Help me pick!!!

[ebolamonkey3]

Hey guys, I need your help to pick a motherboard for my new Core i7 platform. Please consider these choices from a performance, price, and features perspective.

1. Evga X58 Classified E760 - I can get one for $270, new.
2. Asus Rampage III Extreme - I can get one for $300, used.
3. MSI Big Bang Xpower - $240, new, after $20 rebate.
4. Gigabyte X58 UD7 - I can't find any deal on this at the moment, but say $275.

So guys, which one should I go with? I have 2x 5870s that I am going to crossfire now and may either add a third later or move to tri-SLI. I would also like to add a dedicated Physx card and maybe sound card sometimes in the future (single or dual slot).

So taking performance, price, and features all into account, which one should I pick? I appreciate the input in advance, thanks TPU!

 

[JrRacinFan]

Turn it into a poll but I am 50/50 on the UD7 and the Rampage 3.

 

[PaulieG]

I've owned more than a dozen i7 boards. I'd try to find a Gigabyte UD7. It's what I'm running in my primary system, and it's simply the best x58 board I've ever owned. Actually, any Gigabyte x58 board is a rock solid choice. I've owned them all, and each has performed brilliantly. They clock well, and have an amazing knack for recovering from bad overclocks without having to do a hard reset. Next, I'd chose the Classy. I don't love the EVGA bios, but it's a great board, and many swear by it. The Asus. This is one I haven't tried. I hear mixed reviews. I avoid MSI like the plague.

 

[ebolamonkey3]

Thanks for the inputs so far, but can the UD7 fit 3 video cards and a physx card?

Also, added poll.

 

[copenhagen69]

I would go with Giga or the RIIIE ... I just bought an RIIIE and absolutely love it. Either board you can not go wrong with those 2 boards.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Turn it into a poll but I am 50/50 on the UD7 and the Rampage 3.

Actually now that i think about and from Paul's post. I would bump that down from a ud7 to a ud5, little bit cheaper and from what I can see not alot much difference:

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s...

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s...

 

[20mmrain]

This is a very hard choice bud.... I have owned everyone of these manufacturers. And all of them have there good parts and bad parts.

MSI I have Noticed in my experience to run a little hotter then the others. I also consider them IMO more new comers to the High end market you all might disagree with me. I mean this not by how long they have been making high end motherboards but by how long I would consider them being quality. But they do have some great features like the big heat pipes/ Allot of overclocking options/ SLI/Crossfire/ and a very easy to understand and tweak BIOS.

Then you come to EVGA with their Bad ass Customer Service. But In my experience I have noticed some benchmark drops when using their boards compared to others listed here. Now it wasn't a tone on average about 1000 points. But it's still a drop. They too also have great overclocking features and the like. But because you will be using Crossfire and not SLI..... they might not be your best choice.

If I had to pick I would pick either the Asus or Gigabyte Boards. They are both long time players with decent Customer Service. They also have a tone of features on their boards. Both brands have served me very well in the past and stood up too all I could throw at them.

But if I had to narrow it down between the two I would pick the Gigabyte Board. I have built a system with this board for someone. I loved every minute of building that system for him. The board had a really easy to understand BIOS. It also was very very overclockable! The board also comes with a plethora of extras in the box. I am telling you I was in love with that board when I built that system. Plus I noticed it seemed that the temps were lower then other comparable boards I have built systems with.

I will admit I am kind of one sided because Gigabyte was my first motherboard maker that I started building with. But if you get it right the first time why change it right? So IMO go for Gigabyte bud FTW.... I don't think you would be disappointed!

But hey this is all my opinion and what do I know

 

[OneMoar]

edit nm

 

[ebolamonkey3]

Wow, everyone likes the UD7 lol, but that PCI-E layout... ugh!