Thoughts on MSI Z68A-GD65

[killer-xz]

Hey guys, I'm doing a new build in 10 days, for GAMING and I was wondering if you guys could help me on my choice of a Motherboard. My budget is 200$

I will be overclocking.
I will be using SLI in the future.

Currently, I'm leaning towards the MSI Z68A-GD65
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130611

It seems to have very good reviews, is under 200$ and comes with PCI-E 3.0 And a 5 year warranty.
Anyways I was wondering what your thoughts were on that motherboard? Is it good quality? Does it have everything I need? How does it compare to other motherboards such as the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 or the Asus p8-z68 pro? etc.

Here is the other hardware I plan to have:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N570OC-13I Rev2.0 GeForce GTX 570 (Not superclocked version)

CASE: Corsair Obsidian 650d

Power Supply: OCZ ZX Series 850W

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066
SL7

 

[killer-xz]

Hey guys, could I Please get an answer? I really need your help! and it would be extremely appreciated!

 

[sarinaide]

I got this board yesterday as a replacement for my gigabyte board listed bellow that went on the blink, haven't hooked it up yet but it seems to be respectable. From all the reviews I read, it is not special nor is it bad....overclocks beyond 5ghz and is IvyBridge ready, most of all it is the z68 chipset with all the bells and whistles if you use them.

MSI are rebuilding their reputation, but to be honest they are as good as ASUS and Gigabyte, all have problems and all have pro's. Stick with that board.

 

[killer-xz]

Hey Sarinaide. Thanx alot the exellent advice!!

I think I will be sticking with the MSI board unless anyone tells me not to. I'd be interested in hearing your feedback from the board once you've installed it though!

 

[sarinaide]

It is true that the higher end motherboards are generally better so as to justify why you pay the cost for them, that said there is no such thing as a perfect board and all manufacturers from ASUS to Zotac will all have their problems, similarly they will all have their perks.

I did believe that my Gigabyte board being from a major manufacturer would be bulletproof due to the cost paid, as it transpired even a major manufacturer like Gigabyte will have issues.

Personally, if the motherboard works for you and fullfills your needs, then it is perfect irrespective of the name on it.

Running it has been good so far, didn't have any UEFI bios issues some had, drivers were easy to attain and the board is geared more for intel smart response technology and is the latest variant, so far so good. Lets hope it doesn't work for 3 months and go on the blink like my former.

 

[killer-xz]

Hey Sarinaide, thanx again for the detailed response!!!!

I understand that there is no perfect motherboard, however, like you said, the MSI will indeed fulfill my needs. So thanks for pointing me in the right direction and I'll definitely stick to the MSI board.

In fact, I'm planning on buying my MSI board tomorrow!! I'll probably post my experience with the board once I get my build up and running.

As for your MSI board, I'm really glad it's working for you! I hope both of our boards last as long as possible.

 

[killer-xz]

Best answer selected by killer-xz.