MB recommendation for i7-2700K

Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
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Hi, I recently bought an i7-2700K (it was actually cheaper than a 2600K). I already have an i7-860 CPU, Radeon 5970 dual-GPU card, an ASUS P7P55D-Deluxe motherboard and an ASUS Xonar Essence STX sound card.

The 5970 covers not only the large PCI-e slot but also the small one, like in this image (red rectangle is 5970, green is Xonar):



I'm wondering if I should go for the P8P67-Deluxe. But the slot arrangements are a little different. Would I be able to fit the 5970 (red) and Xonar (green) like this without space issues?


I'm planning to overclock the 2700K. It would be nice if the mb can also support Ivy with a BIOS flash, but the most important thing is overclock stability and also of course being able to fit both the 5970 and the Xonar.

I also plan to get a Corsair H60 water cooler, so that will have to fit also.

Bearing all this in mind, can anyone give me their thoughts and recommendations? Should I go for a cheaper card than the P8P67-Deluxe, since I really only need one PCIe x16 slot? Or a different brand? Are those cheaper ASUS P67 cards as overclock-stable as the Deluxe? What are your thoughts?
 
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d4a2n0k

Senior member
May 6, 2002
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Your x1 PCIE sound card can be plugged into either of the unused x16 slots. They are not for video cards only.

The overclocks are more dependent on the individual CPU but I personally always go for the Deluxe boards due to the beefier VRM's. They usually have the same VRM setup as the ROG boards do. That way I dont question myself later on for going with the cheaper board if I have a crappy overclock. :)

ASUS have released an updated BIOS for many 1155 boards so they will work with IB. So far it seems they are only doing it on the more expensive boards like the deluxe's. The P8P67 rev 3.1 has an updated BIOS to work with IB. Most were released in the last week or two so if you are looking at a cheaper board, make sure to check the BIOS updates.
 

Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
397
24
81
Oh, I didn't know that you could use a PCIE x1 card on a x16 slot. Thank you. Much appreciated. :)
 

dma0991

Platinum Member
Mar 17, 2011
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Since you've already purchased a Core i7 2700K, get the cheaper Asus P8P67 Pro, the spec difference between the Deluxe version is not much while the Pro is much cheaper. Other choice would be an ASRock Z68 Extreme4, not too sure about the price though, could be more expensive than the Asus P67's.