what about Asrock extreme3 x79?

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

Hey there,
I would like to know some opinions on this motherboard from people who put their hands on it. It is the cheapest x79 motherboard on the market and since I'm going to start a new upgrade (from afresh) by the first half of June, I still have to make up my mind which way i should go. If i go the 2011 way I'll get the 3930k with it and I'll be overclocking. I want to build a 3 monitor setup maybe with 2 7950 flex cards. I won't just be playing games.
If i can save some money and get a good mobo I'll be happy but whatever. And i dont intend to pay twice as much for an asus rog mobo.
My other choice would be an Asus p9x79.
So what do you think?

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

There is a good review/ comparison here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/x79-extreme4-dx79to-p9x79-benchmark,3138.html

In this range of motherboards you are paying for the features, they all perform more or less the same.

So Asrock extreme3 x79 has 4 Ram slots, 3x PCIe 3.0 (x16, x16, x8) and 3 x Sata 6.0.
Asus p9x79 has 8 Ram slots, 3x PCIe 3.0 (x16, x16, x8) and 2x sata 6.0.

Truth to be told, they are very similar and depending on where you are buying, the price difference can be noticeable. Also do note that Asus has the best reputation for reliability of all motherboard manufacturers.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

There is a good review/ comparison here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/x79-extreme4-dx79to-p9x79-benchmark,3138.html

In this range of motherboards you are paying for the features, they all perform more or less the same.

So Asrock extreme3 x79 has 4 Ram slots, 3x PCIe 3.0 (x16, x16, x8) and 3 x Sata 6.0.
Asus p9x79 has 8 Ram slots, 3x PCIe 3.0 (x16, x16, x8) and 2x sata 6.0.

Truth to be told, they are very similar and depending on where you are buying, the price difference can be noticeable. Also do note that Asus has the best reputation for reliability of all motherboard manufacturers.

yeah, i get your point. I can buy the p9x79 for about 20-25 euro more than the extreme3. mayebe for such a small difference, I should get the more reliable one, though as you said you get the features you pay for and they are all pretty much the same.

thanks for the reply

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

yeah, i get your point. I can buy the p9x79 for about 20-25 euro more than the extreme3. mayebe for such a small difference, I should get the more reliable one, though as you said you get the features you pay for and they are all pretty much the same.

thanks for the reply

Exactly. If the money difference isn't a big deal to you, go for Asus. I have never had any problems with their mobos. If you want to save, choose Asrock. Simple. Don't fret too much. The difference really isn't massive.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

Exactly. If the difference isn't a big deal to you, go for Asus. I have never had any problems with their mobos. If you want to save, choose Asrock. Simple. Don't fret too much. The difference really isn't massive.

one more question. you know the feature asus mobos have that you can flash the bios without the cpu installed in the socket? i dont know what it's called... does the p9x79 have it? i'm asking you cause i dont know if ivy bridge-e will be out in june. cause if it is, i'll buy the new processor instead..

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

one more question. you know the feature asus mobos have that you can flash the bios without the cpu installed in the socket? i dont know what it's called... does the p9x79 have it? i'm asking you cause i dont know if ivy bridge-e will be out in june. cause if it is, i'll buy the new processor instead..

It is called "USB Bios Flashback" and only Asus high-end mobos have them. And yes Asus p9x79 has it.
http://event.asus.com/2012/mb/USB_BIOS_Flashback_GUIDE/

If you need it, yes, Asus p9x79 is the obvious choice.
You have the guide in the link i sent you.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

one more question. you know the feature asus mobos have that you can flash the bios without the cpu installed in the socket? i dont know what it's called... does the p9x79 have it? i'm asking you cause i dont know if ivy bridge-e will be out in june. cause if it is, i'll buy the new processor instead..

It is called "USB Bios Flashback" and only Asus high-end mobos have them. And yes Asus p9x79 has it.
http://event.asus.com/2012/mb/USB_BIOS_Flashback_GUIDE/

If you need it, yes, Asus p9x79 is the obvious choice.
You have the guide in the link i sent you.

thank you. i can see now. then i think i'll go for the asus board

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

one more question. you know the feature asus mobos have that you can flash the bios without the cpu installed in the socket? i dont know what it's called... does the p9x79 have it? i'm asking you cause i dont know if ivy bridge-e will be out in june. cause if it is, i'll buy the new processor instead..

It is called "USB Bios Flashback" and only Asus high-end mobos have them. And yes Asus p9x79 has it.
http://event.asus.com/2012/mb/USB_BIOS_Flashback_GUIDE/

If you need it, yes, Asus p9x79 is the obvious choice.
You have the guide in the link i sent you.

thank you. i can see now. then i think i'll go for the asus board

Enjoy you new mobo!

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

It is called "USB Bios Flashback" and only Asus high-end mobos have them. And yes Asus p9x79 has it.
http://event.asus.com/2012/mb/USB_BIOS_Flashback_GUIDE/

If you need it, yes, Asus p9x79 is the obvious choice.
You have the guide in the link i sent you.

thank you. i can see now. then i think i'll go for the asus board

Enjoy you new mobo!

cant wait.. but i think the 3930k is the beast here. cant wait to see how a true six core cpu performs in heavily threaded tasks..

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

thank you. i can see now. then i think i'll go for the asus board

Enjoy you new mobo!

cant wait.. but i think the 3930k is the beast here. cant wait to see how a true six core cpu performs in heavily threaded tasks..

Awesome, of course. There is probably nothing out there to match it. Unless you went for Xeon, heh.
Put on it some nice cooler (Coolermaster evo212 will be nice for the money), overclock when needed and it will devour anything.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

i was thinking about that cooler, actually.. it has a good reputation. would 2 7950 in xfire handle a 5760x1080 resolution? i can get them for about half the price of a titan and they are very good cards..

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crysis-3-performance-benchmark-gaming,3451-7.html

If you mean games, you they will handle even Crysis 3. But don't expect "everything on Ultra". With 2X 7950 at 5760x1080 you can run demanding games on medium and average games on high. But of course, if you start lacking power for the future games, just turn off one monitor.

Yeah, that is an excellent cooler, and one shouldn't pay more for any other- only other option is watercooling imho. It is just that good for the money.
With that cooler and good PSU (i suppose you have one), you are pretty much set with that kind of beastly hardware.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

i dont even think i know what it means to play games "with everything on ultra"... i now make do with my old 2gb gtx 285 at 1080p, in bf3 i have textures on ultra, other settings on high/medium and 8x AF and AA off. so yeah, i'm not that demanding. 2x 7950 can quite keep up with a single titan.. so i guess i'll be happy with that.

i have a corsair cx600 80+ atm (recently bought). though extreme power calculator gives me ~590w of reommended psu wattage (also considering capacitor aging set at 20%) i dont think it's going to be enough for this rig...

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

i dont even think i know what it means to play games "with everything on ultra"... i now make do with my old 2gb gtx 285 at 1080p, in bf3 i have textures on ultra, other settings on high/medium and 8x AF and AA off. so yeah, i'm not that demanding. 2x 7950 can quite keep up with a single titan.. so i guess i'll be happy with that.

i have a corsair cx600 80+ atm (recently bought). though extreme power calculator gives me ~590w of reommended psu wattage (also considering capacitor aging set at 20%) i dont think it's going to be enough for this rig...

Hmmm, at max 12v load with 3930k 130w+ HD7950 2X 180w = 490w that is very close to what cx600 can do. The poor thing at heavy loads might shut down itself. Well if you spent so much on the rig, do think about getting high-quality 850w PSU, preferably from Corsair or Seasonic. You don't want those components to get fried, do you?

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

Absolutely not! Plus I'm considering buying a ups unit. Otherwise that would be like throwing my money out of the window. What do you think about those platinum certified psus? Are they worth buying?

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

Absolutely not! Plus I'm considering buying a ups unit. Otherwise that would be like throwing my money out of the window. What do you think about those platinum certified psus? Are they worth buying?

It is just efficiency. It is for saving on electricity bills. Bronze is 85% while Gold is 92% efficient. So Bronze 850w PSU will actually use 1000 watts from the wall while producing 850w for the PC. Gold one will draw 925watts and produce 850w. Many 700 W + PSUs are gold or platinum. If you can find a decent one for the money, why not? If it they are significantly more expensive than 80+ Bronze models, I don't think it is worth it. Depends on what shop you prefer: in USA 850w bronze PSUs start at 110$ while Gold ones are 150ish $. In that case, it is worth it. Depends on your bufget of course.

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

djfv :

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

Absolutely not! Plus I'm considering buying a ups unit. Otherwise that would be like throwing my money out of the window. What do you think about those platinum certified psus? Are they worth buying?

It is just efficiency. It is for saving on electricity bills. Bronze is 85% while Gold is 92% efficient. So Bronze 850w PSU will actually use 1000 watts from the wall while producing 850w for the PC. Gold one will draw 925watts and produce 850w. Many 700 W + PSUs are gold or platinum. If you can find a decent one for the money, why not? If it they are significantly more expensive than 80+ Bronze models, I don't think it is worth it. Depends on what shop you prefer: in USA 850w bronze PSUs start at 110$ while Gold ones are 150ish $. In that case, it is worth it. Depends on your bufget of course.

Wow they are really cheap over there. Here in italy you start from 170 euros shipping included up. about $200. The platinum ones Not worth it i guess

j0ndafr3ak · May 12, 2013

The gold ones are about 40 euros cheaper. For example you can find a Corsair hx850 80plus gold at 134 euros with shipping which isnt bad at all

Edit: just checked 170 euros are about 220 dollars...

djfv · May 12, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

Yes i checked italian shops. You can find 850 TX (bronze) for 117 euros, but, as you said - hx850 (gold) is 134 euros, and in that case, it is worth it. You will save the difference in electricity bills, for sure, and get a better power supply.

j0ndafr3ak · May 13, 2013

djfv :

Yeah I guess we saw the same site. I didn't know higher efficiency resulted in lower power consumption. That's good to know. I'll definitely get that one.
I read somewhere that intel is going to further delay ib-e release. I guess the 3930k will do hehe

djfv · May 13, 2013

j0ndafr3ak :

djfv :

Yeah I guess we saw the same site. I didn't know higher efficiency resulted in lower power consumption. That's good to know. I'll definitely get that one.
I read somewhere that intel is going to further delay ib-e release. I guess the 3930k will do hehe

10% difference ib-e promises isn't that massive. No need to rush. Enjoy your pc!

what about Asrock extreme3 x79?

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