Gone: Gigabyte GA-Z170X SOC Force

[yllapilate]

@tonymacx86 your recommended Gigabyte GA-Z170X SOC Force is gone from both Amazon and NewEgg at this point. Is there another top-of-the-line performance and feature motherboard that you'd recommend replacing this model with?

 

[Stork]

Thanks for the heads up. We'll update the next Buyer's Guide.

As for a replacement, well, you're looking at a top end motherboard. Have you looked at the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME? It's an EATX like the Gigabyte SOC. (Expensive, too!)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016A44CU8/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132637

I have been a Gigabyte motherboard user for 5 years, but last Fall I tried the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII GENE which is a mATX motherboard. I really liked the sophisticated BIOS that allowed for assisted OC'ing, and it's ease for hackintoshing. When I had an opportunity to pick up a ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ATX motherboard and i7-6700K at a good price, I didn't hesitate. So, look into the EXTREME...if you got the budget.

 

[yllapilate]

Thanks for the heads up. We'll update the next Buyer's Guide.

As for a replacement, well, you're looking at a top end motherboard. Have you looked at the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME? It's an EATX like the Gigabyte SOC. (Expensive, too!)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016A44CU8/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132637

I have been a Gigabyte motherboard user for 5 years, but last Fall I tried the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII GENE which is a mATX motherboard. I really liked the sophisticated BIOS that allowed for assisted OC'ing, and it's ease for hackintoshing. When I had an opportunity to pick up a ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ATX motherboard and i7-6700K at a good price, I didn't hesitate. So, look into the EXTREME...if you got the budget.

Great recommendation there. How are all the features on this board as far as support and is there a solid guide for it? If I go in for that much money I want to be sure to cover all my bases first...

 

[Stork]

Great recommendation there. How are all the features on this board as far as support and is there a solid guide for it? If I go in for that much money I want to be sure to cover all my bases first...

Since MyHero build had the same audio & Ethernet chipset and the BIOS GUI was a clone of my Gene BIOS, it was very easy. You can download both the GENE and HERO User's Manuals as well as the EXTREME and compare them. I'm will to bet they're about the same as the EXTREME has the same audio and Ethernet chipsets as the GENE and HERO as you can see in the tonymacx86 Buyer's Guide.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/june/2016#Motherboards

 

[yllapilate]

Since MyHero build had the same audio & Ethernet chipset and the BIOS GUI was a clone of my Gene BIOS, it was very easy. You can download both the GENE and HERO User's Manuals as well as the EXTREME and compare them. I'm will to bet they're about the same as the EXTREME has the same audio and Ethernet chipsets as the GENE and HERO as you can see in the tonymacx86 Buyer's Guide.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/june/2016#Motherboards

Nice. I really wish there was a better organization as far as price and compatibility goes in that guide. It's easy to just go with the main section and ignore all of the other items listed. Then of course when you get into the bulk listing, there's no real differentiation between what mobos are good for what or have any compatibility ranking, etc.

 

[EddyMac]

Nice. I really wish there was a better organization as far as price and compatibility goes in that guide. It's easy to just go with the main section and ignore all of the other items listed. Then of course when you get into the bulk listing, there's no real differentiation between what mobos are good for what or have any compatibility ranking, etc.

Are you volunteering? Such things take time.

 

[Stork]

Nice. I really wish there was a better organization as far as price and compatibility goes in that guide. It's easy to just go with the main section and ignore all of the other items listed. Then of course when you get into the bulk listing, there's no real differentiation between what mobos are good for what or have any compatibility ranking, etc.

We give you some boundaries - like audio and Ethernet chipsets that are supported by hackintosh kexts for those chipsets. The rest of the capabilities, like M.2 slots and number of PCI slots take way too much time to compile. If you don't understand some "stuff", ask in Buyer's Advice or General Hardware forum sections. However, it comes down to...you need to do your due diligence. We just keep you in the fight.

 

[yllapilate]

@Stork I've put together a build that seems to fall in line with the specs I've been seeing and also with your recommendation, what do you think?

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($345.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME EATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($449.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3466 Memory ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB HYBRID Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)

I could go with only 16GB of the fastest RAM it will use, but I estimate that having ~400 cycles slower RAM at 4x the amount would be a better choice... (So I just read on your thread here that it shouldn't really make that much of a difference.)

And you say the Bluetooth + wireless should work on this device since it's the same as the other? I'd really like to use Continuity and so forth with this unit if possible.

 

[Stork]

That's a hellva of an expensive system. What are you going to use this system for? I ask because at $450 for the motherboard is a lot...and 24TB of storage.

The 980 Ti is at the end of its product life. Waiting for the GTX 1080 to be supported will be well worth it.

You mention WiFi/BT..is that the PCIe card I mentioned in my component list in my Build Description?

(I still can't get over 24TB in storage HDD.)

 

[yllapilate]

That's one drive for parity with RAID (ZFS), so ~18 vs 24. A lot of video editing, animation work, software development and deductive database work with massive sets of data. You can imagine old long in the tooth having older mac pros has been. The enterprise is key because of a lot of access (eg, why I'm not going with archival drives).

Any kind of feeling on an ETA for the GTX 1080? Are you eying a specific model? Maybe I'll just hang on too.. I assume the wait is for drivers to be released on their web release?

Well I mean the WiFi/BT that is integrated on this mobo. Will I need to get other devices to support that instead of using onboard?