Best Gaming Motherboard for Intel Core i7-3930K

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

I am building a new gaming rig using the Intel Core i7-3930K. I am wanting a really good motherboard that will last a good long while plus be really good at performance in gaming. Would like to be able to overclock as well. Any help or direction I would be grateful.

Thanks.

imomun · Mar 13, 2013

ASRock X79 Extreme 11, no questions ask

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

Wow that is a $600 motherboard. Can you recommend what would be the next step down?

What about the ASUS Sabertooth X79 or the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme?

Are these for example any good?

imomun · Mar 13, 2013

Rampage 4 Extreme X79 Very Good

gamingboy · Mar 13, 2013

jeremymh :

Asus is overall, a very good brand.

The Sabretooths have had some issues with heat building up beneath the "shielding", and also some other problems. Maybe they have fixed it, I don't know.

But I would take the Rampage IV.

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

What about the Gigabyte or MSI boards? I have not had one of those in years but I have heard decent things on them. The last board I had that died on me was the EVGA 3-Way SLI board so I do not want to go with another one of their products.

gamingboy · Mar 13, 2013

jeremymh :

Gigabyte, AsRock and Asus are the best motherboard makers ATM. They all have great build quality.

What it really comes down is the price, and the features. I would go for the Asus board, but the other makes aren't bad either. However, you should always look for reviews of the specific boards and then make the decision. A high price or a good brand does not always = good board.

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

I have read many reviews from many different sites. Do you think the Asus Rampage Extreme IV is worth the asking price of $479 or would you go with a different brand or lower costing board? What board in your opinion will function and perform the best with gaming, video editing, graphic design, etc. A majority of things will be gaming and want a really good performance from the board.

gamingboy · Mar 13, 2013

jeremymh :

It really depends. Buying an expensive board might not do anything for you. But if you have high end, expensive components, then an expensive board should be quite an obvious buy.

If you run your computer for long times on heavy loads, a good board might be a good investment, as it might make your PC last a little bit longer than some cheaper board. But this is debatable.

If you don't need the specific features that some more expensive boards have, and you don't want to spend extra money, then a cheaper alternative would do the job just fine.

If you mostly do gaming, then you might not need the extra durability.

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

Thanks for all your feedback. Can you recommend a good board to go along with the processor I mentioned that I have? I am also going to be running 32gb of ram in the machine as well or at least that is what I am shooting for.

gamingboy · Mar 13, 2013

jeremymh :

What sort of features do you need? How many hard drives, how many SSD's? Do you have or do you plan on getting multiple graphics cards? Do you need some extra OC potential?

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

Not sure on features but would like to have expandability for future if that makes sense. I will have 2 Velicoraptor's in Raid 0, 2 (1) TB drives, and a 3tb external hard drive. No SSD's now they are really expensive but can go with one if you recommend it. I will have 2 as of right now GTX 660 TI Cards in SLI or I will go with a single GTX680 I am thinking. Do have intention of OC if possible.

imomun · Mar 13, 2013

You should be fine with this MSI X79A-GD45 (better aswell price wise)

gamingboy · Mar 13, 2013

jeremymh :

I would either recommend the Asus P9X79 (cheap, has all you need, no special OC stuff), or the Asus Rampage IV Formula (high end, has 4 SATA 6 Gb slots, extra OC capabilities).

If you need the 4 SATA 6Gb slots, but don't want to pay for the Rampage, then you can get the P9X79 PRO. It also has more USB 3 ports, if you have use for 6 of them

christop · Mar 13, 2013

ASUS Sabertooth X79

jeremymh · Mar 13, 2013

I like having all the extra features and being able to overclock well with processor, memory, etc. I dont mind paying the extra money but if I can get another board that will perform just as well and have all those extra features at a lower cost then I am for it. Can you recommend something that would be in this same type of category or is there simply not anything?

I am looking at these boards....which one would be the best?

1. ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Professional ATX Intel Motherboard
2. ASUS Sabertooth X79 ATX Intel Motherboard
3. ASUS Rampage IV Formula ATX Intel Motherboard
4. GIGABYTE G1.ASSASSIN2 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
5. ASUS Rampage IV Extreme Extended ATX Intel Motherboard

gamingboy · Mar 14, 2013

jeremymh :

If you just want the best, then get the Asus Rampage IV. It's the best board for overclocking, and one of the highest quality boards, period.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asus-rampage-iv-formula.html

ODuron · Sep 28, 2013

jeremymh :

I'm using both the 3930K and the ASUS Sabertooth X79 with 32GB of Corsair DDR3 Quad Channel Ram. You should be fine with that combo, remember that the 3930K runs hot. I'm running it at 4297MHz with idle temps around 41C. If you plan on OC farther than that you will need a high end Air or LC cooler for the CPU. I was able to reach 4.2GHz by just using the ASUS OC Tuner and a CPU Ratio of 34.0 This is using a Hyper 212 EVO air cooler. It seems that the temp I have to watch is the VCore, it runs about 8 deg. hotter than the CPU. I was running an H80i liquid cooler, but the pump went out after 8 months of use. I'm only seeing about 2 degrees difference between the low end air cooler and the H80i liquid cooler. Make sure your case has plenty of air flow because the CPU coolers do nothing for the VCore temps.

Best Gaming Motherboard for Intel Core i7-3930K

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Share this page