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What are the best Intel LGA 1151 motherboards for gaming?

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3 Options Considered

3 Options ConsideredPriceLast Updated
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ASUS Z170-A
$152.29Jun 16, 2016
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ASRock FATAL1TY Z170 GAMING K4
$145.99Jun 16, 2016
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Gigabyte LGA 1151 GA-Z170X-Gaming G1
$499.99Jun 16, 2016
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ASUS Z170-A

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thermoplastics
Top Pro

Good USB options

•••
This board supports USB 3.1 type A and C meaning it is pretty future proof as well as versatile due to all of the options USB C connections allow.
thermoplastics
Top Pro

Good built in sound

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The board supports 7.1 digital surround sound with great clarity, which is great for games that support it as it is can be helpful to gameplay when hearing sounds in certain directions.
thermoplastics
Top Pro

Easy to optimize the CPU

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The board has a built in optimizing tool that will allow for easy overclocking as well as control for power consumption. It will also allow for auto adjusting of the PCs fans as well as set per app settings. While some may want to do all of this manually, for the uninitiated it is quite easy to cli...
thermoplastics
Top Con

Third party tower coolers may not clear RAM

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The RAM slots are pretty close to the CPU, which means if you are using or plan on using a third party tower cooler, it may not install due to the RAM positioning.
thermoplastics
Top Con

Mounting issues

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The I/O shield on the board tends to be in the way, is quite flimsy and also is to be avoided as it can cut your hands. This makes installing the MOBO troublesome and maybe a bit dangerous.
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ASRock FATAL1TY Z170 GAMING K4

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thermoplastics
Top Pro

Good overclocking controls

•••
The board is able to overclock non K series Intel CPUs, which is helpful for those that want to overclock but do not have a K series chip.
thermoplastics
Top Pro

Good built in sound

•••
The board supports 7.1 digital surround sound with great clarity, which is great for games that support it as it is can be helpful to gameplay when hearing sounds in certain directions.
thermoplastics
Top Con

Somewhat flimsy

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The board itself feels thin and flimsy which may cause issue when trying to mount as it could break. This also can cause some vibration of the board when using 3rd party coolers.
thermoplastics
Top Con

Not a full ATX board

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Even though it is described as an ATX board, the size is not as big, which may cause some mounting issues depending on the case being used.
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Gigabyte LGA 1151 GA-Z170X-Gaming G1

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thermoplastics
Top Pro

Audio as good as a discrete card

•••
This board has a built in quad core audio processor as well as a high end 127dB DAC. This allows for a 192kHz/24-bit audio signal.
thermoplastics
Top Pro

Good USB options

•••
This board supports USB 3.1 type A and C meaning it is pretty future proof as well as versatile due to all of the options USB C connections allow.
thermoplastics
Top Con

Poor software

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Starting with the BIOS, it is not very intuitive and takes a lot of poking around in order to learn what all of the features are. On top of this, many error codes are not listed on Gigabytes site or anywhere else, leaving the user guessing when one crops up. The other issue with software is the bu...
thermoplastics
Top Con

Too many shared PCIe lanes

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If the user wishes to use two M.2 slots at the same time, this will disable two of the Sata Express ports. So proper planning is required depending on what hardware one wants to use that are PCIe compatible. This can be much time spent on research, which some may not want to invest.
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5 Community Recommendations

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