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MOBO Decision

BrachusBrachus Member UncommonPosts: 97
in Hardware
I've been asked to build a Mini-ITX Home Office machine for someone and after getting her feedback have decided on most of the components. I had settled on the motherboard, but after checking pricing, I now find myself struggling to pick between the ASUS H110I PLUS and the ASUS H170I PLUS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132717

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132685

Since this will be a Home Office machine, the only real world difference I can see is DDR3 vs. DDR4. I had initially planned to just go with the H170I DDR3 board as the cheaper option, but after pricing the above boards and adding memory, it seems the H110I and DDR4 memory will be the cheaper option. Am I missing anything else significant in the specs? Any thoughts or suggestions on which way to go?

Other components:

Case: Silverstone Raven RVZ02B
CPU: i3-6100
PSU: Corsair SF450
Storage: Crucial BX200
Optical Drive, OS, and peripherals already covered

Comments

  • botrytisbotrytis Member RarePosts: 3,363
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157677&cm_re=LGA_1151_mini-ITX-_-13-157-677-_-Product

    ASRock has been getting better reviews than ASUS, for MB lately. I would also look into this one.


  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383
    I am not surprised that the DDR4 option is less expensive. I would go with that one, if for no other reason than should you decide to upgrade the RAM later on, DDR4 will be more commonly found, and DDR3 will likely be very expensive (like DDR2 is now). 
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,355
    If that's the size and shape of case you want, that's fine, but do be aware that it's over 15" in each of two dimensions.  That's not what I'd usually think of as small form factor.  You can get Micro ATX cases smaller than that in two dimensions, and without nearly as big of restrictions on parts.  It is extra thin, yes, but that means a lot of standard parts won't fit.

    I'm not saying you're wrong.  I just don't want the case to show up and you to be disappointed that it's bigger than you thought.

    As for your direct question, I don't see any real reason to get DDR3 on a platform that supports DDR4.  DDR4 is clearly better, and it's not even more expensive anymore.  You could argue that the power and performance advantages of DDR4 over DDR3 don't matter, but there's no sense in getting something worse for the same price.

    The important thing is to get an SSD, and it looks like you've already got that covered.
  • BrachusBrachus Member UncommonPosts: 97
    Quizzical said:
    If that's the size and shape of case you want, that's fine, but do be aware that it's over 15" in each of two dimensions.  That's not what I'd usually think of as small form factor.  You can get Micro ATX cases smaller than that in two dimensions, and without nearly as big of restrictions on parts.  It is extra thin, yes, but that means a lot of standard parts won't fit.

    I'm not saying you're wrong.  I just don't want the case to show up and you to be disappointed that it's bigger than you thought.

    As for your direct question, I don't see any real reason to get DDR3 on a platform that supports DDR4.  DDR4 is clearly better, and it's not even more expensive anymore.  You could argue that the power and performance advantages of DDR4 over DDR3 don't matter, but there's no sense in getting something worse for the same price.

    The important thing is to get an SSD, and it looks like you've already got that covered.
    Quiz, believe me, I understand what you're saying. I didn't pick the case, that's what my "customer" wanted. I tried to talk her into several others, but this is what she wanted as she felt this would fit her desk area the best. I ended up selecting an ASRock H170M-ITX/DL board and a couple sticks of DDR4 RAM. I'll put in the 240GB SSD and I also have a spare 512GB HD that I can install for backup and storage. Since this is just a home office build and not a gaming build, I think it will be fine. I can't imagine using this case for anything more than an entry level gaming build though, and even then, I'd be concerned about sufficient cooling.

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