Gaming motherboard options

[andrewdoyle88]

Hello!

I am currently looking at my options for motherboards. I am building a mid range gaming computer that will (hopefully) be able to take any game on max settings I throw at it. Also I am an Engineering student and I use autoCAD Civil 3D. I am looking for a mid to high end motherboard that will prepare me for the near future.

Here's a few i've found that seem to be popular:

1) GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
2) ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
3) GIGABYTE G1.SNIPER2 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
4) ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Professional AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard


As for processors, these seem like they are around the mid range:

1) AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor
2) Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
3) Or any of the new AMD FX's


A few other parts im possibly throwing into my build:
1) COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
2) CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
3) CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W
4) COOLER MASTER HAF X (MAYBE, if my budget isn't too high haha)
5) ASUS 24X DVD Burner
6) Video card is really up in the air, there are so many options. I'd rather not spend $600 on a card but I don't want to cheap out and have choppy games next year!



Any feedback on which combo's would work the best. Also if anything is overkill or if I would need extra hardware please let me know. Thanks :approve:

 

[Ritwik7]

The i5 2500K is the best CPU in terms of value and perormance. A decent Z68 board with at least 2 PCI-E slots should be good to go.

AMD have disappointed with their FX lineup unless you're willing to get the top-end FX 8150.

 

[dividebyzero]

AMD have disappointed with their FX lineup including the top-end FX 8150.

/fixed

2500K + Any of the more affordable midrange Z68 boards. Sandy Bridge's (2500K/2600K) successor is supposedly going to be a drop-in upgrade for some Z68 boards with PCI-E 3.0 support, so it would be worth checking out something like this ASRock Z68 Extreme3/Gen 3.

If the UEFI (the interface that has replaced the conventional BIOS) is compatible with the upcoming Ivy Bridge CPU's then you have a viable upgrade path for the next few years if the 2500K starts to seem dated sometime in the future.

I'd be more inclined to save money on the board and maybe put the savings toward a solid state drive.

Graphics card - I would consider the HD 6870 as a baseline performance option for gaming at 1920x1080/1200 ( this Sapphire for $160 after rebate). Something like this Gigabyte HD 6950 would offer a better degree of future proofing ($240)

 

[andrewdoyle88]

Thanks for the info!

I think I will be going with the 2500k + ASRock Z68 Extreme3. This seems like the best bang for my buck right now with the ability to upgrade in the future without buying all new components.

I'm still unsure of video cards... The Gigabyte HD 6950 looks like it will do the trick for the next while!


Thanks!

 

[Ritwik7]

Good choices.