So what is everyone's recommendation for a MB to use with a Skylake build.  I look at some of these things and they seem so over the top with a price point to match.  I just need a good quality MB that will take a single video card (probably nice to have capability to expand to 2), up to 4 sticks of ram.  2 SSD's and 1 HDD. and will allow overclocking and a good supply of USB's to handle all of my FS hardware.....even though I do use an external port dock because I have too many anyway.   

I am in the same boat.  I'm currently thinking of the ASUS Gaming Pro as it seems to hit a pretty good feature set v. price point and I like the idea of the CPU insertion tool they provide.  However, perhaps people here can talk me up to something higher in the range?

How about http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-Z170X-Gaming-Motherboard-Socket-Express/dp/B013E37HUA/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1441897270&sr=1-9&keywords=gigabyte+Z170

 

I know this is the UK site, there should be the same on the CA or US site too.

MB's kind of remind me a bit of high end HDMI cables.  Monster was selling gold plated version for hundreds of dollars and then some researchers figured out they work no better than the $4.99 version you can buy online.  Anyway, I am sure someone here will know what to do.

What have you got at the moment? I've just updated to the i74790K @ 4.4GHz with 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

Works a treat with P3D. and X-Plane 10.

Is the extra cash worth it for th Skylake?
 

I have an ASRock Extreme for use with my Sandy Bridge chip.  I am planning on keeping this unit as my second computer.

Asus ROG maximus viii boards hit all the requirement blocks. Not sure if the extreme is available yet, but will be the high budget choice. Hero will still appeal to the hardcore overclocker.

Asus ROG maximus viii boards hit all the requirement blocks. Not sure if the extreme is available yet, but will be the high budget choice. Hero will still appeal to the hardcore overclocker.

 

Very expensive MB - $304 in Canada.  ASRock Extreme 4 is $249.

Very expensive MB - $304 in Canada.  ASRock Extreme 4 is $249.

 

Yes, latest socket ROG boards always command a premium, but I and several others here swear by them. Bios is excellent and overclocking tools are some of the best out there.

Well this one gets great reviews.  Price is pretty reasonable.

 

Asus Z170-A

 

http://techreport.com/discussion/28737/asus-z170-a-motherboard-reviewed#metal

As many of you have, I've built several computers and in my experience I always go with minimum requirements for motherboards and ram and I save the spending for CPU and GPU my first build I went overboard on the motherboard and you get very little added value from it subsequent builds I've always gone bare bones on the mobo and have never had a single issue. I like MSI's gui as well. Let me know what you think but $89.99 is pretty reasonable if yous ask me.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130888

Woops just noticed the above is an older chipset here's the equivalent with the 170 chipset $104 still not bad

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130885

I am in the market as well and have done some research, especially looking at customer ratings and particularly looking for commonly mentioned issues. I have taken particular note of the fact that MSI has scored significantly higher on these than some if not most of the other brands mentioned. That has me better focused.

 

This one is just a bit pricier but supports DDR3. Both have plenty of USB support. I need quantity of USB 2.0 because my Saitek stuff does not like USB 3.X ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130771

I just upgraded my system to a 4790K and an ASUS Maximus VII Hero and have been very happy with the motherboard choice. I don't go for the high end boards, but I'm careful about the cheap ones. I had looked at the MSI Z97 boards, and their value looks very nice (love my MSI 770 GTX). In the end I chose the ASUS for its better quality GRP, overall cleaner design, and thorough overclocking options in the BIOS. The system is running 4.75 GHz CPU/ 4.45 GHz Cache on lower power settings (1.225V on the CPU).

 

I ran the system for a week (including FSX) before upgrading my old 16GB of 1600 memory to 16GB of 2400 memory. I didn't expect much difference but was pleasantly surprised to see textures loading faster, almost no micro stuttering (wasn't a major issue with my previous i5 3570K system), and an overall snappier system and FSX. With the price of memory today, "fast" should really be a non-issue.

 

Greg

 

 

As many of you have, I've built several computers and in my experience I always go with minimum requirements for motherboards and ram

 

I agree with that, with one caveat... compare it with the next more expensive MB and see what feature is added... Extra HD ports? USB3 ports? etc and see if they are important for the extra $. IF they are, then move up one..continue to the same with the next upscale  mb... until you see no more added value for you.

 

I usually look for good and more SATA ports. Cause I usually keep adding HDs and I run out eventually. Same with USB3 ports

Well this one gets great reviews.  Price is pretty reasonable.

 

Asus Z170-A

 

http://techreport.com/discussion/28737/asus-z170-a-motherboard-reviewed#metal

It's a great board, one I'm considering for my build in a few weeks. Great features, great price.

 

I've always found Asus boards reliable. Of course there will always be someone who's had a bad experience and will disagree.

 

If you wanted to go for a price point mid way between the -A and Deluxe, then the Sabertooth will be available soon. A board they drop on the floor and kick all over the place during testing. Hard as nails.

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH-Z170-MARK-1/

 

Z170-A compared with the deluxe, hear...