Want a gaming mobo

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SirWeggington

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Mar 12, 2014
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I'm looking to upgrade my motherboard to a gaming one. I've narrowed my search to these three. Which of them is the best choice? Or is there a better one that I didn't link? It needs to have a 2011 socket type.


http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Rampage-IV-Black-Motherboard/dp/B00GIZ3APS/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1397813278&sr=1-4&keywords=Intel


http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Sabertooth-X79-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B0061XSBZG/ref=sr_1_11?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1397813526&sr=1-11&keywords=lga+2011


http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GA-X79-UD3-2011-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B0064Z6YD2/ref=sr_1_15?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1397813526&sr=1-15&keywords=lga+2011
 
Solution
unknownofprob
I have a X79 system and I have no regret in suggesting this;

Gigabyte X79-UP4
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-2011-Intel-Motherboard-GA-X79-UP4/dp/B0096KEZVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1397815464&sr=1-1&keywords=x79+up4

I had the same challenge facing you right now, and that was my final decision. For gaming, a motherboard won't really make much of a difference at all, if not one, the more you spend the more features and the slightly better OC capabilities.

Huge price differences between option 1 and 3 and defiantly isn't worth it.

The X79-UP4 has;

-10 USB ports at the rear, 2 are USB 3.0

-Quad SLI support, with SLI/Crossfire running in X8/X8 configuration, best it can be

-SLI bridge/triple SLI bridge/Quad SLI...
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unknownofprob

unknownofprob

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Oct 3, 2013
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I have a X79 system and I have no regret in suggesting this;

Gigabyte X79-UP4
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-2011-Intel-Motherboard-GA-X79-UP4/dp/B0096KEZVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1397815464&sr=1-1&keywords=x79+up4

I had the same challenge facing you right now, and that was my final decision. For gaming, a motherboard won't really make much of a difference at all, if not one, the more you spend the more features and the slightly better OC capabilities.

Huge price differences between option 1 and 3 and defiantly isn't worth it.

The X79-UP4 has;

-10 USB ports at the rear, 2 are USB 3.0

-Quad SLI support, with SLI/Crossfire running in X8/X8 configuration, best it can be

-SLI bridge/triple SLI bridge/Quad SLI bridge/Crossfire bridge cables included

-8 Ram slots

-great 3D BIOS

-Don't have to mess around with BIOS to get your CPU working, unlike the Asus or other brands. Easy put in and it'll work sorta thing, instead of put in then flash BIOS which is a pain and a waste of time.

-Sturdy motherboard, has proven as it's holding some heavy weight (CPU cooler (massive)) and soon to be two long GPU's.

-Great OC capabilities

-Stays quite cool

-PCI-E Slots spaced out appropriately for great upgrade flexibility (GPU's can be in slots 1/3 or 2/4 or 1/4 if you want them spaced out.)

-Supports High ram speeds

-Colour scheme, may seem a little weird but it actually looks pretty good.

For the price, I can't justify why not to get it. It's much better then the UD3 as well.

 
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Solution
Stu_UK

Stu_UK

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Apr 17, 2014
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SirWeggington,

I assembled a reasonably high spec PC in January using the GA-X79-UD3 mainboard, so I can confirm that it would be a solid start for you to start putting together a system of your own; I have no experience with the Asus brand so I can't tell you if they're any good or not.

Obviously unknownofprob is very proud of his X79-UP4 but I couldn't help but smirk at the remark that the UP4 is much better than the UD3. If you run a product comparison on the Gigabyte website for these two models you'll see that the only difference is the fact that UP4 can support up to 64GB of RAM (Confirm: Is it capped at 2133 MHz DDR3?) whereas the UD3 can 'only' manage 32GB of 2400MHz DDR3. The onboard audio codecs on the UP4 are different to that of the UD3 which in all honesty might not be a bad thing at the moment as the 5.1 setup on my build isn't running right at this point.

If you're going to exploit the full 64GB of RAM then you'll have to buy an UP4. Know that I'm running 32GB of 2400MHz DDR3 (4x8GB) at the moment and I'm having a hard time appreciating that at some point in the future that amount of RAM will be considered a bottleneck on a system!

A plus point not to be sniffed at is that the UD3 is currently retailing at Scan Computers for £144.95 whereas the UP4 is currently £176.15

Sound issues aside, I'm overjoyed with how my build turned out! - Let us know how yours turned out!

 
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SirWeggington

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Mar 12, 2014
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Thanks, both, for your answers and input. I think I will go with unknownofprob's recommendation because I'm running 32GB of RAM right now and would like to have room for more when/if the time comes. Both boards are very similar and I don't really mind doling out the extra money for more RAM slots.
 
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