Help, inbetween motherboards

[cibergatox]

Hi, I'm building my first rig and i'm preparing the list of components i'll be buying (probably on black friday), and I cant seem to make up my mind about the motherboard.

Here is the build

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $229.99
CPU Cooler Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM Liquid $57.49
Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $39.99
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $39.99
Storage Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" SSD $99.99
Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB $299.99
Sound Card Asus Xonar DG $24.99
Case Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower $47.42
Power SupplyULTRA X4 1050W MODULAR V2 $168.00
Optical Drive Sony Optiarc 24X DVDRW SATA OEM $17.99


Motherboard
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 $179.99

ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (Z77 Extreme6) - PCPartPicker

or

MSI Z77 MPOWER $179.99

MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (Z77 MPOWER) - PCPartPicker

The price on both is extremely similar... (the mpower ive seen more expensive), in features they are also very similar, AsRock extreme6 has 2 more sata III ports and a weirdly places molex pci power conector.

The z77 mpower has only 2 sataIII ports but it also has integrated wifi (which would be nice having in mind i wouldnt need to buy a pci adapter...)


What I've read is the Mpower doesn't overclock all too well (I'm new to building my own machine also overclocking but I will be trying to do so, learning is a process).

I would love to read your thoughts on these mb's if some of you have used them or have any input to give a newb like me.

Which would you pick? and why

I'm kind of more inclined to the MSI board as it comes "pre-tested" (so they say) as I will be receiving it approximately 30 days after the purchase (I don't live inside the US) and getting anything DOA would be awful..

[mleunm]

do you really need a sound card? ...save some bucks....the onboard sound should be good enough...
don't know about the asrock z77 extreme 6 but i've read good reviews about the extreme4 and purchased one for my next build with the same cpu you are buying

[dandelioneater]

I have nothing against AsRock, but if you are in canada, I'd get the MSI just because of the Canadian RMA centre here.

[moocow]

Ditch that Ultra PSU!

[Silvgearx]

The ultra psu is actually a great first rated psu.....

Now about the Asrock board, the bios has asus feel to it. Build quality have change over the last few years, they do make some great boards. MSI on the other hand looks amazing, and you can take advantage of the OC genie., it will probably bring your I5 to 4.2ghz with a push of a button. And since its a MSI board, it probably doesn't have offset on it.

Keep in mine the MSI board doesn't have any PCI slots. So that Asus Xonar DG can't be used.

[MARSTG]

I would go with the asrock, on newegg the prices for both are the same, but this time the MSI is lacking the CMOS reset button onboard while Asrock has it. In general I hate the black on black theme and 90 degrees SATA ports at the edge of the board which are a PITA to access in a smaller case (Antec 900). Asrock seems to have more VRM cooling too.

[Silvgearx]

Both boards have clear cmos on the i/o. The MSI has more bells and whistles. But the UEFI bios is a different story.. but that is just my opinion. Every like different types of setup/color. Its best to do the research and decide yourself.

[cibergatox]

Well, I'll keep reading reviews about both mb's and I think I'll ditch the sound card as the headset I use is not "high end" it wouldn't really get any better than the on-board audio. I plan on using the optical audio out straight to my surround sound system...

The MSI board keeps looking better and better (The on-board wifi will actually save me money as I wouldn't need to buy a wireless adapter, also the board has better overall reviews)

About the Ultra PSU well I've heard a few bad things but also a lot of good reviews too, for the money (after MIR its only $139.99) I think its worth it and I know its an overkill for this build.

Thank you all for your input :)

[tyreman]

Running an MSI Z77 G41 to try for family member
Never worked with MSI much before but will be more
Fast, easy and goes like a champ(4.4 on 2500K) and its a cheap mb in their lineup
Little heat and fast booter
Don't dismiss MSI