MicroCenter i7-2600K+Z68 Savings Power Event

Got one of the 2600K's up to 4.8 Ghz at 1.35V

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Are there anymore 20% off cases deals ?

Do these come up every now and then?

I am just finishing up a build and haven't figured out the case situation yet though, last thing I need to do today. But I'll just use my main case and put all the new stuff in there for my aunt and uncle if I have to.

I just bought the i5 2500k along with the Asus P8Z68-V for $320 combined this past Monday from the Mpls store.

Worked with Jeremy P. there, he was really helpful. Building a new build for my aunt and uncle. Their PC fried 2 weeks ago and needed one that same day, well turns out Geek Squad transferred the old User profiles and when they got it back IE8 wouldn't let you dnld anything off the internet. Installing programs took numerous tries. Could of been a HP factory issue too, who knows. There were 2 processes of the same file running (installing Foxit Reader 5) for instance, among others (yes I know some services already do that, but this was different).

So they called me and I went to fix it a few days later. It still had problems and was slower than their previous quad core. Told them I can reformat and start over, but for how much you spent on this POS (i5 2390T, only dual core 2nd Gen i5, I'm sure BB employee probably didn't even know that), I could build you one for a little more and you'd get 3-7 year warranties on the hardware, instead of the 2 years for Geek Squad.

So I also got the Crucial m4 128GB SSD for $180 (went up to $209), was on sale this past Sunday and I had a printout on Sunday early Mon. morning before the new price changes and Jeremey talked to his manager and I got that price. Could of also gotten the PC Power and Cooling 750W for Sunday's price (went up $40 or so) but decided to get the 650w one since they will never have 2 video cards.

They also matched the price of Windows 7 x64 from Amazon ($20 cheaper), I got lucky on that one though. I was just going to use the MSDN Win7 one to install and input the key once it arrived in the mail. So overall a very good experience. It's very nice to go into a PC store and learn a thing or two, unlike at Best Buy. The guy uses 3 video cards for gaming, I'd like to see his setup in person.
 
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SB1 said:
Are there anymore 20% off cases deals ?

Do these come up every now and then?

I am just finishing up a build and haven't figured out the case situation yet though, last thing I need to do today. But I'll just use my main case and put all the new stuff in there for my aunt and uncle if I have to.

I just bought the i5 2500k along with the Asus P8Z68-V for $320 combined this past Monday from the Mpls store.

Worked with Jeremy P. there, he was really helpful. Building a new build for my aunt and uncle. Their PC fried 2 weeks ago and needed one that same day, well turns out Geek Squad transferred the old User profiles and when they got it back IE8 wouldn't let you dnld anything off the internet. Installing programs took numerous tries. Could of been a HP factory issue too, who knows. There were 2 processes of the same file running (installing Foxit Reader 5) for instance, among others (yes I know some services already do that, but this was different).

So they called me and I went to fix it a few days later. It still had problems and was slower than their previous quad core. Told them I can reformat and start over, but for how much you spent on this POS (i5 2390T, only dual core 2nd Gen i5, I'm sure BB employee probably didn't even know that), I could build you one for a little more and you'd get 3-7 year warranties on the hardware, instead of the 2 years for Geek Squad.

So I also got the Crucial m4 128GB SSD for $180 (went up to $209), was on sale this past Sunday and I had a printout on Sunday early Mon. morning before the new price changes and Jeremey talked to his manager and I got that price. Could of also gotten the PC Power and Cooling 750W for Sunday's price (went up $40 or so) but decided to get the 650w one since they will never have 2 video cards.

They also matched the price of Windows 7 x64 from Amazon ($20 cheaper), I got lucky on that one though. I was just going to use the MSDN Win7 one to install and input the key once it arrived in the mail. So overall a very good experience. It's very nice to go into a PC store and learn a thing or two, unlike at Best Buy. The guy uses 3 video cards for gaming, I'd like to see his setup in person.
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The deal is back - and it looks like I'm going to have a couple of *cases* of applesauce to sell.

MC also added another Z68-based UEFI ATX motherboard to their bargain section: the surprise is it's from ASUS itself - the ASUS P8Z68-V LX. Like all ASUS' ATX Z68 motherboards, it has their dual-stage UEFI implementation. Unlike the V and V-Pro, the third PCIe x16 slot is replaced by a standard PCI slot; also, as opposed to Intel gigabit, the LX goes with Realtek gigabit (RTL8111E - the non-Intel gigabit of choice for ASUS motherboards; it's part of the feature set for my current P5G41-M LX2/GB). Thanks to the deal, the motherboard's price drops to $44.99 - even with the 2600K, the total is $393.72for a bareboard (common memory is Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 in 10-10-10-28) swap (and that includes tax). With an i5-2500K ($40 off instead of $80 off), the bareboard total is $330.72 - with an i3-2100 (no discount), the total is $288.72.

That puts the i7-K at a mere $105 premium over i3-2100, and $63 over i5-2500K.

Hence *applesauce*.
 
damn, 2500k with the Biostar TZ68A+RCH doesn't discount for me, but it does with the 2600k. Guess I'm jumpin on that ahha. thanks op!
 
So I'm thinking of doing this deal with an ASUS Maximus IV but it's showing as not in stock in Boston. There doesn't seem to be an option just to have them ship one there. Does this mean I won't be able to make that order? Do both the board and the processor need to be in stock at your local store? Seems strange if that's the case.
 
bern43 said:
Does this mean I won't be able to make that order? Do both the board and the processor need to be in stock at your local store? Seems strange if that's the case.
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Yes both need to be in stock at your store. That is why the deal is B&M. ;)
 
which ASUS P8Z68-V should I get? I'm hoppin on a 2600k and running crossfire 6950s. I do plan on OC'in to 4.4 or 4.5 if it isn't that troublesome.
 
chomnom said:
which ASUS P8Z68-V should I get? I'm hoppin on a 2600k and running crossfire 6950s. I do plan on OC'in to 4.4 or 4.5 if it isn't that troublesome.
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Assuming the $50 difference on -V $180 one and the $130 ones is NOT just the Bluetooth and extra heat-sinks, I would get the $180 -V one or the Pro? Hours past my bedtime, so I can't figure it out.

If you can, I would wait for the P8Z68-V with Gen 3, PCIE 3.0 that is coming out, very soon I assume. It's on US Asus website at least, right when you login.
Of course there is already a MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) MB that has the PCIE 3.0 (2 x 16) on it already at Micro Center. But I also really like Asus MB's.
 
Just picked up my 2500K + Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3 for $270 out the door (with 6% MI sales tax) + a $15MIR.

So hell yeah here I come!
 
SB1 said:
Assuming the $50 difference on -V $180 one and the $130 ones is NOT just the Bluetooth and extra heat-sinks, I would get the $180 -V one or the Pro? Hours past my bedtime, so I can't figure it out.

If you can, I would wait for the P8Z68-V with Gen 3, PCIE 3.0 that is coming out, very soon I assume. It's on US Asus website at least, right when you login.
Of course there is already a MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) MB that has the PCIE 3.0 (2 x 16) on it already at Micro Center. But I also really like Asus MB's.
Click to expand...

Or you can get either the P8Z68-V LX or P8Z68-V LE, both of which support PCI-E 3.0 and Ivy (you can't have PCI-E 3.0 support without Ivy Bridge and the switching logic both in place).
 
Wait a minute. I just added the Asus Maximus Extreme-Z and a 2600K in my shopping cart, both are in stock at my local Microcenter. And I'm not seeing any discounts?

Edit: nevermind, it did give me a nice discount. Thanks for the thread!!!
 
Just purchased a 2600k + Maximus IV Extreme-Z Z68 for $608... pick it up tonight :D.

Already have my 1366 pair sold for $250 + a $150 gift card, so the upgrade didn't hit the pockets too hard. Can't wait to get started with some insane OC's and SSD caching!
 
sKiDmArK said:
Just purchased a 2600k + Maximus IV Extreme-Z Z68 for $608... pick it up tonight :D.

Already have my 1366 pair sold for $250 + a $150 gift card, so the upgrade didn't hit the pockets too hard. Can't wait to get started with some insane OC's and SSD caching!
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That is awesome! I'm getting the same deal myself!
 
Just got the same deal also (2600K + Maximus IV Extreme-Z)!!! Now just waiting for my video card.
 
umcpgrad said:
why is that asus l vx so cheap
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PGHammer said:
Or you can get either the P8Z68-V LX or P8Z68-V LE, both of which support PCI-E 3.0 and Ivy (you can't have PCI-E 3.0 support without Ivy Bridge and the switching logic both in place)

No SLI/TriFire/QuadFire support (the extra PCIe x16 slots are replaced by full PCI slots and no NF200). It does support *standard* CrossFireX, though.
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The newer low end Asus boards (LE + LX) also have less power phases which means they can't OC as high, or maintain a moderately high OC under warm conditions/full load for very long before throttling down. The low end Biostar Z68's can handle the same overclocks for some reason despite having a similar power setup. I've been researching these lower end Z68 boards for the past week and this is what i've come up with.

Word of caution to those looking to OC moderately/heavily, don't take my word for it, research the low end Asus boards before blindly plunking down the cash. There's a chance you'll want to go with something else. Those looking for low to moderate overclocks can probably ignore everything i've said.

I wish Microcenter carried the inexpensive ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, now that's a low cost enthusiast board i'd like to try out.
 
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SJetski71 said:
The newer low end Asus boards (LE + LX) also have less power phases which means they can't OC as high, or maintain a moderately high OC under warm conditions/full load for very long before throttling down. The low end Biostar Z68's can handle the same overclocks for some reason despite having a similar power setup. I've been researching these lower end Z68 boards for the past week and this is what i've come up with.

Word of caution to those looking to OC moderately/heavily, don't take my word for it, research the low end Asus boards before blindly plunking down the cash. There's a chance you'll want to go with something else. Those looking for low to moderate overclocks can probably ignore everything i've said.

I wish Microcenter carried the inexpensive ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, now that's a low cost enthusiast board i'd like to try out.
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Thing is, I'm NOT looking to OC moderately/heavily (since I'm looking primarily at i3), which is exactly why I'm perfectly willing to go low-end Z68.
 
PGHammer said:
Thing is, I'm NOT looking to OC moderately/heavily (since I'm looking primarily at i3), which is exactly why I'm perfectly willing to go low-end Z68.
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Was mostly trying to point out another reason why the Asus LE + LX boards were cheaper since umcpgrad had inquired about it.

But otherwise yes, if a person doesn't plan to overclock much, or can't, then they have more and less expensive Z68 boards to choose from.
 
SJetski71 said:
The newer low end Asus boards (LE + LX) also have less power phases which means they can't OC as high, or maintain a moderately high OC under warm conditions/full load for very long before throttling down. The low end Biostar Z68's can handle the same overclocks for some reason despite having a similar power setup. I've been researching these lower end Z68 boards for the past week and this is what i've come up with.

Word of caution to those looking to OC moderately/heavily, don't take my word for it, research the low end Asus boards before blindly plunking down the cash. There's a chance you'll want to go with something else. Those looking for low to moderate overclocks can probably ignore everything i've said.

I wish Microcenter carried the inexpensive ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, now that's a low cost enthusiast board i'd like to try out.
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thanks for the heads up
 
what does everyone think of the gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 thinking about getting a second one
 
I was going to spring for the asrock extreme 4 gen 3 and a 2600k, but it won't apply the discount to that board. It will on the non gen 3 board for some reason. Suck.
 
Hoping MC gets the Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 before this deal ends. Considered going with the MSI Z68A-GD65, but it has some UEFI issues.
 
I get the feeling that none of the gen 3 boards are going to be part of this deal. Seems like mc is trying to clear out all the older boards, since nobody will want them once the new pci 3.0 boards hit.
 
B2BigAl said:
I get the feeling that none of the gen 3 boards are going to be part of this deal. Seems like mc is trying to clear out all the older boards, since nobody will want them once the new pci 3.0 boards hit.
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The MSI Z68A-GD65 is a full PCI-E 3.0 board and is part of the deal.
 
Nobi125 said:
The MSI Z68A-GD65 is a full PCI-E 3.0 board and is part of the deal.
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*All* the Z68 boards are part of the deal (whether Gen3 or not) - the P8Z68-V LX is also part of the deal. It's just that MC doesn't have any of the higher-end ASUS Gen3 boards in stock yet; I was at the Fairfax, VA store yesterday to get the RAM for my upgrade. Despite that they once again have the Biostar TZ68A+RCH in stock (saw plenty of them on the shelf), I'm sticking with the ASUS due to IB being a drop-in upgrade (I have the 0602 BIOS minimum that IB will require downloaded and saved already).

While MC Rockville would actually be cheaper to get to, it also involves three changes of bus *in each direction* - MC Fairfax is one bus, two subway trains, and a two-block walk. (Subway-train seats are more comfortable than bus seats, and I loathe SBS - sore-butt syndrome.)

Deal update - the bundle is now $60 off any P67 or Z68 motherboard with i5-K or i7-K (through 11/13/2011).

EXTENDED! Deal now runs through 1/29/2012 - the similar i3-2100 deal (which is across the entirety of LGA1155, regardless of chipset) has the same drop-dead date.
 
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I stumbled across this deal too - wasn't going to build another box for awhile but had some good parts (video card, PS, HDs and empty case) but was planning on holding off for Ivy bridge. Stumbled into Microcenter one day to just look around and saw this deal - and they got me good. Ended up getting the 2600k+mobo combo, plus some ram to boot. Of course I had to buy a few more things to round everything out (CPU cooler & SSDs from Egg). Damn that upgrade itch!
 
Going to be getting a 2600k and pairing it one of these. Which one would you go with, performance wise, and why...

Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard
or
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 LGA 1155 Z68
or
Asus P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Z68
 
SJetski71 said:
The newer low end Asus boards (LE + LX) also have less power phases which means they can't OC as high, or maintain a moderately high OC under warm conditions/full load for very long before throttling down. The low end Biostar Z68's can handle the same overclocks for some reason despite having a similar power setup. I've been researching these lower end Z68 boards for the past week and this is what i've come up with.

Word of caution to those looking to OC moderately/heavily, don't take my word for it, research the low end Asus boards before blindly plunking down the cash. There's a chance you'll want to go with something else. Those looking for low to moderate overclocks can probably ignore everything i've said.

I wish Microcenter carried the inexpensive ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, now that's a low cost enthusiast board i'd like to try out.
Click to expand...

I've got the LX along with a 2600k.

With a H50 in push/pull, right now I'm @ 4.5 with 1.28v. Max core at 65 degrees. Have had zero issues OCing so far. Going to try to push it more this weekend and see how far this board can take me.
 
TheWeazmeister said:
Going to be getting a 2600k and pairing it one of these. Which one would you go with, performance wise, and why...

Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard
or
Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 LGA 1155 Z68
or
Asus P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Z68
Click to expand...

The UD4 likely has the best power circuitry if you are overclocking.
 
B2BigAl said:
I was going to spring for the asrock extreme 4 gen 3 and a 2600k, but it won't apply the discount to that board. It will on the non gen 3 board for some reason. Suck.
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Works with 2500k for $60 off right now.
 
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