Is the mobo worth the money

[Gerhard HT]

Hi guys..

I have quite a strict budget so im really struggling to get the right mobo.
My budget is about (275 US Dollar) (170 UK Pound) R2200 (im from South Africa) but if i can get a Z77 chipset for cheaper it would be great!
I've been looking at the MSI Z77A-GD65, i can get the board for around R1900 (240 US Dollar) (145 UK Pound)

Is this board worth the money?
If not, what would you recomend for that budget?

 

[satyamdubey]

hello
share a little more info like
1. purpose of the build (gaming, HTPC, video encoding etc)
2. plans for overclocking
3. plans for upgrade meaning in the future you may (upgrade processor, increase graphic power etc)

general info about the build (hardware you've finalized)

- Satyam

 

[Gerhard HT]

1. Mostly gaming (not serious gaming), maybe running a few programs (not running a server or HTPC, just for home use)

2. I'm really new at this so I'm not going to overclock hectic (never done it myself). I'm getting a intel core i5, most of them can overclock quite nice (thats what I think anyway).

3. Further upgrade will probably be RAM; GPU (I'm not sure what im going to buy yet, maybe a AMD 1Gb DDR5 card of some kind) and CPU in the far future (2-3 years).

4. About the build... im really not sure what other hardware im going to buy, i'm still looking around, sorry about that.

Thanks for the help!

 

[satyamdubey]

well all i5's can overclock but only some are meant to ...and those will be the "K" series ones. All others are great just the way they are... at stock .

The seven series mobo's have support for 3rd gen i5 out of the box unlike the 6 series which need a BIOS flash update... please refer the link below and check with your local vendor for equivalent price listing

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/motherboards/best-motherboard-14-reviewed-and-rated-904229

your choice is good but maybe some of these might interest you

good luck
- Satyam

 

[zhihao50]

There are definitly motherboard out there that offers comparable performance and a slightly reduced set of features that you won't really need for a lower price. Do you have a prefered place to get your parts from. Would be best if its somewhere online so we can help you pick a part as price in africa is different from else where.

2. Only the k version can be fully overclocked. That means i5 2500k, and 3570k only. The rest have a locked multiplier so you can both bump the speed by 4 pin (400mHz).

3. I am afriad there is no possible future upgrade that will worth you while if you get the unlocked i5. Ivy bridge is the last generation using the 1155 socket and if you get 3570k then its already the best gaming cpu.

 

[Gerhard HT]

Thanks for the help! Really apreciate it!That's why I ask the people that know allot more than me, I'm just afraid I'm buying something and will regret it later on.
I just believe that the motherboard (GPU next in line) needs allot of attention because everything you put in depends on the board.

1. Here are a few trusted online shops (according to PC format, one of SA's leading PC mag's)
-- digitalsaonline.co.za
-- landmarkpc.co.za
-- prophecy.co.za
-- foxcomp.co.za
-- evetech.co.za
-- titan-ice.co.za

2. Thanks!! I'll make sure I get a k version.

3. I got a GPU I seriously consider: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256bit GDDR5 OC Edition.
What do you think about it?
Ok thanks for the heads up, the 3570k is a bit out of my budget so maybe I can upgrade to one of them in the future.

4. I just thought of something:
What is the minimum diameters for a chassis? I don't want to struggle with space.
And what kind of CPU cooling would I need if I'm going to overclock?

Again, thanks for the help! Really appreciate it!

 

[zhihao50]

oh and what is your budget range. I forgot to ask.

 

[Gerhard HT]

For my mobo CPU and GPU it is around R6500 (810-820 US dollar) (500 UK Pound)