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I7-3770k Best Mobos Gaming? - Need Your Expertise!

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Hello all - need some of your expert help!
I'm currently going through a wave of computer upgrades and as part of this I have decided to upgrade my CPU.

CPU UPGRADE: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K
My current MOBO has an old LGA1366 socket so I need to upgrade (also have old SATA II ports ugh but that's besides the point)...
Main Problem is, I have no idea where to even begin in my MOBO pursuit!
I'm usually a little more responsible with my questions, but I'm sadly unequipped knowledge-wise here.

PROBLEM/CONCERN: Can anyone point me in a good direction with some MOBO choices to accomodate the i7-3770k?
*I am willing to buy a new case or anything else if need be
*At the end of this post are the computer parts I have for my build

MY GOALS & BUDGET:
1. Goal = MAXIMUM GAMING PERFORMANCE. Trying to avoid bottlenecking!
2. Budget = None (but I enjoy buying the best value/price so hopefully under $200? for MOBO)
*Max Gaming Performance > Budget in terms of my goals

CURRENT COMP PARTS:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
PSU: ULTRA X4 750W POWER SUPPLY MODULAR
RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB DDR3 Tri PC12800 1600MHz (3x2GB)
SSD: Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series
MBO: Asus P6T Intel X58 Socket LGA1366 Motherboard
CSE: CoolerMaster CM690 Black ATX Case SLI Ready

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Motherboard Expert

Maximum gaming performance at a reasonable price? Get a Core i5-3570k instead, and put it in something like an Asrock Z77 Extreme3 or Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H.

Though if you do splurge on the i7 anyway, both of those boards will still do just fine.
Motherboard Expert

First thing is that the i7 3770k does not support tri channel memmory. That is not really an issue because your memory will run in dual channel and the loss in actuall game perfomance will be nill. It might be a good idea to try to score a 4th 2gb stick of the same model you already have so you can run 4x2gb dual channel for a max of 8gb.

I had the same debate as you and i settled on the Asrock extreme 4.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Its been like 6 months now and I am very happy with this board.
Any of the Z77 boards will give you very similar performance so you can safely go with what ever one looks good.

Toms did some great article about this topic too. Check it out.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bri...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-g...

Thanks for the replies fellas!
@Sakkura: I already purchased the i7 3770k - whoopsies :) 
@bucknutty: Thanks for links - these are helping and is the "starting point" I needed

@all:
I wanted to take one step back and ask a broader question as I continue to read through these Motherboard comparisons...
What typically makes one motherboard "better" than the next?

I at least know some metrics to consider when I'm comparing GPUs (reference vs. reference factory OC vs. True OC potential vs. reliability etc) and CPUs, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which pieces of data are important for making determinations between one motherboard and the next.

#MOBO_noob_forlife
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hatman5700 said:
Thanks for the replies fellas!
@Sakkura: I already purchased the i7 3770k - whoopsies :) 
@bucknutty: Thanks for links - these are helping and is the "starting point" I needed

@all:
I wanted to take one step back and ask a broader question as I continue to read through these Motherboard comparisons...
What typically makes one motherboard "better" than the next?

I at least know some metrics to consider when I'm comparing GPUs (reference vs. reference factory OC vs. True OC potential vs. reliability etc) and CPUs, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which pieces of data are important for making determinations between one motherboard and the next.

#MOBO_noob_forlife

Well apart from the chipset (which is definitely going to be Z77 in this case), there are things like the PCIe slots (decides whether you can run SLI/Crossfire), the audio codec, and the various ports and connections offered.
Oh, and certain overclocking-minded features.

The boards I mentioned, and the one Bucknutty linked, are on the cheaper end of boards that allow for SLI/Crossfire.

Okay MOBOs are starting to make a lot more sense now.

Just got done reading through the review of the sub-$160 top 7 MOBOs for Z77 (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bri...)

After reading this article my heart seems to be set on the ASRock Z77 Extreme 4/6.
Though some have made strong cases for ASUS Boards in general, and Gigabyte is getting a few mentions...

Anyone know which has the best RMA?
And which is the best known for a strong Overclock (Tom's article seems to have them all around the same)?

hatman5700 said:
Hello all - need some of your expert help!
I'm currently going through a wave of computer upgrades and as part of this I have decided to upgrade my CPU.

CPU UPGRADE: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K
My current MOBO has an old LGA1366 socket so I need to upgrade (also have old SATA II ports ugh but that's besides the point)...
Main Problem is, I have no idea where to even begin in my MOBO pursuit!
I'm usually a little more responsible with my questions, but I'm sadly unequipped knowledge-wise here.

PROBLEM/CONCERN: Can anyone point me in a good direction with some MOBO choices to accomodate the i7-3770k?
*I am willing to buy a new case or anything else if need be
*At the end of this post are the computer parts I have for my build

MY GOALS & BUDGET:
1. Goal = MAXIMUM GAMING PERFORMANCE. Trying to avoid bottlenecking!
2. Budget = None (but I enjoy buying the best value/price so hopefully under $200? for MOBO)
*Max Gaming Performance > Budget in terms of my goals

CURRENT COMP PARTS:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
PSU: ULTRA X4 750W POWER SUPPLY MODULAR
RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB DDR3 Tri PC12800 1600MHz (3x2GB)
SSD: Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series
MBO: Asus P6T Intel X58 Socket LGA1366 Motherboard
CSE: CoolerMaster CM690 Black ATX Case SLI Ready



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ...

..... This is the one I just ordered... I should have opted for 2day shipping... hah... it's probably the best mobo for your cpu (I ordered the same cpu as well.. along with 8gb (2 x 4gb) of G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3 Ram ..which I'll add more later when I got the cheese to do so...(Here - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...)
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