the DVI port, and you free up tons of IO panel space for more useful things, like additional USB ports.C'DaleRider - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
Oh well, it's an MSI board, a brand I avoid like the plague these days. I used to buy some MSI components and had great luck with their Lightening gpus. But I'm now stuck in MSI RMA hell, awaiting a third RMA on a gpu that's come back twice in worse shape than when it was sent out. Original failed in 5 weeks, replacement was fubar'd out of the box, the second at least shows something on the monitor but still artifacts, even while just idling. Third time's the charm.....maybe. And if I ever get a working gpu back from MSI, it's for sale immediately and will be my last MSI adventure.Rock1m1 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
As an owner of MSI Z87 - G43 Gaming MB, I really happy with the features and value I got with this.jmke - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
with the latest BIOS (1.06 I think), if you have a coolermaster gaming mouse, you will get stuck at boot. Had me scratching my head to figure that one out. Set up system, all is well, update drivers, ok. Install latest BIOS: no boot. Reset bios: no boot.I'm not the only one, luckily somebody @ msi forums figured it out that it was his CM Storm mouse causing the issue, my CM Havoc disconnected, the system boots up as normal. On BIOS 1.05 there is no such issue.
the Killer E2205 network software is crap, crashes randomly, uninstalled it after a few days.
just4U - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
I have purchased 5 different boards now in MSI's Z97 gaming lineup and am pleased with the overall results. I like the look of the boards and branding scheme and they all worked flawlessly. Nic and Sound options have been good really.. Not sure why some complain about the Atheros.seattle13man - Saturday, December 13, 2014 - link
If one is looking for a game machine, I noticed that Newegg had the ASRock Z97Extreme 6/ac for less than this motherboard. If you look at the fps you will see ASrock out performed it!Will_rigby2 - Saturday, April 2, 2016 - link
Would you say this motherboard is compatible with a i7 4790k cpu or do you recommend a different cpu for this particular model