need ideas

[Ben1666]

were lookibg to get an asus p8z77 v deluxe motherboard for one of our builds and we were just wondering if people could recomend any other boards thats just as good and for the same price or even cheaper

 

[Zap]

What do you need in a motherboard? Regarding pricing, here's a few things to consider.

1) Features make up some of the price. WiFi, Bluetooth, front panels, extra USB 3.0 and SATA 6G ports than the chipset supports? All that increases a motherboard's selling price. Thus, you must ask yourself if you actually need those features.

2) Chipset matters for cost. Z77 costs more than H77. It adds the functionality of overclocking. Do you need? Yes? Z77. No? H77.

3) Overclocking can increase cost. On a base level, even the cheapest Z77 board supports overclocking. The more expensive ones might just support "better" overclocking. However, "better" might mean supporting so much overclocking that you'd be required to do liquid cooling. If you're just an average Joe who wants to boost their K CPU to 4.2-4.5GHz on air cooling, then you don't need the higher end motherboards with super voltage support and a gazillion VRM phases.

4) Brand matters for price. For instance Asus often commands a higher price for their products than a more or less equivalent ASRock product. The reason is brand. Not quality. Not features. Not support. This isn't to say that all brands are created equal. I'm just saying that sometimes you are paying for the name.

5) Performance. Many think that paying more for a motherboard gives better performance. That is only true if you manage a higher overclock due to the more expensive motherboard. Otherwise, motherboard performance is pretty much the same across a chipset. There used to be differences, but now with the performance oriented parts integrated into the CPU itself (memory controller, PCIe lanes, clock generators) there isn't much left for the motherboard to add for pure performance.

 

[Ben1666]

must have wifi .bluetooth .usb3.0 etc and overclocking isnt a defo must but its a possibility

 

[BonzaiDuck]

must have wifi .bluetooth .usb3.0 etc and overclocking isnt a defo must but its a possibility

My preference for (a) ASUS and (b) the Z77 boards has been driven by (1) firsthand experience with the P8Z68-V Pro and (2) readings and assessments I've made per the Z77 successors.

AFAIK, the distinction between the "Pro" and "Deluxe" boards is "extra stuff" included in the box, like a front-panel USB 3 box with two ports. That's worth about $25 (more or less) in the price differential, and you can always add a four-port USB 3 front-panel hub to the Pro board for that price. The Deluxe may also include an extra heatsink not included on the Pro board, but for the earlier chipset I couldn't tell that it made any difference.

The BIOS on the Z68 boards was mature just about as soon as the boards were released, so since Z77 is a successor chipset, I would hope the same factor rules with the latter.

If I needed to buy a new mobo at this very moment -- say for an Ivy Bridge build -- I'd probably pick among the P8Z77-V Pro, the Sabertooth Z77 or the Maximus V (several models). At that point, you'd be looking at price as a major factor against features you could take -- or leave . . .

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Well unless you need the specific features available on the Deluxe go with the Pro.

Differences between the Pro and Deluxe:

PLX8608 PCIe 2.0 splitter. Not really useful unless you, like me, run a lot of expansion cards...
Onboard WiFi supports 5GHz on the Deluxe, the Pro is "limited" to 2.4GHz.
20 phase power delivery vs 16 on the Pro. Only useful if you overclock...
The Deluxe uses the ALC898, the Pro uses the ALC892

Greetings from a happy Deluxe user...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Well unless you need the specific features available on the Deluxe go with the Pro.

Differences between the Pro and Deluxe:

PLX8608 PCIe 2.0 splitter. Not really useful unless you, like me, run a lot of expansion cards...
Onboard WiFi supports 5GHz on the Deluxe, the Pro is "limited" to 2.4GHz.
20 phase power delivery vs 16 on the Pro. Only useful if you overclock...
The Deluxe uses the ALC898, the Pro uses the ALC892

Greetings from a happy Deluxe user...

That's news to me about the phase-power design on the Z77 boards. I was pretty sure when I looked into the Z68 models (P8Z68-yada-yada) that the Pro and Deluxe had the same phase-power setup. So . . . . yeah . . . . things change . . . With the Z68's, the "V" and lower models of the line had lesser phase-power specs.

 

[Ben1666]

Does anyone no what the cheapest price id get the dulxe bosrd out there fot ive doon it for at jst over Z£¿170 is that good or does sumone no somewhere cheper