Reddit mentions of Asus ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 (10Gb/s) Motherboards (Z97-A)

I've ordered all the parts to my computer and assembled them together. However, the LED light that indicates there is an error in my RAM is still blinking. My motherboard is the following:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At first, I ordered this RAM:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058J1Q7O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After receiving the motherboard manual, I looked at the list of compatible ram and ordered: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CML8GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B00569K7LM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416861921&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=corsair+vengeance+cml8gx3m2a1600c9+version+7.12

I am still receiving the LED light that indicates my RAM is not compatible or installed incorrectly. I have noticed that the list in my motherboard says Version 7.12, but the version of the ram I have is 5.20, although the part numbers are identical. Will this effect compatibility?

How is this "too low to show" when Amazon and Newegg have this for literally just $9 more right now?
http://amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-250GB-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1417468271&sr=1-1&keywords=ssd

how about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z97-A-DDR3-2600-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417468426&sr=8-2&keywords=Z97+mobo

and this?

Wow...thanks no words I can think of so instead I'll throw in some advice from your thread about your SLI issues a few days back.

I'm gonna assume you got two HD 7950's since you don't specify in your thread. As you can see if you follow the link each card pushes as much pixels as a GTX 660ti which is 27% more powerful than the [GTX 750ti] (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+750+Ti).

As such your going to get much more bang for your dollar buying a new Motherboard over GPU's and as such I agree with the guy who commented on your post. His choice of motherboard was also outstanding, Asus are quickly becoming my new favorites for motherboards and the model he choose has fantastic value/feature ratio for the Asus Z97-A.

For 140 dollars it will give you much more performance and upgrade room that buying a single GPU powerful enough to compete with SLI.

Hopefully I can answer a couple questions for you;

Price really depends on brand and what you want out of it, personally I have the ASUS Z97-A which is a board I love which I got at what I believe to be a fair price ($150) As you can see it has three PCIe x16 lanes, which may be a little overkill but if I ever wanted to use SLI I could easily fit three full video cards happily in there. Ports and specifics are not what you should be too focused on. Obviously you need USB and SATA ports and stuff like that, but all of that stuff is fairly standard across all motherboards. Most commonly you'll have more ports than what you need. The CPU socket needs to match the CPU size, most commonly you'll see an LGA 1150 for intel, and for AMD they have the AM2, AM3 etc. If you are using a Skylake Intel Chip, than you need a board with the newer LGA 1151 board. It is very important that the CPU you order fits in the motherboards socket, or else when you put the two together it wont boot up and you'll be dead in the water.

You should use https://pcpartpicker.com/ to map out a build. Its a great tool that will let you know if you have any incompatibilities in your rig before you spend a dime.

Good luck with your build, feel free to PM me with any other questions, I'm on mobile all the time so I should get back to you pretty quickly.

How soon do you plan on building this? If you can wait a couple months the NVIDIA GTX 880 will be out soon, and it's supposed to be around the price of the 770 when it came out (about $400, US). This is probably the worst time of the year to build a computer. Devil's Canyon and Z97 did just come out, but Intel is still do for X99 and Haswell-E, NVIDIA is releasing Maxwell, and AMD probably has some stuff being announced soon.

Otherwise it looks good, the only things I would change would be the power supply (for an EVGA SuperNOVA), the motherboard (to something from ASUS), I would maybe get a cheaper SSD as the 850 Pro series don't really offer much more for the premium. An 840 EVO or a Crucial MX100 of the same price would be the optimal as far as price/performance. I would also recommend against getting a 7.1 headset, I've tried them and they're terrible, as an alternative I'd get a cheap pair of studio headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and a desktop microphone.

Edit 1: I would recommend getting a case with better airflow as well. Something like the Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a good value case with much better airflow, and has a nice aesthetic.

That's why they got me here. That's why I be here. That's what I do.

Also, ignore my previous edit. Just the Asus z97 (so this one) will do.

Been looking at http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1426613952&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=asus+motherboard#

I have no idea what that means. This is the motherboard I had before GIGABYTE Z97X-SLI ATX

And I want to get this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480884344&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=asus+z97-a&dpPl=1&dpID=61YqgxguYJL&ref=plSrch

This is the one I was looking at

The ASUS z97a, is that a good one?

There are 2 different kinds though and I can't tell the difference.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TXBP1NS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480884344&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=asus+z97-a&dpPl=1&dpID=51qhqkXIwhL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480884344&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=asus+z97-a&dpPl=1&dpID=61YqgxguYJL&ref=plSrch

You can build a pretty decent rig with $1200... But it depends on what type of work you'd need to be doing on your laptop.

If you just need something for word processing, get the Asus X205TA or HP Stream 11, and then build a rig with:

• Gigabyte GTX 970
  
  
• Intel i5-4690K
  
  
• Asus Z97 Mobo
  
  
• Kingston HyperX 8GB kit
  
  
• WD 1TB 7200RPM HDD
  
  
• Corsair CX600M PSU
  
  
• Corsair 230T Mid-tower
  
  
• LG DVD-Rom
  
  That should put you around your price point and getting the best of both worlds. That machine WILL run WoW on ultra, and it'll leave you with a small laptop with great battery life to take to classes and take notes on.
  

Alright, so I ordered more or less along the lines of what you picked out, but made a couple changes.

As I said before, I got the video card from eBay and it should arrive tomorrow. The rest I ordered from Amazon today. I got an ASUS Z97-A since the H97 chipset apparently doesn't allow overclocking, and that CPU was born to be overclocked. I also got an 8GB kit of Crucial Ballistix RAM instead of the Ripjaws. And finally, I ordered an EVGA 500W Power Supply instead of the Corsair because the Corsair would take a few weeks shipping from Amazon.

It did bump up my expenses a bit, but I figure that I compensated by getting the video card pretty cheap.

Oh I see. I've had good luck with ASUS in the past, but the Maximus is a little spendy. What do you think of a more middle of the road one such as the ASUS Z97-A?


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=08KXJ5WD917MR0PSGJR7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1426613952&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=asus+motherboard#

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Is my motherboard compatible with my RAM:

Mobo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

RAM:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J8E8ZLK/?tag=pcpapi-20

RAM from old build I would like to re-use if possible (old PC started having hardware issues... not sure if its the best idea to re-use this RAM):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

I've been helping people pick computer parts a lot lately, and here's my go-to current build (as in, where I feel price/performance is optimized)--it's usually around $1000, NOT including monitors. I built two for my company (minus the video card), and they are wonderful. If you want to compare: CPUs, GPUs.

>Case: Corsair 200R, $73

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-200R-Compact-CC-9011023-WW/dp/B009GXZ8MM/

>Cases cheaper than this price point will become flimsy, break, literally cut you, and otherwise fall apart over time. I like the way the 200R is, too--no LEDs, no weird shapes, and 2.5" drive slots.

-

>Motherboard: Asus Z97-A, $145

>http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z97-A-DDR3-2600-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/

>This is a medium range motherboard with PWM case fan pins: an extremely quiet combo. It's more important than you think.

-

>CPU: i7-4790K, $336

>http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-4790K-Processor-Cache-BX80646I74790K/dp/B00KPRWAX8/

>While we're on CPUs: GHZ MEANS ALMOST NOTHING FOR PERFORMANCE. My 2Ghz i7 in my Mac outperforms my 4Ghz 2500K in my desktop. It's annoying that it's even mentioned in anything but overclocking guides.

-

>Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance (2x8GB), $130

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B006EWUO22/

>I find myself always using >8GB. Task Manager tells me I'm at 9GB with lots apps but no actual games open.

-

>Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 960, $210

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-2966-KR/dp/B00SC6HAS4/

>The 960 was recently released, but the 750 and the 900 series are very powerful and power efficient, and EVGA makes great cards.

-

>PSU: Corsair CX 600W, $60

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builder-Watt-EPS%C2%A0-CX600/dp/B0092ML0OC/

>I skimped on a PSU once (it was "Diablotek"). It took my motherboard and a stick of RAM with it when it died.

-

>SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, $135

>http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E250B-AM/dp/B00OAJ412U/

-

>OS: Windows 8.1 Full Version (not OEM), $100:

>http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-8-1-Full-Version/dp/B00EDSI7QO/

Current total: $1189 + tax, way over budget, so...


>The PSU can be replaced with a 500W EVGA for $17 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-80PLUS-Certified-ATX12V-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU

-

>The SSD can be replaced by a 2TB 7200RPM drive, where you won't need a 2nd HDD but booting will be much slower, for $60 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Deskstar-3-5-Inch-7200RPM-Internal/dp/B003GSLDRC/
(and get the sata3 monoprice cable)

-

>The GPU can be replaced by a GTX 750 Ti, for $65 less, but at a ~30% loss to graphics power (although it's still a great card):

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclock-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-3753-KR/dp/B00IDG3IDO

-

>The CPU can be a non-K version (at very little/no performance loss), for $36 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7-4790-Processor-BX80646I74790/dp/B00J56YSLM

>The next step down in terms of CPU is an i5-4690, at ~30% less CPU power, for $80 less. I personally wouldn't go there.

This is at $1015 + tax--still over budget, but going much cheaper really starts to bite into your experiences (and if anyone here can recommend anything to save money, I welcome it).


As for monitors, if you're playing EVE, honestly I'd recommend a 2560x1440 monitor because spreadsheets. However, since those start around $300, my go-to cheaper monitors are the not-bad 22" 1080p ones that can be had for around $140.

>BenQ 24" flicker-free (for comfortable viewing) 1080p TN panel (for faster response times), $140:

>http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-GL2460HM-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B00IKDFL4O/

-

>Dell 22" 1080p IPS panel (for better colors and viewing angles), $134:

>http://www.amazon.com/Dell-CFGKT-IPS-LED-21-5-Inch-LED-lit-Monitor/dp/B009H0XQPU/

Source: I've done IT for the past few years, and done dozens of computer purchases/builds.

Notes: I don't buy AMD or ATI unless it's an extreme budget build. I don't buy off-brand because I've had parts break and then not have an RMA available; I've had good experience and RMA support with Corsair and EVGA. You don't really need a CD/DVD drive; you can install Windows from a USB key, but if you're unsure, CD/DVD drives are like $15. If you go with Intel/nVidia Maxwell, you won't really need a >500W PSU.

I don't like to skimp on computers much because, economically, if you're spending even 5-10% of your time waiting for your computer and you earn $10-25/hr, $1000 is paid for in somewhere between 2000-250 hours of use, yet the computer will last at least 3-5 years.

I would go with this or this based on your needs and budget. for the RAM, I would do 2X4 like this one from amazon.

So something like this?

If you want something that will last a long time and will be perfect for upgrading then go for this.

Alright so this first board and this second one are basically the same board, the only thing I can see as a difference, because amazon sucks for listing specs, is that the second board has two 3.1 usb ports.

Other than that I don't see a single difference, maybe I'm blind though. The i/o ports are the same except for the 3.1 usb ports on the second board. All PCI slots look to be the same as well, both have one m.2 socket.

I wouldn't even consider the third board when you've got that second one, I don't see anything wrong with it.

Only thing that might deter you from the second board is that its not in stock until April 5th.

Oh whoops. I meant this one as the one I have. I had multiple tabs opened. ASUS Z97-A ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97-A. It's about 20 bucks more expensive.


So I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


And I was considering this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TXBP1NS/ref=psdc_1048424_t1_B00K2MAU5Q?th=1


Or this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2R6E60/ref=psdc_1048424_t2_B00K2MAU5Q

im not in the US nor am i too familiar with z97 boards sorry, maybe just flick through some of the builds on here at a similar price point and see what other people are recommending. the ga-z97-d3h (very similar name) would be a better option if the price is similar. there is no real performance difference between boards but i always like to spend a little more on it to make sure i dont regret not having a certain feature or extra overclock headroom in future

this might be a good choice - not too expensive, great UEFI, better heatsinks, asus' intel boards are generally well regarded. plus that gold circle thing looks cool

Which of these Mobos has the better onboard audio?


www.amazon.com/dp/B00K23BYCI/

www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/

I'm assuming you're asking for the list of parts I purchased?

If so, here you go.

Ram

Graphics Card

CPU

Motherboard

Case

Power Supply

Storage Drive

SSD

I like the Asus Z97-A.

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z97-A-DDR3-2600-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410669126&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+z97+a

I also like Gigabyte.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GA-Z97-HD3-2-Way-CrossFire-Motherboard/dp/B00K2RQDOI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1410669151&sr=8-6&keywords=z97+motherboard

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-DDR3-2600-1150-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q

So if using this mobo, I would need to enable xmp to 2600?

Is upgrading from 1600 to 2600 worth it?

ASUS Z97-A ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97-A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Jzuiub1K5NVYB

I have the Asus Z97-A
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/?tag=pcpapi-20

this is my current mobo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I know it allows for SLI, do you know if it would work for crossfire?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/181-4718427-7780244#

I wouldn't skimp on the motherboard.

Yup. These definitely can't handle WoW!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KPRWB9G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Go for this one.

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z97--DDR3-2600-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411502975&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+z97-a