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MSI G45 vs the GD-65: The Better Overclocker

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a b V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:34:23 AM

Today TODAY or tomorrow I am about to make the leap from my 8350 to a 4770K. I've been considering 3 different boards: the G45, GD-65, or the asus maximus (out of the question now because over my budget).

So I've narrowed it down between the two MSI boards and read several reviews about each. I'm looking to overclock my new 4770K I'm purchasing along with it (what little headroom it has) with an H100i. The two boards are priced on newegg a little ways apart ($154 vs $187) and I was wondering if the $30 or so premium was worth the bump up to the GD-65.

From the looks of it the 65 has bigger heatsinks for more MOFSETs and therefore can handle higher power more efficiently but some of the reviews I've seen the G45 can actually keep a more stable overclock than the GD-65. I don't really think I need to worry about power anyway due to how little power the 4770K draws anyway.

Things I don't care about:
-amount of SATA ports (I'm only using just one SSD at the moment and of course an optical drive)
-SLI'ing or crossfire
-on board audio (they're all the same $2 OEM realtek nonsense)

Things I do care about:
-overclocking stability
-BIOS features (both are probably the same since the boards are very similar)
-board layout (both very similar)
-form factor (has to be ATX)

If you have an other suggestions of similarly priced boards (preferably with a red and black scheme to match my internals) feel free to mention them.

tl;dr: is paying an extra $30 worth it

More about : msi g45 overclocker

a c 210 V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:48:44 AM

If you are getting 4770k CPU, the GD45 will not be compatible. The 4770k is a LGA 1150 CPU while the GD45 is an LGA 2011 MB. Get the GD65. It should do nicely for OCing and it is a LGA 1150 MB.
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a b V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:52:57 AM

spooky2th said:
If you are getting 4770k CPU, the GD45 will not be compatible. The 4770k is a LGA 1150 CPU while the GD45 is an LGA 2011 MB. Get the GD65. It should do nicely for OCing and it is a LGA 1150 MB.


the G45
not the GD45 although if I had the money I'd love to move up to socket 2011 and get a 4930K =w=
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a b V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:56:53 AM

Good question. I was wondering the same thing.
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Best solution

a c 135 V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:57:49 AM

When I bought the MSI Z87-G43 it was part of a Newegg Shell-Shocker deal and I really didn't know much about different Intel MBs. It has been a very good board for me and it easily OC's my 4670 to 4.6 GHz. However, if I were buying today I would definitely get the GD65 because of its additional power phases. I forget how many but the G43 and G45 reportedly share the same 6+2 power phase design.

So, yes. I would say that the GD65 is worth the extra $30.

Yogi
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a c 210 V Motherboard
March 28, 2014 7:59:59 AM

Sorry, I misread your post. If you can afford it and are going to OC, I would still get the 65. Cost more but you should be able to OC easier and more. Then again if you think an OC will be more stable with the 45? I bet if you update the BIOS on the 65 if it does not come with the latest version already, your stability will be good.
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