Sandy Bridge Motherboard

[mrsmarts5000]

I'm just wondering if you guys could give me your opinion on whether or not this motherboard <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495> would be good for an i3 2100 setup with - in the future - a GTX 570. I will probably upgrade to an i5 2500k, but that will be further along. Also, funding isn't the best, so if you have any other recommendations, please keep in mind, THIS IS A MAJOR BUDGET UPGRADE. Also, I chose a Micro ATX board because the case I currently have is that, and again, I really don't have enough to upgrade to a better one right now. Thanks!

P.S.
Referring back to the 2500k, could you guys also tell me if it would be good for OCing it? Thanks.

 

[o1die]

I would buy the cpu/heatsink/ram at the same time. Don't buy piecemeal, you may get stuck with leftover stuff. I also sell the same combos used on craigslist before ordering new stuff to add to my budget. Overclocking depends on the cpu stepping sometimes, the power supply, and motherboard chipset. I gave it up; too many posts about sudden failure of systems; if money is tight, I wouldn't do it. You would also have to add a premium power supply for overclocking; most folks go cheap on the ps when funds are tight.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The board is good; I recently used the Asus P8Z68-M Pro board on a build for my cousin and I was very happy with it. It isn’t too much more then the Gigabyte board. The Intel® Core™ i5-2500K is very good for overclocking. With simply change in the multiplier in the boards Bios you can reach 4GHz and above without a problem. For anything above 4GHz you are going to want to add a good 3rd party HSF. You may want to check to see if you have a Microcenter around you they offer some great deals at times? Otherwise shop between Newegg and Amazon and you will get about the best deals.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team