What's the best Z68 motherboard for this gaming build?

Hi all!

I have recently decided to build my own gaming computer (it won't only be used for games, but power intensive programming too.)

I am new to the forums and the overclocking world, however I have a lot of experience with computers and have put systems together in the past. It's about time I had a powerful desktop rig! I'm Currently just using my MacBook Pro for everything which isn't ideal.

Anyway, the components I'm considering for my build at the moment (advice/opinions on these would be appreciated too!) seem to be good value for money and well reviewed. I have no experience using the components I'm interested in, although I'm confident that most of them are quite appropriate for my requirements. The exception to this, due to it being slightly more subjective, is which motherboard to use. The current components I have on my list are as follows:

• Motherboard - Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
• Processor - Intel core i5 2500k OR i7 2700k (the latter is less likely due to price constraints)
• CPU cooler - Gelid Solutions Tranquillo Rev.2
• Graphics card - XFX ATI Radeon 6950 HD
• RAM - Corsair 16GB (4x4GB) 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Blu Memory Four Module Kit
• Boot drive - 120GB SSD Corsair Force Series 3
• Storage drive - Seagate Barracuda SATA III 1TB
• Case - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D
• PSU - currently undecided.

As I said, I'm quite confident the above components will provide a good price/power ratio and hopefully should allow for reasonable upgradeability and longevity. But, I just would really like to hear some of the more experienced members' opinions on whether the Asus motherboard above is the best choice to combine with the rest of that setup.

All responses will be very much appreciated and I hope to get some discussion going!

Last but not least, a very merry Christmas to you ALL!

Very sorry! I also might add that the other motherboards I've had my eyes on are the ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 or similar and the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z. Cheers

Thanks for the reply! I should probably mention that within reason the price isn't too much of an issue. For example the best price I can find the Asus Pro GEN 3 is £150, up to ~£200 is fine, maybe a little more if it's worthwhile. The thing I like about the Asus is how feature-rich it seems and how recommended their motherboards are (not to mention they're the biggest producer as far as I know.)

Seeing as the price isn't the biggest worry with it, would your recommendation stay the same? I essentially would like to know what's the best motherboard for Z68 architecture CPUs sub £220 in terms of OC performance, features like acceleration etc.

The ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 is probably more than you'll need for a long time.

I'd probably go with the Extreme-Z only if I truly had nothing else better to do with the money.

BTW, quality PSU brands: SeaSonic, Corsair, Antex, XFX.