Maybe it wasn’t what you were looking for? Doesn’t complete the tasks you need it to? It’s just not what you wanted?
Well, you’ve come to the right place, because in this article we go over a few alternatives for the Raspberry Pi that are out there in the world with different features and uses and maybe one of them is just right for you.
One might ask why would you need a Raspberry Pi alternative? There’s actually quite a few good reasons. The main one would be the price range. Yes, I know, $25-$35 is not much, but people who buy these products are usually between ages of 18-22 due to the fact that a person of that age usually goes to a university so they would most likely need one of these for projects and such. However, you don’t have to be a college student to have a reason to buy these. Simply said, if you do not have a stable income, $25-$35 might be a high price for you, so you would be looking into cheaper alternatives for Raspberry Pi.
Another good reason would be the fact that it simply doesn’t do what you need it to do, or it’s too big for a project you need. The original Raspberry Pi is quite big in size if it were to be used in some portable project, however depending on what you are doing and making, it may not be. But, in case it is, there are smaller alternatives which do pretty much the same function at cost of something else, such as processing power, number of ports and so on.
By the end of this article, you will have quite a few Raspberry Pi alternatives presented to you with their specifications and detailed descriptions and at the very end, there will be three category picks for BEST, BESTSELLER & BESTBUY according to the price, usage, portability and similar factors of the product.
This is one powerful piece of hardware. I mean, it has a physical antenna attached to it, like.. damn. Anyway, this device is slightly bigger than the Orange Pi, but it has it’s reason as it comes with an eight core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU which has PowerVR GPU chip. Alongside the powerful CPU, it comes with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 8GB onboard eMMC (memory) which is amazing, meaning you don’t even need an external storage source to have an OS running on this, as you usually would need with other products. The 4 USB 2.0 ports which enables you to have multiple devices and peripherals attached to it, like a keyboard, a mouse and similar. The 2.0 USB might be a slight drawback as the standard today is 3.0 however it makes it up with other features such as the gigabit ethernet and a SATA port.
Yes, a SATA port. This thing has a SATA port. You can plug in an external hard disk drive into this, or even an SSD, depending on your need, granted you would need to supply additional power for the external drive, but if you can handle that problem, you can easily have a 24/7 HDD or SSD operating on this device, which would extend your possibilities even more. Other than the standard USB ports and an HDMI output, it has an IR receiver which means this device is very suitable for somewhat big projects that reach into software development and electrical engineering and that unleashes even more possibilities.
Alongside those features, it has a really powerful WiFi chip which also brings Bluetooth 4.0 with it. The WiFi chip receiving and transmitting power can be greatly amplified by using an external antenna which comes with the product itself, and it’s really all straight-forward. From the hardware set-up to software side, this miniature and portable PC brings astonishing power in such small form. Whether you would use it for a simple media center in your home, or a cluster network, or pretty much anything else, it will suit your needs as it does pack a punch.
Orange Pi One
Quad Core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7
ARM Mali GPU
512MB DD3 RAM
40 Pin GPIO
Various connectors such as HDMI and Ethernet
Other than the fact that this piece of hardware is noticeably smaller than its counterpart, Orange Pi, it has almost identical specifications.
The CPU itself isn’t much weaker than the one in Orange Pi, so it gets the job done, but due to the fact that this edition of Orange Pi boards is smaller than the other ones, it has a bit less features to it, but it is a fair trade-off because after all, you do get a much smaller board to work with, which is very useful if you’re using it for projects that rely on constant mobility and compact size.
In comparison to the full sized Orange Pi, this one has 2 USB ports less which is the biggest visual change when comparing the two. It still has the crucial 40 GPIO pins, so you won’t be left with little functionality as it still holds almost all the features as the full sized Orange Pi. Sure, it has a bit less RAM and a slower CPU, but you wouldn’t be buying this one if the full sized Orange Pi sufficed. Perhaps you need a much smaller board that’s easier to conceal? Or the original one just doesn’t fit.
Really, there are multiple reasons you could be getting this one, but the price isn’t one of them due to the fact that the price differential is less than $10, so yeah.. there’s that.
Other than the size, a little slower processor and less RAM, Orange Pi and Orange Pi One are almost identical and when you factor in the price difference between the two, the most common reason you would have for buying the Orange Pi One is due to it’s smaller size.
Orange Pi
Quad Core 1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A7
1GB DDR3 RAM
Ethernet, HDMI, 40pin GPIO ports
ARM Mali GPU
3.5mm audio output
The first product we’ve tested is branded as Orange Pi with a price tag of $24.98 on Amazon. This compact and modular ‘nanoPC‘ is truly amazing for its price. It outmatches Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi 2 in multiple factors while it’s in rivaling grounds with Raspberry Pi 3 which is very powerful for its size. In general, it has all the ports you would need, ranging from Ethernet, HDMI, 3 USB 2.0 ports and 40 GPIO pins for use as you require. The ethernet port is 100Mbps so it may not be the most suitable choice for networking projects or similar as you would usually need 1Gbps ethernet ports for networks, but 100Mbps is still not bad if you were to go with this board.
The audio output is your regular 3.5mm port and it will deliver great audio to your speakers or headphones, which makes it suitable for a home cinema center. Alongside the 3.5mm port, there is a camera interface port for which you can buy an additional camera board. Upon connecting it to the board, you can turn this compact and portable PC into basically anything. On the bottom side of the board, you will find a TF card slot in which you can insert a memory card which will additionally expand the space you will have full control of. The most suitable use of this would be booting a different OS if you had to, or if you were for example going to have a media library on this PC for your home, you could store all the media on that card and just have it in the slot all the time which will grant you access to all the files on it over the Orange Pi PC.
Other than those, there is also a small sized microphone on the top side of the board which seems to be of decent quality. It won’t pick up all of the sounds, especially the ones from a far, however it can prove itself useful if working with applications which have voice commands and similar.
Powering this device might seem odd to you as you might expect it would use a micro USB port, however this uses a barrel pin and it’s rated at 5V 2A DC, but you do get an adapter with it so it shouldn’t be a worry, but if you were to power this on a portable battery, you might run into some issues.
The GPU itself is a Mali400MP2 chip clocked at 600MHz and it fully supports OpenGL ES2.0 which means you are able to run games off of it. Simply said, if you wanted to make a portable console of some sort, you are able to do it due to the OpenGL support alongside the HDMI output. However, it is not made for RAM intensive applications, after all, it does have only 1GB of RAM which is shared with the GPU, but it is able to run Google Chrome.
The operating systems you can install on this device are Android Ubuntu, Debian and a Raspberry Pi image. As previously stated, you will need a memory card to install anything on this PC. Overall, this compact and modular ‘nanoPC’ is very versatile as it has many uses and applications, however if you’re going to use it for RAM intensive applications and similar, it may not be the best choice, but other than that, it’s great.
Intel Edison Kit for Arduino
Intel Atom based on 22nm Silver Mont architecture
Yocto Linux, Arduino, Python and Node.js support
Open source community software tools
DDR3 1GB RAM alongside 4GB eMMC flash memory
Bluetooth 4.0
C/C++, Python, Node.hs, HTML5, JavaScript support
Intel Edison is a great piece of hardware as it packs great features for it’s price of $84.99 and as bad as that price may sound, it is actually worth it as this board comes directly from Intel with their CPU, Intel Atom. The possibilities with this device are pretty much infinite as long as you have the idea and knowledge due to the fact that it has quite a powerful hardware and it is well built and optimised and tested over a long period of time by multiple developers coming directly from Intel. The point of this device was to induce creativity among people mostly on Intel forums however the goal went much further away and that’s a good thing as people have shown you can use this portable miniPC for anything, ranging from a simple home media library to a complex robotic system. As long as you have ideas, you will not get bored with this one. Even if you have some big ideas, this device can probably handle it as the parts that it’s made from are quality checked and well-made.
The CPU itself is an Intel Atom CPU clocked at speed of 500MHz, and yes, that may sound low, but don’t let it fool you, it’s actually very powerful. It’s made to handle CPU intensive works and applications so it can be used for parallel processing of data, even big chunks of data aren’t a problem due to the fact how good this CPU has become over the years. I have an Intel Atom Notebook clocked at 1.6GHz and that ‘laptop’ is tiny when compared to others, and you would think to yourself that it’s useless, however it’s not. I’m able to do intricate Java programming on it alongside HTML and Javascript, so, once again, don’t let the low clock fool you, it is actually pretty damn good for its size. Other than the CPU, it packs 1GB of DDR3 RAM which is pretty decent. If you ask me, I would like at least 2GB, however depending on what you do with it, 1GB should be quite sufficient as the CPU makes up for it in most of the areas where it lacks.
The operating system that comes with the board itself is Yocto Linux v1.6 and may require a bit of time to get used to it, but once you do, you will be unstoppable due to the fact that pretty much everything is open sourced. However, the point of this board is to create a bridge between itself and Arduino boards. Once you combine the features of both of those, you have a powerful system that can be used to any extent, depending on what you need.
As I have noticed, a lot of users which own different boards had a problem with temperature and overheating of certain parts on the board, and while there are solutions, Intel Edison board has no such problems. Its operating temperature is between 32 and 104 Fahrenheit and due to amazing cooling optimisation Intel has implemented on this board and similar products, it will basically never go over that 104 mark. HOWEVER, if you ever do experience problems with the temperature with the onboard chips, you can always buy those miniature aluminium heat sinks which work quite well from my experience.
To wrap it up, Intel Edison Kit for Arduino is a very good product I would recommend to any advanced electronics hobbyist as it involves physical circuits due to the fact that it connects to an arduino and it has unmatched features in this field.
And now, for the grand finale.. three different categories and only four participants. It looks like an easy win for everyone, but in reality.. it’s not.
As a reminder, we have three categories: BEST, BESTSELLER & BESTBUY.
Now other than the fact that we have only four candidates this time, it still wasn’t an easy decision on the category of BEST as they all compare almost evenly in various areas. Some have advantages and some don’t, but overall, they’re somewhat even when we take a look at their general score. Anyhow, the winners for three of the categories are as following:
The motherboard is the most crucial part of the computer and we at Geektick have chosen the best motherboards of 2016, after countless hours spent researching and my personal experience. All of that combined lead us to the best motherboards which we will carefully describe.
There are many motherboards out there, and when I was younger I never cared which one I would buy. But I could have saved a lot of money in the long run if I just paid the extra $100, but as a teenager that was not so important, so many mistakes have been made, but rest assured I learned from my mistakes and I am here to give you advice. So I collected the best and most reliable motherboards at the moment. Currently, the best one which you can buy is the Asus X99 Deluxe II, but besides that, we shall be looking at a few more motherboards that you might like. Keep in mind these are the best motherboards you can get in early 2017, and they definitely will not let you down, I can assure you. I know the pain when everything dies, and when your BIOS corrupts. Ended up wasting a lot of money. We will also be looking at suitable processors that will maximize your performance.
This is definitely the best mobo of 2016. Powerful, fast and stylish- these are the main attributes describing this beast. The second generation X99 motherboards that have recently launched represent the very best that motherboard manufacturers can create when largely unrestrained from pesky PCI-E lane limitations. And considering the fact that there’s been an almost two year gap between the first generation models and these new releases, we expect them to be even better than their predecessors which were extremely good in their own right. The ASUS X99-Deluxe II motherboard that we are reviewing today is the model you buy when you want everything. It is the most feature filled model in the company’s LGA2011-v3 lineup. It is clearly a direct descendant of the original X99 Deluxe, and that’s a good thing due to the fact that the original Deluxe had no cons in its time, proving that the Deluxe II is the best motherboard in this current time. The only con to this motherboard is that it supports a small amount of processors but when you are buying this mobo you are not aiming to buy a processor which is used for casual users, this motherboard is made for gamers, you are looking to buy the i7 6950X, which I am going to describe better later on.
The deluxe II has five physical PCIe x16 slots, 3 way CrossFire and 3 way SLI capabilities, 1 PCI-E x1 slot, 1 M.2 x4 connector, 2 U.2 connectors, 1 SATA Express ports, 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports (plus the 2 on the SATAe port), 3 USB 3.1 Type-A ports and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C port, many people would be more than satisfied with the new X99 Deluxe II. It also has 4 USB 3.0 ports, 4 USB 3.0/2.0 header, 2 Intel-powered Gigabit LAN ports, a Thunderbolt 3.0 header, a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi module with Bluetooth v4.0, Realtek’s latest 10 channel HD audio controller and diagnostic LEDs. DDR4 memory-wise, the Deluxe II can handle up to an incredible 128GB of RAM and memory speeds up to DDR4-3300.
Includes extensive upgrades including onboard U.2 / M.2 slots that tap into 32Gbps of PCIe bandwidth
3 USB 3.1 Type-A ports and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C ports
4 USB 3.0 ports
Thunderbolt 3
10 SATA 6GB/s
ASUS Aura Features controllable RGB onboard lighting
SafeSlot
5-Way Optimization : Fan Xpert 4 Elevates customized cooling to new heights, with the ability to detect PWM/DC fans on all headers, utilize high-amperage fans and control water cooling pumps in software and UEFI
Crystal Sound 3
The best motherboard for any gamer out there, it can be used to make the best new generation PC and many more things. Taking all the things in consideration this motherboards price is justified as it is $399.99.
BEST BUY – Gigabyte X99P SLI
Another great high end Gigabyte motherboard. This motherboard is similar to the Z170X UD3 Ultra, in many aspects it is a LGA1151 socket package, structure wise it is the same, with the main difference being that this motherboard supports Intel’s extreme processor edition. The X99P SLI motherboard has M.2 connector, one SATA Express connector, six SATA 6Gb/s connectors, eight Dual Channel DDR4 slots(up to 128 GB), 1 PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 USB Type-C port, with USB 3.1 support, 1 USB 3.1 Type-A port, 3 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0.
The most important feature it shares with the Z170 X UD3 is the Thunderbolt 3, providing swift 40gb/s speed.
In summary this motherboards features are:
World’s First Intel Thunderbolt 3 Certified X99 Motherboard
Supports New Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition
Quad Channel DDR4 3400 MHz (128 GB max)
4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe Lane
Realtek ALC1150 115dB SNR HD Audio
Independent Right and Left Audio Channel PCB Layers
High-end Nichicon Audio Capacitors
Audio Noise Guard with Multi-Color Choices of LED Trace Path Lighting
All Stainless Steel connectors on rear panel
SATA Express support for up to 10 Gb/s data transfer
Gigabyte UEFI DualBIOS
Long lifespan Durable Black Solid caps
APP Center including EasyTune and Cloud Station utilities
Safer Design Around Screw Mounting Holes
A mobo that made it’s reputation as the best buy mobo of 2016 as it supports up to 128 GB of ram, is quality made and costs $234.96.
BEST SELLER – Asus Z170 PRO Gaming
This motherboard supports the LGA 1151 Socket. Many motherboards with this socket only support DDR4 ram, and so is the case for this motherboard. But truly this is a great motherboard as it has many features that can prove useful to a gamer of a high caliber. This motherboard can boost the performance of your DDR4 RAM which can be useful for running games like Rust as it is a game that requires a lot of ram to run, due to the bad configuration of Rust. This motherboard has 4 RAM(up to 64 GB) slots. The Z170 PRO Gaming supports crossfire/SLI(3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots). This board from the back has a PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port, 3 Display ports(HDMI, VGA, DVI) a USB 3.1 Type-A + Type-C, 6 USB 3.0 ports(2 at the front and 4 at the back), 8 USB 2.0 (6 at the front and at the back), Intel Ethernet GameFirst IV LANGuard.
The board contains 6 SATA 6.0 Gb/s, 1 M.2 slots (PCIe 3.0 4 and SATA 6 Gb/s) and one SATA Express port. In summary this motherboards features are :
LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processors
Dual channel DDR4 3466 (OC) support(64 GB max)
Easy and stable overclocking
SupremeFX
Sonic Radar ll: Scan and detect your enemies to dominate
LANGuard
GameFirst IV
RAMCache
USB 3.1 Type-A/C & M.2
6 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s, 1 x M.2 slots
3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots(2 CPU, 1 PCH), 2 Way SLI & CrossFire Multi-Graphics Support
It’s the most sold motherboard and offers many new ways to make a PC, probably one of the best cheap motherboards as it costs $157.95.
Asus Maximus VIII Ranger
Maximus VIII Ranger is obviously equipped with an LGA1151 socket, and supports only DDR4 ram (4 slots supporting up to 64GB of Dual channel RAM with speeds up to 3400MHz). It supports crossfire/SLI (3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots). There’s also a single M.2 socket supporting both SATA and PCIe with support for speeds up to 32Gb/s. The board features Intel Gigabit LAN and the latest version of Asus’ SupremeFX. This board has many ports: PS/2 keyboard / mouse combo port, 8 USB 2.0 ports(4 at the back and 4 at the front), BIOS Flashback Button, Intel Anti-surge LAN, HDMI port, 6 USB 3.0 ports, USB 3.1 (Type-A)Port. USB 3.1 (Type-C)Port and Gold plated Audio Ports.And contains 6 SATA 6Gb/s port(s) and 2 SATA Express port
In summary this motherboards features are :
LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processors
Dual channel DDR4 3400 (OC) support(64 GB max)
Easy and stable overclocking
LANGuard
RAMCache
GameFirst IV
USB 3.1 Type-A/C & M.2
6 USB 3.0 ports
8 USB 2.0 ports
3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots(2 CPU, 1 PCH), 2 Way SLI & CrossFire Multi-Graphics Support
6 SATA 6Gb/s port(s) and 2 SATA Express port
Another great motherboard that is cheap considering how many pros it has. And costs about $199.95.
I have reviewed high endmotherboards Gigabyte released, including the Gigabyte Z170X Ultra Gaming and the GA X99 Ultra Gaming. The thing these boards all have in common is support for upcoming technology, such as devices that connect via U.2, USB 3.1 Type-C, and Thunderbolt 3. Gigabyte also has made some notable aesthetic improvements with LEDs that illuminate. The Gigabyte Z170X UD3 Ultra offers nearly identical hardware support to the Gigabyte Z170X Ultra Gaming. But where the Ultra Gaming uses red LEDs, while the Gigabyte Z170X-UD3 Ultra lights up blue. So the Z170X UD3 Ultra is probably one of the best releases from gigabyte. This motherboard has a USB 3.1 Type-C port that can also serve as a Thunderbolt 3 port after you install a simple firmware update. Thunderbolt 3 offers a bandwidth of 40Gbps, a significant boost over USB 3.1’s 10Gbps. The Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Type-C port also supports Power Delivery 2.0, which allows it to provide 100 watts of power to connected devices. Gigabyte made sure that anyone can utilize Thunderbolt 3 to it’s fullest extent.
The rear panel also features a USB 3.1 Type A port, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and a PS/2 keyboard / mouse combo port. Beyond the good looks of the Gigabyte Z170X-UD3 Ultra it also has all the tools you will need to build an outstanding gaming rig. There’s support for SLI and CrossFire setups, and you can install up to 64GB of DDR4 3866 memory.
In summary this motherboards features are:
So overall this is great motherboard that can be used to make a high end tier PC, which can run any game out there. The good part is that it isn’t that expensive as it is $166.99.
Asus Rog Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly
The Rog Maximus VII Extreme/Assembly comes with improved looks and a lot of features compared to it’s predecessor. It is one of the best Z170 motherboard out there at the moment if you ask me. As it has 4 USB 3.1 ports, multiple M.2 slots and many more features. Multiple M.2 slots and the fastest DDR4 support, the product will shock the socks of your feet. These motherboards are paired with new Skylake-S series processors. The best Skylake processors are the Core i5 6600K and the Core i7 6700K processors for the desktop, I have tested both of the processors. Both of these processors are Socket 1151 and perfect for gaming. The quad core CPU has 8 MB L3 cache and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory. The Z170 and H170 motherboards only support DDR4. For the gaming community these two processors are the most important, the Core i7 6700K has four CPU cores with Hyper Threading, 4.0GHz frequency, 4.20GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, then there is the Core i5 6600K with four cores, 3.50GHz frequency and a 3.90GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, both are based on the new LGA1151 socket package.
In summary this motherboards features are:
LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processors
8 x SATA 6Gb/s (4 shared with SATA-E), 2 SATA Express, 1 U.2
4 USB 3.1 (3 Type-A and 1 Type-C)
Best gaming performance
Best gaming protection
One of the best motherboard out there at the moment as it has so many advantages then the others out there at the moment. If you are making a high end gaming build then this is the motherboard for you and it costs $487.12.
Gigabyte X99 Ultra Gaming
A great release from the Gigabyte crew, an extremely good mobo that is described as being one of the most stylish mobos out there. There’s dual M.2 ports, U.2 support, USB 3.1, a USB Type-C plug, Dual LAN,6 USB 3 ports 10 SATA 6Gb/s connectors and the list of the features goes on and on. Thankfully, Gigabyte’s X99 Ultra Gaming is a little more affordable compared to the triple SLI focused Gigabyte X99 Designare Ex. It’s one of the cheaper X99 boards around at the moment too, because of the price increases from Asus and MSI, making this a go to mobo.
The PCI-E slots are clad in steel covers, with a smattering of chrome and white and red colored shrouds and heat sinks making it a really attractive motherboard. But it still has some cons as there is no on board Wi-Fi, although there is a dedicated M.2 slot for an M.2 Wi-Fi card. LED lighting is of course one of the main features of the X99 Ultra Gaming as you can switch the colors to your wish.
SATA Express Connector for Up to 10Gb/s Data Transfer
Killer E2400 and IntelGbE Gaming Networks
Supports up to 10 SATA 6Gb/s
Ambient Surround LED with RGB Multi-Color Choices
Ultra Durable Metal Shielding over PCIe and DDR Slots
Ultra Durable Anti-Sulfur Resistors for Longer Lifespan
Ultra Durable Anti-Rust Rear I/O Connectors
Dual Hybrid Fan Headers with Precise PWM / Voltage Control for Water Pump & Fan
Gigabyte UEFI DualBIOS with Q-Flash Plus USB ports
APP Center Including EasyTune and Cloud Station Utilities
Great structure, awesome LEDs and more features then you can imagine a mobo to have. It is quite a nice mobo and costs $267.89.
Overview
Many of these motherboards are considered to be gaming motherboards. Saying so, you will need a gaming processor. The current 6th generation processors are beyond many people’s expectations. So depending on which motherboard you choose to buy, we will give you the appropriate processor choice. We will be looking mainly at four processors the Core i7 6700k, Core i7 6800k , Core i7 6900k and the best for the last the core i7 6950X. Besides the processor you will need another thing which we have included down below. It’s a liquid cooler which is pretty much the most recommended type of cooling currently out there. Granted many people know what processor they will buy but this is our guide and advice to you. So you can make a better choice in choosing the perfect setup for yourself.
Intel Core i7 6700K
This processor is number one seller on Amazon at this given time. Thanks to our knowledge of Skylake architecture, we can make a detailed review of the i7 6700K. The i7 6700K is a quad-core, eight-threaded processor with 8MB of L3 cache, much like the older generations. Skylake parts are manufactured on Intel’s 14-nm fabrication process with tri-gate transistors. Skylake brings a new CPU microarchitecture. As usual, this architectural refresh is meant to improve clock-for-clock performance through various clever enhancements to the processor’s efficiency and throughput. Intel claims the 6700K is 10% faster than the Core i7-4790K.
In fact, the Core i7-6700K replaces the 4790K at the exact same price. The 6700K’s peak clock speed is down a little bit, at 4.2GHz instead of the 4.4GHz Turbo peak on the 4790K, but the 6700K can run all four cores at 4.2GHz under load. Intel has pushed a little on the power front in order to deliver higher performance in recent generations. The top Ivy Bridge quad core topped out at 77 watts, while Haswell moved up to 88 watts, however, Skylake nudges the limit up to 91 watts.That added CPU power draw could be offset at a platform level by the transition to a new memory type, DDR4. Skylake supports both DDR4 and DDR3L type memories, for lower voltage operation and power savings.
If you are a gamer with a budget looking for a new rig this is the right processor for you, this processor is supported by all of the motherboards named (except the X99 Deluxe II) above and costs $319.99.
Intel Core i7 6800K
The Core i7 6800K is the best value six core processor currently out on the market. The extra $60 you’d be spending on the 6800K over the 6700K actually makes sense. For high end gaming rigs, sporting multiple graphics cards, the Broadwell-E chip is a great choice especially in terms of extra future proofing for your build. When you’re talking about a full system build, with a pair of Nvidia Titan x’s doing the graphical work, that six-core price premium becomes far easier to swallow.
If you have any interest in video editing, or other creative exercises requiring a lot of CPU power and memory bandwidth, the 6800K is worth the extra 60 dollars, even if you don’t do such thing, it is still worth it. X99 motherboards are generally more expensive than their Z170 compadres, though the price of DDR4 memory has dropped in recent times. When you want something a little more special from your gaming rig, or want to build something seriously high-end, with multiple GPUs and memory performance, Intel’s 6800K is an extremely viable solution. This processor is supported by all of the mobos above.
If you want your build to last a bit more then this processor is perfect for you, as it is worth the extra 60 dollars. This processor is of course better then the i7 6700k and is useful for animators. It costs $379.99
Intel Core i7 6900K
The biggest issue with the i7-6900K is that it’s not really all that different from it’s predecessor the i7-5960X, a processor that was released over two years ago. That was Intel’s then best Extreme processor, with a starting price of $1000. Two years later, the i7-6900K is slightly faster and still includes most of the same features, and if you were hoping prices would come down you will be disappointed. On the contrary actually, as the price is increased, even though they are really similar processors. So if you bought the i7-5960X when it launched, this isn’t the upgrade you’re going to be looking for- that would be the 10-core i7-6950X, or wait for Skylake-X. But if you are in need of an 8 core processor with 16 threads which is fast as hell then look no further.
The average clock of this processor is 3.2 GHz, while in turbo mode you get up to 3.7 GHz. It is a beast to say the least as probably the best part of this processor is the fact that it’s gonna be viable for the next 5 years or so, perhaps even more. This processor is supported by all of the mobos above.
If you want the best rig out there, then this processor should be considered as it satisfy all of your needs and more. It costs $1,049.99.
Intel Core i7 6950X
One of a kind processor, 10 core CPU, the i7 6950X, this processor should be considered one of the best of the latest gen of processors. But this is the first 14nm HEDT part and should be smaller than an equivalent Haswell-E design. Intel will state that enthusiasts have been asking for more in the overclockable high end consumer space, so here it is. This processor has 10 cores, 20 threads a base clock speed of 3 GHz and a turbo speed of 3.5 GHz.
The 10 core i7 6950X costs $634 more than the 8 core i7 6900K. We all know that once you reach the high-end, the price/performance curve goes off in a somewhat foolish direction. The i7-6950X also gets a unique retail box compared to the other processors, in a sleek black box with gold lettering. This combination of colors tends to go down well with whoever loves gold, perhaps indicating that Intel is looking at a new kind of premium customer. Basically if you got the money you got the honey.
This is the end tier processor and it is extremely expensive and extremely good. It can out perform anything. It is supported by the X99 Deluxe II, X99 Ultra Gaming and the X99P SLI(these are the mobos we covered). It costs a whooping $1,579.99.
H100i v2 240MM Liquid Cooler
This is just a simple cooler. It is also the number one seller on Amazon.
The features of this cooler are :
240mm dual fan radiator
Improved cold plate and pump design
Advanced SP120L PWM fan design
Built-in Corsair Link: monitor CPU and coolant temperature, adjust fan speed
User replaceable inserts: Change the color of your cooler
There is no review for this item as it is just a simple liquid cooler. It is simple and it is necessary for your PC. It costs around $102.89.
Advice
My personal advice for all of you is the following- if you are just a simple gamer and want to play the new games that are coming out, get the X99P SLI and the i7 6700K, as you will be able to run any game out there, and can freely upgrade your build any time you want as you have 8 ram slots and multiple VGA slots, which enables you crossfire/SLI. If you are a hard core gamer and want the absolute best and want to have 999 FPS on each game, then you should get the i7 6950X, because let’s face it, this is going to be a processor which will be able to run any game you wish for the next 5-10 years, I can guarantee you that for certain. Alongside that, you should get the X99 Deluxe II motherboard, due to it’s many features, you will be able to get the most out of each game. And that can be extremely useful if you have a 144Hz monitor, or perhaps something even higher. Looking on the opposite side, the i7 6950X and the X99 Deluxe II build alongside some Titan X’s is ideal for a designer as it provides rendering speeds out of this world.
You could render a 10 hour video with extreme edits in less then 60 minutes. My point is that this processor and the mobo are just overpowered and can be useful to other people besides gamers. It can also be used to host servers and similar. Nevertheless, you can buy the Z170 PRO gaming and a 6th generation processor which would let you get more then enough FPS in these days, but it is not worth it due to the following. It might be cheaper, but processors that are locked are not worth your money, simply said like this I went on a game with my friend same configuration on the game everything to high. Similar VGA and similar, but different processor I had the i5 2500k overclocked to 4.5 GHz and he had a i5 6600 3.3GHz , a generation 2 processor vs a generation 6 processor. Sad to say this, but his generation 6 processor had a worse performance then my generation 2 processor. How, you might ask yourself? Heck, you might even say that I had my cores unparked and he didn’t. That wasn’t the case though. I had around 330FPS on the game while he had around 280 FPS. Which game was that, you may wonder? Well it was CS:GO granted not the game to go to, but nevertheless, everything was set to high and my processor beat his. So all in all, the unlocked version from the second generation could still preform pretty decently compared to the locked versions of the 6th generation. However, this processor is pretty good overall. It is nowhere near to give you the best possible experience out there because it will only be able to run the newest generation of games on medium or so at best.
Spend the extra dollars on the i7 6700k. It is pointless to buy a locked generation 6 processor as you will see later on, when you will need a new processor which will cause you to spend another $300 plus the new motherboard $100 and the new power supply and similar, which will make you end up losing money then staying in the positive. So spend the extra money if you have it, if not, I guess other generation 6 processors can do or even consider buying an older generation with an older motherboard.
Why didn’t you include any AM3+ socket motherboards?
Well that is a long story. With the addition of the AMD processor supporting motherboards it gets a bit tricky to define what motherboard you should buy for what purpose. Granted the AM3+ socket motherboards and the processors are pretty powerful and in many cases are cheaper then the rivals. A quick summary of AM3+ motherboards would be as following: AM3+ motherboards are quite good like the ones I named today, but it gets tricky mostly due to the fact I have been using only motherboards that support Intel processors and because of that I can not give you a detailed description about them or suggest what you should do. However, if you are considering of getting a motherboard which is AM3+ I will not stop you but I can not help you either, as I lack the experience to help you out.
If you want to build an AMD oriented PC, then I can give you a few suggestions. To get the maximum performance out of your PC you should get a high end AMD processor no matter what. It is much cheaper then Intel processors, but it can do a lot of damage. When buying an AMD processor you should look up the detailed review on that processor as it could not satisfy your needs. As for motherboards, you should get a motherboard that supports 3 way crossfire/SLI as you will need it later on, mostly because if you wish to run the newest games on the best possible experience you will need it. But you probably already know this.
Why didn’t you include any ASROCK or MSI motherboards?
Well this is a long story to say the least. Many years have passed since I last used a product used from MSI. When growing up, MSI is the easiest way to go as it is cheap due to that fact the products can be quite.. bad, to put it nicely. They lasted up to a maximum of 1-2 years and would either explode or die over time(many things do die overtime but only 1-2 years is not enough). So how do I know this? Well I used a lot of MSI products from power supplies to motherboards. In the most cases, it would do OK at the period when I bought the product, but after 1-2 years it would break or even worse, explode. A personal friend of mine had many issues with his MSI products. He had a lot of MSI power supplies and his main motherboard was an MSI. His power supply unit exploded which caused many issues regarding the price of the computer he had to change out and the fact that he had to actually re-paint the wall because it was black. OK, so he changes out the parts and once again bought another MSI power supply unit. The best part is this time it did not last for 1.5 years now it lasted for 3 months and exploded as well. Now, what are the chances of that happening? Well, they’re actually pretty high as MSI to PCs is the Notepad 7 to phones. This is only my personal experience though. I did check the reviews though. The MSI mobos are starting to improve and become better. They are getting good reviews but on an aspect of truly being the best, they are not even close to Asus or Gigabyte.
You might have an MSI motherboard or products and they are preforming extremely well, but personally I trust Asus and Gigabyte more and deem them to make better products than MSI.
ASRock has pretty well made products and I did own a few of them they performed nicely, but the reason they couldn’t get on this list was the fact that these are the top boards currently out there. And there was no more place remaining to place in an ASRock mobo. You might disagree with this, but lets face it, if I put five mobos that are legit the same motherboard but different makers, what would that look like? Granted I could be wrong though, it is mostly due to personal experience.
So basically there was no more place to put Asrock products and I still stand strong on the fact that MSI is not good enough to make it to the best motherboards out there at the moment. Will it change? Maybe, but I can not say for certain.
Conclusion
So whether you use a Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock or similar produced motherboard, it is important to keep in mind that you might want to upgrade it at one point in your life. There are many motherboards which can future proof your build, and many of these motherboards do fit in that category.
To put everything in perspective. These motherboards and processors are all top of the line at this given time and if you wish to buy one go ahead I am merely trying to give you suggestions and to guide you what to do.
I hope this article helped you out and made you pick the right motherboard for yourself. Good luck on your build and may Talos be with you.
Octa-core 2GHz CPU
