Which Z77 Motherboard to buy ?

[CommentariesAnd More]

As the title says , I am looking for a great Z77 Motherboard within 250 USD. I want to OC but I am scared of entering the BIOS or other stuff. If theres a simple program which can do the work for me , I would love it. Also I want to CrossFire later on this year. I want it to be in ATX or mATX form factor , I would prefer mATX though. Also would love it to have a decent integrated Sound card too. I am buying the motherboard for the rig in my signature. Thanks in advance.

 

[larrym]

The AsRock Extreme4 is a great MOBO for what you are asking. Very easy to OC in the bios.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

 

[jemm]

You have a great build, but before we go to motherboard, let me warn you that a 750W power supply with four 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors is recommended for CrossFire your HD 7950 -- unfortunately you power supply won´t be enough as it is only 620W --you have to get another PSU!

On the top of that, you also are willing to overclock -- it takes extra wattage, so you will need more than just 750W!

XFX P1-850B-BEFX 850W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207028

on the overclock issue, do not go for it with a software -- when you are ready for it, post another thread on how to do it properly through the Bios -- it is safe, and more efficient!

Now, for the motherboard go with ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

It has 8 channels onboard audio -- 7.1 sound!

 

[olin9]

Do not use software to OC. Most of the time it will add too much power and extra heat over using the bios.

For the MB I use the MSI Z77A-GD65 with a I5 3750k OC to 4.8 GHz http://us.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-GD65.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130643

It has the OC Genie II: but i do not use it, too much heat.

 

[bryonhowley]

I would go for the Asus Z77 Sabertooth also it is a great board. Also you do not want to use software for the overclocking it is better to do it though the BIOS. If you want to Crossfire you are better off with a ATX as you will have much more room on the board for 2 cards than you would with a mATX. As jemm said if you Crossfire you will need a better PSU to do that with.

For overclocking you should read the sticky's here on this forum and also read up on what info you can on the board you get before you install so you have a good idea and know what you want to do before you start.

 

[CommentariesAnd More]

You have a great build, but before we go to motherboard, let me warn you that a 750W power supply with four 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors is recommended for CrossFire your HD 7950 -- unfortunately you power supply won´t be enough as it is only 620W --you have to get another PSU!

On the top of that, you also are willing to overclock -- it takes extra wattage, so you will need more than just 750W!

XFX P1-850B-BEFX 850W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207028

on the overclock issue, do not go for it with a software -- when you are ready for it, post another thread on how to do it properly through the Bios -- it is safe, and more efficient!

Now, for the motherboard go with ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

It has 8 channels onboard audio -- 7.1 sound!

I will CrossFire Later on , and will buy another PSU

 

[jemm]

If you are going to crossfire later, then you can still use your SeaSonic S12II 620W PSU, which is an excellent power supply!

 

[CommentariesAnd More]

What about the ASUS Maximus V GENE ? My friend's cousin ( who is a bigger noob than me ) OC's his i7-3770K by using the ROG CPU Level Up and has no issues. Is it good ? Also I didn't mention that I have a Corsair H60. Anyways , Is OCing through the BIOS easy ? Because if I have to deal with anything like adjusting voltage or power of the CPU , I wont do it as my CPU isn't bottlenecking ATM.

 

[CommentariesAnd More]

Is there any offer going on ? Like Newegg had a 8GB RAM Offer

 

[jemm]

ASUS Maximus V GENE is a good one, but it is micro ATX form factor motherboard -- the HD 7950 is not a small card -- so I´d go with an ATX one.

ROG CPU Level Up is another option, but it is better going it through the Bios -- it is easy. As you won´t overclock now, then no worry!

As for promotions including ram they come and go fast, so keep an eye on it!