Best Z97 motherboard, various issues with certain brands.

lundi 27 avril 2015

Hey Guys,

I need your help, but I'd like to point out that I always do bios updates, make sure the CPU is seated firmly, no socket pins are bent and general checks before posting on forums or trying to get help. I have a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering so I don't think I am the dumbest person when it comes to computers (I think, who knows).

However, I have been having a ton of issues recently and I have started banging my head against the wall. All related to the individual motherboards tested.

Here's the basic hardware (and software) list, excluding the motherboard:
Intel i7 4770k CPU
EVGA 1000G2 PSU
Sapphire R9 290x Tri-X OC GPU
Creative Titanium HD PCI Express x1
16GB (4x4GB) G-Skill Trident-X 2400mhz DDR3
2x Sandisk 256GB SSD Drive (SATA6GB/s)
1x WD Caviar Black 500GB drive (SATA6GB/s)

The Problem:
I bought a MSI z87 GD-65 motherboard roughly 2 years ago and recently it started giving me a ton of bsods (networking and memory related). I tried bios updates, only installing the Killer NIC inf drivers without the whole software suite. Still, no go. Also, the motherboard could never use the XMP profile of the memory but I still kept it. I ran the memory at 1800mhz with manual latency settings. In hindsight, I should have returned it. Turns out, I am not the only one. Tons of people can't use G-Skill memory on the MSI boards properly:
http://ift.tt/1DBFhnn

Also, my friend has a MSI Z97 Gaming 7 motherboard, and he can't even get his 16GB (2x8GB) Trident-X 2400mhz DDR3 memory to work with their XMP profiles on the board. He's running them at 1600mhz (waste of money if you ask me). Also, I don't think having the debate of cas latency and calculations based on latency vs mhz is applicable here. You'll see why as you read on.

The fix so far:

I bought an Asus Maximus Z97 VII Hero board. Instantly, no more bsods. Everything is working smoothly, including running my G-Skill memory at 2400mhz with their XMP profiles. However, the motherboard won't run my 290x at 16x PCI-E 3.0. It will only run it at 8x PCI-E 3.0. I have verified this via bios and also GPU-Z. And yes, I have done all the bios updates. So I think this is a defective board. I receive a replacement Maximus Z97 VII Hero board.....and the same problem occurs again. I have to mention, the Asus Maximus is solid as a rock......except for the whole running PCI-E 16x 3.0 at PCI-E 8x 3.0. I have tried taking out the sound card, putting it in a different lane, and no go. My friend has the same 290x as me, and he's able to run it at 16x PCI-E 3.0 on his MSI Z97 Gaming 7. So he brings his card over to see if I have a defective GPU or a motherboard, and the Maximus runs his card at 8x 3.0 as well. So I am thinking once again it's a defective motherboard.

I made a post on the ROG forums to fix this issues, yet no one could find a solution:
http://ift.tt/1DBFk2w

TL-DR: The help I need from you guys:
I need to find a board that fulfills these 3 needs:
1. Runs my 16GB (4x4GB) G-Skill Trident-X 2400mhz DDR3 at 2400mhz with their XMP Profiles.
2. Runs my 290x at 16x PCI-E 3.0
3. Doesn't give me a crazy ton of BSODs.

I am scared to go with the MSI route since there is a known problem with them and G-Skill branded memory. I feel that if the memory works properly on my Maximus Hero Z97 board, it is not defective memory (memtest86 tested).

I am thinking of going with the AsRock Extreme 6 since it's practically an ASUS board and has great reviews:
http://ift.tt/1DBFk2y

I have had nothing but bad experiences with Gigabyte boards in the past. This includes 2x x58 boards. So I don't know if I'd want to go down the Gigabyte path either....

Your thoughts? Please let me know if you have any recommendations of your own.

Killer NIC BSODs and issues:
http://ift.tt/1rpExS0


Best Z97 motherboard, various issues with certain brands.

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