ASRock B85 Pro4 vs MSI Z97 PC Mate

[harveymilk]

Hey everyone,

I just finished my first build. However, I didn't realize it when I ordered it, but I bought a micro ATX motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-B85M-DS3H) by mistake. It's pretty small, and the video card just barely fits, blocking one of the SATA ports. Also, I know it's not a big deal but it didn't have any regular PCI slots (I know they're kind of obsolete but I think it would just be handy to have one, plus my network card is PCI). I've been toying with the idea of sending it back and getting a regular ATX motherboard with a couple PCI slots and a PS/2 slot for both keyboard and mouse (I know they're also kind of obsolete and there are adapters, but I just think they would be handy to have). Here's the 2 I have it narrowed down to:

MSI Z97 PC Mate ($85 w/$10 rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130779
ASRock B85 Pro4 ($70) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157387

I don't want anything fancy, just something inexpensive with what I was looking for. Are either of those motherboards better than the other? Both of the specs looked basically the same. Or do you guys think I should just not even bother with the hassle, and get a new mouse and USB network adapter? By the time I'd ship my current motherboard back and buy the new one, I'd probably be spending an additional $30-40, which isn't too big of a deal. Any thoughts/opinions are appreciated.

Here's my build if it matters:
GPU: PowerColor PCS+ Radeon R9 380
CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 Haswell Quad-Core 3.3 GHz LGA 1150
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-B85M-DS3H-A LGA 1150 Intel B85 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
PSU: CORSAIR CX series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
Hard drive: WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel

 

[PP Mguire]

Are you using a PCI wireless adapter?

 

[harveymilk]

Are you using a PCI wireless adapter?

Yeah I have a Linksys Wireless-N PCI adapter. My computer isn't close enough to plug in with an ethernet cable, so I'd either get a new motherboard (which I wouldn't mind because I'd have some pci slots/more room for my video card/both PS/2 ports), or just go ahead and buy a usb wireless adapter. Just not really sure what I want to do yet, and I wasn't sure if there were any differences between a micro-ATX and regular ATX motherboard performance wise.

 

[PP Mguire]

Form factor doesn't affect performance, only the size. You can do one of a couple things. Send the board back and get the MSI Z97, get a USB wireless adapter, or get a PCI-E wireless adapter. It'd all cost about the same in the end.
Here's a card for 30 bucks.
TP-LINK TL-WDN3800 PCI Express x1 N600 Wireless Dual Band Adapter - Newegg.com

 

[harveymilk]

Form factor doesn't affect performance, only the size. You can do one of a couple things. Send the board back and get the MSI Z97, get a USB wireless adapter, or get a PCI-E wireless adapter. It'd all cost about the same in the end.
Here's a card for 30 bucks.
TP-LINK TL-WDN3800 PCI Express x1 N600 Wireless Dual Band Adapter - Newegg.com

Ok thanks, I'll probably just get a new motherboard as I think it will pay off more in the long run. But you think I should go for the MSI over the ASRock?

 

[harveymilk]

Also hate to bump, but I had another question regarding the system fans. My case has 5 total fans (Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel - 1x 200mm side panel fan, 2x front-mounted 120mm fans, 1x rear 120mm fan, and 1 extra 120mm fan the case came with). Will I be able to install all of these on the MSI? The MSI says it has 2 x 4-pin CPU fan connectors, 1 x 4-pin system fan connector, and 2 x 3-pin system fan connectors. That's obviously 5, but I wasn't sure if that includes the CPU heatsink fan, or if that is separate?

 

[Dauntae]

I would say the system fan is for the CPU but you could also get a fan controller if you want to be able to control the speed of them or on the cheap they do sell fan adapters that plug into the molex connectors, have a few myself, my case actually has places for 7 fans if I wanted lol or 5 and a radiator but water cooling has become something of a novelty for most due to the lower heat created with the newer CPU's none the less if you have more fans than MB connectors there are options for you.

 

[PP Mguire]

Also hate to bump, but I had another question regarding the system fans. My case has 5 total fans (Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel - 1x 200mm side panel fan, 2x front-mounted 120mm fans, 1x rear 120mm fan, and 1 extra 120mm fan the case came with). Will I be able to install all of these on the MSI? The MSI says it has 2 x 4-pin CPU fan connectors, 1 x 4-pin system fan connector, and 2 x 3-pin system fan connectors. That's obviously 5, but I wasn't sure if that includes the CPU heatsink fan, or if that is separate?

Yes because the Z97 chipset is better..

I'd forgo the 200mm fan.