What Motherboard works best with:

[legendaswd]

Hey guys! I was just wondering what motherboard works best with HD 7970, or a GTX 680. If possible, can you also list what cpu would go well with that combo too?

Since I'm buying it from cyberpc, there's a select few options available:

[CrossFireX/SLI] ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, XFast Technologies, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2x PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

[CrossFireX] ASUS P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2x PCIe x16 (1 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2x PCIe x1 & 3 PCI (Extreme OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2 PCie x1 & 2 PCI (Extreme OC Certified)

[CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS P8Z77-V Pro Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Wi-Fi GO!, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, Display Port, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2x PCie x1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

[CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS Sabertooth Z77 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Lucid Virtu MVP, TUF Thermal Armor, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, Display Port, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2) & 3x PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified)

[3-Way CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Wi-Fi GO!, 7.1 HD Audio, Dual GbLAN, Display Port, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2) & 4x PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified)

[4-Way CrossFireX/SLI] ASUS P8Z77-V Premium Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Wi-Fi GO! Thunderbolt, On-Board 32GB mSATA SSD, Dual Intel GbLAN, 4x PCIe 3.0 x16 & 2x PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX] GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4 Classic, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (Extreme OC Certified)

[CrossFireX] GIGABYTE Z77-DS3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2x Gen3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (Pro OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4 Classic, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, Display Port, 3x Gen3 PCIe X16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP4 TH Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, 2x Thunderbolt, Ultra Durable 5, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, HDMI, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

20[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP5 TH Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, 2x Thunderbolt, Ultra Durable 5, BT+WiFi Card, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, HDMI, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

[4-way CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP7 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 E-ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable 5, 32+3+2 Phase Power, BT+WiFi Card, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, Display Port, 5x Gen3 PCIe x16 & 2x PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified)

[CrossFireX/SLI] Intel DZ77RE-75K Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Bluetooth+WiFi module, Thunderbolt port, 7.1 HD Audio, Dual Intel GbLAN, 2x PCIe 3.0 x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

[CrossFireX] MSI Z77A-G41 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Winki 3, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2x PCIe X16 (1 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI

[CrossFireX/SLI] MSI Z77 MPOWER Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Winki 3, WiFi+BT, 7.1 THX TruStudio Pro Audio, GbLAN, Display Port, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16 & x PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified)

Yeah I just copy/pasted it
Btw, the cpu will most likely be overclocked, and this rig is going to be used strictly for gaming only!

Thanks!

 

[bigcyco1]

What Chipset do You Need for Your i3, i5, i7 Processor?
PCIe 3.0 Image Source: Gigabyte In the past it seemed like every time that Intel released a new CPU there was another socket to go along with it. The great thing about Ivy Bridge is that the 1155 pin socket used for standard Sandy Bridge processors as well as the 2011 pin socket used for Sandy Bridge-e or enthusiast processors is the same socket that's used for both Ivy Bridge and Ivy Bridge enthusiast processors.

While all X79 chipset LGA socket 2011 motherboards are forwards compatible with Ivy Bridge enthusiast CPU, only the GEN3 Z68 1155 motherboards are forwards compatible with Ivy Bridge processors. These GEN3 motherboards are PCIe 3.0 compatible, but can only take advantage of it once an Ivy Bridge processor is used.

Now that Intel's 7 series Z77, Z75, and H77 chipsets have been released for Ivy bridge a GEN3 Z68 motherboard only makes sense if it's cheaper than other options and you plan on just using Sandy Bridge in it. However, if that's your situation, then you should also consider a cheap GEN1 or GEN2 Z68, p67, or H67 chipset motherboard based upon your needs.

Z77 vs. Z75 vs. H77 Chipset

There are several differences in Intel's chipset designs. One of them is that all of these processors support Intel's Smart Response technology which is used for SSD caching. Only the chipsets with a "7" as the last number support this. On the other hand, processor overclocking is only available to the chipsets that begin with a "Z".

All Ivy Bridge motherboards natively support 14 USB ports, 4 of which are USB 3.0. In addition memory overclocking on Ivy Bridge goes up to 2800MHz vs. the 2133MHz previously supported.
Best i7, i5 Ivy Bridge Gaming Motherboard 2012
Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE Motherboard Review
The top rated new Z77 motherboard for 2012 thus far is the Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE which I consider a mid-range high-end motherboard. This motherboard is for those of you who like to push the performance of your hardware to the limits and want a lot of flexibility. It's also great for those of you who just want to do some basic overclocks. For those of you not planning on overclocking I'd recommend something more like the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.

Key features for this board include one click overclocking with their TPU button, OC Performance boost, AI Suite 2, Fan Expert 2, Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with SMART DIGI+ Power Control, New controls for VRM for dynamic adjustment of your CPU as well as a new VRM design, USB Bios flashback, Faster USB 3.0 Transmission with UASP, Wi-Fi GO!, 6 fan headers and Fan Xpert 2, thunderbolt header (the add in piece is purchased separately, and of course he PCIe 3.0 switching chip.

Other technical details include; up to 32 GB dual channel memory support at up to 2800, PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x16/0 or x8/x8), 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, Realtek ALC898 audio chipset, Bluetooth v4.0 / v3.0 + HS, WiFi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, rear panel ports including; 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 4 x USB 2.0, 6 x USB 3.0, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, 1 x Optical, and 6 audio ports. Like all Asus motherboards the Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE also comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty. Source: http://www.squidoo.com/

 

[XXStavrosXX]

What is your budget?

 

[legendaswd]

What Chipset do You Need for Your i3, i5, i7 Processor?
PCIe 3.0 Image Source: Gigabyte In the past it seemed like every time that Intel released a new CPU there was another socket to go along with it. The great thing about Ivy Bridge is that the 1155 pin socket used for standard Sandy Bridge processors as well as the 2011 pin socket used for Sandy Bridge-e or enthusiast processors is the same socket that's used for both Ivy Bridge and Ivy Bridge enthusiast processors.

While all X79 chipset LGA socket 2011 motherboards are forwards compatible with Ivy Bridge enthusiast CPU, only the GEN3 Z68 1155 motherboards are forwards compatible with Ivy Bridge processors. These GEN3 motherboards are PCIe 3.0 compatible, but can only take advantage of it once an Ivy Bridge processor is used.

Now that Intel's 7 series Z77, Z75, and H77 chipsets have been released for Ivy bridge a GEN3 Z68 motherboard only makes sense if it's cheaper than other options and you plan on just using Sandy Bridge in it. However, if that's your situation, then you should also consider a cheap GEN1 or GEN2 Z68, p67, or H67 chipset motherboard based upon your needs.

Z77 vs. Z75 vs. H77 Chipset

There are several differences in Intel's chipset designs. One of them is that all of these processors support Intel's Smart Response technology which is used for SSD caching. Only the chipsets with a "7" as the last number support this. On the other hand, processor overclocking is only available to the chipsets that begin with a "Z".

All Ivy Bridge motherboards natively support 14 USB ports, 4 of which are USB 3.0. In addition memory overclocking on Ivy Bridge goes up to 2800MHz vs. the 2133MHz previously supported.
Best i7, i5 Ivy Bridge Gaming Motherboard 2012
Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE Motherboard Review
The top rated new Z77 motherboard for 2012 thus far is the Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE which I consider a mid-range high-end motherboard. This motherboard is for those of you who like to push the performance of your hardware to the limits and want a lot of flexibility. It's also great for those of you who just want to do some basic overclocks. For those of you not planning on overclocking I'd recommend something more like the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.

Key features for this board include one click overclocking with their TPU button, OC Performance boost, AI Suite 2, Fan Expert 2, Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with SMART DIGI+ Power Control, New controls for VRM for dynamic adjustment of your CPU as well as a new VRM design, USB Bios flashback, Faster USB 3.0 Transmission with UASP, Wi-Fi GO!, 6 fan headers and Fan Xpert 2, thunderbolt header (the add in piece is purchased separately, and of course he PCIe 3.0 switching chip.

Other technical details include; up to 32 GB dual channel memory support at up to 2800, PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x16/0 or x8/x8), 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, Realtek ALC898 audio chipset, Bluetooth v4.0 / v3.0 + HS, WiFi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, rear panel ports including; 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 4 x USB 2.0, 6 x USB 3.0, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, 1 x Optical, and 6 audio ports. Like all Asus motherboards the Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE also comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty. Source: http://www.squidoo.com/

Oh MAN... So much information, but I'm really new to this stuff, so a lot of it went over me... I'm thinking of using an overclocked i5 3570k. If you could just give me an exact mobo... that would really help. And the ones I listed were my options, and thanks for replying to my cases thread! Still looking for help on it though!

 

[legendaswd]

What is your budget?

My budget for the whole computer is ~$1500, only for gaming!

 

[bigcyco1]

Oh MAN... So much information, but I'm really new to this stuff, so a lot of it went over me... I'm thinking of using an overclocked i5 3570k. If you could just give me an exact mobo... that would really help. And the ones I listed were my options, and thanks for replying to my cases thread! Still looking for help on it though!

I would go for the ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

[legendaswd]

Best answer selected by legendaswd.

 

[legendaswd]

Thanks man!