Help: Motherboard/Video Card Question (newbie)

Kenneth Garmon

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Sep 1, 2013
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I want upgrade my computer but I don't know which motherboard to get. My question is I have 2 older Nvida 280 video cards and I wanted to keep these same cards but upgrade everything else. I want the lastest and greatest so price is not a real issue but I don't want to do another upgrade for aleast five years like the current one I have. So will the newer motherboards take my cards or I will have to upgrade them too. I was looking at the Asus sabertooth 277.

I will be getting new:
Motherboard
SSD Drive
Processer
CPU fan
or anything I will need.

Any help or suggestion will be really appreciate.
 
Solution
Your build looks good.

One thing you must change is the ram. The high vengeance heat spreaders will impact your cooler.
The same ram in low profile version is a bit cheaper too : http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-2x4GB-Desktop-Memory-CMX8GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B0042A7CAA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1378217370&sr=1-2&keywords=corsair+8gb+1600

Also, I might suggest the Samsung evo ssd. It is a bit cheaper, and comes with software that can use up to 1gb of ram as a cache.
It will perform equally well as the pro, particularly in low queue desktop situations. The only negative vs. the pro is less longevity. The evo should last over 10 years under heavy desktop usage. The pro will last longer, like 15 years. It is a moot point, both...
After 5 years, your pc os obsolete. Including your GTX280 cards.
They were great in their day.

sli GTX280 is somewhat equivalent to a single $170 GTX570 or GTX650ti boost of today. At least in fps benchmarks.
Add to that the avoidance of dual card issues like stuttering, heat, noise and you really should just go with newer tech.

You mentioned sabretooth z77. In general, I find sabretooth to be overpriced. And z77 is no longer current.

Assuming your use is for gaming, I would look at a i5-4670K and a Z87 based motherboard.
A great card like a GTX770 would be appropriate.

You needed about a 750w psu so that is more than enough and can be carried over to a new build.
It will be an eye opener. Look for Samsung evo.

For gaming, 8gb ram is the norm. But, with ram so cheap, I have no problem with 16gb. The Samsung evo will have some interesting cache to ram options. No need for >1600 speed.

Put together a starting list of what you think would be good, along with links.

If you are gaming on a single monitor, a GTX770 will be very good.
If you are looking to triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, then you will likely need more graphics power.
On that score, be prepared to do a graphics upgrade in the future before your 5 years is out.
I would expect that a sufficiently strong single card will be available. I would not plan on sli if I could avoid it.
I love the ssd. But buy one that is large enough. 120gb is minimum, 240gb will hold the os and a good number of games.
 

Kenneth Garmon

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Sep 1, 2013
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lol, I knew I was going to have to get a new video card. And yes my computer will defiantly be for gaming. So you suggest getting i5-467ok verses some of the new I7? I'm going to do some research and put together list of my build. Thanks for the quick response.
 
A i7 vs. i5 gives you hyperthreading. It is somewhat equivalent to adding 4 more cores of perhaps 25% capability each.
Games today generally do not use more than 2-3 cores so the hyperthreads do not add much. BF3 multiplayer or FSX are two that do use many cores to good effect.
If budget is no concern, I suppose that a i7-3930K 6 core cpu @$550 or so might be good if your budget is not a problem.
My advice is to think more about the graphics part of the build and the monitor/s that you will use.
Think about a 2560 x 1600 30" monitor and a GTX780.
You might read tom's article on best gaming cpu's for the money. They like the value of the i5-3570K, but I think socket 1150 and haswell has more upside:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html
 

Kenneth Garmon

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Sep 1, 2013
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@geofelt

Here is Amazon Wishlist http://amzn.com/w/24V2DTLQS6R6K , what do you think about this setup(please give me suggestion if these components are not good), I still don't know motherboard to get yet. I see you have Gigabyte G1 is that pretty good one or should I get a something else? I would't say my budget in unlimnted but i'll like to stay below $1500. And i'll will be using Windows 8 so I can play some of the newer games like Project Spark.
 
Your list is good.
Most any Z87 based motherboard will perform about as well as any other. No need for high priced enthusiast motherboards.

I might prefer low profile ram to insure that there is no interference with your cpu cooler.
I have been pleased with the Gigabyte g1 sniper m5. Note that it is a m-atx size and is less expensive than the full size version.

I happen to like smaller cases.
 

martok78

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Sep 1, 2013
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May I ask a question? I recently got burned with ASUS Sabertooth 990fx and am researching a switch to Intel i7 - I am researching a new board - thinking Gigabyte or MSI - reading a lot of issues with all boards - preferred price range is $100 - $200 ($250 max) - I need 4 SATA ports minimum - advice? I am trying not to get burned again - advice welcome please
 

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
I'd say the Asus Hero ($220), I had 2 builds on it before deciding on one for myself and have upgrades a couple more, no problems, I know mine is only about 3 weeks old but have already thrown numerous sets of DRAM and a few different GPUs in it and never a hiccup
 

genghiskhanid

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Jul 4, 2007
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I don't hate ASRock myself. I've had 3 in the past 2 years and I find they are a great bang for the buck. Yes, they are flimsy, and no they don't have color coding for the ram, but imo 1- boards don't need to be robust, they are strapped in a case and 2- If you don't know how to install ram, too bad for you.

 
What was your issue with the ASUS Sabertooth 990fx?

Just about every Z87(haswell lga 1150) based motherboard will have 6 sata 3.0 ports. Every Z77(ivy bridge lga 1155) motherboard will have 6 sata ports of which 2 are sata3.0.
The only current advantage of sata 3.0 is for a SSD attachment. Other devices can hardly saturate 2.0.

The implementation of sata is in the Z87 or Z77 chip, so the motherboard brand is largely irrelevant to that.

The high priced(>$150) enthusiast motherboards are oriented towards record seeking overclockers.
If you are a conservative overclocker, they all perform the same. If budget is not an issue, go ahead and spend the money. If budget is an issue, spend the difference on something more productive like a ssd, or more ram.

New motherboards will often have bios teething glitches that are fixed with updates after launch. Mostly they revolve around ram compatibility and overclocking. Look for a motherboard that has been our for a while. Also, check the ram vendor to verify that your ram kit is compatible with that particular motherboard.

Past that, you should have little issue with any motherboard. If you want, go to their support forum and see how issues are being handled. I have used Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte, msi, ECS without any major issue.
 

martok78

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Sep 1, 2013
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The Asus Sabertooth 990fx has a CPU LED LIGHT RED - on original plus the RMA board. I replaced the CPU, RAM AND PSU before contacting them. That took 1 week, now on week 4 of dealing with Asus RMA process - have checked into the board - seems to be a frequent issue. I have verified the CPU OPN number - it is supported. This system was to be my first gaming system. I do not intend to do a great amount of over clocking. I just want a stable board - willing to pay if I have to, stability is more important, especially given the hassle I have had with ASUS
 
Interesting.
I did some research on newegg.
I sorted by most popular, and looked at the feedback.
Looking at 1 or 2 eggs, I found that the typical percentage for AM3 motherboards was on the order of 20%
It appeared to be only slightly better for Z77 based motherboards.
Z87 motherboards were still in the 15% range but with many fewer reports.
It did not seem to make any difference who the maker was.

All I can suggest is that you review the feedback carefully for a prospective motherboard, and try to sort out those reports that indicate a true issue from those that are likely user error.

Yes, you can get a bad motherboard. The odds are higher than I might have thought. If you buy from a good retailer like newegg, they will replace it quickly.
 

martok78

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Sep 1, 2013
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In other words I didn't miss anything and it is luck of the draw about getting a bad board - ok but shouldn't have ASUS have checked to make sure the board they sent me worked? I mean at the time I bought it there were no known issues - now the CPU LED LIGHT is a known issue, but ASUS should not have sent me a DOA board
 
I would agree that ASUS, or any other vendor should not send out DOA motherboards.
I don't see how they could mount a cpu and ram for testing each board individually, and still sell the motherboards at current prices.
I think they count on some number of returns.

That said, I have never received a failing motherboard.
The closest might have been the sata 3 chipset issue on the first P67 motherboards, and I must say that ASUS handled that exchange very well.
 

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
There's a lot of things that COULD happen after it's tested, someone could have flexed the mobo and there was a weak solder point or trace, could have been dropped, the box it was in, banged or dropped, might even have encountered a strong electrical or magnetic field, or static discharge. On accassion this can happen to any mobo - it's not like the MSI mobo with a history of numerous complaints of bad DRAM sockets - that a true QC (Quality Control) l issue
 

martok78

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Sep 1, 2013
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I bought this board last year and I am reading a lot of first generation issues - with the issue I have. If they send me another DOA I will email their CEO - figure 3 boards is the limit. Thanks for advice folks btw - been 5 yrs since my last build and even then this is first gaming system. My Max budget was 3k and 2yrs
 

Kenneth Garmon

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Sep 1, 2013
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Ok, after reading many threads and looking at many hours of YouTube videos this is probably the final Specs for my build.

Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth Z87 LGA 1150 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CRJVZOM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NG4HB43UEDVL
or I Might get the Asus Maximus VI Hero

Processer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO8TBQ0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Power: SeaSonic 650-Watt ATX12V/EPS12V
http://www.amazon.com/SeaSonic-650-Watt-CrossFire-Certified-SSR-650RM/dp/B00918N4A0/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX770 SuperClocked
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-SuperClocked-Graphics-02G-P4-2774-KR/dp/B00CZIQXBA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=24V2DTLQS6R6K&coliid=I2F3HW9UVWG46U

Storage: Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NB8WRU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

CPU Cooler : Noctua 6 Dual Heatpipe with 140mm/120mm
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VKVZ1A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A15YNZR7YB053N

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-240-Pin-Platforms-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=24V2DTLQS6R6K&coliid=I34N5F3220DON

What do you guys think about this build I was going go with the Intel Core i5-4670K, I do a little video editing and I read that I7 is better card for editing. Any suggesting will be greatly aprreicate. I never overclock before so that's something I looking to do to.
 
Your build looks good.

One thing you must change is the ram. The high vengeance heat spreaders will impact your cooler.
The same ram in low profile version is a bit cheaper too : http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-2x4GB-Desktop-Memory-CMX8GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B0042A7CAA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1378217370&sr=1-2&keywords=corsair+8gb+1600

Also, I might suggest the Samsung evo ssd. It is a bit cheaper, and comes with software that can use up to 1gb of ram as a cache.
It will perform equally well as the pro, particularly in low queue desktop situations. The only negative vs. the pro is less longevity. The evo should last over 10 years under heavy desktop usage. The pro will last longer, like 15 years. It is a moot point, both will be obsolete long before they lose update capability.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1378217426&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung+evo

 
Solution