Low-price Motheboard Ivy Bridge

[olimaltar]

Hi -

I am trying to build my 1st home made computer.

Money: 1000$
Purposes: home theater, photo editing, gaming

CPU: i5-3570 (although feel free to comment )
I am pretty sure I'll never overclock it.

Only GPU (so no Crossfire).
1 SSD + 1 HDD (so 1 SATA 6GG and the other one can be 3GG). I dont think Id ever plud 2 SSD (which would then require 6GG SATA).

I am wondering which MoBo I should get, especially why people get 200$++ MoBo when it seems like one at 135$ (Asus P8Z77-V LX) would do the job.

Actually, even the cheapest one from Asus (P8Z77-M) seems like it could do the job...

Is there any concerns Im missing? There are a lot of posts out there covering the best one, and a lot about the cheapest, but none that states a good average for an Ivy Bridge...


Tks,
Oli

 

[piasabird]

A lot of people are using this ASROCK motherboard. It uses the H77 Chipset.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303
$69

Z77 Chipset.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157330
$105

I dont much like Asus motherboards. I think they are overpriced.

 

[dawp]

when you say 'only gpu' do you mean the IGP or are you going to use a discrete add in card?

you might consider a mITX board and amd cpu as the IGP on amd chips are suppose to be better than what intel has.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157357

here's a gigabyte mITX with z77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128568

 

[crashtech]

I love ASUS boards, I've never had one fail, unlike a couple other name brands I've used in the past.

I'd even take ECS over Asrock, but that's just me.

 

[tweakboy]

You are smart man if you go with ASUS ..... any will do the job since you don't plan on OCing no need for fancy BIOS options and what not.

Grab the cheapest P8 board slap your ivy bridge cpu on it, drop in a SSD and enjoy life. gl

 

[pcunite]

I am wondering which MoBo I should get, especially why people get $200++ MoBo when it seems like one at $135 (Asus P8Z77-V LX) would do the job.

Actually, even the cheapest one from Asus (P8Z77-M) seems like it could do the job ...

Is there any concerns I'm missing? There are a lot of posts out there covering the best one, and a lot about the cheapest, but none that states a good average for an Ivy Bridge ...

Welcome to market segmentation, fanboyism, hype, and other physiological forces at work. The manufacturers feel like it's a great idea to have 15 versions of the same stupid chipset. Ultimately, you'll pay for the base materials plus necessary profit (nothing wrong with that) and if they're lucky, from the confusion, even more.

 

[jkauff]

I have the Asus board you're looking at with the same CPU, and I couldn't be more pleased. Regular BIOS updates, but not too many.

Make sure you get good RAM with XMP capability (I bought G-Skill). I bought an aftermarket air cooler so I could OC to 4500, but you could easily do a mild overclock with the Asus OC utility in the BIOS with the stock cooler with no OC expertise. In fact, just choosing "Optimized Default Settings" will give you a nice mild overclock.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

I love ASUS boards, I've never had one fail, unlike a couple other name brands I've used in the past.

I'd even take ECS over Asrock, but that's just me.

I wouldnt touch an ECS even if it were given to me.

 

[Kenmitch]

Are you one of the lucky that live close to a microcenter? Might be worth a look at www.microcenter.com to see as they have the 3570k for $189 and are currently offering $50 off a compatable motherboard with purchase....Just a heads up

 

[crashtech]

I wouldnt touch an ECS even if it were given to me.

I still have an ECS K7S5A ex-folding rig, circa 2002, that has literally been (accidentally) kicked around on my garage floor. The damn thing refuses to die. I keep it around in the increasingly unlikely event I'll need to test SDRAM or DDR, since it can utilize either.

 

[Lonyo]

I love ASUS boards, I've never had one fail, unlike a couple other name brands I've used in the past.

I'd even take ECS over Asrock, but that's just me.

ASRock was Asus' budget brand, then it got spun off.
It's good quality and a wide range of products. No reason at all not to buy ASRock.

As for the OP, an H77 or even B75 motherboard would be fine if you're not overclocking.
B75 is the lowest end, but still has SATA 6Gbps support.

 

[olimaltar]

when you say 'only gpu' do you mean the IGP or are you going to use a discrete add in card?

you might consider a mITX board and amd cpu as the IGP on amd chips are suppose to be better than what intel has.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157357

here's a gigabyte mITX with z77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128568

I meant that I only intended to have 1 graphic card, ont multiples. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[olimaltar]

Are you one of the lucky that live close to a microcenter? Might be worth a look at www.microcenter.com to see as they have the 3570k for $189 and are currently offering $50 off a compatable motherboard with purchase....Just a heads up

I am Canadian. I look at all the discounts in the States and I cry...

I have the Asus board you're looking at with the same CPU, and I couldn't be more pleased. Regular BIOS updates, but not too many.

Make sure you get good RAM with XMP capability (I bought G-Skill). I bought an aftermarket air cooler so I could OC to 4500, but you could easily do a mild overclock with the Asus OC utility in the BIOS with the stock cooler with no OC expertise. In fact, just choosing "Optimized Default Settings" will give you a nice mild overclock.

Tks, but as of now (unless you can convince me otherwise), I dont plan on OC. The thing is, I haven't had a desktop in... ever now. Laptop provided by company, last game I played was eons ago... So when I say 'gaming', I am not sure how much Ill be doing.

I guess its good to precise though that my monitor will be my 46'' tv. So I should get a good graphic card.

 

[dawp]

just about any decent card should work, it isn't so much the size as it is the resolution, I assume the TV is at least 720p but most likely 1080p so any card from about $150+ should be fine.

 

[Torn Mind]

B75 or H77 chipset motherboards are suitable if there is no overclocking involved. H77 supports two native SATA III controllers while B75 supports only one SATA III.

Just because they are cheaper doesn't mean "worse", just less feature laden.

GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H ($101.50)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...96&PID=3938566
or
GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H ($78)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...96&PID=3938566

list of some others:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gab75md3h


For the GPU, an AMD 7770 or 7750 should cover your needs if you are not playing the latest and greatest and/or at a smaller resolution like 1600x900.
MSI R7750-PMD1GD5/OC ($86 at Amazon)
or
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD0577&vpn=GV-R777OC-1GD Rev2.0&manfuacture=Others
Gigabyte GV-R777OC-1GD ($110 after rebate)

The Antec VP-450 should be enough if you go with the video cards above or similar low power consumption video cards. ($45)