New mobo for gaming: Z68 or Z77?

[Firelance]

I read a lot of stuff over these two and still can't figure out which one would suit me. When it comes to motherboards, I am clueless on what features I should be looking for, so I hope you guys would be of some help. If I got a Z68, would it still be compatible with Ivy? I also have not made up my mind if I will go SB or IB, but that is for another section.

Thanks ^^

 

[unbeli3vabl3]

I read a lot of stuff over these two and still can't figure out which one would suit me. When it comes to motherboards, I am clueless on what features I should be looking for, so I hope you guys would be of some help. If I got a Z68, would it still be compatible with Ivy? I also have not made up my mind if I will go SB or IB, but that is for another section.

Thanks ^^

Not so sure about the Z77, but as for the Z86, which i'm having trouble with right now. it won't boot. planning to return

 

[xmatt007x]

Not to hijack the thread but this may be something else to consider...

For a gaming build without overclocking would it be worth getting the

ASRock B75 PRO3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($80)??

 

[Firelance]

No problem about hijacking it.

I did some more reading and found out the Z77 has a native USB 3.0 and some other features with it. The Z77 costs as much as the Z68 here, so I might as well go with the Z77. I am now stuck on which one to get..

My budget is around $200 (Can go a little more than that)

 

[nikorr]

Hi there,

Get the Z77, its the latest and greatest, tuned for the IB!

 

[nikorr]

It did well in the Tom's review. This board is a great choice.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187.html

 

[nikorr]

At @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544

 

[SSri]

for IB, Z77. agree with Nikkor. That's a great mobo.

 

[J_E_D_70]

I've had an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 for about a week now and it's rock solid. The only difference between it and the Extreme6 is the number of connectors (like Firewire). If you don't need the extra connectivity, check it out.

 

[Firelance]

I have actually been looking at that mobo for a while and actually like the features. Are there any common problems with them *so far*? Also, is there any difference between this and the UD5H?

 

[J_E_D_70]

Not that I'm aware of.

 

[v90k]

Basically the more the MB costs, the more features it has. Just decide what you need and if the price fits your budget. Honestly your fine with the $120 one if your not big on features like bluetooth, dual ethernet, etc. As far as how it performs I'd pick a manufacturer and hit up there forums to see what kind of probs the users are running into.

 

[THE UNKNOWN]

Z77 +1

 

[SSri]

I have actually been looking at that mobo for a while and actually like the features. Are there any common problems with them *so far*? Also, is there any difference between this and the UD5H?

let's keep this plain and simple:

If you have a pre i5/i7, it makes sense to take i5 3570K for games or i7 3770K for performance and power.

Please spend some time to read this review. It will help make an informed choice. The following quotes are reproduced from Tom's

"A three-way value tie between the Z77 Extreme6, Z77A-GD65, and Z77H2-A2X is difficult to settle. That forces us to a single conclusion: buyers should carefully consider the overall feature set of these three contenders before picking the one that best suits their individual needs".

Source: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,review-32434-22.html

Notable issue is heat/temperature if you are overclocking the IB. However, you might be fine if you keep the volts under the recommended level by Intel.

 

[Firelance]

Can anyone tell me how the UD3H's audio chipset is? I heard it is very buggy and sounds bad. Other than that, I would get the card now.