Asus Dilema

[Tip-C]

Hey guys,

I'm stuck in deciding which motherboard to get for my new build.
Processor will be i5 2500k or 2550k

If I can at least get it narrowed down to the chipset (z68 or p67), it would make my life a lot easier.

Main purpose is overclocking and occasional gaming.

In regards to motherboards, I'm on the fence with all of these:

Z68 Chipset:
1) ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806

2) ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

3) Is it worth the extra $50 for the DELUXE Model:
ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131791


The other alternative is the P67 Chipset:

1) ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131701

2) ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700

 

[nikorr]

Get ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700

 

[Tip-C]

Get ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700

To be honest, it is a bit on the expensive side. Is it really worth the price over the other ones?

 

[nikorr]

Well, how far u wanna OC?

 

[nikorr]

BTW, do u need anything from the Z68?

 

[Tip-C]

BTW, do u need anything from the Z68?

Looking to OC to about 4.5Ghz

It seems the z68 is a bit more optimized for SSDs with the SSD Caching

Otherwise seems like a good bang for the buck.

 

[nikorr]

If I was u, I'd take ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3.

It will OC past 5GHz stable with appropriate CPU cooling and use the SSD, not as a cache drive, but system drive.

I would get the 2500K over the 2550k, if u will ever use the quick sync.

 

[Tip-C]

If I was u, I'd take ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3.

It will OC past 5GHz stable with appropriate CPU cooling and use the SSD, not as a cache drive, but system drive.

I would get the 2500K over the 2550k, if u will ever use the quick sync.

Thanks for the tip...I was actually looking into installing a water cooling set up in 2-3 months which i hope would allow me to go above 5Ghz.
As far as the CPU, i figured since they are so close in price (about $10 more for the 2550k), the 2550 if im lucky might be a tad more stable while pushing a high OC.

 

[nikorr]

Read this.

 

[nikorr]

Review here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-overclocking-efficiency,2850.html

 

[nikorr]

Thanks for the tip...I was actually looking into installing a water cooling set up in 2-3 months which i hope would allow me to go above 5Ghz.
As far as the CPU, i figured since they are so close in price (about $10 more for the 2550k), the 2550 if im lucky might be a tad more stable while pushing a high OC.

To go past 5GHZ, u need the best water cooling solution u can find.

U will lose iGPU, as long as u don't need one,

it is good to have one if your GPU card dies, u got something : )

There is not much need to go past 4.6GHz, as the games don't show any advantage after that.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266189-29-sandy-bridge-series-ocing-cores-guide

 

[Tip-C]

To go past 5GHZ, u need the best water cooling solution u can find.

U will lose iGPU, as long as u don't need one,

it is good to have one if your GPU card dies, u got something : )

There is not much need to go past 4.6GHz, as the games don't show any advantage after that.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266189-29-sandy-bridge-series-ocing-cores-guide

The 5Ghz threshold is more of a personal milestone.

 

[nikorr]

Well, that mobo will get u there : )