Best board/chipset for G620?

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XTF

Gawd
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Oct 11, 2011
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I'm looking for a board/chipset for a Pentium G620. The amount of different boards available is ridiculous. Why do they have to create so many different models? :p
Should I just get a simple H61? Or a Z68 or even Z77? H61 looks fine.
 
2 more days until Z77 launches in the US. Wait for reviews, mull the data over, then make a selection that fits your budget. :)

Might as well get the latest and greatest since pricing will be fairly close to that of current Z68 boards, more than likely.
 
I got mine strapped to a H61 chipset.

Works fine. Low power, 4GB memory system I built for work uses.

Its a nice low wattage quiet system that does exactly what I need it to do.

Don't overspend on a low cost CPU, H61 will do fine for you.
 
Curious what your build is for using the G620, I am curious if that cpu will run a windows home server 2011 well enough to stream hit bit mkv's along with the usual backups ect.

Thanks
 
You also have to look towards the future. If you don't skimp on the MoBo, then you won't hold yourself back with any potential future CPU upgrades.

Bite the bullet, spend a little extra, get the best chipset available. Done deal.
 
The chip doesn't have QuickSync, and Intel's implementation of caching isn't cost-effective so no reason to go Z68/Z77. Difference between 67 and 61 is just amount of SATA2 ports and presence of SATA3; if you're going with a lot of drives (where you need all the ports) or a latest-gen SSD, then go P67/H67 (or their 7x counterparts). Otherwise, anything over H61 is overkill.
 
Cheatdeath said:
Curious what your build is for using the G620, I am curious if that cpu will run a windows home server 2011 well enough to stream hit bit mkv's along with the usual backups ect.
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Serving files doesn't require much CPU power.
I'm pairing it with 8 gb RAM, 1 tb HDD and maybe a 4870 or 6570. SATA3 and USB3 aren't needed. What's the real world difference between SATA2 and 3 anyway, even for fast SSDs?


DejaWiz said:
You also have to look towards the future. If you don't skimp on the MoBo, then you won't hold yourself back with any potential future CPU upgrades.

Bite the bullet, spend a little extra, get the best chipset available. Done deal.
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Spending more for future proofing is largely useles, especially for low-end stuff.
 
XTF said:
Spending more for future proofing is largely useles, especially for low-end stuff.
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No, it really isn't. There's always a what-if factor. So, what if the OP decided to buy a K series processor at some point in the future because a deal pops up that's too hard to pass up and the disposable income is there? That H61 isn't going to be doing it justice. Spending another 10-50% cost on a decent budget Z77 board over an H61 makes sense. I bought an H67 board for my wife's system, and it serves it's purpose well, but I regret not have spending the little extra for a Z68, even if her system will never house a K series. At least the foundation for it would have been there for essentially not a lot more money.

I'm just speaking from my experience and opinion. The OP can do whatever the right path feels to be the best.

Besides, the title of this thread asks the question "What is the best chipset for a G620?". Well, right now Z68 is the best chipset and tomorrow it will be Z77, since a G620 will work fine with either.
 
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No, it really isn't. There's always a what-if factor. So, what if the OP decided to buy a K series processor at some point in the future because a deal pops up that's too hard to pass up and the disposable income is there? That H61 isn't going to be doing it justice. Spending another 10-50% cost on a decent budget Z77 board over an H61 makes sense. I bought an H67 board for my wife's system, and it serves it's purpose well, but I regret not have spending the little extra for a Z68, even if her system will never house a K series. At least the foundation for it would have been there for essentially not a lot more money.

I'm just speaking from my experience and opinion. The OP can do whatever the right path feels to be the best.

Besides, the title of this thread asks the question "What is the best chipset for a G620?". Well, right now Z68 is the best chipset and tomorrow it will be Z77, since a G620 will work fine with either.

I agree with this...this is exactly what I do with an eye to the future as well as resale value.
 
DejaWiz said:
No, it really isn't. There's always a what-if factor. So, what if the OP decided to buy a K series processor at some point in the future because a deal pops up that's too hard to pass up and the disposable income is there? That H61 isn't going to be doing it justice.
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Then the OP buys a new board that does fit the K series CPU. Probably a much better board then he could've bought today.
Besides, the title of this thread asks the question "What is the best chipset for a G620?". Well, right now Z68 is the best chipset and tomorrow it will be Z77, since a G620 will work fine with either.
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Sounds like you're not taking costs into account.
 
^ Z77 are out TODAY. Some are right around the $100 or less mark. So yes, taking cost into consideration, Z77 is still the way to go, imo.

I paid $130 for my wife's BASIC H67 board. Z77 can be had for less than that on it's first day of release. Hopefully that puts a bit of perspective on things for you, so why so much push back on the advice you asked for on the "best" chipset available? If you've already made your mind up on an H61 board, then just do it. I'll leave it at that and you can decide with your wallet.
 
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DejaWiz said:
^ Z77 are out TODAY. Some are right around the $100 or less mark. So yes, taking cost into consideration, Z77 is still the way to go, imo.
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That's still twice as expensive as a H61, isn't it?
Why the push back? Because I like sound reasoning. I don't mind getting a Z77 if there's a good reason to, but so far I haven't found one yet.
If one were to get a K series CPU in the future, wouldn't it make more sense to buy a matching motherboard in the future too? After all, then you can sell or continue using the old CPU + motherboard.

You say you regret not getting a Z68, but if you don't take advantage of the extra features, wouldn't that have been just a waste of money?
 
I don't see it as a waste of money. I see it as potential with an easier transition to a better CPU if/when that day comes. But that me, because it is purely subjective, on an individual basis.

If you don't see the same benefit of getting the better chipset for a higher cost, then more power to ya. Any H or Z series will work fine with any compatible CPU, just be aware of any probable limitations for future upgrade potential if you don't choose accordingly. :)
 
DejaWiz said:
I don't see it as a waste of money. I see it as potential with an easier transition to a better CPU if/when that day comes. But that me, because it is purely subjective, on an individual basis.
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Just wondering, how often have you upgraded a CPU without upgrading the board?
IIRC I've only done it once, from a Pentium MMX 200 to a AMD K6-2 400. Even in that case I probably should've bought a newer motherboard.
 
In the past, lots. Being married with three children now, I don't have nearly as much disposable income to wake up in the morning, scratch my balls, stretch, and think to myself "you know, I'm going to head over to the computer store and drop $300 on that new Athlon XP that just came out to replace my current one that 200MHz slower."

Damn, I remember those days well. Probably spent a good $1000 on CPUs every 9-12 months without swapping the MoBo. But if I had/wanted to swap the MoBo, then no big deal...I had the money to spend. I guess it makes more sense now to save up a little more to get the better MoBo right off the bat since I can't go freely overhauling my systems like I used to. They have to last me longer simply because I can't afford a new MoBo, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU, case, etc like in the olden days. :p
 
Don't overspend on a motherboard. I used to think like many here who say get a good board so you can upgrade later. The problem is that long term this doesn't really work out.
I built a computer for some friends a few years ago and got a good P35 chipset 775 board and an E2160. I overclocked the E2160 for them, and it has run well, but it showing it's age. So now what? Does it make sense to upgrade to a Q6600 or some other 775 quad now? Of course not. The whole platform is dead and obsolete. My point is that by the time you want to upgrade a new socket is probably available, and maybe new memory too. You won't want to upgrade just the cpu so get what you need now but don't overspend for some possible future upgrade.
 
^ I'd say that depends on the persons needs with said computer. Going from a G620 to a 2500K/3570K or 2600K/3770K and having the capability to oc it to around 4.5GHz or higher would yield a hell of a lot more performance increase than your example of the oc'd Xeon to a Q6600. I think it's going to be a long while yet before games and apps come out that makes quad core SB/IB feel long in the tooth. Who knows what Haswell will bring us in terms of performance over current 1155 and 2011 CPU's? Many of us, myself included, will likely be able to skip over it and wait for Skylake/Skymont. But that's purely because my computing needs nowadays don't dictate me having the need or desire to upgrade with every new platform that comes out anymore. I'm still on an X2 6400+ and it serves my purposes pretty good even today, but I do feel it's obsolescence with many newer games. Hell, I feel it with modern websites using heavy Flash content.

I'm confident I can get by with SB or IB platform for another 4-5 years. But again, this is based on my computing needs. So from my perspective, it makes sense and is actually cheaper in the long run to get the best chipset available, start with an i5K, and maybe find a worthy upgrade in an i7K if devs start coding to maximize use of HT. If not, then I keep the i5K and run it until apps and games really bring it to it's knees.
 
Any advise on brand? Or is it all the same? Asus boards seem to be known for good quality but their site sucks.
 
I'm partial to GB and Asus. I've given MSI another try with the H67, but meh. It works and it's stable, I just don't care for MSI's software to keep things like drivers and BIOS up to date.
 
One big selling point for the Z68 and now Z77 is the smart response technology or SSD caching - basically giving a standard hard drive the performance of a SSD drive for programs you use regularly. This would be the only reason I would go with those chipsets instead of the others you're considering
 
stiltner said:
I got mine strapped to a H61 chipset.

Works fine. Low power, 4GB memory system I built for work uses.

Its a nice low wattage quiet system that does exactly what I need it to do.

Don't overspend on a low cost CPU, H61 will do fine for you.
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While I understand the sentiment, buying a lower-cost motherboard now limits upgrade options later. While this has been the rule-of-thumb for high-end chipsets, it applies equally, if not more so, to the chipsets themselves. Further, what's the actual price-spread between H-series and Z-series at the motherboard level? (Typically, MicroCenter's spread is no worse than $40 comparing mATX form-factor motherboards - they have no ATX form-factor H-series motherboards.) Therefore, I recommend Z-series-chipset (Z68/Z75/Z77) motherboards regardless of which LGA1155 CPU choice you make (or what formfactor).

CPU upgrade options are, in fact, the biggest reason I hold to my "Z regardless" recommendation - no H-series chipset (including H77) permits overclocking. (Decidedly a poor choice if you buy a K-series CPU down the road.) The H series chipsets are the LGA1155 version of LGA775's corporate-stable/consumer-stable G-series. I have nothing against the H-series (or even the G-series) reason for being (Mom's current system has a G31 chipset, and MightyMouse is G41-based) - however, there are trade-offs in being at the low-end that you may not want; the H series chipsets (like G41) can indeed swallow any CPU in the LGA formfactor (as I've stated before, MightyMouse currently has a Q6600 installed) - but you would also have no real reason to buy a K-series CPU as an upgrade, either (due to the lack of overclocking capability).

Therefore, my initial recommendation of "Z68 regardless" has become "Z regardless" - due to the introduction of Z75 and Z77, and the lack of any real price premium between the three chipsets (especially between Z68 and Z77).
 
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