I wanna blow some money on a new MOBO

[amerifax]

>>Sleepingforest<<
You do have good advice. But on this one I did want the p8Z77-V. After reviewing all that YouTube offered on the subject, I had no choice. But I love the board and it only cost me 250apx at Newegg. But I will say I'm not happy with my $7200 order with Newegg!!! Why?? Another day.
Bob

 

[amerifax]

>>Unless you buy the P8Z77-WS instead. Heh.<<
Ok Know that it's installed tell what I didn't get. Make me feel good. Make me feel real good about my bad purchase.
Bob ah

 

[amerifax]

>>I wouldn't worry about Thunderbolt - USB 3.0 is screamin' fast and works with all your 'old' USB 2.0 stuf<<
I did buy into the Thunderbolt hype. I just wish I could feel safe to use it. Is it just for video & drivers. No one seems to sell supporting items.
Bob

 

[Raincity]

I have been happy with my P8Z77-V board also. The $30 more than the LK was worth it for the Intel NIC and Atheros wireless. I never got into the OC features. I am sitting stable air cooled right now and don't feel the need to push it any father.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Addressing the initial comparison between the two boards graphics support: none of that means anything once you plug in a GPU, so those differences are moot.

You won't be able to tell between PCIe and PCIe 2.0 for things like WiFi and USB add-on cards. Since it's a not a server, you won't be able to use more than one Ethernet port--and you're using WiFi anyway, so the difference doesn't matter.

You aren't using enough SATA ports to justify getting the Deluxe, and since you're not building an NAS, I doubt you'd need more than 16TB of data (four 4TB drives on the SATA 3Gb/s ports). You haven't mentioned a need for eSATA, and USB3.0 is as fast or faster anyway while being more common.

I doubt you'll have 4 peripherals that need USB3.0. USB2.0 is more than enough for things like mice and keyboards. WiFi and Bluetooth together are worth AT MOST $40. You don't need over 8 power phases since I doubt you're planning on sending hundreds of watts through the motherboard looking for a 6GHz overclock using liquid nitrogen.

The sound quality is the one thing I'd admit to being better on the Deluxe. Then again, you can get a Creative X-Fi Titanium for roughly $100 which will absolutely destroy the Deluxe's sound ability (and unless you're doing surround sound gaming or studio recordings, you won't notice any difference between the Deluxe and the LK to begin with).

I'm not saying spending extra money is always a bad idea, but you could at least put it into peripherals that matter (144Hz monitor or 1600p monitor, a better liquid cooling loop, a better case, and so on).

 

[dragonbat13]

But part of the purchase of any motherboard is to have all the features possible. That was stated in the original post.

I cant count how many times I have found a motherboard that is three years old and falls just short of having the requirments I need for a specific build. For instance I may non need the better graphics now, but whos to say that later on down the road, I may want to use it in a HTPC? Then the graphics or the Audio would be at an advantage.

I dont build a computer every six months, or sell one and build another to keep up. What I like to do is build a full featured computer that will support things that may come down the road that I dont know about now.

ANd I just dont see how it would be at an advantage to install a stripper motherboard and buy a wifi card, then an audio card, and a graphics card, and another and another. Especially when the time comes when I need it for something different than its current needs.

Ive done enough budget builds.

The extra 120 spent on a nicer build will not interfear with the costs of other things such as water cooling or monitors.

The computer is already built. I just want to upgrade from the P8z68 M-Pro that was for another computer.

 

[Sleepingforest]

The Deluxe doesn't make the Intel 4000 chip better though. Those other "features" are all embedded in the Z77 chipset and Intel 4000 iGPU. Gor the price of the Deluxe, you could get another motherboard that fits your next need better. For HTPCs, for example, you wouldn't want to use a full ATX mobo--getting mITX or mATX is a far better choice because it fits into a smaller, cooler box that blends into the living room better.

Buy what you need now. Chances are, what you anticipate needing won't be what you actually need later, and it'll likely be cheaper and better later. If you really want to waste the money, fine. I can, however, pretty much guarantee that it won't fit your future use as well as another $130 or so board in the future.

Plus, you're doing a Z77 multi-GPU water cooled gaming box. That isn't budget pretty much by definition.

 

[dragonbat13]

Ok I got a board coming. I did the sensible thing that Sleepingforest said and got what I needed instead of just blowing money. I just figured that I wasnt going to get my moneys worth out of an expensive board for my needs.

I got the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H. The selling factor for me was the USB 3.0 all around. With this board I will have USB 3.0 on every port on the outside of the computer. And that is something I like, as it is backwards compatible and it also keeps all the available USB 2.0 functions on the board. That way I can use the 2.0 for chassis type equipment. I am not going to watercool the computer. The GTX670 is fine as is for my needs so far, so there is no need to push it. With the C70 case, watercooled CPU, and the EVGA cooling setup everything stays cools as beans. Mind you nothing is overclocked other than the intel turbo boost, and the computer is plenty fast enough for me. Its going to be nice not having to worry about putting a 3.0 product in and slowing it to 2.0 performance by accident. It had good reviews, and I got it off ebay for a decent price so I went with it. Also, I havent used a Gigabyte product before, and wanted to try one out.

 

[crashtech]

You have a 3770K and you aren't overclocking it? Seems you'd at least want to get your money's worth and push it just a bit, since the "K" carries a price premium over the standard 3770.

 

[dragonbat13]

I bought it with the intention of overclocking, and eventually I will. I just want the computer completely built and working up to proper spec before I start. I still gotta decide on some correct ram for the application. Right now I am using 8g corsair vengenance 1600. That could suffice for all I know. But I need to do alot of research on overclocking before I start messing with it. Also I didnt want to overclock with the current board, and its faster than I expected it to be.

 

[iFati]

how u combine maximus formula with crosair h100 cooler or ur cooling just cpu not the thermal solution right?

 

[dragonbat13]

I wasnt using the maximus. But if I were going to go the full blown watercooling route, I would have cooled the chipset (if they make a waterblock for it) and the motherboards block as one on a 120mm rad on the back, and a 240 rad on the GPU. And ran this dual pump, dual 5.25 reservoir setup I saw on FrozenCPU for each loop. That would have made a total of three loops on the system.

But I didnt get the maximus, and I dont think I am going to use anymore watercooling than the CPU right now.

 

[red454]

I have the Maximus and the H100, and I only cool the CPU. I just have air on the Thermal part.

I do have a temperature probe (thermistor) on the Thermal, and it only gets into the 90's Fahrenheit in normal use. I haven't pushed an overclock yet, so I am sure the Thermal temps would go higher.