Best 1155 motherboard for future Ivy Bridge

[metallifux]

Hi all i'm looking to build my first syetm from scratch. Will not be much gaming but mainly for prosumer video and audio editing using premier and protools. Looking at getting an i5-2500k with an idea to upgrade to an IB in a couple of years.

requirements

standard ATX
USB 3 on rear and header
Sata3
UEFI
decent automatic overclocking(i'm no guru)
compatibility with IB
crossfire/SLI no more than 2 cards

Price $120-$170 AUD

usually shop at
http://www.ple.com.au/ViewCategory.aspx?CategoryId=508

http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/tabid/103/Category/MOTHERBOARD/Default.aspx?SubCategory=Intel+Socket+LGA+1155

http://www.dny.com.au/index.php?cPath=55_215

 

[de5_Roy]

the best lga 1155 motherboards for ivb would be the ones with z7x and h7x chipsets which haven't come out yet.
if you want to get one right now, look for a z68 one with pcie gen 3 capability. that'll let you use ivb as well as pcie 3 gfx cards (untested). otherwise any motherboard with h61/h67/p67/z68 chipset will support ivb with a bios upgrade.

 

[coreyhodge88]

i find australian sites are much more expensive than american,. i like tiger direct as they have cheap international shipping with a whole system for about 30-40 dollars. which ends up quite a lot cheaper than au stores

 

[metallifux]

thanks corey!

 

[metallifux]

had a look i5's on tiger were way more expensive but other bits were cheaper! How do you calculate international postage?

 

[metallifux]

So i have been looking hard and i think the best i have found is the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 (rev. 1.3) for $170 or the ASrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 for the same $170 what do you guys think? Both boards claim PCIe3 support so are garanteed to support IB and have USB3 headers.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme4%20Gen3&cat=Specifications

http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3973#sp

 

[PMad]

I would not recommend the ASrock board, i've had 3 of them and returned each one because the boards have been warped. The board themselves are also thinner than most boards, so its not as sturdy. Go with the Gigabyte, its a much better board!

 

[metallifux]

I would not recommend the ASrock board, i've had 3 of them and returned each one because the boards have been warped. The board themselves are also thinner than most boards, so its not as sturdy. Go with the Gigabyte, its a much better board!

Cool thanks for the response any other suggestions, and whats the cheapest ram you would recommend for this board?

 

[Guest]

asus has 3 z68 boards that are gen3, one is the highest rated for the pci-e3.0 category. i have also heard of the asrock board warpage, they really need to fix that

 

[metallifux]

yeh the asus boards look good but i haven't seen any of there PCIe3 boards under $220.

 

[coreyhodge88]

enter your post code in your shopping cart to calclate postage. new egg would be mch cheaper but don't ship aus. tiger smashes anyone for shipping. maybe try amazon though

 

[metallifux]

enter your post code in your shopping cart to calclate postage. new egg would be mch cheaper but don't ship aus. tiger smashes anyone for shipping. maybe try amazon though

my australian post code?

 

[coreyhodge88]

yep. that's what i've done and it gives me a price. mine is 0870

 

[metallifux]

I ended up going with the ASrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 as i was able to get it at a good price locally and it was recommended by Tom's. Unfortunately i'm now having graphics card issues!

 

[metallifux]

Best answer selected by metallifux.