Gaming Mobo for a i5 2500k & GTX 570

[RedTalonTPF]

So I never when I made my last build (4 years ago) I do not recall picking out a Mobo being this hard. There was one that stood out. Now that does not seem to be the case. More so it seems that I will find a mobo I like but then see it is plagued by problems of boot loops and such.

So I am really look for a reliable mobo for gaming. Right now I only plan to run the single GTX 570...maybe go to dual when the price drops but if that is a year or two down the line I might be better off just getting a fresh card. OCing is not something I am hardcore about but would like to explore.

Any recommendations for a solid mobo? Ideally I do not want to spend more than 200, cheaper would even be better as I can take the extra money and maybe upgrade to a GTX 580.

 

[lokii_0]

I bought this mobo with a core i5-2500k, and I am really happy with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512 - Gigabyte ga-z68xp-ud3 - Tom's gave it their best buy 2011 award, and even though I usually buy Asus boards, I have been very pleased with this board; the fact that it has SLI/Xfire support at a better price than any Z68 Asus board is why I picked it up instead, and I definitely recommend it. $150 at newegg.

So I never when I made my last build (4 years ago) I do not recall picking out a Mobo being this hard. There was one that stood out. Now that does not seem to be the case. More so it seems that I will find a mobo I like but then see it is plagued by problems of boot loops and such.

So I am really look for a reliable mobo for gaming. Right now I only plan to run the single GTX 570...maybe go to dual when the price drops but if that is a year or two down the line I might be better off just getting a fresh card. OCing is not something I am hardcore about but would like to explore.

Any recommendations for a solid mobo? Ideally I do not want to spend more than 200, cheaper would even be better as I can take the extra money and maybe upgrade to a GTX 580.

 

[de5_Roy]

here's an asrock one @ $184.99:
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
it's under 200 bucks.

 

[jaquith]

$195 ASUS P8Z68-V PRO - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730 ; excellent vCore's for OC'ing and 2-WAY SLI support.

Any day - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 - http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PROGEN3/

Only worth the +$33 IF you replace next year: 1. i5-2500K CPU w/Ivy Bridge and 2. GTX 570 GPU with a 'GTX 6XX' with PCIe 3.0 support.

 

[Sunfighterlc]

If you do go the ASROCK direction, you may also want to consider the Extreme3 vs the Extreme4. Youd save a decent chunk of change. There really isnt too much differences between the two when you look at the compare. They both will run 2 GPUs at 8x/8x if you SLI. Have the same phase designs, same audio, etc etc. Im not totally sure where the extra cost is coming from except from a few extra sata connectors.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%2050001944%20600158412&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13-157-271%5E13-157-271-TS%2C13-157-250%5E13-157-250-TS

 

[jaquith]

OC to vCore; higher vCore = higher Temps and higher temps = inability to OC/instability,

10 MOBO sampled:
Extreme4 4.68GHz 1.394v
P8Z68-V PRO 4.80GHz 1.371v

Raw Data:
Extreme 4 2500k 4.7 1.4
Extreme 4 2500k 4.7 1.4
Extreme4 2500k 5 1.488
Extreme4 2600k 4.8 1.47
Extreme4 2600k 4.8 1.384
Extreme4 2500k 4.6 1.336
Extreme4 2500k 4.5 1.328
Extreme4 2500k 4.5 1.32
Extreme4 2500k 4.5 1.42

Extreme4 4.677777778 1.394


P8P67 Pro 2600k 5.1 1.3
P8P67 Pro 2600k 5 1.344
P8P67 Pro 2600k 5 1.32
P8P67 Pro 2600k 5 1.34
P8P67 Pro 2600k 4.8 1.47
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.8 1.33
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.8 1.3
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.8 1.32
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.8 1.248
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.5 1.49
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.5 1.5
P8P67 Pro 2500k 4.5 1.495

P8Z68-V PRO 4.8 1.371416667

 

[RedTalonTPF]

Hmm The Asus and the ASRock are looking nice. I feel hesitant in getting ASRock just because I have not heard of them and I am wondering how those boards handle over time...or am I a year from now going to have a dead mobo.

Is there a reason only Z68 boards are being recommended? I thought P67 was pretty strong as well as far as gaming goes.

 

[de5_Roy]

if you're skeptical about asrock, see if asus, gigabyte motherboards fit your needs.
the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 that jaquith linked is pcie 3.0 capable. asrock's pcie 3.0 mobo is costlier than the asus one.
imo asus boards are little ram-sensitive. if you go with an asus mobo make sure you buy a ram kit that is certified by asus.
z68 chipset makes use of both igp and cpu and adds new tech like ssd caching it also has lucid virtu license in some cases. h6x mobos don't allow cpu overclocking, p6x mobos don't allow igp use (no quick sync unless it has lucid virtu) moreover both h6x and p6x chipsets were affected by cougar point chipset bug that slowly destroyed the sata ii ports. iirc z68 boards have been shipping with the revised version from the start.
p67 is indeed good enough for gaming.
here are two articles that test z68 motherboards in two different price ranges:
Round-Up: Four Z68 Motherboards From $220 To $280
and
From $100 To $160: Five Z68-Based Boards, Compared

 

[jaquith]

Just for Gaming the P67 is fine and will game the same. Currently the best 'bang for the buck' is the ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) - it OC's very well, 2-WAY SLI support, 12 Phase to CPU, Intel LAN, etc. The NEC USB 3.0 is a little faster but IMO hardly worth the +$23 premium.

I'm not a fanboy of PCIe 3.0 just for the GPU's, it does and will be doing nothing for years to come. The GTX 570/580/590 don't fully saturate the PCIe 2x x8 lanes. PCIe 3.0 'real' benefits will come once the MOBO is 'PCIe 3.0 Clean' and the SATA/USB/Add-on Chipsets 'bandwidth sharing' problems are gone.

For the money and OC'ing and NOT going over $200:
$160 ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) {ASMedia USB 3.0} - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131771
specs - http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_PRO/#specifications

$195 ASUS P8Z68-V PRO - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730

$183 ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) {NEC USB 3.0} - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

 

[RedTalonTPF]

Thanks again for all the great info everyone.

The ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) looks nice but I am a little worried that the Rev 3.0 of the board seems to have issues, not sure if all of them have been solved in 3.1. The ASUS P8Z68-V PRO also looks really nice as well.

Is there any downside to going with Z68 over p67?

Just for Gaming the P67 is fine and will game the same. Currently the best 'bang for the buck' is the ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) - it OC's very well, 2-WAY SLI support, 12 Phase to CPU, Intel LAN, etc. The NEC USB 3.0 is a little faster but IMO hardly worth the +$23 premium.

 

[jaquith]

I can tell you 99% of the problems 3.0 (older BIOS) vs 3.1 (newer BIOS) are BIOS revision related - the boards are otherwise identical. IF I felt it were any other way then I wouldn't have posted it. No matter what LGA 1155 MOBO you get, update the BIOS prior to installing the OS; tip - skip the 1st 22nm BIOS revision and opt for the 2nd or higher revision.

The downside of P67 vs Z68 is SATA, USB, Chipset add-ons, and in some cases slower frame rates with the Z68 being slower across the tests. Example - http://www.anandtech.com/show/4330/asus-p8z68v-review/5

 

[RedTalonTPF]

Those tests are interesting. Although I would suspect they really only matter in benchmarking and you would be hard pressed to notice a difference in everyday use / gaming.

Although it was interesting to see the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 performing so well. It is also really one of the only boards on newegg to get 5 stars which speaks nicely of the quality. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

Maybe I will take the chance with them. Have you had any experience with ASRock jaquith?

I can tell you 99% of the problems 3.0 (older BIOS) vs 3.1 (newer BIOS) are BIOS revision related - the boards are otherwise identical. IF I felt it were any other way then I wouldn't have posted it. No matter what LGA 1155 MOBO you get, update the BIOS prior to installing the OS; tip - skip the 1st 22nm BIOS revision and opt for the 2nd or higher revision.

The downside of P67 vs Z68 is SATA, USB, Chipset add-ons, and in some cases slower frame rates with the Z68 being slower across the tests. Example - http://www.anandtech.com/show/4330/asus-p8z68v-review/5

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I'm not a fanboy of PCIe 3.0 just for the GPU's, it does and will be doing nothing for years to come. The GTX 570/580/590 don't fully saturate the PCIe 2x x8 lanes. PCIe 3.0 'real' benefits will come once the MOBO is 'PCIe 3.0 Clean' and the SATA/USB/Add-on Chipsets 'bandwidth sharing' problems are gone.

I'll echo that thought ..... but I also feel the same way about Z68.

I'll oft suggest that peeps don't rule out P8P67. While a good choice for syatem builders to stock as it cover all bases, I just don't run w/ many users who will actually benefit from it. I suggest that unless they see something here that tickles their fancy, P67 boards should be "on the table".

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

 

[jaquith]

Those tests are interesting. Although I would suspect they really only matter in benchmarking and you would be hard pressed to notice a difference in everyday use / gaming.

Although it was interesting to see the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 performing so well. It is also really one of the only boards on newegg to get 5 stars which speaks nicely of the quality. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

Maybe I will take the chance with them. Have you had any experience with ASRock jaquith?

First, ASUS owns ASRock and ASRock are the 'budget' versions of ASUS. If I put you in a room with 10 P67/Z68 'good MOBOs' you could not tell the differences unless you're a Borg. My sole 'bitch' of the ASRock P67 Extreme4 is its 8 Phases to the CPU, and 1.45v vCore vs 1.35v vCore for >4.50GHz; you can save money in one hand but you'll spend more in the other hand for a better HSF. High vCore = High Temps, and 1.45v vs 1.35v is a big honking difference.

Now if you have to OC 4GHz then it's more like flipping a coin. I still know all too well the affects of vCore.

I assume the 22nm CPUs i.e. Ivy Bridge will have lower vCore and lower temps to = higher OC; we'll see.

I found 16 Phases on LGA 1366 and 12 Phases, or more, are the 'Magic Numbers'.

My 2 cents...

 

[Homeboy2]

First, ASUS owns ASRock and ASRock are the 'budget' versions of ASUS. If I put you in a room with 10 P67/Z68 'good MOBOs' you could not tell the differences unless you're a Borg. My sole 'bitch' of the ASRock P67 Extreme4 is its 8 Phases to the CPU, and 1.45v vCore vs 1.35v vCore for >4.50GHz; you can save money in one hand but you'll spend more in the other hand for a better HSF. High vCore = High Temps, and 1.45v vs 1.35v is a big honking difference.

Now if you have to OC 4GHz then it's more like flipping a coin. I still know all too well the affects of vCore.

I assume the 22nm CPUs i.e. Ivy Bridge will have lower vCore and lower temps to = higher OC; we'll see.

I found 16 Phases on LGA 1366 and 12 Phases, or more, are the 'Magic Numbers'.

My 2 cents...

So if I buy this board with a 2500k today , I can slap an Ivy Bridge in it when they come out?

 

[neonneophyte]

you can complain about the phases but my extreme4 is getting my 2500k to 5.2ghz plus, then i hit a heat wall

i can get 5 ghz on 1.43 volts, stable

 

[ltrazaklt]

another point about the ASRock , Extreme4 (which I own myself) ..is they add a PCI lane chip , to help cope with lane sharing issues ..most of the others dont (I think) ..personally , I am VERY pleased , with the ASRock ..I too was a bit skeptical at first ..as for the 8 phase ..I dont really OC to the extreme..it really depends how far you want try and push the OC ..the Extreme4 actually has a BIOS setting called advanced turbo 50 ..I had to look it up, but what it does; will instantly set your CPU to a 50% OC ..I was like wow, glad I looked that up first and didnt just click it see waht it does , lol. I havent played much with the OC , 2600k and 16gb RAM I havent really had to, the board runs stable and fast and cool, it also some USB software , making the USB move data faster (I have had mixed results with this though, some times it seems like yeah wow that is going faster than I expected, sometimes , it doesnt seem to make much difference) ..havent really had any problems with the board at all, and I got mine on sale , soo it was pretty good deal for the money .. I do not know if it will Ivy Bridge compatable , I doubt it ..maybe the Gen3 Extreme boards will be , not sure , havent looked at it, too busy with BF3 , and FFXIV ..

 

[rexdale_punjabi]

So I never when I made my last build (4 years ago) I do not recall picking out a Mobo being this hard. There was one that stood out. Now that does not seem to be the case. More so it seems that I will find a mobo I like but then see it is plagued by problems of boot loops and such.

So I am really look for a reliable mobo for gaming. Right now I only plan to run the single GTX 570...maybe go to dual when the price drops but if that is a year or two down the line I might be better off just getting a fresh card. OCing is not something I am hardcore about but would like to explore.

Any recommendations for a solid mobo? Ideally I do not want to spend more than 200, cheaper would even be better as I can take the extra money and maybe upgrade to a GTX 580.

If you're in canada, then the gigabyte p67a-ud4-b3 for 148 after MIR is the best option no brainer. If ur not; idk the states get things cheaper... (It kind of pisses me off)

 

[jaquith]

So if I buy this board with a 2500k today , I can slap an Ivy Bridge in it when they come out?

ANY P67/Z68 can run the Ivy Bridge CPU - you'll need the '22nm' CPU BIOS update for your particular Ivy Bridge. In fact once there was some debate but ANY LGA 1155 'can' run the Ivy Bridge. I said 'can' because it requires the BIOS update with the correct CPUID info to run or run properly. Most OEM (HP, Dell, Gateway) - I wouldn't bet the farm on them providing the BIOS/CPUID required updates -- their goal is to sell you a new PC!

 

[Homeboy2]

ANY P67/Z68 can run the Ivy Bridge CPU - you'll need the '22nm' CPU BIOS update for your particular Ivy Bridge. In fact once there was some debate but ANY LGA 1155 'can' run the Ivy Bridge. I said 'can' because it requires the BIOS update with the correct CPUID info to run or run properly. Most OEM (HP, Dell, Gateway) - I wouldn't bet the farm on them providing the BIOS/CPUID required updates -- their goal is to sell you a new PC!

Whats the dif between the Asus p8p67 and the Asus p8p67 Pro? Just an extra Pci 16 lane?

I'm ready to order a board but the asus has a lot of bad reviews, while the asrock reviews are much better. gives me pause.

 

[RedTalonTPF]

Whats the dif between the Asus p8p67 and the Asus p8p67 Pro? Just an extra Pci 16 lane?

I'm ready to order a board but the asus has a lot of bad reviews, while the asrock reviews are much better. gives me pause.

Ya I noticed this too. However if you look at the Asus p8p67 pro Rev(3.1) the reviews are a lot better.

Jaquith: ASRock does not seem like it is a budget brand, they seem compatible to Asus boards? Is it build quality or missing "extra" features and such?

 

[jaquith]

ASUS vs ASRock - depends on which you compare, but in general 4 Phases less to CPU, Marvell, LAN (Intel vs Realtek), BlueTooth, etc. Since the OP wants to get an nVidia GTX 570 it's not a sretch to assume eventually a second GTX 570 'might be' added (a little future proofing); nVidia = SLI SUPPORT.

Keep in mind, ASUS owns ASRock and ASUS is the 'Flagship' brand. The ASRock's are specifically undercutting ASUS with Quantity vs Quality (more expensive parts). Never said ASRock is bad!

ASUS Differences:
REV 3.0 – NEC USB 3.0 controllers
REV 3.1 – ASMedia USB 3.0 controllers

ASUS P8P67 - http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67/#specifications
12+2 Phase
CrossFire ONLY

ASUS P8P67 PRO - http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_PRO/#specifications
12+2 Phase
SLI/Crossfire

Anything else?

 

[RedTalonTPF]

ASUS vs ASRock - depends on which you compare, but in general 4 Phases less to CPU, Marvell, LAN (Intel vs Realtek), BlueTooth, etc. Since the OP wants to get an nVidia GTX 570 it's not a sretch to assume eventually a second GTX 570 'might be' added (a little future proofing); nVidia = SLI SUPPORT.



Anything else?

Thanks so much Jaquith, you have been super helpful.

 

[jaquith]

REVIEWS:

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) only the 'bad ones'
1. Tacwaffles (non-verified owner) ; hell there's so many MOBO's maybe bitching at the wrong MOBO.
2. Paine - "latest bios (beta 1850) overclocks the BCLK to 103 at default - not necessarily a good thing. It should be 100. general instability, even at stock speed"
a. Beta BIOS - duh Beta!
b. BCLK to 103 - SpeedStep will vary the BCLK 98MHz~103MHz on ANY LGA 1155.
3. N/A (non-verified owner) ; BT range... WTF - move the obstructing cords. BT is good for 10 maybe 15 as it's situated. 30' if 100% unobstructed.
4. colzin - Corsair XMS3 RAM - 1.65v RAM and cheap crappy RAM, see them here all of the time, almost as bad as OCZ RAM. DO NOT use 1.65v RAM on Sandy Bridge - 1.50v only. 95% of the folks are clueless how to set their RAM in the BIOS!
5. KCLawrence - "pulled out one of the memory sticks and was able to load windows7 and all the other drivers. At that point we thought it must be a bad memory stick so RMAd to Newegg with no problem. With the new memory installed immediately had the 2-4 POST problems that others have had. (sorry about RMAing the memory Newegg)"
This is typically only because of the wrong RAM being used and/or seemingly a 'bad stick' on the ASUS you can run even or odd DIMM slots for testing to determine bad RAM or bad DIMM slot. When I see one stick works, I ask does the other and then what RAM.

Any others you want me to comment on? Sure 2%~5% will be DOA and 3/4th are from mishandling during shipping.

On and on with almost any MOBO especially since the B2 fiasco. Further, I look for Parroting problems then I dig more to see User, Agenda or Legitimate issues. I find most folks shouldn't be building a PC and it's typically User Error from inability to put it together, no understanding of BIOS, components, etc.

On my recommendations I rarely get 'Blowback', as I said with ANY new LGA 1155 update the BIOS as described above. Watch Building videos, NewEggTV (YouTube) has a very good 3 part "How To' - watch them.

 

[Homeboy2]

REVIEWS:

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) only the 'bad ones'
1. Tacwaffles (non-verified owner) ; hell there's so many MOBO's maybe bitching at the wrong MOBO.
2. Paine - "latest bios (beta 1850) overclocks the BCLK to 103 at default - not necessarily a good thing. It should be 100. general instability, even at stock speed"
a. Beta BIOS - duh Beta!
b. BCLK to 103 - SpeedStep will vary the BCLK 98MHz~103MHz on ANY LGA 1155.
3. N/A (non-verified owner) ; BT range... WTF - move the obstructing cords. BT is good for 10 maybe 15 as it's situated. 30' if 100% unobstructed.
4. colzin - Corsair XMS3 RAM - 1.65v RAM and cheap crappy RAM, see them here all of the time, almost as bad as OCZ RAM. DO NOT use 1.65v RAM on Sandy Bridge - 1.50v only. 95% of the folks are clueless how to set their RAM in the BIOS!
5. KCLawrence - "pulled out one of the memory sticks and was able to load windows7 and all the other drivers. At that point we thought it must be a bad memory stick so RMAd to Newegg with no problem. With the new memory installed immediately had the 2-4 POST problems that others have had. (sorry about RMAing the memory Newegg)"
This is typically only because of the wrong RAM being used and/or seemingly a 'bad stick' on the ASUS you can run even or odd DIMM slots for testing to determine bad RAM or bad DIMM slot. When I see one stick works, I ask does the other and then what RAM.

Any others you want me to comment on? Sure 2%~5% will be DOA and 3/4th are from mishandling during shipping.

On and on with almost any MOBO especially since the B2 fiasco. Further, I look for Parroting problems then I dig more to see User, Agenda or Legitimate issues. I find most folks shouldn't be building a PC and it's typically User Error from inability to put it together, no understanding of BIOS, components, etc.

On my recommendations I rarely get 'Blowback', as I said with ANY new LGA 1155 update the BIOS as described above. Watch Building videos, NewEggTV (YouTube) has a very good 3 part "How To' - watch them.

So the Nec usb is rev 3 is better? I can get one cheaper than rev 3.1