You guys pick the motherboard! (Budget z77 build)

Discussion in 'Processors and motherboards Intel' started by ElFishoIII, Mar 1, 2013.

  1. ElFishoIII

    ElFishoIII Guest

    So I'm finally upgrading my trusty old qx9650 and would like some opinions on which of the following motherboards would suit me best. I'm going with the i5 3570k and yes I plan to overclock. SLI/Crossfire doesn't matter to me. I also need at least one PCI slot (otherwise I would just get the MSI Z77A-G45 and call it a day). I'm on a budget and I'm not that worried about pushing my clocks insanely high, I just want more than stock. For these three options please don't factor in price. So Gurus, you tell me, which of the three would you pick and why?

    ASRock Z77 Extreme4

    MSI Z77A-G43

    GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H

    Also, if you guys know of something better, please feel free to share.
     
  2. biggerx

    biggerx Guest

    Messages:
    3,587
    Likes Received:
    11
    GPU:
    EVGA RTX 3070 FTW
    I love my Extreme 6. I will never buy a MSI product again so I can't recommend that one.

    If the Gigabyte isn't a UEFI BIOS I would highly recommend the Extreme 4.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2013
  3. hallryu

    hallryu Don Altobello

    Messages:
    11,381
    Likes Received:
    15
    GPU:
    2x HD7970
    Wait for Haswell, save more money. You waited this long! :thumbup:
     
  4. ElFishoIII

    ElFishoIII Guest

    @Biggerx
    The Gigabyte has UEFI.

    What do you have against MSI specifically? I can guess, since I've used a lot of MSI over the years, but I'd like to hear your take on them.

    @hallryu
    I may actually do that, but I don't understand how that would save me money unless you're suggesting that I buy the Ivy Bridge at that point because you presume it will be cheaper. At that point I'd rather just buy Haswell to be honest. I would really like to be current after having been out of the upgrade game for so long.
     

  5. Syidi

    Syidi Master Guru

    Messages:
    307
    Likes Received:
    0
    GPU:
    GTX 780
    @ElFishoIII

    I already have my new build here <, I also considering between Extreme4 and GA-Z77X-D3H last time but I for Gigabyte one...
    till now I don't have any problem whatsoever even I used RAM rated at 1.65V but Gigabyte state to run RAM that only rated for 1.5V...

    some people had bad luck with some brand, that why sometimes they do not recommend it...

    out of the three mobo power phase...
    Gigabyte Z77X-D3H have 6+2+1
    Asrock Extreme4 have 8+4
    MSI Z77A GD43 ......?

    to get higher OC with better temperature get higher/more power phase in the board... in your choice is the Extreme 4
     
  6. SLI-756

    SLI-756 Guest

    Messages:
    7,604
    Likes Received:
    0
    GPU:
    760 SLI 4gb 1215/ 6800
    Is the ASRock a true 8 + 4 power phase or just a kid on one?
    Imo i'd go for the Gigabyte, very easy bios to manage and great mobos in general.
     
  7. IcE

    IcE Don Snow

    Messages:
    10,693
    Likes Received:
    79
    GPU:
    3070Ti FE
    It's technically not a true 8+4 because ASRock doubled up the drivers. Each two phases share a driver. So it's actually a 4+1. With that said, it's not a bad board considering how little power sandy/ivy actually use. You just tend to get what you pay for. The gigabyte's VRM isn't much better in terms of actual delivery, but it has a digital PWM controller and it's not using D-PAK mosfets like the Extreme4. It's probably a better choice if you plan on squeezing the most out of your CPU. If you're only planning to go to 4.5 and stop there though, it doesn't matter which board you pick.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2013
  8. biggerx

    biggerx Guest

    Messages:
    3,587
    Likes Received:
    11
    GPU:
    EVGA RTX 3070 FTW
    I bought an MSI FrozrII 560ti from them & the build quality was terrible. One of the fans died about 11 months into ownership. To MSI's credit they RMA'd it (took two weeks though). I bought an EVGA after that. That was my first MSI experience.
     
  9. mr_scarface

    mr_scarface Master Guru

    Messages:
    368
    Likes Received:
    1
    GPU:
    EVGA 1070 GTX
    i have heard the asrock extreme is very very good. that will be my next motherboard in 2 weeks.
     
  10. thatguy91

    thatguy91 Guest

    For the i5-3550K/i7-3770K, 4.4Ghz is about all you can get out of it otherwise you start having problems with temps. Above this 4.4Ghz figure, it's the combination of the extra speed and voltage required which is why you can't go much higher. It doesn't matter which cooler you have on it (to an extent), since the cooling system can only be as good as the weakest link, which is the TIM they used between the core and the IHS (both being a crappy TIM and maybe using too much of it as some have suggested). It does vary a little between CPU's, but this is why a Noctua NH-D14 performs equally as well as a Corsair H100 in many tests. The only way to go better is to use LN2 etc, but even then the TIM still acts like an insulator. Delidding and reapplying thermal paste is an option, but I do NOT recommend that for a budget build, unless you can factor in the price of a new CPU when you stuff it up :S.

    Because of this, the Asrock Extreme 4/6 are great options, since a higher overclock such as 5Ghz would mean a much more complex cooling system, and since that is an enthusiast overclock a board that costs significantly more would be wise to use (there are several $200+ boards for this purpose), in Asrock it would be (for instance) the Z77 OC Formula board.
     

  11. Moegames

    Moegames Guest

    It wont disappoint..i've done many builds ..much higher budget builds than my own current build so i've dabbled with just about all boards from mid-range to very high range...the Extreme 4 for what ever reason...out of the seven or so extreme 4 boards i used with 3570K's for builds for customers in the last 3 months...they all out performed higher priced boards when it comes to OC the 3570k..i also did a few with a 3770K but ..im just comparing to the 3570k. The Asrock Extreme z77 series of boards are a tad on the flimsy side..that's the feeling i got when i held it in my hand and gently flexed it but dont let that distract you from realizing how great these extreme z77 boards are...they are imho the best bang for the buck..especially the Extreme 4. It rocks and has a lot of quality features only high end boards have.

    Not true at all...you can get a 4.6ghz and even a 4.8ghz on air with a extreme 4 that i put through various testing stability software at least with seven different builds mostly using the same hardware..at least the mobo and cpu which was extreme 4's and 3570k cpus and 7870's..peferably the Gigabyte ghz edition of 7870 i like because of the windforce 3 fan it comes equipped with...

    Some i got a stable 4.6..a few others including my own i can get a stable 4.8ghz now...with no delidding...just a decent Cooler Master Hyper 212+ cooler with two 120mm fans on the cpu cooler for a push/pull air flow..which always seems to do the trick along with this nice sauce added on the chip - Arctic Silver CMQ2-25G Céramique 2 Tri-Linear Ceramic Thermal Compound ...with all the paste i've used and believe me i've tried them all at my best friend's computer shop where i do my own customer's builds at his shop in the back room where he basically gives me my own build area for free along with all the other little parts i need free of charge....that paste above just rocks so hard compared to others....although knowing how to apply the paste is a art in its own..which not to sound arrogant..i can do it like a champ.

    But like i said...people stating 4.5 is the stopping point with 3570k's is simply not true with mid-range mobo's..i consider the extreme 4 a higher mid range board because of what you get for the price and the performance rivals boards 40% more in cost. I also found for the extreme 4..the L2.21 bios really gave me the best overall overclock ability for the system..so i always use this L2.21 Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 bios on all setups when using an Extreme 4. If you do try this bios..its still considered a "beta bios" at asrock's website..so you gotta go into the beta zone area when looking at the current bios selection...never use the inside of the bios feature that auto-updates via download in the bios via accessing the internet in the bios to download the bios than it updates for you in the bios section...i've had the updating of the bios freeze at the half way point 3 times out of 7 extreme 4 boards..and no it wasnt the L2.21 bios because at the time of those lockups during the flashing process..i hadnt discovered how nice the L2.21 bios was..so i was simply updating the latest bios. Use a usb thumb drive or CD-R disc updating the bios on the extreme 4. If you ever do run into this problem using the internet download bios feature in the bios of a asrock extremem z77 series motherboard...and it freezes during the flash process..you will get a black scree with a series of beeps and the LED number display on the bios will give you a few various numbers...easy fix, just download a bios on another computer, put it on a usb stick or burn the bios to a blank CDR or DVDR, go back to your temp bricked PC that froze during the bios flashing..turn off the computer, stick in the usb stick or CD/DVDdisc with the bios on it and turn on the computer, it will fix itself and finally reboot and you'll be back in action. I've read so many posts online where people RMA'd their Asrock Extreme Z77 mobo's because of this bug or had Asrock send them a new bios chip lol...and all they had to do was just google their issue and they would of found the problem quite simply after a bit of searching..it boggles my mind that people can build computers, overclock like champs but yet cant figure out "google can be your best friend some times" during dire times like these, when it first happened to my own rig, i kept calm, cool and collective and went directly to google and had the answer in a matter of 5 minutes of research..

    I use a certain particular setup..much of which i explained above and i have always been able to get "at least" a super stable 4.6ghz with a 3570k sitting on a asrock extreme 4 board every time....i've sold seven of them and all them stable over 4.5 that some think its the blocking point with such gear.

    Of course i do a lot of tinkering around with settings in the bios as well...and pretty much everyone has their own specific settings they use to achieve their OC...so maybe that plays a bigger role in it as well? Who knows..im not here to try and get into a pissing match with anyone..i jus wanted to chime on in and give my input from my experience as a avid builder for clients in the area i live which is the Chicago area.

    If anyone wants to know my bios settings...pm me but only if you are using a extreme 4 mobo and the same cpu cooler and cpu chip. Im at 4.6 OC with a voltage of 1.24 on heavy load. 4.8ghz OC im around the 1.274's on heavy load..i forget the exact voltage i average on heavy load when im at 4.8ghz with my 3750k and extreme 4 but i do know its below 1.28x but right now i find no need for 4.8ghz. Again..i want to point out that even the setups where i get a solid stable 4.8ghz OC..its never close to that 1.3 volt zone..its always the same..right around 1.27x volts via testing on heavy load scenarios with games, and software made to test and push the gear to find the stable sweet spot. Its kinda funny because you will hear all sorts of different opinions all the time with these questions about these parts and it all boils down to what "YOU" do and how "YOU" do it...some people just havent found the end of the rainbow with certain gear...i have, i have absolute proof and assurance i have.

    Also i've delidded a few 3570k's..one of which was for an extreme 4 by request of the customer of mine...5.0ghz if you delid the mofo but again.. specific gear counts and getting a quality chip also counts..not all chips are the same as most of you already know..but i happened to have a friend that owns a computer shop and buys huge amounts of cpu chips at a time (in bulk)..he sells custom rigs locally and nation wide online...so i have access to a bunch of nice 3570ks at the moment from his stash...most of these extreme 4/3570k builds i've done around Xmas time and 2 just recently.

    When people ask me for a quality higher mid-range setup in terms of a GPU, CPU and MOBO..i always say "Well for the best bang for the buck..i always go with a good overclocking 7870, Extreme 4 mobo and a 3570k...that to me is the current best bang for the buck when talking a higher mid-range setup that will give a high end setup a run for its money and a lot of times match a higher end rig if you know how to get the most out of these three parts if you know how to OC well and got a personal recipe for OC'n a specific set of hardware..which i do.

    I personally do not go all out with the computer gear i buy when i build my own home theater pc every few years, it's not like it use to be to me as far as PC gaming is, things are a lot different these days and most of all good PC games at least my genre's of games are usually console ports so its simply not worth going all out anymore imho. Im not an enthusiast per say like i use to be for my personal rigs...but i am an enthusiast when it comes to building rigs for my friends, family, customers by word of mouth..i do around 5-7 builds per month as a side income and as a hobby although im not arrogant and im always ever learning about computer tech and new pc hardware that is always coming out...so im a laid back dude that just like tinkering around with pc's and building them for peeps and making them happy.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 8, 2013
  12. mr_scarface

    mr_scarface Master Guru

    Messages:
    368
    Likes Received:
    1
    GPU:
    EVGA 1070 GTX
    i did not want to make a new thread so i figured if ok with OP i can ask here

    i am also looking for a z77 motherboard. aside the asrock, what do you guys recommend for me? i want to keep it under 130

    this is in case i cant order the asrock because the stores nearby dont carry asrock motherboards for some reason.

    anything good from gigabyte?
     
  13. NAZ2222

    NAZ2222 Master Guru

    Messages:
    420
    Likes Received:
    27
    GPU:
    XFX MERC 6800XT 16G
    I love mine ASUS P8Z77-LX, see the reviews and compare with the before mentioned ;)
     
  14. mr_scarface

    mr_scarface Master Guru

    Messages:
    368
    Likes Received:
    1
    GPU:
    EVGA 1070 GTX
    doing comparisons now....which is a pain in the ass.

    wouldnt mind owning a gb but i kinda want to stick with asus

    EDIT:

    is h77 worth it too? is there anything overclocking that i cant do on one?
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2013
  15. SLI-756

    SLI-756 Guest

    Messages:
    7,604
    Likes Received:
    0
    GPU:
    760 SLI 4gb 1215/ 6800
    H77s have been castrated and can't OC, stick with z77, i'd advise Gigabyte, Asus ROG, or MSI.
     

  16. mr_scarface

    mr_scarface Master Guru

    Messages:
    368
    Likes Received:
    1
    GPU:
    EVGA 1070 GTX
    i dont care for oc'ng
     
  17. SLI-756

    SLI-756 Guest

    Messages:
    7,604
    Likes Received:
    0
    GPU:
    760 SLI 4gb 1215/ 6800
    some games need it
     
  18. mr_scarface

    mr_scarface Master Guru

    Messages:
    368
    Likes Received:
    1
    GPU:
    EVGA 1070 GTX

Share This Page