i7 3770k mobo with PCI slot

[Enmity]

I don't think you really have to worry so much about voltage regulation so much as majority of the Z77 boards all hit a wall around 4.6Ghz anyway - and thats not to do with the vrms, its the ivy bridge cpus that heat up exponentially once voltages reach 1.25+ and/or the frequency of 4.5-4.6. Overclocking is what I was primarily looking forward to when I got my 3570K and asus P8Z77-V (they're not up and running yet as im still waiting on a few more parts for the new build) But i've accepted that with regard to overclocking, im not expecting anything over 4.6Ghz (unless im extremely lucky) I think you should expect the same. Anything higher is just good luck

[Romo]

Yeah, I know Ivy does not OC better than Sandy... But now I´m thinking that maybe the best thing to do would be to sell my XONAR ST and buy STX or something similar so I can buy z77 Sabertooth or Maximus Gene... if they really are better than Asrock (Fatal1ty not available in my country) and Gigabyte solutions.

[Enmity]

You can still go for an asus board, itd just have to be a p8z77-v/pro rather than a sabertooth if like me, you need the pci slot. Asrocks are great boards and everyone i know who has used any z77 asrock board has been thoroughly impressed. I dont think there would be much sense in swapping sound cards unless you will gain much better sound quality by switching.

[Romo]

I just read a few reviews... p8z77 seems like generally a better board than sabertooth

[Enmity]

Theyre generally a good price too i love mine n i havent even gotten a chance to play with it yet haha.

[Romo]

I just ordered a PCI to PCIe adapter card on eBay.
I will try it out on my current board and if it´s ok I´ll buy Sabertooth or Maximus.
If it´s not ok I´ll just make it simple and buy P8Z77
I think it´s a solid strategy

[sykozis]

Originally Posted by Romo

I´m on metal myself. My xonar is paired with Sennheiser HD 598.
I upgrade my mobo/CPU every two years. GPU is another story

So people in the local store try to sell me the ASROCK Z77 EXTREME4-M and Ripjaws F3 2000 Mhz ram (with i7 3770k)

My opinion is that motherboard has to weak voltage regulation (8+2+2) for any serious OC. And i dont know about memory....
Any opinions ?

The ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M (the mATX version of my board) is more than adequate for a "proper" OC.... Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge don't require nearly as much power as you think.

Originally Posted by main_shoby

oh boy, I so wanted to buy this board coz of added wifi \ gaming class lan \ x-fi chip built in... but all my theme was black and red :/ and i already had my wifi card and xonar dx lol. in my mind, this board is higher end than asrock's z77 fatal1ty (which i have). but hey it depends, i dont think you wanna put your xonar aside and use built-in creative xfi.. i dont think xfi beats your xonar but this board will give you option to atleast try it out, may be its good...

on the other hand, that pci-ex to pci converter will add height to your card =\ which can cause issues and may not look good in your case
you know what i mean.

Or is it time to let go your pci xonar and buy pci-ex version? i can only imagine how good your model is but 7.1 DX are not bad either.

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper.3 does NOT have X-Fi built in....it's a SoundCore3D chip. Completely different.

Originally Posted by GenClaymore

Actually that's not true, No onboard sound can match audiophile grade sound cards like Xonar STX/ST,X-FI HD and etc.

You still need a good dedicated sound card even if they did improve onboard audio, it still isn't gonna replace the need for a dedicated audio card if your serious about audio and have the gear for it.

@OP you can get a Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H from microcenter for $149, it has two PCI Slots.

I was hoping you'd chime in on that one....lol

[deltatux]

Originally Posted by Romo

Hi guys !
I´m new to all this intel stuff... (been an AMD fanboy for a long time )
So I plan to upgrade to 3770k and need an adequate motherboard.
Maximus V caught my eye but it has no PCI slot and I need for my XONAR ST.
Any suggestions for my situation ?
Thanks !

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H should solve your issue as it's a great board with 1 PCI slot.

deltatux

[main_shoby]

Originally Posted by sykozis

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper.3 does NOT have X-Fi built in....it's a SoundCore3D chip. Completely different.

oh, i will do some more research. i didnt buy the board but i really was considering it.
thanks for clarification.