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A socket is a fundamental component for the PC system to connect with the processor. We stated some facts about socket in our best LGA 1151 CPU for Gaming article. Still, there are some differences between these two sockets. LGA 1150, socket H3 is a microprocessor socket and comes with 1150 pins. It is built on Haswell microarchitecture as well as Broadwell microarchitecture (Haswell’s legatee). However, it does not support DDR4 RAM sticks and Intel rated this one DDR3 motherboard. It means that a higher voltage would damage the CPU. Hence you will have to buy the best lga 1150 motherboard thoroughly.
Though LGA 1150 is not the latest socket out there, it still has one of the best functioning. There are good and bad sides to everything in this world. But you have to balance them and decide which one to choose. Getting a motherboard is not a big deal but getting the best one is literally a challenge.
Our Recommendations
| Model | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SATA: 8 PCIe x16: 2 RAM DIMMs: 4 |
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| SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 2 RAM DIMMs: 4 |
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| SATA: 6 PCIe x16: 3 RAM DIMMs: 4 |
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| SATA: 5 PCIe x16: 3 RAM DIMMs: 4 |
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| SATA: 5 PCIe x16: 0 RAM DIMMs: 2 |
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Asus Maximus VII Gene
The ASUS Maximus VII Gene is one of the best mATX motherboards in this price range. It is a good-looking motherboard with sturdy construction. It runs perfectly, is reliable, and also easy to set up. Also, it has one of the best overclocking features and does a great job as well. The UEFI BIOS interface is user-friendly and you can overclock it easily. It is a bit overpriced mainly designed for the enthusiast but it is also not a bad choice for beginners if you have enough to spend. Moreover, it has plenty of SATA ports and those are more than enough. Temps sensors that come with the board let you check the temperature easily.
The Maximus VII Gene is a beast of a motherboard that has a bunch of options. The design and color scheme of the mobo looks magnificent and looks even great if you have a windowed case. Along with overclocking, Maximus VII Gene offers immense gaming sessions without any issue. Also, it supports SLI and Crossfire technology.
Key Features: Asus Maximus VII Gene comes with 2 x DDR3 240-pin DIMM memory channels supporting 32GB max and 3300 MHz of memory bandwidth. It features 1 x PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot, 1 x PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot, 1 x PCI-E 2.0 x4 slot, and 1 x PCI-E 2.0 slots. It also features 4 x USB 2 Type-A ports, 4 x USB 3 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 3 x USB 2 header, 1 x USB 3 Gen1 header, and 8 x SATA3 ports. Moreover, It has 5 x 4-pin Fan Header and supports CrossFire & SLI technology.
Downsides: It has no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module despite the high price.
- Easy UEFI interface
- Many overclocking options
- Excellent overclocking capabilities
- Lots of gaming features
- Wifi/Bluetooth module is not included
Final Thoughts
The ASUS Maximus VII Gene is a great motherboard with the perfect amount of options and features. Even though it is a bit overpriced, the performance, features, and other options are the things that will attract you more.
MSI Z97 PC Mate
MSI Z97 PC Mate is a fine-looking and great budget LGA 1150 motherboard. The build quality is excellent as well as the overall performance. It is easy to install and the BIOS has easy management settings. Also, if there are no exceptions, the board will recognize all of your components with no issues. This motherboard is a great pair with both Intel and AMD processors. Make sure to check the USB 3.0 pins before installing them. You may have to straighten them and then install the board. It supports overclocking and it is super easy to do. The motherboard itself looks gorgeous and has a nice layout. The price to performance ratio is just on pointy. It has a great value if you compare the features and price.
MSI motherboards are really famous and admired among PC builders, enthusiasts, and gamers as well. And that is because of the motherboard’s quality, looks, features, price to performance ratio, and so on. This is also a highly recommended LGA 1150 motherboard. The gaming and overclocking performance of the Z97 PC Mate are great as usual. It is the best budget lga 1150 motherboard
Key Features: MSI Z97 PC Mate comes with 4 x DIMM DDR3 memory slots supporting 32GB max and 3000 (O.C) MHz. It features 2 x PCIe x16 slots, 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, 2 x PCI slots, 6 x SATA3 6 Gb/s connectors, and 3 x system fan connectors. Moreover, it features 4x USB 3.0 ports, and 8x USB 2.0 ports.
Downsides: The Z97 PC Mate has no M.2 socket.
- Great Budget mobo
- 2 x PCIe x16 slots
- No SLI support
- No M.2
Final Thoughts
The MSI Z97 PC Mate is the best lga 1150 motherboard for gaming and one of the best LGA 1150 mobo. With this price, this motherboard does far better than the same-priced mobos.
Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5
The Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 is the perfect motherboard to run Windows 10 easily. This LGA 1150 board is pretty famous for its compatibility and other usefulness. It is easy to install and the layout looks beautiful. In most cases, this board can work fine with the other components of the PC. You will get a detailed and easy manual for BIOS settings. This makes the BIOS interface easy to work with. Whether you are an overclocker or not, this motherboard board is suited for you. However, the Z97X gaming has limited USB 2.0 ports. You can get an internal USB hub if you want to go with this but still want more headers.
The LED light connections are attached in the BIOS settings. That means you can turn on and off the LED through BIOS whenever you want. It is a solid motherboard with great working features. Moreover, it supports both CrossFire and SLI capabilities.
Key Features: The Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 5 features 4 x DDR3 DIMM memory sockets supporting 32GB memory and 3200 (O.C) Mhz memory bandwidth. It features 3 x PCI Express x16 slots, 3 x PCI Express x1 slots, 1 x PCI slot, and 1 x M.2 PCIe connector. It also features 1 x SATA Express connector and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors. Moreover, it features 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header, 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers, and 3 x system fan headers.
Downsides: The Z97X Gaming 5 does not have any DisplayPort output.
- SATA Express and M.2 support
- Well-stocked
- Multimode BIOS
- Lacks DisplayPort output
Final Thoughts
This motherboard is reasonably priced compared to its Contemporary motherboards and does all the work effortlessly well.
Asus Z97-A
ASUS Z97-A is a decent ATX motherboard with loads of good features. It is a stable board that has so many features to choose from. It is famous for its both gaming and overclocking utilities. As a Z97 chipset, we can’t say it is the best but it surely is one of the best. The BIOS layout is great and user-friendly. The mounting is not difficult and installing the components is smoother than most other ones. It has some awesome features to overclock the CPU smoothly. Even though it is an old chipset, having an M.2 socket is a plus point to all other features.
The Z97-A is a decent motherboard with great value. The price to performance ratio is excellent. ASUS products are reliable and quality brands if you get a good one. It offers awesome gaming performance as well as overclocking performance.
Key Features: The ASUS Z97-A includes 4 x DDR3 DIMM 240-pin memory sockets supporting 32GB memory and max 3200 MHz (O.C.) memory bandwidth. It features 2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, and 2 x PCI slots. It also features 4 x SATA6 connectors, and 1 x SATA Express port. Moreover, it features 4 x USB 3.0 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, and 1 x M.2 socket.
Downsides: The PCB is brown and the usage of the PCIe lane can be an issue.
- Overall and layout
- Good BIOS upgrade
- SATA Express
- Brown PCB
- PCIe lane usage could be an issue
Final Thoughts
This motherboard has a thoughtful mixture of features. The reasonable price is perfect for all the reasonable loads of features.
Best LGA 1150 Mini ITX Motherboard
ASUS Mini ITX Motherboard Q87T/CSM
The ASUS mini ITX Q87T/CSM motherboard is one of the best LGA 1150 mini ITX motherboards. This one is not for work purpose, gaming or complicated build. It is just for daily usage, web surfing, and some normal low power usage. It needs no excessive power for running. Even though it does not consume much power, the temperature seems to rise to certain numbers. You have to be cautious during the BIOS update and that is not quite a pleasant experience. It uses LAN for network connectivity.
If you have plans of gaming or overclocking, this one is certainly not a good choice. However, the overall daily performance is pretty good.
Key Features: ASUS Q87T/CSM mini ITX motherboard features 2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM 204-pin memory sockets supporting 16GB memory and max 1600 MHz memory bandwidth. It also features 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, 2 x Mini PCIe 2.0, 4 x 7pin SATA ports, and 1 x mSATA. It offers 2 x USB 3.0 headers, 5 x USB 2.0 headers, and 4 x USB 3.0 ports.
Downsides: This board has no PCIe x16 and M.2 socket.
- Overall good performance
- mSATA connector
- No PCIe x16
- No M.2 socket
Final Thoughts
This motherboard has a good look, quality, and overall good performance for the price.
Best LGA 1150 Motherboard Under 100
MSI B85M-G43
Robert Hofmann is a Software Engineer and working under a tech company in New York. He has a passion for searching and researching tech products which led him to open GamingSpice.
