Best motherboard for me?!?

[physiclemon]

i am planning on building myself a decent gaming PC with slight overclocking in mind. i plan on running:
3770K with a light overclock (for better rendering)
a gtx 670/680 (possible sli in the future)
2x8gb of dominator RAM
128gb corsair GS ssd

i am looking at the range of ASUS p8z77 boards and im wondering which one would be best for my situation. If you think another brand of board would suit me thats fine, i would like to keep to a blue/black colour scheme.

ANY help is appreciated thanks

 

[manu2b]

Not fond of Asus: despite hat the fact they build great MoBo's (among other stuff), I had quite a few RMA issues with them the last couple of years. Not talking about reliability (any part from any manufacturer can fail...), but about the way they handle their customers.

Asrock's z77 Extreme4/Extreme6 are good boards with great features. The Extreme6 has better VRM's if you aim at very high OC (above 5GHz), which not seems to be your case.

 

[physiclemon]

hahahha ok umm, im sort of new to this, i can't tell if half of that is abbreviations or slang or just typos. but thanks for your quick reply

 

[manu2b]

Lol, sorry, there were a couple of typos (corrected).

RMA stands for "Return Material Authorisation": warranty.
VRM stands for "Voltage Regulator Module": they supply the current to the CPU (processor). The better quality and the more on the Mother Board (MoBo), the better the current quality. The better the current, the higher the frequency you can theorically reach (not taking into account voltage and temperature factors).
OC stands for OverClock

 

[Ajay57]

Well OP this should help you, just relax and try to read this review on the Asrock EX4 and EX6 motherboards! As for a choice the Extreme 6 is a good motherboard to consider with high quality parts. AJ.

1, http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=722124


The Black and Gold colours would really look nice for a scheme!

 

[physiclemon]

so i should stay away from gigabyte and ASUS? it was just that i sort of like the colour scheme to go nicely with a thermaltake chaser mk-1

 

[manu2b]

I like Gigabyte boards as well, but it's a matter of personal opinion.

As said in my first post, Asus makes great hardware, and if you have no issue with the parts you purchase, no problem.

It only seems that their customer sevice/RMA process took a hit the last couple of years.

One advice: color scheme should come as the last factor of choice. First, make sure the board you are looking at meets your requirements.

 

[physiclemon]

i know colour scheme should come last, im a little weird like that sometimes though. its just that im having a little trouble finding parts or suppliers that will ship to Australia without crazy prices, if anyone knows some sites that would be much appreciated. also cause im from Aus i was guessing that returns would be a little impossible anyway. would a ASUS P8Z77-V LK Motherboard support my needs?

 

[manu2b]

I'd go with the GA-Z77X-UD3H.

Better VRM's, roughly the same price.

 

[Mjolnir]

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Intel 3570k i5 (You don't really need an i7 for gaming, as you have stated that's what youre going to do)
GTX 670 is enough if you're gaming at 1080p; though I'd seriously consider a HD 7970.
2x4GB is more than enough RAM for a gaming unit; but grab 16GB if it suits you.
I'd look at a Samsung 840 for SSD.

Just my suggestions ^^.

 

[manu2b]

^About the overall build, this guy is right!

 

[Mjolnir]

Oh; and don't forget a CPU cooler! Hyper 212 Evo is a favourite for mild overclocks (4.2ghz ish depending on your ambient).

 

[physiclemon]

i was alway thinking of going with a 670, it can handle dual screen right? and the 3770k is more for rendering and running 3d modelling software as i have a prebuilt with a 3570 non-k in it and it was just lacking (unless im totally screwing up here and they aren't cpu intensive) i was also looking at the GA-Z77X-UD3H and the 840 originally. im sorry if any of my messages sound like im straight up ignoring your advice, i really don't mean it im just really set in my ways. A BIG THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP SO FAR

 

[physiclemon]

Mjolnir: i just forgot to mention that in my first post but thanks. i plan on starting the with 212 and maybe moving to a custom watercooling loop if the whole system is too loud.

 

[manu2b]

3d modeling will likely take advantage of the 3770k HyperThreading.

I would advise you to REALLY take your time before jumping in a custom loop. We have plenty of great stickies/guides in the watercooling section of the forum. Read, re-read, read again before making any move

Good luck with your build, and come back if any question!

 

[Ajay57]

This is Aus Site you should use decent prices you could pick up all your parts on here!

1, http://www.mwave.com.au/

Most of the guys from OZ have looked at this gave it a!