# Can't decide which Z370 motherboard to pick (MSI or Gigabyte?)



## ktn21 (Oct 24, 2017)

Hello,


I'm planning on upgrading my motherboard from ASRock H87 to Z370. And I can't decide on which motherboard should I buy, MSI Z370 Gaming M5 or Gigabyte Aorus Z370 Gaming 5. The specifications for them both seem pretty much the same. 
(P.S. I'm not planning on overclocking the board.)

The MSI Z370 Gaming M5 motherboard bios looks more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
I haven't used MSI motherboards before. I only had a MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V GPU once. Which worked okay (beside the fact that it had a coil whine, but then again a lot of cards have it nowdays). MSI motherboards have high failure rate and not very good RMA?!



Gigabyte Aorus Z370 Gaming 5 motherboard seems to have higher quality components, lower failure rate and better RMA?!
Same as before, I haven't used Gigabyte motherboards before. But I had a Gigabyte GTX 770 WINDFORCE 3X GPU once. It had a metal plate (front and back). Looked like a high quality product, also very silent with no coil whine. The Gigabyte board is 25€ more expensive than the MSi board.



Thank you in advance,
Chris M


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## R00kie (Oct 24, 2017)

Have you picked a new CPU yet?


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## EarthDog (Oct 24, 2017)

If you aren't overclocking, why does the BIOS really matter... its not like you need to touch much at all...

Where are you seeing failure rates for boards which have been out for weeks????

Anyway, If the cheaper board has the features you need, get it. No need to spend more or worry about bologna RMA rates. 

If you are not overclocking, get a locked CPU and save a few dollars.


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## ASOT (Oct 24, 2017)

I have Msi Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon and like it,good build,nice rgb,plenty feature,is up to you what u like more and money.


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## newtekie1 (Oct 24, 2017)

I'm just going to put a quote from our resident motherboard reviewer here:


cadaveca said:


> Notice you do not see Gigabyte boards reviewed here often... ever wondered why? Perhaps my testing exposes faults?



Also, Gigabyte's customer service is pretty much the worst in the industry in my experience.


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## peche (Oct 24, 2017)

see no reason to upgrade this:
*Processor:* Intel® Core™ i7-4790K
*Motherboard:* ASRock H87 Pro4
*Memory:* Crucial DDR3 8GB 1600MHz (2x)

i ll add another 8GB ram or better cooler, for example 120mm thic rad Water AIO or also 24m mm unit, that processor is unlocked, so it does overclock, why not giving it a chance to squeeze all power?

Regards,


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## R00kie (Oct 24, 2017)

peche said:


> that processor is unlocked, so it does overclock, why not giving it a chance to squeeze all power?


That motherboard doesnt support overclocking.


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## dirtyferret (Oct 24, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> I'm just going to put a quote from our resident motherboard reviewer here:
> Also, Gigabyte's customer service is pretty much the worst in the industry in my experience.



Interesting as I have used Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and Asrock but primarily Gigabyte & Asrock as I'm cheap and they tend to be on sale more often.  I've definitely had more issues with Gigabyte but also used them more often especially with AMD builds, my Intel builds are often with Asrock. 

Still there are plenty of Gigabyte reviews on other reputable tech web sites.  I like the breakdown techreport uses for motherboard manufactures, although they speak in broad terms.

_Buying a motherboard these days is pretty straightforward. There are only four major manufacturers to choose from, and their offerings have very similar performance and peripheral connectivity at each price point. The main differences between competing boards lie with their Windows software, firmware, and overclocking tools.

_

_*Asus* is the biggest of the four main motherboard makers. We think Asus boards have better Windows software and firmware than the competition, plus the most intelligent and reliable auto-overclocking functionality of the bunch. The company's firmware interface offers the best fan speed controls around, too. Some Asus motherboards ship with cushioned I/O shields and header adapters that make it much easier to connect finicky front-panel cabling. Overall, an Asus board should offer the most polished experience of the lot._
_*MSI*'s motherboards offer solid hardware paired with polished firmware and Windows software. The nicely-retooled fan controls in the firm's 9-series firmware have been carried over to its latest motherboards, though the company's auto-overclocking intelligence remains fairly conservative and somewhat rudimentary._
_*Gigabyte*'s recent motherboards are also a good choice, even if their auto-overclocking intelligence, firmware, and Windows software aren't quite up to par with Asus' or MSI's in this generation. The company's firmware fan controls are now about on par with Asus', but the rest of its firmware and Windows software utilities could still stand some extra polish. Some Gigabyte models ship with cushioned I/O shields and header adapters, too._
_*ASRock* generally aims its products at more value-conscious buyers. ASRock boards typically offer a great hardware spec for the money. In our experience, however, ASRock's firmware and Windows software leave much to be desired. ASRock boards are appealing primarily for their budget price tags._
http://techreport.com/review/32474/the-tech-report-system-guide-september-2017-edition/3


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## peche (Oct 24, 2017)

gdallsk said:


> That motherboard doesnt support overclocking.


guess will be a bit wiser change or upgrade motherboard instead almost new sys....

Regards,


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## R00kie (Oct 24, 2017)

peche said:


> guess will be a bit wiser change or upgrade motherboard instead almost new sys....
> 
> Regards,


I’m not entirely sure that OP is aware that he needs to change the CPU AND the RAM as well for this to work...


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## ktn21 (Oct 24, 2017)

gdallsk said:


> I’m not entirely sure that OP is aware that he needs to change the CPU AND the RAM as well for this to work...


I'm aware of that  , planning to buy i7 8700 CPU and Corsair Vengeance 16gb DDR4 ram.


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## R00kie (Oct 24, 2017)

Then, I would suggest waiting for H or B series motherboards, no point investing in features that you’re not gonna use.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Oct 24, 2017)

Gigabyte used to be my #1 choice...
After 3 successive failures I don't even consider them anymore.... But that's just my bad luck I suppose.

Sure they all failed due to the same flaw...
Poorly soldered cap near the bios that goes from top to bottom of the board...
But you know "bad luck" right.


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## peche (Oct 24, 2017)

10 yers using gigabyte motherboards and video cards, Zero problems so far, 1 RMA due bad shipping and handling, (GTX 980 waterforce, damaged during shipping, replaced without problems, last year in USA, ordered from office)

Asrock makes low-end, mid end boards... since always, now there are trying to sell premium boards, still decent enough, 

Msi has been evolving quickly mid and high boards! solid brand, solid boards for intel, for amd, they are decent, 

Asus: the most horrible experiences in computing had happened me with this brand, mostly on motherboards,


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## Vayra86 (Oct 24, 2017)

I've been diving into these Z370's and so far, in terms of quality components, I feel this topic offers lots of useful info - and I quote:


"Right now it's looking like for VRM (subject to change if some boards are using 2 low side mosfets aka "doubled low side"):
TOP = Gigabyte Z370 SOC Force (unreleased, found on hwbot records) , Gigabyte Z370 Gaming 7 due to iSL99227B (60A rating) ... top audio,top overkill VRM , ... likely Asus Z370 Maximus X Extreme too

Upper tier (LN2, custom water) = Asrock Z370 Fatal1ty Gaming Pro i7 (whatever the full name is, the expensive one) , Asrock Z370 Taichi , using Fairchild Dual-N (low+high side) when heatsinked properly with heatpipe (limited to about 35A per mosfet) , Asus ROG APEX (a record holder on LN2) /Formula/Hero boards using TI NexFETs (per marketing page) , MSI Z370 Godlike (until more info it goes here, but it's poor price/perf regardless)

Midrange <$200 (All-in-one watercooling/dual tower air cooling)= Asrock Z370 Extreme4 / K6 using Sinopower 2-in-1 / "DSM"/ low+high side
Low Midrange , should be $160ish or less (Asus z270-A level VRM)= Asus Z370E/F /G , Asus Z370-A , Gigabyte Z370 Gaming 5 (here or higher), MSI Z370 Pro carbon , MSI z370 M5"

http://www.overclock.net/t/1638955/z370-z390-vrm-discussion-thread

This thread focuses mostly on VRM quality, but lets face it, if you buy Z, you go for the OC. The rest is just 'pick the features u need/want'.

My personal favorite this round is the Asrock Taichi fyi, good value, high end components and that VRM stays frosty like nobody's business, RGB but not like you're starring in Gundam, and Im a sucker for that cog wheel thingy 

Note as to your OP: MSI boards are not getting recommended really, and if they do, their price/value component is terrible and the only great GB board is the Gaming7. I feel that if you want to grab a 8700k, definitely look at upper tier or top tier boards. If you're getting an i5, the midrange come into play.

About fail rates... its always hit or miss, don't worry about that, its why RMA exists.


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## EarthDog (Oct 24, 2017)

VRM quality has less and less to do with peak overclocks than ever (mainstream). In many cases, users are running into thermal limits on the CPU well before even a modest board's VRMs are holding you back. The X299 thing was overblown. So far I have run through 5 midrange boards and would you guess if any held back my 7900X at 4.5GHz all threads and cores?

LN2, different story. 99% of people here, it really doesn't matter. Obviously, don't get bottom of the barrel board without heatsinks and overclock, but an "i7" doesn't require a high-end motherboard and VRM.

I7, I5, any mid-range board will do, VRM wise, for ambient overclocking. Don't believe the hype.


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## Vayra86 (Oct 24, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> VRM quality has less and less to do with peak overclocks than ever. In many cases, users are running into thermal limits on the CPU well before even a modest board's VRMs are holding you back.
> 
> LN2, different story. 99% of people here, it really doesn't matter.
> 
> I7, I5, any mid-range board will do, VRM wise, for ambient overclocking. Don't believe the hype.



I stand corrected! Ill take your word on this


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## EarthDog (Oct 24, 2017)

The "edit king" added stuff...  


The information up there about the VRMs and such is solid, but, to me, its like, to what end? Some VRMs may run a bit warmer, some may cause users to have a slightly different voltage than others. But even delidding these things, there isn't much of a difference. So long as it isn't an unheatsinked 4 phase hunk of heynanunanu, chances are your cooling will hit a wall before the majority of Z370 motherboards do.

There was just an article published at AT I worked on covering (damn near) all Z370 boards... worth a look for a feature comparison at the end, and details in the middle... 
https://www.anandtech.com/show/11860/z370-motherboards-asus-asrock-ecs-evga-biostar-msi-gigabyte


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## erocker (Oct 24, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> I'm just going to put a quote from our resident motherboard reviewer here:
> 
> 
> Also, Gigabyte's customer service is pretty much the worst in the industry in my experience.


Meh, that's old. If you aren't familiar with Gigabyte's boards and how they do things a bit differently in the bios, one may think it's broke. That being said, going with a Z370 GB board right now isn't the best decision. Their Bios's are a bit behind it seems.


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## drade (Oct 24, 2017)

Take it from someone who owns what your looking to hear feedback for. I have the 8700k and Gamig M5 and love the motherboard. It's so easy to use, layout is great, amazing options. Only two cons are 5 USB ports and lack of onboard wifi. I highly recommend the motherboard if you intend to overclock. Bios are set up great. No hiccoughs of any kind and isn't flashy which is important to me (RGB is a fad). Also the color is a nice matte dark grey.

I attached a pic. Note this was my first "boot up" pic so some components are missing. Cable management is much cleaner now and I replaced the ol fugly Noctua fan with a nice black Noctua chromax fan!

Currently at 4.7ghz on air with 50% fan rpm. Temps don't reach 70c and I plan to add another fan for the cooler.


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## EarthDog (Oct 24, 2017)

Cute! Merge your posts.


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## drade (Oct 24, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Cute! Merge your posts.



Just did


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## Deleted member 67555 (Oct 24, 2017)

Just because someone said no one did I will...
I do recommend MSI especially in this case.
MSI for lack of better wording "dumbs it down" for the casual builder...better

I can also say that it is true that Gigabyte has fantastic customer service.


Edit:
I don't know about MSI's customer service.. Never had anything from them fail.. Within warranty anyways.


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## drade (Oct 24, 2017)

I can add to MSIs customer service. Exceptional and reliable. Had an issue with a GTX 1070 a while back and they helped me over the phone. The debug system on their mobos pinpointed the issue and I sadly could not trouble shoot the faulty card. However, the customer service reps walked me through trouble shooting methods and they set me up with the RMA process.


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## Vayra86 (Oct 26, 2017)

MSI and GB are quite ok in cust. service in my experience as well. Asus - hit or miss. AsRock - no experience, but haven't heard them being bad either.



EarthDog said:


> The "edit king" added stuff...
> 
> 
> The information up there about the VRMs and such is solid, but, to me, its like, to what end? Some VRMs may run a bit warmer, some may cause users to have a slightly different voltage than others. But even delidding these things, there isn't much of a difference. So long as it isn't an unheatsinked 4 phase hunk of heynanunanu, chances are your cooling will hit a wall before the majority of Z370 motherboards do.
> ...



Thanks. Who is this edit king you speak of? 

Good article btw


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## peche (Oct 26, 2017)

asus customer service / RMa





indeed....


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## jboydgolfer (Oct 26, 2017)

gdallsk said:


> That motherboard doesnt support overclocking.





peche said:


> guess will be a bit wiser change or upgrade motherboard instead almost new sys....
> 
> Regards,



 You may want to check which bios you're on ,because my H97 had overclocking options. it shows its not officially supporting overclock (but i can find info with Asrock saying there IS limited OC support for "K" chips) , but it does have some OC functions I forget the specifics but they do, so the 87 may as well...iirc it is ONLY for "K" CPU's tho

Edit 
Yup it does


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## terroralpha (Oct 27, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> VRM quality has less and less to do with peak overclocks than ever (mainstream). In many cases, users are running into thermal limits on the CPU well before even a modest board's VRMs are holding you back. The X299 thing was overblown. So far I have run through 5 midrange boards and would you guess if any held back my 7900X at 4.5GHz all threads and cores?



this man knows what he is talking about. beefier VRMs won't help an 8600k or 8700k clock faster. the problem is thermal limits. you need to spend less on the motherboard and more on a cooler, preferably an AIO water cooler with a 240mm or 280mm rad.

as for X299, this all started because reviewers and very early adopters all got asus garbage. reviewers got them in their review kits from Intel. i lost count how many time i've said this, but asus is GARBAGE! people need to stop buying their motherboards. in order to make their X299 motherboards look better the default settings in the BIOS overclocked ALL the cores on whatever CPU you plugged into it, without warning the user, and no one caught on for weeks.

anyway, i had no problem running my 7900X on a $200 gigabyte board as high as 4.6GHz. i stepped up to the AsRock fatal1ty pro because i wanted 10 Gbps Ethernet and the AsRock Thunderbolt 3 expansion card (needed video output over TB3 for my wacom tablet)


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## ASOT (Oct 27, 2017)

The topic is about Z370,WoW )))))


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## newtekie1 (Oct 27, 2017)

terroralpha said:


> in order to make their X299 motherboards look better the default settings in the BIOS overclocked ALL the cores on whatever CPU you plugged into it, without warning the user, and no one caught on for weeks.



They did this on Z370 too.  They even argued with reviewers saying the default setting was NOT to run all the cores at full speed, and Jayztwocents proved them wrong.  ASUS doesn't even know what the default settings in their BIOS are...


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## lukart (Oct 28, 2017)

Gigabyte, if you dont plan to overclock... 
Asrock if you do. 

As simple.


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## metalfiber (Nov 3, 2017)

I'm putting together new system with a gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 and a i7 8700k. I've would have gone if MSI if they had the M7 but all they have right now is the M5...among others of course.


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