Gigabyte or ASUS???

mf2385

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Hey guys I am in the middle of upgrading my motherboard, processor, ram and video card. Basically I will be buying a brand new Intel Core i5 2500k processor and 8gb ripjaws ddr3 1600mhz 2x4gb dual channel sticks of ram. Also debating whether to get a gtx 570 or gtx 460 in sli for less than the price of one gtx 570. That being said my real big decision right now is between these two motherboard.


GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0366193

or

ASUS P8P67 R3.1 LGA 1155 P67 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364220




I do have to say the GIGABYTE Z68 has Cloud OC, and supports 2-way SLi and CrossfireX, while ASUS doesn't, and the Gigabyte board is a little cheaper, supports the same ram and pretty much everything else.

I will be overclocking my new 2500k to around 4.5ghz stable and probably no where close to 5ghz as I am going for stability and that is def a very nice overclock enough for me for now. What do you guys think?
 

chillin15

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So the Z68 chipset allows you to use the processor's integrated graphics to transcode videos much more quickly. It is also useful if you don't have a graphics card lying around. The integrated graphics is HD 3000 and will not offer any advantages in gaming over a discrete card. The z68 chipset also allows you to make any mechanical hard drive in your system faster by using a small SSD drive (64gb or smaller) as a cache. A stand alone SSD is still much faster than using a small SSD as a cache.

Besides those features I mentioned, the Z68 offers no improvement whatsoever over the P67 chipset.

Have a look at the graph on this page for a comparison of all the P67 and Z68 mobos:

http://www.overclock.net/intel-motherboards/916189-complete-official-intel-p67-z68-motherboard.html

I personally like asus better than gigabyte because they have a more modern looking bios but to each his own.

If you are planning to slo, the asus board you are looking at will not be able to sli/cf at 8x/8x. Only 16x/4x which will impact performance.

You should get the P67 Pro version if you ever plan on using two video cards:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364229
This will allow you to sli at 8x/8x.

here is the z68 version of that board:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364206

Hope that helps
 

mf2385

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defintely helps, I don't really intend on sli'ing two cards really I don't think but it would be different, like what if I wanted to try sli'ing two gtx 460s for instance, I could get two exact 460s for a good price and sli and get good results I hear. Probably less expensive then a single gtx 570 and not too far off in performance.

But yeah as far as the overclocking of the intel core i5 2500k goes, which would be easier and better to use for that purpose? I see both have different and unique methods at overclocking, but they both seem good. So it makes it harder to choose.
 

chillin15

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Personally, I would not go for the sli/crossfire route. Not every game utilizes that configuration and the performance increase you get from two cards does not offset all the negatives you get from utilizing two cards - higher temps and especially noise. So good call on that.

For OC'ing, things to look out for are the # of phases (to a cterian extent because after you get above 16, it's not as beneficial anymore). For that reason I would choose the asus over the gigabyte and the asus pro (either p67 or z68) over all the other ones.
 

mf2385

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mf2385

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yeah the ASUS P8P67 R3.1 LGA 1155 P67 is a good choice for me then with my HAF 912 Gaming case and I will pick up a GTX 570 or HD 6970 for my next purchase. I am getting a ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT CPU Cooler as well. Gonna OC my new i5 2500k to the highest around 4.5Ghz. Should be nice.

Here is the cooler I will be getting, how do you like it? VERY good reviews on Newegg as well and pretty non-expensive, gets the job done looks like:

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003
 

mf2385

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Dude, I don't really care about low noise that much I got an AC pretty loud in here already lolll, I just want a good mediocre costing, efficiently coolin cpu cooler that will definitely cool my intel core i5 2500k to a very nice temp while overclocked to 4.5ghz and I am gaming a good amount.

Let me know what you think dude. I can spend upto like 80$ or so on one, if it's worth it.
 

mf2385

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Ok let me change that question, on www.microcenter.com, where I'm buying all my components and they are actually going to assemble most of it for me, which CPU cooler is the best I can get for my needs. I'll look those up though and see..

plus those are a bit expensive, I don't think I need the best one. Not like I'm going to push the i5 2500k to it's limits over 5ghz or anything. I just want a really good cpu cooler keep my temps real nice while I'm gaming on it for awhile, resonably priced like hopefully from $40-$75.

The Thermaltake FRIO looks really good and it was like the number 5 of the top custom cpu fans/heatsinks on that 2nd site you gave me its 69.99.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0333155
 

mf2385

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Even that cooler might be overdoing it, I am not die-hard overclocking, most people get a stable 4.5ghz overclock almost even with the stock cooler, so with this pretty good ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED Universal CPU Cooler, which is ranked really high on newegg, I think I'll be fine. You said Zalman is a good company too and this version is not a low end model, it's not the 9500 one or anything either.
 

mf2385

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Yeah, I mean I don't want to spend unnecessarily either, those probably be overkill for just a moderate overclock on the 2500k to 4.5ghz stable. I think it would work pretty good. Thanks
 

mf2385

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Also what about this motherboard, it's a little less then the REV 3.1 and basically the same stuff, check it out here, I'd save another 30 bucks or so

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358067



Basically would it be logical to just pick up the ASUS P8P67 REV 3.1 for another 20 bucks more or the link in this post the ASUS P8P67 LE-R3 LGA 1155 P67 ATX for 139.99 is sufficient, since I am using a single gpu solution, I will be using 2 4gb sticks of ripjaws 1600mhz ram and my intel sandy bridge i5 2500k.

Sorry for the amount of questions, there are sooo many revisions of the ASUS P8P67 Motherboards available haha, I just want a really nice one, don't need all the bells and whistles but a nice one nonetheless with good overclocking options, stability and stuff like that.

Any consensus?
 

chillin15

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The Asus LE mobo lacks an extra SATA 6gb and replaces it with an IDE port which is basically useless nowadays. I would not recommend going down to the LE.

As for the cooler master hyper 212+, that is a good cpu cooler. Probably the best for that price.
 

sykozis

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Wow, I feel like I've already responded to this thread on another forum....

As I stated on the other forum. Unless you plan on using SLI/Crossfire, Intel's "Smart Response Technology" or Intel's IGP....go with the P8P67. If you plan on using any of the 3 later on down the road....go with the P8Z68. Also, why are you comtemplating GTX460 SLI or GTX570 when you already had a GTX560????