Deciding on a Motherboard (Intel, 1155)

[MNeidig]

Hello all.

I'm getting closer to wrapping up my build for gaming. Still deciding on the motherboard, though.

I've had my eye on the P67 Sabertooth for the longest, but as I get closer and closer to finalizing the list of parts and getting the order ready, I'm getting cold feet, getting indecisive, whatever you wanna say.

As far as a motherboard goes for gaming, how is the P67 Sabertooth? I've heard people swear by its TUF thermal armor.

If that's not the best motherboard, what are some better ones?

Some things to keep in mind are that I may throw in at least two GPUs off the bat in SLI/Crossfire, but would like to have the ability to expand in the future, so 3 or more PCIe 2.0 slots would be awesome. And I like a lot of connectivity as far as USB ports go, and such.

So, you fine gents of Tom's Hardware. Any suggestions? As stated, I'm looking for an Intel 1155 motherboard.

 

[wifiwolf]

Maybe you're looking for lga 2011 and not 1155

 

[mcnumpty23]

wouldnt a z68 chipset be a better choice than p67

something like this

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PROGEN3/#overview

 

[MNeidig]

I was going to go with the i7-2600k. If I remember correctly, that's a 1155 socket.

 

[mcnumpty23]

you dont need a 2600k for gaming

2500k is the gamers choice and a fair bit cheaper

z68 is socket 1155--socket 2011 would cost far more--you are looking at nearly £500 for a Intel Core I7-3930K cpu on

its own

 

[MNeidig]

mcnumpty23,

I appreciate your advice about my CPU choice, but I have decided to go with the i7-2500k because gaming is not the only thing I'm going to be doing and I find its hyperthreading and multi-tasking capabilities to be suited nicely to my needs. I am going with the i7.

As far as the motherboard you offered, I am not sure if that's a better motherboard. I don't know what the key aspects of a motherboard are. I was hoping you, or another member of this forum, could present a motherboard and say 'for 'x', 'y' motherboard is better', or tell me 'yes, the Sabertooth you're looking at is a great choice'.

 

[mahatmacoat]

I have spent some considereable time over the past few weeks speccing a new build .


My board of choice is : Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Gen 3 Z68 Socket 1155 .

Reason being, that its fully compatible with upcoming Ivy Bridge. Unlike the sabretooth , which is only partly compatible (because of chipsets)

I paid £137 at Ebuyer, who have now gone out of stock

I have gone with the i5 2500k, quite simply because , after 18 months 2 yrs, I will out it, and get the fastest nproc I can. Gives me a 5 to 6 year pC>

 

[mcnumpty23]

originally you said for gaming--but if you want to do stuff that benefits from hyperthreading then yes go 2600k

this explains the difference betweem h67 , p67 and z68

and lists the best motherboards in each--the p67 sabretooth is listed--though not at the very top of the list it comes

about 3rd

z68 should still be the way to go--but have a read here and decide for yourself

http://www.squidoo.com/best-1155-motherboards

 

[mahatmacoat]

Sorry, just saw you need extra slots....mind you, are they essential, or just unsurance?

 

[MNeidig]

Sorry, just saw you need extra slots....mind you, are they essential, or just unsurance?

Extra slots would certainly be nice. I'd like o build a computer that has room to expand a little, that way if I want to drop in a third card, I don't have to get a whole new motherboard. It's not completely necessary, because if I ever decide to go with two Dual-GPUs, then I'd never need a third PCIe 2.0 slot. It's still nice to have, though.

 

[MNeidig]

So I'm really digging the way the Z68s sound. Since it goes from integrated to dedicated depending on the demand, if I'm not gaming/doing multi-media stuff, this could keep my card cooler when idle, or at least not doing things that require an integraded GPU?

 

[wifiwolf]

Extra slots would certainly be nice. I'd like o build a computer that has room to expand a little, that way if I want to drop in a third card, I don't have to get a whole new motherboard. It's not completely necessary, because if I ever decide to go with two Dual-GPUs, then I'd never need a third PCIe 2.0 slot. It's still nice to have, though.

Thats why i said probably 2011 would be better.
You want a lot of pciex lanes, multithreading and no need for onchip graphics.
the lower tier 2011 is a bit cheaper than 2700/600k
specs are the same
chipset is enthusiast oriented, for which sabertooth just has glimpse.
So real question is 2500k+z68 or 2011 for multigpu above 2x and threading/VM

 

[mcnumpty23]

Thats why i said probably 2011 would be better.
You want a lot of pciex lanes, multithreading and no need for onchip graphics.
the lower tier 2011 is a bit cheaper than 2700/600k
specs are the same
chipset is enthusiast oriented, for which sabertooth just has glimpse.
So real question is 2500k+z68 or 2011 for multigpu above 2x and threading/VM

you said--the lower tier 2011 is a bit cheaper than 2700/600k

could you clarify that a bit?

the cheapest 2011 motherboard i can find is £170 and a good one is £250 and a 3930k cpu i see at £450

so in what way is that cheaper than a 2600k?

or am i misunderstanding something?

 

[MNeidig]

I'm not really interested in a 2011 socket. I hear those are being phased out and there won't be any new boards produced for it.

 

[wiyosaya]

How about an i7-3820 when they hit the market? It is 2011, however, that means waiting until they are more generally available.

 

[MNeidig]

Thanks everyone.

I decided to go with an Asus P68-something-something Pro.

 

[amuffin]

p8z68-v pro? That's a great board