Which Motherboard for a New Ivy Bridge Build?

[30'06]

I have socket939 system that has served me well but after 6+ years it is time for a new build. This is for both work as well as personal usage.

I need to order the parts by the end of this week and I have narrowed down the motherboard to one of the three Gigabyte options. Yes, I know there are higher end enthusiast boards but if I overclock it will be a very conservative overclock.

I have built systems and though I keep up with tech I have not paid much attention per se when it comes Z77 motherboards except recently. Any help/advice will be most appreciated.


* Gaming, Word Office, some Video Rendering, along with email and internet surfing will be its primary functions. I'll be running a single video card. Since my budget is limited I've selected the following to consider:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128547

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128543

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128546

Thanks

[brothergc]

would it be fair to say you want a gigabyte ?
Me if it had to be that brand then the ultra durable class is what I would go after ( The UD3 )
I am hearing good things about the Asus sabertooth z77 board but it is pricey
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131821

but if a buget board is what ya want them consider Asrock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293

Just my 2 cents

[30'06]

Thanks for the reply. Is there something I should be aware of when it comes to Gigabyte boards? I know about the boot loop issue that their z68 boards had. I've looked at the UD3 and still considering.

As for Asrock I know they were once part of Asus but were spun off but I know nothing of their current quality.

[gordong11]

ASRock makes a great board, before my current build, i was using an ASRock wolfdale board....no problems on either. ASRock is known for its blue-collar nature, not much bling but the build quality is there. Their apps are ok too, not bloatware, but minimalistic and easily avoided if unwanted.

I happen to like gigabyte boards, but prefer ASRock because of the quality for the price.

[IMakeHomeMovies]

You might want to look at this ASRock Fatal1ty mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157298

I have had 1 Fatal1ty mobo from ABIT that was awesome, and I love the Fatal1ty sound card and headset.

I am thinking of a new mobo (but for LGA 2011) and considering a Fatal1ty board.

Anyways, from the reviews ASRock seems to have made big strides in value, features and quality with the Fatal1ty series.

As far as ASRock, asus, gigabyte and MSI quality, if you look through the forums you will find they all have quality and build issues, looks like about the same amount for each brand, so I don't know how much a brand really defines the quality of the product you end up with.

All production has fluctuations, so it is a crap shoot if you get one of the bad ones.

[30'06]

I just wanted you to know that I went with a Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H and with an i5-3570. Micro Center had a fantastic combo deal + 8 gigs of RAM that saved me $120 if I ordered the same from NewEgg.

So far, so good. It booted up first time and is stable.

[Octavean]

Given your cited 6 year run with your last system it makes sense to incorporate the latest tech. If you intended on rebuilding in a year or so it wouldn’t necessarily matter. If you want to keep prices down and still keep Thunderbolt as an option then the Asus line of Z77 boards really is the way to go since they have a Thunderbolt “TB_Header” for use with an optional add-in card starting on boards in the ~$150 range like the ASUS P8Z77-V LK:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131837

Or if you want Thunderbolt built in already then there is the MSI Z77A-GD80:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130642

And the ASUS P8Z77-V Premium:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0z77%20premium

I cant say if Intel Thunderbolt will become ubiquitous in the future and it very well may not. However, that’s a two way street since no one can guarantee that it wont gain in the market either. 6 years is a long run either way though,…