Help choosing a z390 motherboard

[phrfpeixoto]

Hello folks,

I'm not really new into the hackinsoth world, but the last one I've tried were back in the Snow Leopard days, with Intel Core2 Duo processors. So it's safe to say I don't really know anything about current gen.

That being said, I need some help choosing a motherboard for my new build. I've been reading and youtubing a lot about choosing components.
My initial intent was to build a mini ITX case, but it's kinda hard to find accessible components (Motherboard and cases) where I live (Brazil). I then chose to build a full featured ATX case and I intend to mod a Cheese Grater G5 case.

These are the components I already have:

Intel Core i7 9700K
Samsung 970 EVO Pro nvme ssd
Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB 3200 MHz
(got all these as a present. Only the SSD is brand new)

What I'm looking for here is to build a system that can:
- Be affordable, so price is a good constraint
- Support some mild overclocking (since it's a K processor)
- Last me for some good 5 years or maybe more.

Looking into the Buyer's guide I see LOTS of different choices, with varying prices, but it's not really clear to me what are the main advantages of choosing one over another.

The recommendations for a mac PRO are:
- Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI - 1400 to 1500 BRL
- ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO - 1800 to 2000 BRL
- ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-E GAMING - 1700 to 1800 BRL

The Gigabyte choice is considerably cheaper. Is it good enough, though? What would be the core differences? Why should I go with a more expensive one? This same basic question go for other options

Why should I choose that AORUS PRO WIFI over the Gigabyte Z390 GAMING SLI (1300 to 1400 BRL)
What do I gain (or lose) by picking up a ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-H GAMING (1300 to 1400 BRL)

Would you recommend any other model for what I expect?

 

[phrfpeixoto]

Anyone able to help?

 

[scottkendall]

The Gigabyte choice is considerably cheaper. Is it good enough, though? What would be the core differences? Why should I go with a more expensive one? This same basic question go for other options

Why should I choose that AORUS PRO WIFI over the Gigabyte Z390 GAMING SLI (1300 to 1400 BRL)
What do I gain (or lose) by picking up a ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-H GAMING (1300 to 1400 BRL)

Would you recommend any other model for what I expect?

I can not tell you the differences between what each board has to offer over the other you would need to compare the boards and see what one has more to offer you for your needs. Personally I like the Asus Rog Strix boards better then Gigabyte but that is only opinion.

If I was building a system today I would try to get something with built in Thunderbolt 3, like the Gigabyte z390 Designare:

GIGABYTE Z390 DESIGNARE LGA 1151 (300 Series) ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy GIGABYTE Z390 DESIGNARE LGA 1151 (300 Series) Intel Z390 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

Boards that are able to support SLI are kind of pointless since MacOS has no support for Nvida after High Sierra. In addition MacOs does not support SLI or Crossfire, MacOs does load balancing between the two cards, making the second card headless. They are also not linked over crossfire or SLI they are just plugged into the PCI-E ports.

My suggestion is that you check out the Golden builds and try to match one of them for ease of setup and maintenance.

 

[phrfpeixoto]

Thanks for the inputs. I guess I was too vague, I'm sorry. I understand the hardware difference between these (ie overclockability). What I meant was Is there any difference for MacOS between these different flavours of z390?

Just as a comment, Thunderbolt 3 would make sense to me if it were a micro ITX build, since direct board expansion is limited. So far I have no thunderbolt 3 devices and live a dongle life with my MacBook pro. Other than that, the designare is too expensive costing over 2k BRL

Again, many thanks

 

[scottkendall]

Thanks for the inputs. I guess I was too vague, I'm sorry. I understand the hardware difference between these (ie overclockability). What I meant was Is there any difference for MacOS between these different flavours of z390?

Just as a comment, Thunderbolt 3 would make sense to me if it were a micro ITX build, since direct board expansion is limited. So far I have no thunderbolt 3 devices and live a dongle life with my MacBook pro. Other than that, the designare is too expensive costing over 2k BRL

Again, many thanks

no Difference when it comes to Mac OS for at least Gigabyte and Asus.