Help me choose a z68 mATX motherboard

[JoshWilkinson]

I'm trying to choose between the following motherboards for a mATX gaming build. The selection is based on availability at my local Microcenter so I can get the 2500K + MB deal.

GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-128-495&SortField=1&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo
$40 after $15 rebate with CPU

ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157252
$50 with CPU

My setup will be:
i5-2500K
CPU cooler TBD
8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
HD 6870 (some small chance I might stretch for a 6950/560Ti instead)
120GB Vertex III SSD
SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087
Either a Fractal Design Arc Mini http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352008
or a Lian Li PC-V354 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112300

I'll be running Skyrim, SC2, CoH and maybe some other stuff on a single monitor at 1920x1080.

I don't plan to do Crossfire/SLI.
I do plan to do some modest OC. (first time)
Audio is important as I'll probably play my music through this machine.
Expectation is that I might keep this config for 2-3 years.

Any thoughts on the pros and cons of these two motherboards? I really don't know if any of the 'features' (e.g. ASRock 'instant boot' or XFast LAN) are actually worth anything.

Cheers

Josh

 

[JoshWilkinson]

Bump.

I'm looking to buy this combo tomorrow - no one has any opinion?

 

[chesteracorgi]

The ASRock has better user ratings than the Gigabyte. I also like ASRock's products, but the choice of a mobo is a personal thing. They look to have very similar features. I can recommend the ASRock for its ease of OC'ing by its UEFI settings. I haven't any experience with Gigabyte's touch BIOS. So I recommend the ASRock.

 

[JoshWilkinson]

Best answer selected by JoshWilkinson.