looking for opinions on new z77 motherboard

[m3]

hey all new to these forums.i been searching for the right motherboard for my new build.i am very over whelmed with my choices.i am going to get a i5-3750k to go with my new board.would like to oc a lil bit nothing major.i all ready have a gtx 580 i'm going to get a gtx 770 when they come out if its a big upgrade(i pretty sure it will be).my components i'm reusing are my gtx580,seasonic psu 750w,and my case.im going to get new ram not sure if it's worth getting 16gb or stick to 8gb and save some cash?so my budget is 200 at newegg thx to my wife who got me a nice $200 gift card for xmas.i want some thing that is going to stay cool and have headroom for OCing.so quality first. if i could be in the 150 range would be awsome but willing to spend it all on my MB if i have too. games i play are BF3,diablo3,path of exile.BF4 once it comes out hopefully my new pc will handle it ok.

thanks
Merry Christmas

one i have been eyeing (MSI Z77 MPOWER LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ...) new msi mpower .if i can get something similar minus the wifi and bluetooth to save some cash that would be great.

[lilhasselhoffer]

Let's start on the same page here.

1) What cooling do you have for the CPU? Intel's boxed solution doesn't leave much space for an overclock. A $20 bill at newegg can get you a 212+, and it is worth it for mild overclocks.
2) What are you using the computer for? 8 GB is plenty for a gamer. 8 GB is a joke for a editor. You've cited games, but this means almost nothing.
3) What monitor are you driving? Resolution matters a lot when it comes to running games. An old monitor takes a lot less GPU power to drive than higher resolutions. A 580 is very respectable, but it won't exactly be able to drive a huge, or multiple, monitor setup at high settings.


Now, $200 budget for just the board leaves a lot open. You really need to tell us a few things to start.
1) What size can we go to? An ATX board won't fit into a micro ATX chassis. If you have trouble determining this measure the dimensions of the board already in there, and find the closest ones listed on the relevant wikipedia page.
2) What expansion do you want? Do you want to be able to go to 32 GB of RAM in the future, run an SLI setup, set the computer and forget it? These questions help to determine what board best fits your usage.
3) Do you have a color preference? This is aesthetics, if you don't have a case window feel free to ignore it.


If you can give us answers to these questions, we can help you pick out a board that should be a good fit. Otherwise, we're shooting for a price point. Help us, and we'll help you.

[m3]

the pc would be used just for games

i would go with aftermarket cooling or use my cooler if i have the right clip for a intel board,my current cpu cooler( Thermaltake CLP0600 92mm Contact 21 CPU Cooler )
also would be willing to spend a cash if needed.

my case,Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Com...
16gb would be the most i would go on ram

i have a 27" monitor @ 1080p only link i could get http://www.aztekcomputers.com/W2753V...S-1086858.html

no plan on ever going sli i like the single card solution

aesthetics are not important to me,if it look cool it a bonus.

thx

[BarbaricSoul]

Originally Posted by m3

one i have been eyeing (MSI Z77 MPOWER LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ...) new msi mpower .if i can get something similar minus the wifi and bluetooth to save some cash that would be great.

Ok, that's easy, one step down from the MPOWER, the GD65- MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s U...

I have been fully satisfied with my GD80

[lilhasselhoffer]

Under $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128546

AsRock has done me right on several recent boards. Gigabyte has a good reputation, but my recent experience with their x79 line has left me jaded.


Under $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131820
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131819

ASUS is the only real option here. Just a few extra features, that don't, in my opinion, warrant the cost.



If I was to choose one board it'd be the extreme4. You still have PCI for legacy, you've got a reasonably placed x16 slot, and the cost leaves you enough extra to get a couple of replacement fans (the color on the Challenger has been rather severe in my experience).


Edit:
BarbaricSoul has it, if you want to stick with MSI. The board is about $165 delivered to you.

[m3]

ok well this is what i spent my $200 on. cant wait to get it all!

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6...

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 S...

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatp...

oh yeah and some artic silver 5

all totaling 199.97 i have a 3cents left on my card lol.

just added a Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180gb
Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW180A3K5 2.5" ...

now i just have to make my way to micro center to grab my new i5-3750k and a ssd

thanks for your help lil' Hoffer

[Jack1n]

Originally Posted by m3

ok well this is what i spent my $200 on. cant wait to get it all!

ASRock Z77 Extreme4
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6...

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 S...

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatp...

oh yeah and some artic silver 5

all totaling 199.97 i have a 3cents left on my card lol.

now i just have to make my way to micro center to grab my new i5-3750k and a ssd

thanks for your help lil' Hoffer

Would be better off with some arctic cooling MX-4 than that AC5,every thing else looks great.

[m3]

that stinks. i would of liked to try that mx-4 ,maybe ill get some when i pick up my cpu next week. just added a ssd to the build

Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180gb
Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW180A3K5 2.5" ...

[m3]

i went and got my 3570k today going to get the build all done tonight beside my ssd and windows install.my ssd will be in tomorrow to finsish up the build.can't wait,ill do another post in a few days let you know how everything went.

goodbye AMD

[Crap Daddy]

Good choices. Waiting for the update. Maybe I missed something but AMD were you using?

[m3]

i have a amd X2 555be unlocked to a X4 b55 @3.8ghz ,been good to me had it since the release.was a great cpu at the time for $99.

[m3]

Just got done the build.ever thing seems good so far.my ideal temp in my 70 degree room was 27c.the build went smooth the heatsink was kinda a pain in the but to figure out I don't like instructions. Other than that the CPU was weird I'm not used to the pins being on the board had to double check on the web to make sure I was not crushing the thing when I was closing the CPU mount. Getting my ssd tomorrow can't wait.also really liking the new style bios.I'll post an update tomorrow.

[Raw]

I'm betting your going to love this build and be impressed. That Intel Cherryville is nice and fast.
Glad you went with lilhasselhoffers suggestion on the mobo.
That's what I would have gotten also if it was my build, the price is nice for what you get.
Good luck.

[brandonwh64]

Yes you will enjoy the new build!

[m3]

just got done the build and all i can say is wow,this baby flies. cold start to opened program in like 15 seconds is sweet.quick question should i update bios to newest version? i'll be doing a follow up on this build once i get my overclock done,and some games played.shooting for 4.2ghz only want a mild oc.any advice or experiences on overclocking this set up,like what voltage i should shot for ect.. thanks

[cadaveca]

Originally Posted by m3

just got done the build and all i can say is wow,this baby flies. cold start to opened program in like 15 seconds is sweet.quick question should i update bios to newest version? i'll be doing a follow up on this build once i get my overclock done,and some games played.shooting for 4.2ghz only want a mild oc.any advice or experiences on overclocking this set up,like what voltage i should shot for ect.. thanks

Do not update BIOS unless running Windows8, or if you have issues. BIOS updates should always be a last-ditch effort to fix issues.

Voltage to shoot for? 1.2 V or less.

[xxdozer322]

getting that i5 to 4.2 is a cake walk, im running my i7 at 4.4 and all i had to do was up the multiplier.

[cadaveca]

Originally Posted by xxdozer322

getting that i5 to 4.2 is a cake walk, im running my i7 at 4.4 and all i had to do was up the multiplier.

Chances are, you are also automatically running higher voltage than stock. I can do the same thing, my 3770K would get 1.35 V by the board doing it itself, but it only needs 1.2 V.

My 3570K get the same 1.35 V. Ity seems that most boards, if certain multi is set in BIOS, automatically set a certain voltage for that multi. Most chips should be fine, but many will need less voltage, and a few will need more.