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Motherboards Some motherboard advice for a beginner

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by NachoMachoMan, 20 Dec 2012.

  1. NachoMachoMan

    NachoMachoMan What's a Dremel?

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    Hey guys,
    looking for some easy simple help here, would be much appreciated.
    In the process of a new build, and my first :D, and am fairly stuck on the motherboard side of things. I know i'm looking for an ATX sized board, but not a lot else,
    i know i need a LGA1155 socket for my i5 3570k CPU and the best option is Z77. My question here is what are the differences between Z77 and P67 etc? and what does that even refer to?!

    My second question is to suggestions and ideas for a good motherboard at around £100, looking to run 8Gb DDR3 at 1600MHz with some overclocking but no water cooling? i've had little look but don't really understand it all :p.
    I've had a little look at the z77 extreme 4 which appears to have good reviews. Is this mobo overkill or would you guys recommend it?
    Any suggestions, recommendations or pointers would be fantastic,
    thanks
     
  2. mm vr

    mm vr The cheesecake is a lie

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    It refers to the chipset. P67 is for Sandy Bridge CPUs and Z77 is for Ivy Bridge. With a BIOS update, P67 boards should also take Ivy Bridge CPUs though.

    H77 is otherwise identical to Z77, but it doesn't support overclocking. B75 has somewhat less features.

    Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H or GA-Z77X-D3H, or maybe something from the Asus P8Z77 series.
     
  3. NachoMachoMan

    NachoMachoMan What's a Dremel?

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    Ahh i see, thanks for that enlightenment. should have found that on the web really...
    OK so Z77 is my best bet, are ASrock motherboards something to be considered?
    cheers
     
  4. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    Z77 is also able to run Sandybridge CPUs. Ivybridge brings PCIe3.0 to the table, which basically offers more bandwidth and uses it more efficiently. If you're into overclocking, Ivybridge CPUs are known to run a little warmer than Sandybridge, so ensure you budget for a good cooling system.

    MSI's boards are also good, too. I've had a few over the years and my current Z77-based board is solid as a rock. The UEFI BIOS is nice, too.
     
  5. NachoMachoMan

    NachoMachoMan What's a Dremel?

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    Nice one thanks for the.help.
    Whilst on the subject what are people's views on the artic cooling I30? I've read reviews but have heard conflicting opinions
     
  6. SuicideNeil

    SuicideNeil What's a Dremel?

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    It's a pretty decent cooler, sits at the high end of the charts for air coolers if this is anything to go by ( not the same CPU but you get the idea- look at the 1155 chart ):

    http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2012/12/13/be-quiet-shadow-rock-topflow-sr1-review/2

    It's certainly worth looking at the mobo reviews to get an idea of performance and features, plus layout ( some boards have nicer features such as extra usb sockets, usb3.0 headers & sockets, edge mounted sata sockets and such ). Depends really on whether you are planning on just throwing the parts together in a box never to see the light of day in which case aesthetics and impeccable cable routing won't matter so much, or whether you plan to do a project log and want to show off your uber-clean & well laid out case.

    Plenty of good boards for £100, and everyone has their favourites, I'd search Scan.co.uk and just select Z77 boards, compare features and make a choice- if you aren't planning on bench marking your set then most boards will overclock well enough for a bit of a performance boost. Plus, if you make one more post here you can sign up for free shipping when you spend more than £20 on scans website :)
     
  7. NachoMachoMan

    NachoMachoMan What's a Dremel?

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    20th post, here goes! :-D
    Great advice thanks :) looks like the i30 is all most the best CPU air cooler!
    So it would appear they're all generally good just the little bits to decide between.
    Thanks very much been great help
     

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