Motherboard choices... why do people overspend so much?

Tengis

Tengis

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
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Seems like every time I run into someone building a computer they always pick a super expensive "gaming" motherboard with useless features. Of course, they can never tell me why they need that particular motherboard. In the past I have achieved phenomenal overclocks with $80-110 motherboards and spent the rest on upgrading my video card or processor.

Nine out of ten times my computer will have a better price/performance ratio then other PC gamers I know or work with.

Ten to twelve years ago I feel there may have been reasons to buy more expensive boards but in this day and age it just doesn't make sense.
 
Only thing that annoys me is when people that buy full size ATX boards and then don't even bother using the other PCI-E expansion slots or fill up the case. So much wasted space.
 
PornoSatan said:
Only thing that annoys me is when people that buy full size ATX boards and then don't even bother using the other PCI-E expansion slots or fill up the case. So much wasted space.
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I would say most of the time you can blame the manufacturer for really poor slot placements. You might need certain slots but using one slot might block another one or two slots you need ect.

OP, I agree most fun I seem to have are on budget boards whenever I spend more on boards I seem to get burned. Biostar and MSI have become my favorites. But that's only because Abit and Epox aren't around anymore.
 
Stupid MSI delid guard. Why are they ONLY releasing the thing on the Xpower AC... 400dollar E-ATX monstrosity. I almost did it, but I don't want a full tower case.
 
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I agree on the part of why buy ATX if you aren't going to use the other pci express slots.
Although, I feel at the current gen of gaming you aren't really going to be needing more than 1 Slot unless you want to game at Really high resolutions and getting a Atx is kinda cheaper sometimes than smaller form factors.
 
I buy ATX because it's barely more expensive (sometimes even cheaper) than a similarly specced micro-ATX and it gives me more options for how I configure the machine in future.
 
Some boards have better components. If you don't need or want them, then don't get them.
 
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More money usually gets better caps, or better power phasing, or slightly better PCI-e lane management, or higher RAM OC support or whatever. Usually it is something small, but also something hardcore overclockers need, or feel they need.
 
Am I the only one who finds it funny that what other people do with their $ annoys some of you?

Are you jealous? Why do you care that much to let it affect your mood... wow.
 
Am I the only one who finds it funny that what other people do with their $ annoys some of you?

Are you jealous? Why do you care that much to let it affect your mood... wow.
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A fool and his money are soon parted.
 
Tengis said:
Seems like every time I run into someone building a computer they always pick a super expensive "gaming" motherboard with useless features. Of course, they can never tell me why they need that particular motherboard. In the past I have achieved phenomenal overclocks with $80-110 motherboards and spent the rest on upgrading my video card or processor.

Nine out of ten times my computer will have a better price/performance ratio then other PC gamers I know or work with.

Ten to twelve years ago I feel there may have been reasons to buy more expensive boards but in this day and age it just doesn't make sense.
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You could say this about nearly every other component in ANY given computer build. People buy more cpu than they need, people build SLI setups they don't require, way too much ram, etc. etc.

Some people simply look at the board choices, and they are programmed to think the one that costs the most is going to be the best.
 
I got mine because I like the look of it,
it's almost invisible in the case,
3770k.jpg
 
ToddW2 said:
Am I the only one who finds it funny that what other people do with their $ annoys some of you?

Are you jealous? Why do you care that much to let it affect your mood... wow.
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because sooner or later that hobbyist builder who bought a rampage 4 black edition to pair with a gtx 760 4gb will be knocking on the door of your favorite forum, pleading for solutions to why his rig can't run the games he wants to play, and how much more he has to spend to right the ship. plus, this type of builder makes pc gamers look like blithering morons.
 
I typically skip a few generations between upgrades, so I have no problem buying a full size board because it leaves me with room to upgrade. I also don't like the idea of my GPU fan being right at the bottom of my case.
 
What constitutes overspending depends on your income level and priorities. Making a blanket statement as you have has little meaning. Beyond that it is really politics and your outlook on life.
 
I build a new gaming rig every 5-7 years so I over build. I get ATX because I prefer them. I always run dual graphics cause I play across 3 24" screens. I do use the other slots for other peripherals such as audio and a third vid card to drive my other 3 screens. I don't like ITX or other tiny cases. I like cases that are comfortable to work in. I run multiple HDDs and always have an ODD. I usually spent ~ $2500. Sorry if it bothers you. :rolleyes:
 
Zepher said:
I got mine because I like the look of it,
it's almost invisible in the case,
(snip!)
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I really like the look of the Sabertooth boards as well. I actually just ordered a Z97 Sabertooth Mark 1, an EVGA black sleeved PSU cable kit, and some other parts to try and make my computer look cleaner. (and have an upgrade path to Broadwell when it releases)

From about anyone's perspective, going Z87 ==> Z97 is a total waste of money. Which it is... but I have a particular look in mind (it's hard to match Noctua fans to anything, the Sabertooth actually works).
 
rennyf77 said:
because sooner or later that hobbyist builder who bought a rampage 4 black edition to pair with a gtx 760 4gb will be knocking on the door of your favorite forum, pleading for solutions to why his rig can't run the games he wants to play, and how much more he has to spend to right the ship. plus, this type of builder makes pc gamers look like blithering morons.
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Lol are you talking about the guy who has a quad SLI?
 
rennyf77 said:
because sooner or later that hobbyist builder who bought a rampage 4 black edition to pair with a gtx 760 4gb will be knocking on the door of your favorite forum, pleading for solutions to why his rig can't run the games he wants to play, and how much more he has to spend to right the ship. plus, this type of builder makes pc gamers look like blithering morons.
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If someone bought a Rampage 4 and 760 4gb;They should be able to run any game they want to
 
I try to buy enough but not too much motherboard. Sometimes needs, performance, and price match. Sometimes I spend too little or too much.
Often, a little more is very tempting.
Fact is, it is a lot easier to find reviews, and owner experiences, for more expensive boards.
 
P4rD0nM3 said:
Lol are you talking about the guy who has a quad SLI?
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no, i'm talking about the guy who bought the rampage be for one card. trust me he's out there. i've met him.

schmuckley said:
If someone bought a Rampage 4 and 760 4gb;They should be able to run any game they want to
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i'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're being sarcastic? i mean sure, depending on resolution and settings you might be able to play everything released in the next 2 years on the 4gig gtx 760. but why a $400-500 mobo for one video card.
 
PornoSatan said:
Only thing that annoys me is when people that buy full size ATX boards and then don't even bother using the other PCI-E expansion slots or fill up the case. So much wasted space.
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SATA ports are also a factor. Most of your small form factor motherboards don't include additional SATA controllers and are limited to 4-6 ports, while most full size ATX motherboards have a third party SATA controller and 8-12 SATA ports. Sucks to have to choose between a 5th SATA device with an SATA controller card and a graphics card.
 
I never have went with the top priced board or CPU, always mid-upper range but not the absolute top and it all works fine.

The upper boards have better caps, phases and other goodies that you might not use them all but they are there if you decide to.
 
I think the OP is right. I only buy mid-upper range mobos because they have better fan-control and heatsinks. Poor fan control is my pet peeve.
 
I bought my AsRock Extreme 9 MB because I wanted the 10 Sata ports. My Extreme 4 only had 6 and I didnt want to use an expansion card.

I will probably not use any more than the 1 PCIE slow for my VC. The other 4 are simply a waste. But to have the extra Sata ports was important to me, hence why I went with the higher priced board.

Oh and the 12 USB ports in the back was nice too.
 
Most really high end boards have shit that even the engineers don't know how to use......

but that said......I think it's pretty cool every once in a while to just buy the best there is.

Mostly, I look for a board with good overclocking results and adequate spacing for Crossfire and SLi. I could care less if you can control the board with your cell phone.

That and an Intel NIC.

Everything else is just icing.:D
 
If you've got the money to spare I see nothing wrong with buying a $300 motherboard. You gotta think, this is a hobby most of us do for fun and so these are basically toys. I leave the value shopping to my wife when she buys groceries. For my toys and for what I do for fun, I don't worry too much about it. I buy the stuff I want and think would be fun to tinker with and while I do try to shop around and find a good price, I don't get too caught up in if it's worth it for the money. Truth be told, if I won the lottery I'd have a pair of Titan Blacks in my new 4960X powered rig.

And the high end motherboards will have the very best components and be a more durable and longer lasting board but I think once you get much over $200-225, the component quality will be as good as there is and you're only really paying for extra features that you may or may not ever need or use.

As for buying ATX if you're not gonna use the extra PCIE cards, they really don't cost Amy more than a mATX but you've got a lot more upgrade room in case you want to in the future. Unless you change motherboards every year, buying for potential upgrades makes good sense to me.
 
I'm moving to Asus z97-WS board, not only it is an amazingly solid performing board, it does have amazing options for PCIE configurations, and plenty of SATA 6g ports, as well as m.2 and few other features.
 
I never owned a high-end board myself, I always try to choose the best value for the money. But I used a lot of them at my workplace, and I didn't notice any difference. Of course there are more features, like dual lan, and wifi, both of which is totally pointless for a desktop pc. The only extra I was willing to spend money on is more SATA ports. But with my last system I had a ton of problems with the integrated controllers, so I'd rather bought an add-on card.Pricier, if you want a decent one, but you can use it for the next 10 years easy.

Back in the day I was always thinking "future proof" but it's bull, when the time came I always ended up replacing both the mobo and the cpu and often the RAM too.

For me the fun is not buying the best, and sit back. The fun is buying on a budget end getting the most out of that budget. If I'd won the lottery I'd make a budget up every week and try a completely new build from scratch each time. Let's say this week it's 400$ next week 600$ and so on.
 
I run an ATX mb with only one slot used for a single gpu. The reason I use an ATX mb is because I like the air flow you get with an full ATX case. A m ATX mb in a full ATX case just doesn't look right.

You need to watch out with some cheap mbs. Sometimes the bios is lacking, features are striped and low quality caps.
 
More mother board = bigger "epenis" duhh. All joking aside I generally go for the Asrock boards as they have yet to prove me wrong in a bang for the buck category. That being said I did fall into a 8 core 2011 xeon and a returned MSI x79a-gd45 plus board for $160 which just rocks. Especially when my 290x mining rig became unprofitable. I was able to setup a rocking gaming build. it is also nice to have a ton of expansion possibilities like pcie slots or way more sata ports then I will need in-case of the future. Take for example those socket 1366 folks with a 920 i7. They are lacking sata2 and usb3, but with a few addon cards and possibly one of those elcheapo ebay 6 core chips they would virtually be back in the uber pc again with some minor parts.

It really just depends on how you are building the machine, as lots of people have said already they do build machines to last. You could arguably stay in the mid range and build a few computers on what they might have spent on one.
 
rennyf77 said:
no, i'm talking about the guy who bought the rampage be for one card. trust me he's out there. i've met him.



i'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're being sarcastic? i mean sure, depending on resolution and settings you might be able to play everything released in the next 2 years on the 4gig gtx 760. but why a $400-500 mobo for one video card.
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You need to get a life and stop worrying about other people.

You've proven my point more than once in this thread, mind your own business.

Who cares what other people buy, and do with their life as long as they aren't endangering others.
 
ToddW2 said:
You need to get a life and stop worrying about other people.

You've proven my point more than once in this thread, mind your own business.

Who cares what other people buy, and do with their life as long as they aren't endangering others.
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wow i didn't know my opinion so affected your outlook on life and the universe. my apologies for displeasing you so. with your blessings i will now go back to my life of providing technical support in a manner that would least offend you.
 
seanmcd said:
I just blew $209 on a Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK !!!
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Not bad at all.

I paid somewhere around $189 on sale for the Z87-UD5H a year ago and by all means your board is newer, better sound card [minus sound blaster suite which helps] and a few more goodies plus the 5 year warranty.

Most boards around the 200ish range are fairly good quality with enough goodies to satisfy most people.
 
ToddW2 said:
You need to get a life and stop worrying about other people.

You've proven my point more than once in this thread, mind your own business.

Who cares what other people buy, and do with their life as long as they aren't endangering others.
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Ditto.

You need to get a life and stop criticizing people for having their own opinions.

Who cares what they think or post on a forum as long as they aren't endangering others.
 
plugwash said:
I buy ATX because it's barely more expensive (sometimes even cheaper) than a similarly specced micro-ATX and it gives me more options for how I configure the machine in future.
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This, does nobody else find that they recycle computer parts for multiple purposes? I have an old core 2 duo e6800 (3ghz, and I can't remember the exact model so that's a guess) which I used as a gaming pc, then turned it into a home server for a year, and once I replaced it as a server it became an HTPC w/a 650ti. Now it sits in a closet waiting for a TV to hook it to as I only have one real TV.

Point is that full ATX usually has more PCI-E slots (to an extent) allowing for flexibility. I've considered grabbing some ethernet cards and shoving it in the thing and using it for PFsense but I think I'd go with something newer and less power hungry if I ever did that. For an HTPC it's perfectly suitable though.

As for spending money, some people just like assurance and extra features. I went for a decently high-end x58 board just because most of them were expensive anyways. For haswell I went with mid-grade.
 
I agree, but i think ATX board would make a a bit big of a PFsense box. Atom all the way :D

Pylor said:
This, does nobody else find that they recycle computer parts for multiple purposes? I have an old core 2 duo e6800 (3ghz, and I can't remember the exact model so that's a guess) which I used as a gaming pc, then turned it into a home server for a year, and once I replaced it as a server it became an HTPC w/a 650ti. Now it sits in a closet waiting for a TV to hook it to as I only have one real TV.

Point is that full ATX usually has more PCI-E slots (to an extent) allowing for flexibility. I've considered grabbing some ethernet cards and shoving it in the thing and using it for PFsense but I think I'd go with something newer and less power hungry if I ever did that. For an HTPC it's perfectly suitable though.

As for spending money, some people just like assurance and extra features. I went for a decently high-end x58 board just because most of them were expensive anyways. For haswell I went with mid-grade.
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There are many reasons people may pay more for a MB, among them are:

First off, reliability. Then other factors such as: fan headers, SATA ports, RAID options, faster PCIE slots for CF or SLI rigs, backup BIOS for options for OCing, etc. At least those are some of the options I look for in a MB and sometimes it is hard to find all of that in a MB for $150. And those that do have all that and only cost $150 may not be the most reliable. I find I generally spend in the $250 range for my main PC and then around $150 for secondary systems. I have on occasion spent $340 for a MB, but that was also in the day where you had to if you wanted to get Tri-SLI and overclocking. MBs have come a long way since then.
 
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