Gigabyte Motherboards: Are they good?

badrobot · 08 Jul 2015

This is how the fan looks in the case.

The case is collapsible so no problem with space.

I am not interested with liquid cooling (yet).

CountMike · 09 Jul 2015

Most of AIO liquid coolers can be surpassed by a good air cooler.

bobkn · 09 Jul 2015

CountMike said:

Most of AIO liquid coolers can be surpassed by a good air cooler.

True, as far as it goes. Like air coolers, AIO liquid coolers have a range in capacity.

My current AIO is my first. I didn't use it in the expectation of getting better cooling than with a good air system. It mainly permits having the bulky part (radiator) mounted remotely from the CPU, if the PC case is large enough. (My case is a Corsair 750D.) I like the space around the CPU, and the ability to access the DIMM sockets without removing the cooler.

My older system uses a Noctua NH-D14 cooler. I'm happy with it, although I replaced the factory fans with PWM fans. The cooler has a mass of 900g (2 lbs), excluding the fans. I don't know anyone who has fractured their MB by dropping their PC a few inches, but I worry a little about that. (It'd be less of a concern in a system where the MB is in a horizontal plane, but I've never built one of those for myself.)

CountMike · 09 Jul 2015

I currently have Mugen3, pretty large air cooler, takes a lot of space but cools like crazy, also changed both fans to something faster and with larger CFM rating. I was thinking to go to AIO cooler like CM Nepton 240m but price is double of what I paid this one but heat sinking ability is same. I don't like idea of having a pump, specially one built in CPU heat sink. With AIO systems you have to change whole bloody thing in case of malfunction. If I ever go watery way, it's going to be a full blown custom system.

Boozad · 09 Jul 2015

One thing I would suggest is not installing the crappy bloatware that comes with Gigabyte boards (System Information Viewer mainly - thermald.exe), they regularly cause BSODs and even manage to cause 0x124s. Quite a feat that.

CountMike · 09 Jul 2015

Boozad said:

One thing I would suggest is not installing the crappy bloatware that comes with Gigabyte boards (System Information Viewer mainly - thermald.exe), they regularly cause BSODs and even manage to cause 0x124s. Quite a feat that.

Most of MSI Afterburner works with GB products. It's very nice piece of SW.

badrobot · 09 Jul 2015

Boozad said:

One thing I would suggest is not installing the crappy bloatware that comes with Gigabyte boards (System Information Viewer mainly - thermald.exe), they regularly cause BSODs and even manage to cause 0x124s. Quite a feat that.

Thanks for the heads up @Boozad !

Boozad · 10 Jul 2015

No problem @badrobot. I always stick to ASUS myself but if I ever had to choose different I think I'd steer clear of Gigabyte for that reason alone.

badrobot · 10 Jul 2015

Boozad said:

No problem @badrobot. I always stick to ASUS myself but if I ever had to choose different I think I'd steer clear of Gigabyte for that reason alone.

If those are optional stuffs it should be fine. But if not then definitely a no go.

EDIT.
Of course, ASUS is still my first choice if I can find something suitable for what I need. The next ASUS that I found that will work with what I needed is overkill for me.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813132126

BunnyJ · 10 Jul 2015

badrobot said:

If those are optional stuffs it should be fine. But if not then definitely a no go.

@badrobot
I'll be getting my Gigabyte motherboard today and I'll let you know how the instillation goes and if I run into any issues.

Jeff