Need helping picking between these 3 mATX Z68/P67 boards.

[bunit]

Options are limited due to purchasing in-store, so need some help deciding between these 3.

P67:

Asus P8P67-M-Pro-R3 1155 MATX @ $150

Z68:

Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 1155 MATX @ $100

Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 1155 MATX @ $135



mATX P67/Z68 board options seem to be pretty limited and the reviews on each of the boards are mixed so I was wondering if anybody had any possible advice for me. Part of me just wants to go the cheapest route to save some cash since they're all pretty similar but I"m not sure...I don't mind a slight price premium if it means an overall better computing experience. If I"m going to go Gigabyte, is it worth the $35 price premium for some of the features their higher end board has (8 pin CPU connector, esata, beefier heatsinks?, etc) Or go for the older Asus p67 board, which somehow is the most expensive of them all?

Will be using this with an i5 2500k and a for now, a single graphics card (probably a gtx 460 or gtx 560 ti, waiting for a nice deal to come in the next few weeks hopefully...). I'm more of a recreational/nooby overclocker if that matters at all too.


Thanks for any help

 

[CFP]

I would get Z68 so you have the on-board graphics option.

However, neither the Gigabyte Z68 boards have a bios LED code display which I consider essential for any troubleshooting.

I'd go with something like a Maximus IV Gene-Z to be honest. It's got more robust power delivery, OC's like its older brother, and comes stocked to the brim of the various goodies like an LED error code display, or on-board power buttons etc.

 

[bunit]

Thanks for the response

I would spring for that but I'm buying from my local MicroCenter via bundle deals within the next week or two and they don't seem to have any of them in stock unfortunately. Also, it's a little bit out of my budget. If they do happen to have them I"ll be sure to consider the Asus Maximus board as I've heard good things about them as mATX boards.

 

[CFP]

Another option is the MSI-Z68MA-ED55: http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com...Micro-ATX-Z68-Motherboard-Gets-Pictured-2.jpg

It's got on-board on/off buttons though has few SATA ports.

The ASRock Z68-Pro3 is a good budget choice, but with werid SATA placement: http://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/Z68%20Pro3-M(m).jpg

Really, with mATX, there are two tiers. Top end, and not-top-end, if you get my meaning.

The 2 Gigabytes you listed, the MSI, the ASRock, for Z68, they are all not top end. They all have comparable functionality and OC potential with comparable power delivery to the CPU.

At this point it comes down to the following:

Your preference on USB 3 or not
Your preference on SATA 3/2 and how many ports
General motherboard layout (are you going to use stock cooler or a fat after market or go water etc.)
Price
Availability

Then you have the top end, something like the Maximus IV Gene-Z. This is the best you can go at this form factor, and it's basically got the robustness and feature set of a full sized, high end motherboard all in an mATX format, albeit is more expensive.

It's not necessary for a max OC, and you'll probably hit the wall on your chip at either water or air with any of these boards...

I know this advice doesn't really help, but if you're not set on going top-end, then nearly any Z68 mATX board will do. Just make sure to get one that has on-board graphics support, and isn't a totally gimped Z68 like the Gigabyte ATX boards were.

 

[Vette73]

If you plan on keeping it a long time then get the more cotly gigabyte Z68 board. If not a heavy user or you upgrade a lot then get the cheaper z68.

But I would skip the p67 since the z68 offers everything the p67 has and more.

 

[bunit]

Thanks for all the replies.

Makes sense. I'm going for more of a mid-tier build and don't mind upgrading individual components especially because I'm keeping the build cost to a minimum right now, minus splurging on my case a little bit. I would get the Maximus but I probably don't need all that functionality so I"ll probably just go for one of the two Gigabytes....ideally I would be able to use this Mobo for a while but I could see myself upgrading in two years or less if needed. I'm close to a MicroCenter which explains the limited mobo choices, but even then they're pretty much always out of stock.

 

[86waterpumper]

I am in this exact same situation as I am currently going to build a mini z68 system myself. I already have a fractal designs arc mini case coming so I am committed. I thought about going bulldozer, but heck there aren't any good am3+ matx boards out that I see, and that is unlikely to change much before the end of the year. Anyway I agree the asus is a stunning looking board, and I'm sure for gamers it's the better choice and it may o/c better, but I would argue that it does not have the best feature set. The asus board is missing even the video connectors. Even though I plan to run a discrete video I want the option later to pass the system down to someone else in the family and run onboard. I don't think hardcore overclockers and gamers are the target of the matx boards really but I could be wrong. Personally I think it would be cool to o/c to around 4.5 ghz but I'd be content with that, or even 4.2. To me, the asrock has the best overall featureset at a awesome price. I was looking at the msi z6a-gd55 which I like also, but it doesn't have the esata or display port like the asrock does. I have not dealt with asrock before, but to be honest they have better reviews on newegg and other places than the gigabyte boards do.