Need RAM/MB recommendation for 3570K

[NickelPlate]

Hi Folks,

I'm doing a major upgrade from my ancient system (see signature). I just recently bought a GTX670 and have decided to upgrade my CPU/RAM/MB also because I'm pretty sure my old hardware is going to end up bottlenecking this card. The main reason though is my MB has been dying a slow death and getting flakier every year to the point I can't even OC at all, BIOS hangups, not recognizing hardware correctly during POST, error codes during POST etc and just system stability issues in general. Could be a CPU problem I suppose to but it's never been abused. My P5BE has never been much of an overclocker anyway with it's infamous vdroop problem.

After much reading I've decided on Ivy Bridge 3570K. I'm trying to not break the bank even more than I have after dropping $400 on a GPU. So I'm looking for RAM/MB recommendations. I do plan on overclocking as the system ages and it's required to achieve better performance with newer games as they come out. I don't need alot of fancy integrated motherboard crap, just a solid, stable Z77 MB that OC's well and preferably supports the all the new tech of the IB CPU like PCIE 3.0. No plans on SLI so a single graphics slot should be okay but if I can get one with two slots for a few bucks more than I don't have a problem with that.

8GB of RAM is more than enough for me and again, would like to get some decent quality RAM that has good overclocking potential. I'm a bit behind the loop but I'm assuming DDR3 is still the newest tech? No idea on what speed would be appropriate.

I'll probably stick with the stock cooler on the CPU for now as I've read people hitting 4Ghz or even a bit more which should be plenty for me to start with, I'll upgrade the cooler later if I feel the need to go beyond that. I'm planning on reusing everything else in my sig, HD, soundcard, PSU should all be fine.

One last thing, Amazon is now my preferred vendor because of their no hassle returns, no restock fees and free return shipping even if the price is a bit more.

Thanks in advance,

NP

 

[2is]

Gigabyte D3H is a nice board with at a very attractive price point. I have it paired with an overclocked 2500k and the boards capabilities were a nice surprise for the price. Half as much as my ASUS in sig but does everything just as well. At least everything that I'm currently taking advantage of.

As far as RAM, the Samsung 30nm DIMMs are a very popular module due to their 1.35v rating and excellent overclocking potential.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147096

 

[Mars999]

I vote Gigabyte MB's

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128545

and either of these RAM modules...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226296

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233144

 

[2is]

I'd advise against either of those two ram modules. Ridiculously large ram sinks that serve no real purpose and can get in the way of larger coolers. Particularly if you fill up all 4 slots.

 

[Mars999]

I don't as long as you get a cooler that is tall enough. My Coolermaster V8 or 212 never had any issues with these sticks.

But it's a point to be taken into consideration when you get the cooling solution....

 

[2is]

There's just no reason to even consider those when there are options that are equally fast and won't present clearance issues regardless of what cooler you're running.

 

[red454]

I like the ASUS ROG series of motherboards...

http://rog.asus.com/motherboard/

 

[NickelPlate]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Amazon does have an Asus P8Z77-V which seems popular and has gotten mostly favorable reviews, although it's loaded with a bunch of stuff I probably won't ever need. It's a bit more than I want to spend but doable. I wish they had a more stripped down version of it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The Samsung RAM seems to be a great choice based on what I've read and is in my shopping cart now. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. The Gigabyte boards seem to get mixed reviews and some are complaining of lack of OC options like Vcore. The amount of motherboard choices these days is just mind boggling compared to what it was 15 years ago. I mainly want something with more advanced OC options like Vcore, memory timings, memory voltages etc. And of course stability is paramount. No amount of features or OC options is worth it if the system crashes all the time.

 

[2is]

Between my GB board (UD3) and my ASUS (Z77-V Pro) there are no OCing options that my GB board did not have that I actually used. Vcore, offset, LLC are all there. The ASUS is a better board, no doubt but a lot pricier, especially if you don't plan on using ose features.

 

[NickelPlate]

Thanks 2is. There are several D3 and UD3 variations for the gigabyte boards at different price points. Is this the one you are referring to?

GA-Z77X-UD3H

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The Corsair Vengeance memory stands 2" tall and the bottom of the fan on the Cooler Master Hyper 212 +/Evo is is about 1.7". So while you can adjust the height of the fan a little bit if you have a stick Vengeance in the 1st slot (closest to the processor) you are going to have a problem mounting the 212 or getting good air flow. I always advise that people get the Corsair Vengeane low profile memory.

 

[2is]

Thanks 2is. There are several D3 and UD3 variations for the gigabyte boards at different price points. Is this the one you are referring to?

GA-Z77X-UD3H

The specific one I'm running is the GA-Z77-D3H.

I do like the board for a nice entry-level Z77 board, the only word of caution is if you ever plan on running SLI or Crossfire. The 2nd PCIe slot is only 4x and is PCI 2.0 not 3.0. Depending on what you plan on doing in the future, that may or my not be a deal breaker

 

[blastingcap]

Samsung low-voltage 1.35v RAM (2x4GB) - About $46, down to $40 if you are patient with sales. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147096

I used to frown at Biostar based on their reputation, but I bought a USB 3 front panel from them that was good, so I risked getting a Z77 mobo from them, too. I've been happy so far with my Biostar TZ77B, and you can get it for $100, sometimes with rebates dropping it into the $75-80 range though the rebate is three times more complicated than any other company's rebates. It can't do SLI but it can do Crossfire, sorta, with the second card at PCIe 2.0 x4 speed (good enough for anything up to a pair of 7870s). More importantly it has all the oc capabilities you will realistically need. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138352

 

[NickelPlate]

The specific one I'm running is the GA-Z77-D3H.

I do like the board for a nice entry-level Z77 board, the only word of caution is if you ever plan on running SLI or Crossfire. The 2nd PCIe slot is only 4x and is PCI 2.0 not 3.0. Depending on what you plan on doing in the future, that may or my not be a deal breaker

Okay I'll bite on your motherboard and your RAM suggestion. Seems the MB got favorable reviews on Amazon too and Newegg for the most part except for some problems people had that really weren't related to the MB performance and one which was DOA. And I like the price. Point taken on the 2nd PCIe slot.

Total price including the RAM and i5-3570k = $391.96 (not to shabby)

Thanks again for everyone's input!

NP

 

[Mars999]

GA-Z77-D3H vs. the GA-Z77-UD3H are the quality of components in the later are better. Will hold up longer and may OC better but who knows... My vote is the GA-Z77-UD3H since it's only $30 or so more....

Either one will be nice though!

Enjoy!

 

[blastingcap]

Okay I'll bite on your motherboard and your RAM suggestion. Seems the MB got favorable reviews on Amazon too and Newegg for the most part except for some problems people had that really weren't related to the MB performance and one which was DOA. And I like the price. Point taken on the 2nd PCIe slot.

Total price including the RAM and i5-3570k = $391.96 (not to shabby)

Thanks again for everyone's input!

NP

$392?! Wow. Good luck with that build, but I think you overpaid for the brand name. On the other hand, I will admit that I would place greater faith in a Gigabyte board than a Biostar board. But the T series z68's got good reviews, so it's probably not that big of a difference, and I'm willing to take a small risk to save a significant amount of money.

 

[2is]

$392?! Wow. Good luck with that build, but I think you overpaid for the brand name. On the other hand, I will admit that I would place greater faith in a Gigabyte board than a Biostar board. But the T series z68's got good reviews, so it's probably not that big of a difference, and I'm willing to take a small risk to save a significant amount of money.

The biostar board you recommended was $20 less than the GB board. You're telling me that $392 instead of $372 wow'd you that much?

 

[blastingcap]

The biostar board you recommended was $20 less than the GB board. You're telling me that $392 instead of $372 wow'd you that much?

It also goes on sale every few weeks. I got mine for $75 after rebate, shipped, with no "gift card" or shipping stuff worsening the deal. ...although admittedly there is always a chance the rebate doesn't go through. I know Biostar doesn't have the name recognition of the big boys, but read the reviews on their t-series z68/77's. They seem to have turned a new leaf.

My old mobo was a Gigabyte z77 and I wasn't that impressed by its price/perf. It was solid but I do think people pay a premium for the brand name, and sometimes it's worth a shot to give an up-and-comer a chance. I mean, a few years ago did anyone think Asrock would be what it is today? I treated it as a Chinese knock-off ASUS. But today they have a pretty good reputation.

For OP specifically, I think he got a solid build and didn't necessarily overpay, just that if he were a scrooge like me he could have taken a bit of a risk in getting the T77B instead. Obviously I have nothing bad to say about the CPU and RAM; in fact, I also own those components myself.

 

[2is]

But it isn't on sale for $75 and there's no rebate. Quite an over-reaction on your part over $20 lol. You described that difference by using exclamation points, words like "wow" phrases like "over-paid" and "significant amount of money"

For $20? That's a 5.4% difference over what his cost would have been with the Biostar board.

 

[blastingcap]

But it isn't on sale for $75 and there's no rebate. Quite an over-reaction on your part over $20 lol. You described that difference by using exclamation points, words like "wow" phrases like "over-paid" and "significant amount of money"

For $20? That's a 5.4% difference over what his cost would have been with the Biostar board.

To be fair I was looking at his total bill of $392 when I "?!"'d. So my ?! was about that amount, not necessarily the mobo alone though admittedly not everyone has the same access to deals and cashback I get. I got the 3570K + TZ77B + 8GB Samsung 1.35v 1600MHz RAM for less than $308, though I'm including the rebate which I have already acknowledged is not 100% guaranteed. So a good chunk of my reaction was not the mobo but the CPU + RAM prices he's paying. Systemwide, he paid 392/308 = 27.3% more which is significant imho.

As for your comment about prices at this very moment in time: sure, that's at this very moment in time. But if OP could wait and try to time things at all, he might want to do that. For instance the Extreme4 Asrock z77 mobo went on sale w/ coupon briefly for something like $99.99 a week or two ago, and it clobbers the TZ77B and the Gigabyte mobo OP went with. And the TZ77B goes on sale frequently so it'll probably be available for $75 after rebate again with a little waiting. Even the Samsungs went on sale for $40 for 8GB a week ago after coupon code.

On the other hand he says Amazon is his preferred vendor and there is something to be said for their return policies, even if their prices aren't as good as newegg/tiger's much of the time.

 

[NickelPlate]

I appreciate your replies also BC. I really can't wait for sales and rebates though because my current system is getting more unstable by the day and I'm on my backup laptop now. Amazon's prices having been getting much closer and some cases even beating Newegg/Tiger which used to be my goto place. I still like Newegg but as stated before nobody beats Amazon on returns and shipping IMHO. I'm getting free two day shipping and will have my parts Wednesday (with free Amazon Prime trial which I'll probably just let go after 30 days).

Cheers,

NP

 

[2is]

Yes the ASRock is another solid option for an entry level Z77 board. Though I still cannot warm up to that Biostar option, even if it was $75 (which its not)

Ive been building my own computers for a while now and I've learned that when it comes to the board, buying the cheapest option is not a good thing and you're better off spending a little more money.

The system in my sig is the first time I went went with one of the highest end boards available, and after building a 2nd "budget" gaming system around a 2500k and the Gigabyte board, I learned another thing... It's a good idea to spend a little more, but isn't at all necessary to go all out either, unless you're actually going to take advantage of the features you're paying for.

 

[NickelPlate]

I went ahead and got the hyper 212+ cooler too as I'm sure I won't be able to resist the temptation to overclock especially with an unlocked multiplier. Reminds me of the good old days when that was the ONLY way to OC a CPU and then intel started locking the multipliers.

 

[blastingcap]

I appreciate your replies also BC. I really can't wait for sales and rebates though because my current system is getting more unstable by the day and I'm on my backup laptop now. Amazon's prices having been getting much closer and some cases even beating Newegg/Tiger which used to be my goto place. I still like Newegg but as stated before nobody beats Amazon on returns and shipping IMHO. I'm getting free two day shipping and will have my parts Wednesday (with free Amazon Prime trial which I'll probably just let go after 30 days).

Cheers,

NP

If your system is unstable then I totally understand the time pressure. I had to pay ugly prices at Fry's once for a new mobo because my computer's mobo (ASUS) died unexpectedly. I didn't even have a backup at the time! And amazon will take care of you if you run into DOA or other problems, so it's a good choice. Especially w/ Prime.

Yes the ASRock is another solid option for an entry level Z77 board. Though I still cannot warm up to that Biostar option, even if it was $75 (which its not)

Ive been building my own computers for a while now and I've learned that when it comes to the board, buying the cheapest option is not a good thing and you're better off spending a little more money.

The system in my sig is the first time I went went with one of the highest end boards available, and after building a 2nd "budget" gaming system around a 2500k and the Gigabyte board, I learned another thing... It's a good idea to spend a little more, but isn't at all necessary to go all out either, unless you're actually going to take advantage of the features you're paying for.

Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad quality just as expensive doesn't necessarily mean good quality. All the mobos we're talking about here have comparable reviews and ratings on newegg and elsewhere, so it's not like I'm recommending a 1-egg ECS or anything.

 

[2is]

My personal experience tells me otherwise. Cheap motherboards either perform or last as well as a cheap motherboard can be expected to. There are a few exceptions, but that's what those are, exceptions. An extra $20 for the GB or ASRock if he went that way is money very well spent IMO.

The way I see it, I wouldn't recommend a product I personally wouldn't use myself.