Help selecting a motherboard

[MJK4Y]

Hi all,

I'm building a new rig with the intention of gaming. So far, here are parts I have selected/bought:

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

ITE-ON Internal 24x DVD-Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS324-99

Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX

I am waiting for the release of the 7870 GPU next week before I decide on a video card, and I'm waiting to put together everything else before I pick a PSU.
The only special consideration is that I am planning on re-using my current, IDE hard drive as a secondary, backup drive in this new build. I was going to buy a PCI/IDE card to allow that hookup, but a motherboard with an IDE port would be a bonus. I am willing to spend in the neighborhood of $120 on a mobo.

Some that I have considered are below:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157253

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279

Could you guys give me some advice on a quality board to throw into this build?

 

[Puppies04]

Unless you have any other specific needs (I wouldn't know where to find an 1155 board with IDE conections) any of those board will be fine, all anyone else will be able to tell you is which brand they prefer and on that note you should buy an asus

In all seriousness though just buy whichever you prefer the look/price of, it really isn't going to change the end result of your build.

 

[cytoSiN]

Unless you have any other specific needs (I wouldn't know where to find an 1155 board with IDE conections) any of those board will be fine, all anyone else will be able to tell you is which brand they prefer and on that note you should buy an asus

This, including the last part about Asus :thumbsup:

If you intend to overclock with any seriousness, that might also dictate which board you choose.

 

[MJK4Y]

I was thinking of overclocking my processor some, but nothing major. Thanks for the help, guys.
Out of curiosity, what attribute of a motherboard would be considered when discussing overclocking capabilities, aside from how user-friendly the BIOS is?

 

[cytoSiN]

I was thinking of overclocking my processor some, but nothing major. Thanks for the help, guys.
Out of curiosity, what attribute of a motherboard would be considered when discussing overclocking capabilities, aside from how user-friendly the BIOS is?

Not just user friendly, but feature rich. In fact, imo, feature rich is more important that user friendliness, since you can always learn or get help here or elsewhere in the interwebs. Specifically, lots of voltage settings and power options makes overclocking easier and more fun imo.

As for hardware attributes, good heatsinks on the NB/SB helps with overclocking. Good ram-slot clearance with the CPU socket is also good so you have room for a large HSF (assuming you're on air). More than one 3-pin fan header is a nice feature too so you can control fans in the BIOS and/or windows without extra hardware.

 

[Puppies04]

Not just user friendly, but feature rich. In fact, imo, feature rich is more important that user friendliness, since you can always learn or get help here or elsewhere in the interwebs. Specifically, lots of voltage settings and power options makes overclocking easier and more fun imo.

As for hardware attributes, good heatsinks on the NB/SB helps with overclocking. Good ram-slot clearance with the CPU socket is also good so you have room for a large HSF (assuming you're on air). More than one 3-pin fan header is a nice feature too so you can control fans in the BIOS and/or windows without extra hardware.

In general terms the most important feature when looking for a stable high overclocking mobo is the power delivery specifically how many phases it uses. There are plenty of tests online for most different mobos to see which ones excell at OCing. Next on my list would be making sure that the mobo allows offset voltage adjustment as it is a lot safer to overclock your chip that way and will make the cpu run cooler and last longer. Although most boards allow this from what I have seen as long as you stay away from the entry level models.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The voltage on those sticks are a little too high, stick with 1.5v specs

 

[cytoSiN]

The voltage on those sticks are a little too high, stick with 1.5v specs

Good point. 1.65v is too much for P67 and Z68, and you're not going to want to undervolt those sticks. Even if you already own the ram, it would be cheaper to sell it and buy other sticks than to change direction on CPU/mobo.

 

[WT]

I have the HAF 912 in two builds, and I'd recommend adding at least one more 120mm fan to it, preferably mounted on the top of the case blowing out. Its a very large case, but its only downside is being 1 fan too short.