How much can a motherboard take?

xxdanxs · May 30, 2013

Hi. I am new to building PC's and I am in the process of finding parts. I am trying to keep my entire build around $800 or less. I am looking at ATX 1155 Intel Z77 motherboards and I can't really tell what to get. I would like to get a basic ATX motherboard (preferably around $110 or less). One that can handle an i5 3570k or an i7 3770k CPU (which I may overclock in the future), 32 GB RAM max (which all of them can nowadays but I will only be using 8 GB), and a GTX 660 ti. Are all motherboards capable of handling these components or will this be too much for certain motherboards? I was looking into getting this motherboard (link below). According to the specs, it should be able to handle the components mentioned above but I heard that this motherboard cannot handle the stress of an i7. Is this true? Also, if I felt like overclocking, would this motherboard be okay for the job? Any responses are appreciated.

Here is the motherboard I am talking about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130653

P.S. Sorry if any of this was unclear. I am new to all of this.

- Dan

freshbakd · May 30, 2013

That mobo will suite you just fine get a decent power supply. Everything you named will work with it. Generally the more you spend the better power management it has for more overclocking or more sata or thunderbolt ports. With your budget it seems a good choice.

marshallbradley · May 30, 2013

The 3570K and 3770K are both socket LGA 1155 CPUs. That means any socket 1155 (regardless of whether it's a Z77 chipset one or not) will be able to support these CPUs.

In order to be able to over-clock the CPU however, you need a Z77 motherboard. I would recommend against that one though, since the over-clocking potential is pretty limited due to the bad power phase design (basically what supplies the CPU with power). If you want to over-clock, I think you should spend $130-140 on a decent mid-range Z77 motherboard, rather than a bottom of the barrel $100 one like that MSI. I would recommend either a Biostar TZ77XE3 or a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.

The 660 Ti requires a full-sized PCI Express expansion slot (which every motherboard on the market is going to have).

Personally I would wait for the release of the 760 Ti to see what it's price point is, before purchasing potentially outdated hardware though. If you go on the Systems sub-forum, you will get a build recommended pronto.

M

xxdanxs · May 30, 2013

marshallbradley :

The 3570K and 3770K are both socket LGA 1155 CPUs. That means any socket 1155 (regardless of whether it's a Z77 chipset one or not) will be able to support these CPUs.

In order to be able to over-clock the CPU however, you need a Z77 motherboard. I would recommend against that one though, since the over-clocking potential is pretty limited due to the bad power phase design (basically what supplies the CPU with power). If you want to over-clock, I think you should spend $130-140 on a decent mid-range Z77 motherboard, rather than a bottom of the barrel $100 one like that MSI. I would recommend either a Biostar TZ77XE3 or a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.

The 660 Ti requires a full-sized PCI Express expansion slot (which every motherboard on the market is going to have).

Personally I would wait for the release of the 760 Ti to see what it's price point is, before purchasing potentially outdated hardware though. If you go on the Systems sub-forum, you will get a build recommended pronto.

M

Thank you!

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How much can a motherboard take?

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