Z87 or H87 chipset for i5 4670k with 2 PS2 ports?

R

Ratha

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 22, 2003
Messages
328
Its time for a new build, but im stuck with PS2 input devices for keyboard and mouse that id prefer not to upgrade. I have looked into different PS2 to USB converters but nothing i can find suggests that they are reliable or can handle multiple keystrokes properly.

Id like to put an i5 4670k on a Z87 motherboard of some sort, but have only been able to find two boards so far that support dual PS2 connectors, and neither of the boards sound all that great. They do however have Realtek LAN and audio which was something i was looking for to retain backwards compatibility with windows XP while i work on making the transition to win7.

From what i understand the Z87 is the superior chipset and supports overclocking with the unlocked K-variant processors. I dont intend on doing much of that at the moment with the stock cooler, but having the option in the future might be nice.

My main questions are:

1: Are there any good PS2 to USB converters out there which wouldnt drop keys, randomly require replugging, or change the function of the keyboard / mouse that was used with it in any way?

2: Should i abandon the search for a Z87 with the 2x PS2 ports i need and start looking at H87? Would going with an H87 board kill any potential for overclocking? Would there be any big disadvantages to going H87?

3: Are there any searchable websites that categorize motherboards by number of PS/2 ports? / Does anyone have any recommendations for dual PS2 boards, or can they give some insight into the two possible candidates found above.

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Finding a board with 2x PS/2 ports has been problematic to say the least. Below are the two Z87 boards that ive managed to find so far but i get the impression that they are of questionable build quality and dont seem to have many features for a build thats intended to last 5 years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130695 - MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate
Google cant find a review on this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131983 - ASUS Z87-K
Only review i could find said that the stock intel cooler touched the first ram slot. Didnt give particularly great review marks.

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Build components so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899 - CPU - Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609 - VGA - XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Double D FX-785A-CDFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 - PSU - XFX Core Edition PRO 550W (P1-550S-XXB9) (No C6/C7 Sleep Support)

General hardware support that id like to maintain:
2x PS/2 Ports.
SATA hotswap capability.
Onboard LAN / Audio that has XP driver support.
 
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Granted I don't understand exactly why you don't want to swap out your KB/Mouse, but if you want a good motherboard that OC's your unlocked processor, just buy a new mouse/KB and get a better motherboard. Even the Asus Z87-A or MSI Z87A-G45 boards are better than the ones you have listed, especially if you want it to last 5 years.

Out of the two boards you have listed, I don't think either of them will make that big of a difference. They seem to be similar in quality.
 
I dont know that i -need- a board with good overclocking options, but having them would be added value incase i decided to in the future. The build really would benefit from long term stability, backwards compatibility, and overclock potential, but the latter is probably not absolutely necessary. Is overclocking completely off of the table with an H87 board? The differences between Z78 and H87 as far as i could tell seemed fairly minor. The place that gave the best summary i could find of the differences seemed to be: www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z87-H87-H81-Q87-Q85-B85-What-is-the-difference-473/

Why i dont upgrade keyboard/mouse is mostly a matter of preference. I bought a new mouse recently and it did not perform to the standards i was expecting or offer any useful features as an upgrade. After spending 4-5 days with it and not being happy with the form factor, sensitivity settings, wireless, and its other weird quirks ive decided that it needs to go back. Dont really want a repeat of that or the extra expense of multiple restocking fees as that hurts the budget for the build and is a lot of frustration and time wasting.

Regarding the keyboard, ive been using the same one since 1996. The only thing i particularly dislike about it is the lack of n-key rollover. But, i know its ins and outs as ive torn it down to the circuit-sheet and cleaned it multiple times. I wasnt able to make the mouse upgrade work, and im picky enough that it would be difficult to make a keyboard upgrade work.. even if it would make the build much easier and probably a better one in the long run. If i could make it work id still have to drop 60-100 bucks on a keyboard with n-key rollover and actually upgrade into something, more extra cost there. Wouldnt be able to test to see if i liked first either.
 
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I agree that the dual PS2 is a really horrible constraint which is why i was asking around for advice. Neither of these two boards seem like great solutions when it comes to having a feature-filled motherboard and seems like a step backwards even.

Has been highly frustrating trying to find a board that has two PS2 ports when there appears to be no mainstream search tool for it out there. Ive spent a bit of time looking at keyboard upgrades and price tags of 70-150 bucks for mechanical keyboards with n-key rollover terrify my budget. And even then many of those boards claim only full n-key rollover on PS2 which kinda defeats the purpose of buying a new keyboard to free up that PS2 slot.

Thanks for the info about the H87 boards, that was not something i had run across while i was searching around and is certainly good info to keep in mind. Overclocking really isnt high on my priority list at the moment after poor experiences in the past, getting old enough that i just want my stuff to work without having to spend days fiddling with and testing. When the system gets a bit older it might be a nice way to squeeze a more longevity out of it though.

With regards to the PS2 to USB adapter, what kind of experience did you have using it and what type was it with what keyboard? General typing and web-browsing, gaming, heavy multi-key application use? I dont have a keyboard with any sort of n-key rollover at the moment, but if i was reasonably sure that i could get either the keyboard or the mouse working flawlessly with a dongle then id love to be able to go with a much nicer motherboard. Ive not heard many good stories about using em so far though. Finding one that worked well would definitely remove some major complications from this build but everything ive read says its either not going to work or its going to have constant, severe, or simply random issues.
 
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Ratha said:
Its time for a new build, but im stuck with PS2 input devices for keyboard and mouse that id prefer not to upgrade. I have looked into different PS2 to USB converters but nothing i can find suggests that they are reliable or can handle multiple keystrokes properly.

Id like to put an i5 4670k on a Z87 motherboard of some sort, but have only been able to find two boards so far that support dual PS2 connectors, and neither of the boards sound all that great. They do however have Realtek LAN and audio which was something i was looking for to retain backwards compatibility with windows XP while i work on making the transition to win7.

From what i understand the Z87 is the superior chipset and supports overclocking with the unlocked K-variant processors. I dont intend on doing much of that at the moment with the stock cooler, but having the option in the future might be nice.

My main questions are:

1: Are there any good PS2 to USB converters out there which wouldnt drop keys, randomly require replugging, or change the function of the keyboard / mouse that was used with it in any way?

2: Should i abandon the search for a Z87 with the 2x PS2 ports i need and start looking at H87? Would going with an H87 board kill any potential for overclocking? Would there be any big disadvantages to going H87?

3: Are there any searchable websites that categorize motherboards by number of PS/2 ports? / Does anyone have any recommendations for dual PS2 boards, or can they give some insight into the two possible candidates found above.

-

Finding a board with 2x PS/2 ports has been problematic to say the least. Below are the two Z87 boards that ive managed to find so far but i get the impression that they are of questionable build quality and dont seem to have many features for a build thats intended to last 5 years.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130695 - MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate
Google cant find a review on this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131983 - ASUS Z87-K
Only review i could find said that the stock intel cooler touched the first ram slot. Didnt give particularly great review marks.

-

Build components so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899 - CPU - Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609 - VGA - XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Double D FX-785A-CDFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 - PSU - XFX Core Edition PRO 550W (P1-550S-XXB9) (No C6/C7 Sleep Support)

General hardware support that id like to maintain:
2x PS/2 Ports.
SATA hotswap capability.
Onboard LAN / Audio that has XP driver support.
Click to expand...
Mixing old technology with new almost always creates issues...

First I would suggest immediately dropping xp. Then upgrade your peripherals. Its kind of a no brainer.
 
Went with the MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate due to pricing, managed to get it for 75 after rebate from microcenter online. If i had a microcenter locally, could have gotten it for free bundled with the same processor i was looking at for cheaper than i purchased the processor elsewhere.

Besides that, cant complain about it too much yet, seems to do most of what i need and having dual PS2 connectors to ensure problem-free operation of keyboard and mouse was critical to the purchasing decision.

PCB feels a bit flimsy compared to other boards ive owned, thats partly due to not being a full-width board and not having the third row of mounting holes. Since the power connector jams into this area, removing it may be a tricky and time consuming process if you are trying not to rip the board in half. But to be fair i've never owned a board where i didnt spend 20-30 minutes and wind up with incredibly sore fingers trying to get a 24 pin connector out (and sometimes in.)
 
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