Need a cheap motherboard for gaming

[camohanna]

Will have a Intel i5 3570 processor
Will not be overclocked

ATX preferrably

Will have a 7950/70 in it

Under $130 NZD

 

[camohanna]

Been looking at a B75 chipset

 

[wimbledon]

Will have a Intel i5 3570 processor
Will not be overclocked

ATX preferrably

Will have a 7950/70 in it

Under $130 NZD

I'm by no means an expert, but I too am building a computer in NZ and unfortunately everything here is so expensive compared to overseas.

IMO you should allocate a bit more of your budget to the mobo as this is actually one of the most important parts of the computer. It is a massive pain upgrading the mobo in comparison to the CPU, RAM, etc. that you can just switch out.

NZ$130 is not even going to get you Z77 chipset which is what you should be getting otherwise you might have trouble with some of the other components. eg if you use 1600Mhz RAM, your mobo might only support up to 1333Mhz and you end up wasting your money.

The cheapest Z77 I can see is the AsRock Pro 3 which will be about $170 once you factor in shipping. For more options, look on www.pricespy.co.nz or find a decent second-hand one on trademe.