Is this motherboard good enough?

[pckid22]

Just wondering if, since I plan on doing zero upgrades until I would be replacing my entire system, the arock extreme 4 mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293) would fit my needs fine and would like to affirm the general consensus that paying more would not get me any advantages over the subjective matter of opinion that asus has better build quality (or any brand for that matter [actual evidence supporting this is welcome though]).

This is my build:http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n1pJ

 

[pckid22]

EDIT: That is my build minus the mobo of course. Sorry about that.

 

[excella1221]

Yes, the Extreme4 would be fine. Though for your budget, I would at least get the Extreme6.

Both brands make good quality motherboards. ASUS probably makes better since they have been in the business longer but that doesn't mean ASRock would have inferior value.

ASRock is the top 3 of the world's top motherboard manufacturers, while ASUS is top 1.

Are you set with all these parts already? 'cause I have a lot of comments/suggestions about it(mostly for cutting costs without sacrificing quality), but all in all they should all fit.

 

[pckid22]

I am very open to suggestions. If you honestly can better my price performance ratio be my guest!
Some things you should know are that the 4gb vram is needed as I have a friend who uses the same mods I plan on using andhe has broken 2.8gb... in the future the extra vram will certainly be useful especially with mods.
I also need a mechanical back lit keyboard, if you know of a cheaper one.
Being picky when it comes to my audio I will most definitely keep the sound card as it will last until I can get a better pair of speakers that can take better advantage of it.
would a hyper 212 evo + be much worse than the h100? that would save me about 85 dollars if it is about the same performance the downgrade would be worth it.
Anyway, SUGGEST AWAY!

 

[excella1221]

Okay, well a few things.
- H100 is a waste of money IMO. Performance is matched by high-end air coolers such as the NH-D14, Silver Arrow, and Phanteks.
- I'm assuming these are Skyrim mods? How many monitors exactly are you using? You shouldn't go over a max of 2.5gb of VRAM even after heavy modding.
- You won't need 16gb of RAM. 8gb is already plenty even. Also, the ram you chose is quad-channel and the motherboard is only dual. Might get some issues there. Not to mention, it has unnecessarily tall heat spreaders that would conflict with the CPU cooler.
- P8Z77-V PRO is fair. Feature-wise it's base the same as the cheaper ASRock z77 Extreme6 where the latter actually has a few more features than the former, save the onboard wifi card but you can buy a discrete one for like ~$12 and place it in one of the PCI slots.
- The Rosewill 1000w is a bit overkill for your system; not to mention it's not that great. Its x4 +12v rails is just for marketing and all 4 sums up to only 900w(75A) so that's actually what you'ere paying for, 750-850w should be more than plenty even with SLI/Crossfire.
- The 7970/GHz outperforms the 670(and even the 680) in almost everything. It has 3gb of VRAM which really should be more than enough so it's really a much better buy, but if you feel more comfortable with 4gb, I won't stop you.
- I would get a 120Hz refresh rate TN monitor instead of that IPS. It would increase your fps cap without tearing to 120 and you'll see it's gives more fluidity.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n6IL

An alternative to the keyboard is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Keyboards-_-Cooler%20Master-_-23129008&AID=10440897&PID=3938566&SID=

Again, you can swap the GPU to a 4gb 670 if you really have to. Alternately, if you wish to stick with the 7970 GHz and you want to go cheaper, you can get the XFX brand. But really, you can't go wrong with Vapor-X; it's also very quiet. They're also pretty much the same price before rebates.

You're already getting $200 speakers... if you're getting any more expensive than that it would be best to just get it now.

 

[pckid22]

-I found it on sale for about the same as the two heat sinks you mentioned. Would get nhd14 if it was not so god damned ugly. Also, h100 fits better.

-According to the previously mentioned friend, on a 1440p monitor, using a minimum of 2k textures (many 4k) for everything in the game as well as using the warzones mod to get battles with about 100 NPC's at a time did cause him to reach about 2.8gb I would rather be safe and just have the 4gb as I am not confident 3 would last me long enough.

-16gb was negligibly more expensive than the 8gb so I figure what the hell. However, please do share more on quad and dual channel RAM as well as how the size of the heat spreaders affect its temps and performance as I am completely ignorant to both of those and realizing you just saved me from buying incompatible ram I would love to know more =) (thanks by the way lol)

-Knowing that about the PSU, I will probably get a better quality 750w power supply now.

-I am getting a 2560 x 1440 s-ips korean monitor that can be OC to over 120hz so I will never have to put up with the dismal display of a n and have to sacrifice frames AGAIN =)

 

[pckid22]

WHHOOOOLLLY ******* HORSE ***!!!!!! I am reading on google right now that there is a 6gb 7970ghz edition vapor x card that exists!!!! Is this real life or a lie? Admittedly that is overkill even for my vram needs but hey i will fork out the extra for the pure awesomeness of having the fastest card in crossfire and still hav ridiculous vram. Please tell me this is true.

EDIT: I just realized this card sounds familiar and it may be dual gpu meaning that there is really only 3gb usable, right? Andhere I was excited.

EDIT # 2: Looking at the TH review of the 7970 ghz edition it seems to either tie or lose to the 680 the majority of the time so how on earth could it be better than the 680?

 

[excella1221]

No. The Vapor-X 6gb is just a single card and it really is 6gb of VRAM. It's a bit expensive but if you want it, sure. It's the best there is.

The TH review for the 7970 GHz was taken wayy back in June 2012 using a *beta* Catalyst 12.7; it's now Catalyst 12.11 and whatever edge nVidia had before for nVidia-optimized architecture games like BF3 is gone now.

I would personally still get air cooler. There's more risks when using a closed-loop water cooler like when it breaks. If you really want it though, I'm in no position to stop you.

16gb costs like 85% more than 8gb, but then with your budget, I can see where you're coming from about it being negligible. I believe quad-channel RAM is made for the LGA2011 platform while dual-channel is for LGA1155. Whether or not they are backwards compatible, I'm not sure; but I won't risk it. Tall heat spreaders are a thing of the past and they would usually conflict to an air cooler's heat sink. A good example of this is the Corsair Vengeance (not LP), with this specific RAM, coolers like the NH-D14 cannot be installed for the reasons above(it even says so in the Noctua site's compatibility list).

There's also little point in tall heat spreaders for anything not going over 1.5v; there is no performance or temps difference whatsoever. You'll only need to go over 1.5v when OC'ing RAM and there's really no benefit from OC'ing RAM anyway unless you're a hardcore enthusiast. It's also worth noting that running RAM over 1.5v will result to your Intel CPU's warranty being voided.

If you're going for dual 7970 GHz, get at least 850w to be on the decent side.

 

[pckid22]

Alright, you have been very helpful. Thank you for your time, and have a great life =)

 

[pckid22]

Best answer selected by pckid22.