Need a basic mobo for i5 2500k gaming rig

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killerz298

Weaksauce
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So I finally decided to build a new rig. I settled on the i5 2500k which I plan to gently OC and am now trying to find a suitable Z68 mobo. If I buy a combo at Microcenter, I can get the 2500k and Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $300. If I buy the chip alone it is $180 plus whatever Mobo I get. Technically I would be spending $120 on this mobo with the deal. Is that too much or too little for basic use? I will be using a SSD drive and most likely only 1 SATA storage drive, 1 blu-ray drive, 8gb 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 ram, I have 6.1 surround speakers, and I don't plan to SLI/crossfire. What mobos do you guys recommend for my use?
 
That is a great motherboard and chip at that price. You should be all over that.
 
kirbster said:
That is a great motherboard and chip at that price. You should be all over that.
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Is it what I need though? Is this board overkill for me? Is there something cheaper that would also serve my needs? I don't think I am going to get a decent board for under $120 though right? Also, what would a more expensive board offer me?
 
You can certainly get a 2500k board for less than 120, but that is a hell of a good deal. You should indeed be all over that.
 
At 100-105$ you could get Asrock P67 Pro 3/ Z68 Pro3 which are very solid no frills overclocking mobos but with that GB at 120$ there's no point in saving few bucks ;)
 
Michaelius said:
At 100-105$ you could get Asrock P67 Pro 3/ Z68 Pro3 which are very solid no frills overclocking mobos but with that GB at 120$ there's no point in saving few bucks ;)
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Better boards can be had for ~$100 that carry 3 year warranties. That AsRock board only rocks a 1 year or 2 year warranty.

At $120, that board is a steal. It's usually $160, so you're getting it $40 off basically. Now whether or not you need it is a different story when a $90 motherboard could fit your needs.

So what do you need in a motherboard? SLi? RAID? SATA 6Gbs? etc...
 
killerz298 said:
So I finally decided to build a new rig. I settled on the i5 2500k which I plan to gently OC and am now trying to find a suitable Z68 mobo. If I buy a combo at Microcenter, I can get the 2500k and Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $300. If I buy the chip alone it is $180 plus whatever Mobo I get. Technically I would be spending $120 on this mobo with the deal. Is that too much or too little for basic use? I will be using a SSD drive and most likely only 1 SATA storage drive, 1 blu-ray drive, 8gb 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 ram, I have 6.1 surround speakers, and I don't plan to SLI/crossfire. What mobos do you guys recommend for my use?
Click to expand...

Unless you *have* to go with mATX, consider the Biostar TZ68A+RCH ($109.99 before $10 MIR, as little as $19.99 after MIR and paired with i7-2600K per a post in [H]otDeals).

Praise - Low price (cheapest Z68 motherboard MC carries), two PCI slots (both below the two PCIe x16 slots), full UEFI, no slot-blockage by double-width GPUs

Mayonnaise - lack of support for tall overclocks

I'm going with this same motherboard - the question is can I squeeze out enough to go with i7-2600K instead of i3-2100 (per my comment above). I'm going with Crucial Ballistix Sport (DDR3-1600 and 8 GB, but in a 10-10-10-28 timing) also at MC.
 
Microcenter had a sale this weekend. I have the 2500k and GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $293.28 after shitty NY tax on reserve. The mobo after rebate was $110 so it doesn't seem like I would save much by going with a cheaper option. Unless there is a better board (or a much cheaper one which still suits my needs) you guys recommend for my basic use, I think I will pick this combo up tomorrow. Any reason to go with the P8Z68-V (NOT pro or deluxe) for $30 more?

To answer other questions about my use, I have no need for RAID, or SLI. I do want USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs.
 
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Go for it. Even if you don't need those features you will get better resale value down the road for it.
 
If you can swing it, get the Asus Maximus Gene-Z. I have one and it's simply awesome. Best UEFI BIOS i've seen to date and overclocks my 2500k with ease to 4.8GHz. Haven't pushed any further yet, but absolutely 100% rock solid.
 
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