X99 vs Z97 gaming motherboards: SA price, review roundup

Following the launch of the X99 motherboards, Haswell-E processors, and DDR4 RAM, some PC gamers might be wondering whether it is time to upgrade their pride and joy.

The question is, do you go all out and take it to the next level with the aforementioned new technology – or do you upgrade to the still relatively new Z97 board and its associated RAM and CPU?

While I do not possess the knowledge or skills (I am a PS4 owner) to make a recommendation, I can provide you with a price and review comparison of the two chipsets and let you make an informed decision.

Before we get the the boards, a quick reminder that the X99 options bring with them the new Haswell-E processors which can now support 6 to 8 cores, as well as DDR4 RAM – supposedly faster and less power hungry than DRR3.

Some of the new boards can also support up to 128GB of RAM, which is a nice figure to drop during conversation for no reason whatsoever.

Let’s get down to business

Thanks to some extensive reviews by Anandtech and other hardware gurus, we are not only able to give you local pricing on the boards, but some expert advice as to whether you should buy one.

Z97 Motherboards

MSI Gaming 7 – R2,899

The MSI Gaming 7 received a Silver Award from HardOCP, who said the board is great for overclocking and was good value for money.

MSI Gaming 7

ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Professional – R2,867

TweakTown gave the board 95% and an Editor’s Choice Award, praising its balance between price, performance, and features.

ASRock Fatal1ty Professional

Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5 – R2,785

Expert Reviews gave the Gigabyte board 5/5 in its review, stating that this is the perfect choice for for gamers who want to build a multi-GPU rig and are not too keen on overclocking.

Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5

MSI Z97 MPower Max AC – R4,499

Anandtech gave this board its Silver Award, saying the MPower could form the centre of a nice gaming PC if you throw in some water cooling.

MSI Z97 MPower Max AC

X99 Motherboards

MSI X99S SLI Plus – R3,195

Anandtech said: “The strength of the MSI X99S SLI Plus lies in the sleek design combined with the low price point. It forms a substantial line in the sand for any X99 system builder, and is very attractive to those who are more budget conscious and not keen on overclocking.”

MSI X99S SLI Plus Motherboard

Asus Rampage Extreme V – R7,705

Hardware Heaven gave the Rampage its Diamond award, which basically means if you have to sell a kidney to afford one, you better start looking for a good doctor on the black market.

Asus Rampage Extreme V

MSI X99 Gaming 9 AC – R6,399

Guru3D highly recommended this board after putting it through its paces, saying the only complaint they had was the somewhat expensive price. But if money is not an issue, pick one up.