# Z97 or Z87



## cookiemonster (Oct 4, 2014)

Hi I was thinking of upgrading my mobo and processor to Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5GHz Socket 1150 6MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor would I notice any difference and any ideas on a Gigabyte Z97 OR Z87 mobo which would be best or at least on the same par as what I have got.


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 4, 2014)

Z97 offers newer expansion options over Z87. For instance, I am in love with my M.2 SSD........


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## Jetster (Oct 4, 2014)

i5 3570K to i5 4690K your not going to notice any difference. They overclock about the same. To Z97 you will have some new fetures depending on what board you get. M.2 and  SATA express


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## GreiverBlade (Oct 4, 2014)

Jetster said:


> To Z97 you will have some new fetures depending on what board you get. M.2 and E SATA


and Broadwell compatibility... none the less


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## cadaveca (Oct 4, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi I was thinking of upgrading my mobo and processor to Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5GHz Socket 1150 6MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor would I notice any difference and any ideas on a Gigabyte Z97 OR Z87 mobo which would be best or at least on the same par as what I have got.


Z97 chipset and Z87 are the same...except for two things. These two things will make the choice for you.




One is drive support. This is a personal choice thing, so if you want to buy an M.2 drive, or may be a SATA Express drive in the future, you might choose Z97. If not, Z87 is fine.



The other is VRM difference to support Devil's Canyon and Haswell Refresh CPUs fully.


So the answer to your question is that based on your CPU choice, Z97 is the only choice you should make. If you had chosen, or change your mind to, an earlier version of the Haswell CPUs, then Z87 is the one to make.

Of course, if running stock clocks, then either one is fine, However, when it comes time to overclock, the differences in VRM design that is included with these chipsets must match the CPU that is installed for maximum potential, and that's that. There was ZERO other reason for the Z97 release. People might say this product was Intel meeting the demands of the board makers for a new product, but honestly, that product was the Devil's Canyon CPU, and that CPU required a VRM change. The new PCB used with the Devil's Canyon CPUs is the rest of that recipe that baked this cake.


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## springs113 (Oct 4, 2014)

cadaveca said:


> Z97 chipset and Z87 are the same...except for two things. These two things will make the choice for you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And you wonder why "we rush" you to do your reviews.


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## arbiter (Oct 4, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi I was thinking of upgrading my mobo and processor to Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5GHz Socket 1150 6MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor would I notice any difference and any ideas on a Gigabyte Z97 OR Z87 mobo which would be best or at least on the same par as what I have got.



Um the bigger issue you would deal with if you went with z87 is if the board has older bios on it that doesn't support the new chip. I think all board makers cept Asus need a cpu in socket to do bios update. Since the 4690k won't be recognized you can't do bios update.  You could get lucky and have new enough bios to support the new CPU but i wouldn't risk that. Just get the Z97.


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## cookiemonster (Oct 4, 2014)

Hi thanks for the info I will go with the Z97 and I will have a look at the Gigabyte Z97 motherboards and get back to you.


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## springs113 (Oct 4, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi thanks for the info I will go with the Z97 and I will have a look at the Gigabyte Z97 motherboards and get back to you.


Are you stuck to only Gigabyte boards?


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## cookiemonster (Oct 4, 2014)

yes my last three boards have been Gigabyte and so far no problems with them what about these,

http://www.ebuyer.com/642519-gigaby...displayport-8-channel-audio-ga-z97x-gaming-gt

http://www.ebuyer.com/642521-gigaby...splayport-8-channel-audio-atx-ga-z97x-ud5h-bk 

http://www.ebuyer.com/642520-gigaby...-channel-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-z97x-ud7-th

the last one is a bit pricey.


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## springs113 (Oct 5, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> yes my last three boards have been Gigabyte and so far no problems with them what about these,
> 
> http://www.ebuyer.com/642519-gigaby...displayport-8-channel-audio-ga-z97x-gaming-gt
> 
> ...


When I initially purchased a board for my z97 build, I went with the G1 wifi bk edition...That is expensive as shit lol.  The reason I asked about the manufacturer is because none of those offer wifi, Does that interest you?  Are you going to watercool?Dual Gpus?

I just threw in the last few questions just for reference ok.

I always used MSI but I gave Asus a chance this time around.  Do you mind listing what your other components will be?


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## cookiemonster (Oct 5, 2014)

Yes wifi does interest me as the board I have has wifi but I am sorry to say the board you mentioned is way out of my price range, no I won't be water cooling as I find the two R9 290s run quite cool.


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## springs113 (Oct 5, 2014)

290s run cool lol...i own 3 even on water that's a hard beast to tame.  That board I referenced was just to show you that that is the only gig z97 with Wi-Fi, which is why I mentioned going towards another manufacturer that offers Wi-Fi in your price range.


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## fusionblu (Oct 5, 2014)

Clearly buying the newest is the best path, but to notice any real difference you really need to wait for two generations to go by first and then consider buying the third gen afterwards if research does not show any issue with the third gen chipset.

In relation to your current setup you might want to keep it for a little longer and as for me my previous setup was Sandybridge with the i7-2700k CPU and Z68 motherboard.

The only difference I noticed from my current upgrade was the better sound quality and improved performance of USB 3 and Sata III/6GB, and also that my GTX Titan was running to it's full specifications too in comparison to my previous setup.


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## cookiemonster (Oct 5, 2014)

Hi the 290s idle on 35c-38c  and in battlefield 4 everything turned up they go to 78c-82c, as for the wire the last mobo came with a wireless card could I use that, if not what make of mobo do you suggest, what about Asus.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Oct 5, 2014)

Personally I'd suggest Z97 because of better expansion options and upgrading to 5th gen CPUs.

I think Asus makes better boards in this regards, mainly because of the included software being far better.


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## springs113 (Oct 5, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi the 290s idle on 35c-38c  and in battlefield 4 everything turned up they go to 78c-82c, as for the wire the last mobo came with a wireless card could I use that, if not what make of mobo do you suggest, what about Asus.



I don't know about the previous card being usable in an upgraded board unless its a pci-e wireless card which would work in any board so to speak.  
Do you have the stock/reference cooler 290s?
The boards I linked below are probably the best I can come up with in your price range.  Over here in the states, the MSI actually cost about$40 more.  I cant speak for any of the boards in regards to my actual use of them but I will say the following:
The MSI  I have is the Mpower Z87, it has been rock solid since day one and I plan to upgrade around it.  The Asus is supposedly just as good, my most recent upgrade was to an Asus board(x99 variant) and I have nothing bad to say about Asus or the board itself.  Everything works like they should from day one with both boards that I have and I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones with the latter but all in all each manufacturer makes great boards.  I have a doa board from MSI before and would not let something like that deter me from purchasing another.  It happens to almost every electronic component.
Let me know what you think!

http://www.ebuyer.com/641274-msi-z9...layport-8-channel-audio-atx-z97-mpower-max-ac

http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Compone...1150-Intel-Haswell/Asus?sort=price+descending


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## cookiemonster (Oct 5, 2014)

Hi as for the wifi card it plugged into the mobo and gave wifi and Bluetooth, I have posted two pictures of the cards and I will have a look at the Asus boards, it was so easy just going with Gigabyte.


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## springs113 (Oct 5, 2014)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi as for the wifi card it plugged into the mobo and gave wifi and Bluetooth, I have posted two pictures of the cards and I will have a look at the Asus boards, it was so easy just going with Gigabyte.


Same here it was so easy going MSI but I ventured out into the waters this round.  Secondly I would never recommend a board in which I would not purchase myself.  Although I run LAN now every board purchase from now on IMHO needs to have a wifi attachment included or built in.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Oct 5, 2014)

Personally never liked wifi, have always and will for as long as I can, run cables.

Didn't realize you were already running a Z77 system, if you found a 3770k, I think you'd be absolutely fine, then, when Broadwell arrives, you could do the upgrade, by then I think there will be a bit more options as far as Z97 goes.

Otherwise, I'd say the Mpower ones are good, but personally I don't see the point in spending more than ~$150 on one of the LGA1150 boards, you might as well make the jump to X99 after that.

Considering the aesthetics I guess the Z97x-UD5H would be a decent choice, but ever since GB dropped the IR power stages on their mainstream boards, I see little incentive to buy them, especially considering they have not matured much software wise.

As far as Asus goes, I think the Z97-Pro would be a good option considering you are looking for a wifi capable board, otherwise the Sabertooth would also be good.


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## cookiemonster (Oct 5, 2014)

I think I will stick to Gigabyte I can do without the wifi  if I do it will be one of these.  

http://www.ebuyer.com/642519-gigaby...displayport-8-channel-audio-ga-z97x-gaming-gt 

http://www.ebuyer.com/642521-gigaby...splayport-8-channel-audio-atx-ga-z97x-ud5h-bk 

http://www.ebuyer.com/642520-gigaby...-channel-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-z97x-ud7-th 

or would these do 

http://www.ebuyer.com/660466-gigaby...annel-audio-e-atx-motherboard-ga-x99-ud5-wifi

http://www.ebuyer.com/660461-gigaby...hannel-e-atx-motherboard-ga-x99-gaming-7-wifi

http://www.ebuyer.com/660462-gigaby...channel-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-x99-gaming-5 

Help I think I am going into overdrive.


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## springs113 (Oct 5, 2014)

X99 is an entirely different ball game you know that right?


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## Gmr_Chick (Oct 5, 2014)

^ This. The X99 Platform is only for the super high-end Haswell-E CPUs.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Oct 5, 2014)

Yeah but rather than spending $400 on a Z97 board, you might as well take a 5820k and spend $300 on a X99 board... Then again you might as well get a $100 Z97 board and get another GPU, but since OP already has 2...


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## cookiemonster (Oct 5, 2014)

Yes I realised they were for high end processors but i just got carried away a little bit it's one of the top three boards I was thinking about.


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## cookiemonster (Oct 6, 2014)

Hi I have decided to go for the 

http://www.ebuyer.com/642521-gigaby...splayport-8-channel-audio-atx-ga-z97x-ud5h-bk
and the 
http://www.ebuyer.com/645547-intel-...1150-6mb-l3-cache-retail-boxed-bx80646i54690k

should there be any problems with the other stuff in my system 

NZXT Phantom 410 Black Orange Special Edition
Intel Core i5 3570K,1155, Ivy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.4GHz,
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5 TH Socket 1155 VGA DVI HDMI Dual Thunderbolt 7.1 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
Sapphire R9 290 TRI-X OC 4GB GDDR5 X 2 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance
Crucial 480GB M500 2.5 6GBps SSD
Western Digital 1tb Hard Drive SATA111 7200rpm 64MB Cache-OEM Caviar Black
Corsair RM1000 PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler
Liteon DVD Writer
24” Samsung SM2433BW Black Widescreen LCD, 1920x1200 
5.1 Creative Surround Speakers 
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard 
Logitech MX516 Gaming Mouse 
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit 
Epson XP-405


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## cadaveca (Oct 7, 2014)

Should be fine. All you're doing is swapping out board/CPU. Most boards are well-tuned now for 8 GB sticks, board should ship with BIOS ready for your CPU. Swap 'em out, power up, maybe re-install windows (most likely since chipset (hdd/SSD) driver are different.


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## cookiemonster (Oct 7, 2014)

hi I have changed my mind I am going for the 

http://www.ebuyer.com/642519-gigaby...displayport-8-channel-audio-ga-z97x-gaming-gt 

as from what I read it is better for crossfire, still going for the same processor.


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