Looking for Z68 motherboard

[ErikTABS]

So I managed to save some money for a PC upgrade (right now I have a Core2Duo E8400 on a P5Q, 4g of 800mhz kingstom ram , a radeon HD5850 sapphire powered by a Huntkey Titan 650w), but basically right now Im only planning to keep my video card (proly not for long)
What I (sort of) decided to buy so far (haven't bought anything, so any feedback would be great thx!):

Intel i5-2500k
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

I was wondering what motherboard would be good for me, basically I was looking for a Z68, I plan on overclocking, I have around $150 budget (could pay more if you guys think its a good investment), I plan on buy it through newegg and I've had only ASUS motherboards so far but Im more than willing to try diferent brands.

I saw the ASROCK Extreme 3 Gen3, and it has everything I wanted (including a the possibility of crossfire) and it fits my budget but do you guys recommend it? If not, which one should I get?

English is not my first language so I apoligize for any mistakes I've made haha

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

I would recommend Asus all the way as for me i have 2 gigabyte mobos, one asrock, one Asus and i am very happy to say that the build quality is exceptional on Asus boards i have never felt the quality of this type of board in my life(fixed some Pegatrons OEM motherboards).

You could go for a z68 gene-z

 

[ErikTABS]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806
That one? It really has everything I could ask for, quite a bit more expensive than the ASROCK one though.

is that board better than
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792
?

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806
That one? It really has everything I could ask for, quite a bit more expensive than the ASROCK one though.

is that board better than
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792
?

no.
Gene-z
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806

 

[ErikTABS]

should I get a Micro ATX board even though my case has room for a regular sized motherboard?

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

should I get a Micro ATX board even though my case has room for a regular sized motherboard?

It depends on the features you want and need for your mobo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131760

But those two are the most finest quality builds.

Forgot to ask how much your budget?

 

[ErikTABS]

I would to spend about $150, but I'd go as high as $200 if I feel it's worth it.

 

[Rockdpm]

What size case?. I mean i have a Full tower case and even i would get a MATX mobo if it had all the features i was looking for. I mean if it only does 2 way SLI/Xfire thats plenty for me. OC? great if the board has the best OC'ing features id get it. So yea nothing wrong with dipping you toe in the water for a good board

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

Here is a small review of the asus maximus 4 gene-z review
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/Maximus_IV_Gene-Z/13.html

But if you want you can go for this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

As i said what features do you want?
do you want to go for a multi gpu setup?
do you want alot of expansion cards?
do you want to overclock wildly?
do you want ssd caching?
or just play games?

 

[ErikTABS]

I don't plan on using multi gpu any time soon but I would like to have it as an option.
I really don't need any expansion cards that I know of.
I probably don't want to overclock wildly, can't promise anything haha
I might get a SSD if I have the money but right now Im SSDless.
This computer will be mostly used for games.
I really dont need bluetooth.

Will I need a low profile RAM for that motherboard if I get a non stock cooler for the CPU?
(I really don't know the size of my case, I can say it's bigger than regular cases though)

btw, thx for all the help so far!

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

I don't plan on using multi gpu any time soon but I would like to have it as an option.
I really don't need any expansion cards that I know of.
I probably don't want to overclock wildly, can't promise anything haha
I might get a SSD if I have the money but right now Im SSDless.
This computer will be mostly used for games.
I really dont need bluetooth.

Will I need a low profile RAM for that motherboard if I get a non stock cooler for the CPU?
(I really don't know the size of my case, I can say it's bigger than regular cases though)

btw, thx for all the help so far!

So your looking for stability?
I guess you can go for the p67 sabertooth or the z68 maximus gene-z
P67 sabertooth below:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

or gene z
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=x7v1pk6nlnfk

 

[ErikTABS]

Between those 2 I'd pick the maximus gene-z for, I think I made up my mind, its gonna hurt my pocket but that maximus board really seems like a good choice.
Does it have enough room for crossfire with 2x HD6950?
Do I need low profile RAM if I buy a cooler for the CPU?

 

[foscooter]

Asus P8Z68-V.

Pro version if you want 2 more SATA 6G ports.

Get GEN 3 versions.

 

[hellfire24]

here's a very good asus mobo-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792

 

[ErikTABS]

I kind of already made up my mind about the mother board, I just wanted to know:
Does it have enough room for crossfire with 2x HD6950?
Do I need low profile RAM if I buy a non stock cooler for the CPU?
Talking about the asus maximus 4 gene-z.

 

[mhokett]

regular height RAM will work with a on stock cooler in most cases. If you get ram with fins on top such as ripjaws, then you might or might not have clearance issues depending on your cooler. BTW I would recommend the coollermaster hyper 212+. they have it at Frys for $25.00 so it's a great deal.

 

[ErikTABS]

yeah, I was thinking about getting COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus, but will it fit with the CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3?

 

[mhokett]

assuming your motherboard will have 4 slots, just put them in the two outer slots and you should be fine, but if in doubt, buy the cooler from Fry's anfd you can always return it if it doesn't fit.

 

[ErikTABS]

Sadly Im going back to my country soon, I might just buy the low profile vengeance, $5 more but I shouldn't be losing much I hope.
Thanks everyone for the help!