advice on mobo for a i7 2600k ?

[bertz]

hello im after some input on what mobo is best for a
Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor


and what cooler (air) would also be best for this chip

many thanks for any help since i found this forum today its been a really really big help in finding out info

[Eldonko]

Welcome :)

You will have to be a little more specific on what you are looking for. Do you need SLI/CF? Budget? Would you use SSD caching or virtu? Are you ocing?

[bertz]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

Welcome :)

You will have to be a little more specific on what you are looking for. Do you need SLI/CF? Budget? Would you use SSD caching or virtu? Are you ocing?

ty and yes good point i didnt give much info

well sli is a future option i have a 480 atm so not to fussed.
im tryin to keep budget down a bit so gonna continue with my raptor sata drive.
its nice to have the option of overclocking but time being will be running stock.
price range for the mobo up to £200
if any of this helps probly not

[Eldonko]

Well £200 would get you just about any board here but pricing is likely a bit higher for you. Here are a couple of the better boards in the $150-$200 range. That is about what a good board will run you here.

If you dont care about Z68 features like SSD caching or Vitru:
- ASUS P67 Sabertooth, 5 year warranty, excellent build quality
- Gigabyte P67A-UD4-B3, great board for the price, only about $150 here.

Z68:
- ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z, if you dont mind matx
- ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
- Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4-B3
- MSI Z68A-GD65
- ASRock Z68 Extreme 4

[bertz]

thank you eldonko for taking time to find me some info on which motherboards

ive narrowed it down to :

ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 > this is the one im thinking of
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4-B3>whats difference between Gigabyte p67a ud7 /Gigabyte P67A-UD4-B3
ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 > i hear alot of ppl have this but is it anygood or worth payin more for the above

[Borg]

I want to move to SNB but right now, if I do, I can only do so cheaply. Therefore, I'm looking at the cheapest H67/P67 boards and I'll move to a Z68 mobo after - if I go this route.

So, here's my two cents. I based most of my analysis on price.

PRICE:
NCIX.com - Buy MSI Z68A-GD65 B3 Z68 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI DVI HDMI VGA USB3 SLI SATA3 Motherboard - MSI/MicroStar - Z68A-GD65 (B3) - in Canada
$150* (limited price discount)

ASRock Z68 Extreme4
$190

ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
$192 - $198

ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 is a good board but at $163, you're only $30 away from having the benefits of the Z68 boards.

But, if on a budget, I'd make the two contenders the Asus mobo and the MSI Z68 board above.

The Z68 mobo gives you a backup video solution and with the i5-2xxxK and i7-2xxxK processors, you get the Intel HD 3000 video. Even if you don't use it, it's a decent backup solution.

There's other benefits but I really don't think they are worth all that much if one has to pay extra for them. P8Z68-V PRO is about $30 more than the P67 series Asus board.

But, if you don't care about onboard video and always use discrete cards, then the P67 boards are fine. Imho, the ASUS P8P67 series is among the best and you get the UEFI Bios.

From what I read (although, this was at least a month or more ago), they all have some bugs or issues so I think I'd choose a board with an UEFI BIOS so probably Asus. Imho.

Of course, I'm on a super low budget if I move to SNB, I'd probably just go on price but Asus has some cheap boards as well.... If it has UEFI, it's a bonus.

[Eldonko]

The main difference between UD4 and UD7 is the UD7 has NF200 chip so it can run tri-SLI. It also is a 24phase board, Gigabyte's best VRM. If you dont plan on doing heavy benching or 3-way SLI then UD4 is plenty for your needs.

P8P67 Pro should not be more than the two Z68 boards you have listed, and if it is dont buy ot because it shouldnt be.

I would go with whatever is cheaper out of the asrock and z68 ud4

Originally Posted by bertz

thank you eldonko for taking time to find me some info on which motherboards

ive narrowed it down to :

ASRock Z68 Extreme 4 > this is the one im thinking of
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4-B3>whats difference between Gigabyte p67a ud7 /Gigabyte P67A-UD4-B3
ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 > i hear alot of ppl have this but is it anygood or worth payin more for the above

[Borg]

Gigabyte has cut corners across the entire SNB line more than any other mobo manufacturer. That is what bothers me about them unless you're buying strictly on price.

That UD4, they don't even have a DVI output so if you want onboard video, you need a HDMI to DVI adapter unless you're using a LCD TV for a monitor.

How crucial is the number of phases? Just read a Biostar 10-phase is able to overclock very well. It seems they're a bit overrated unless it's really low.

I do like Gigabyte for some things, their LGA775 boards were good and I would buy a SNB-based board but only on price. They don't use a standard BIOS and are the only ones that have Z68 motherboards that aren't a true Z68 chipset.

Edit: they also include Realtek in each case rather than better Intel NICs like Asus has on their more expensive boards. This is more evidence of Gigabyte being cheap.

[Eldonko]

That is a bold and somewhat misleading statement. Care to explain why you think that?

I prefer HDMI over DVI myself. My monitors have HDMI and VGA inputs only. Either way an adapter is $5.

Originally Posted by Borg

Gigabyte has cut corners across the entire SNB line more than any other mobo manufacturer.

[Borg]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

That is a bold and somewhat misleading statement. Care to explain why you think that?

I prefer HDMI over DVI myself. My monitors have HDMI and VGA inputs only. Either way an adapter is $5.

There are still some DVI input monitors out there... I really doubt adapters are $5 unless you order on ebay or online.

But, I'll take your word for it.

Gigabyte is using only HDMI on most of their Z68 boards if their Z68 boards have a true Z68 chipset at all. How is that misleading when that is a fact?

Anyway, I'm just comparing the features to other Z68 boards.