Upgrading my PC with i5 3570K. Need a new motherboard.

[clairvoux]

Hey everyone.

So i decided to upgrade my PC from a Q9400 to an i5 3470k. I was looking for a good motherboard to go along with the new CPU, but there are so many in the market that i just can't decide, so i was wondering if you could help me. I don't really have a minimum budget, although it shouldn't doesn't cost more than 120€/150$.

What is the best motherboard i can get within that price range? Of course if you know of a very good mobo that costs, say 70€/90$ feel free to suggest it. The cheaper the better! But at the same time im also looking for a quality product!


P.S: I have a preference for Asus boards

 

[jaquith]

The Q9400 is LGA 775 and the i5-3570K is LGA 1155. To insure the most compatible match to your Ivy Bride CPU I would look at either a Z75 or Z77 chipset LGA 1155 MOBO.

Ideally the ASUS P8Z77-V - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V/#specifications

For SLI (nVidia) the:
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 - http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/?cat=Specifications
ASUS P8Z77-V LK - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LK/#specifications

For CF (AMD) the:
ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Performance - http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z77%20Performance/?cat=Specifications

 

[clairvoux]

Thanks for the reply! The P8Z77-V is over my budget, although i like it a lot. Im using Nvidia graphics.

The other 2 boards are more inside my budget, but more suggestions would be apreciated. i may use SLI in the future, but only with 2 cards at most.

 

[clairvoux]

Does the Z77 chipset has integrated graphics? Just curious.

 

[jaquith]

The Z77's graphics are from the CPU's on-die Intel® HD Graphics 4000 - http://ark.intel.com/products/65520/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Processor-(6M-Cache-up-to-3_80-GHz)

For OC'ing the two SLI MOBO's I've already listed are your best bet: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 or ASUS P8Z77-V LK, the ASUS P8Z77-V is a step up and anything less wouldn't be my picks for CPU OC'ing and SLI support.

 

[clairvoux]

Whats your opinion on the P8Z77-V LX? The LK isn't available at my local store although i could get it online. The LX sells for 134€.
Alternatives to the LX available at my local store are:

P8Z77-M Pro: 143€
P8Z77-M: 117€
P8Z77-V: 197€ which is WAY overpriced from what i've seen in other stores, and way over my budget.

The ASrock board is available, but at 154€, which seems to be a bit overpriced too.
More affordable alternatives to the ASrock are:

ASrock Z77 Pro 4: 134€
ASrock z77 Pro 3: 105€

 

[jaquith]

Here's the problem, you choose an IB (K) CPU, and if you chose a non-K then CPU then any newer chipset LGA 1155 would be fine. However, if you want to OC then the bottom MOBO I'd choose is the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 or ASUS P8Z77-V LK with SLI support.

A '197€' is overpriced to you and not someone who plans to OC their system. Any Z75/Z77 MOBO will allow you to OC the CPU, but the problem is the outcome of longevity and potential OC (voltages & stability).

The LX models can work but I'll never recommend them for OC'ing to anyone in a forum. Some folks will tell you anything you want to hear including 'yes' -- not me.

Instead my goal and hope is that you can OC and be as trouble free as possible.

 

[clairvoux]

Perhaps you're right and I'm asking too much for my budget.

Would I be able to get a significantly cheaper board if I buy a i5 2500K or a 2550k instead? The difference in price is only 10-20€ between the 3570k and the 2500k, but if the boards for a 2500k are significantly cheaper, then I would go with a 2500K or 2550k instead. Moreover I just found out that Ivy Bridge CPUs have very serious heat problems when compared to the Sandy Bridge ones, and that i could actually achieve a better results from a Sandy Bridge CPU, if I ever feel the need to make a big overclock.

 

[jaquith]

Either a SB (K) or IB (K) i.e. overclocking you'll need a solid MOBO. So I'd stick with the IB (K). The following is an issue with any CPU OC:

Any Z75/Z77 MOBO will allow you to OC the CPU, but the problem is the outcome of longevity and potential OC (voltages & stability).

The IB (K) have 'tri-gate' and Intel is using cheaper (flux-less) TIM so >4.5GHz OC on the IB gets hot vs SB (K) a 5GHz (thermal wall).

I've seen higher e.g. 5GHz on the i5-3570K, but very rarely on 'air' and the performance increase to thermal limits isn't anything I'd advise you to do.

At proportional thermal limits the performance differences between the i5-2500K and i5-3570K are close, but the i5-3570K is the winner.

The ASRock Z77 Extreme4 is +4€ of your budget and the MOBO I'd choose in your situation.

 

[jaquith]

Reply (PM):

Get the i5-3570K and ASRock Z77 Extreme4 which is only +4€ over your stated budget. Don't get a cheap MOBO or the i5-2500K.

 

[clairvoux]

Yes, I will take the ASrock board.
And what do you think about the heat problems? I know about the low quality thermal paste used on the IB cpus. Wouldn't that limit the OCing potential like -I think- you stated on your previous reply? Why would it still be the winner?

P.S: Yes i know this is not the place to discuss about CPUs, but i dont think it is worth making another thread about this

 

[jaquith]

Getting an i5-2500K to 5GHz is very tricky and an i5-3570K @ 4.5GHz is just as tricky, and running those two head to head the i5-3570K is on average a 5%~7% gain. Now I could see the argument for an i7-2600K vs i5-3570K and if you do tasks with hyper-threading then the i7-2600K, but if you're doing MPEG-2/4/H.264 encoding the i5-3570K.

 

[clairvoux]

I dont really intend to take either one to those frequencies, but are you telling me that the 3570k at 4.5ghz is 5-7% more powerful than the i5 2500k at 5ghz, or that it is 5-7% more powerful at the SAME clock speeds? And this would be the last question. Thanks

 

[jaquith]

...running those two head to head the i5-3570K is on average a 5%~7% gain.

Both at Stock and similar max overclocks the i5-3570K is faster. Now if you OC the i5-2500K and run the i5-3570K at stock then the i5-2500K is faster in 'most' benchmarks.

 

[clairvoux]

I'll check some more benchmarks before I make my final decision, but thanks a lot for you help. Now how can I choose the best answer and close the thread?

 

[jaquith]

My MO is not for 'Best Answer' I simply tell it the way it is, and try to help.

Stock - http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/38421-intel-core-i5-3570k-22nm-ivy-bridge/
Stock - http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i7-3770k-i5-3570k.html
Overclocked - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2012/05/01/intel-core-i5-3570k-cpu-review/1

"The question most people want to know, of course, is how much faster is it than the Core i5-2500K? The answer is a noticeable but not jaw-dropping amount, usually around 10 per cent, although this was consistent in all of our benchmarks."

ref - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2012/05/01/intel-core-i5-3570k-cpu-review/8

10% vs 5%~7% depends on the benchmarks and OC's. I've seen tests all over the place, so IMO a 5%~7% is safe.

 

[clairvoux]

Thanks