Which motherboard should I get for a Core i5-3570K?

[Denis54]

I am not a gamer. I am a light user who only uses his computer to surf the web, read emails and do some light Word and Excel work.

I know that a 3570K is overkill however I plan on getting one because the HD Graphics 4000 seems to be pretty good and will allow me to avoid getting a separate graphics card. It also supports up to 3 monitors and has no fan. This should make for a quiet computer.

Which motherboard would you recommend for my needs?

I have always had good success with ASUS boards. Would you feel a P8Z77 would be a good choice? If so, which version?

 

[Big Roger]

Hi, I had a Z77 D3H and it was fine but for the VIA audio chip seemed a little erratic, however that may or may not be the case for you. It booted fine and had a reasonable amount of features. Even though I do game I don't use SLI and so therefore it was enough for my needs.

I ended up sending it back, though, because of the audio chip.
The mic input did strange things where the faders would default to minimum. The port was fine and worked well without the drivers so it wasn't hardware. One day after many uninstalls and re-installs/updates where I still didn't have any luck, the mic started working but only after the PC went into standby.. So, who knows what happened.

I got an ASUS P8Z77-V Pro to replace it. It was a bit more money but as I make music and noticed Anand's review of it where the DPC latency was the lowest alongside the Deluxe board, I hoped I would be getting a great board for the money. Sure enough it's been perfect so far and I'm pleased I changed.

I think the Gigabyte board was lovely, booted really quickly and for the price, is a great buy. I would still recommend it and I know I will use Gigabyte again but for now I got paranoid about using the VIA audio chip which seems to be on most of their line up. The Z77-D3H and the P8Z77 V-Pro seem like two of the better Z77 boards out there according to reviews where the performance of both is very good. The D3H in particular was very competitve in this regard when compared to more expensive performance motherboards.

The P8Z77 V range boards like the LX or LK might be perfect for you, too. Have a look at some reviews if you can find them.

 

[supremor]

I'm a P8Z77-V Pro user myself but I'm running SLI and a soundcard on it. I always had good luck with ASUS and wouldn't hesitate to recommend their boards. Given your requirements I'd take a look at the cheaper P8Z77 line boards like the LE/LX. You should also consider getting a mATX board like the P8Z77-M, it may end up cheaper than even a low end ATX board like the LE and it's not like you need the extra expansion slots.

You could also have a look at the ASRock Z77 line, I have no experience with ASRock in person but they get great reviews and pack a lot of features for a good price.

 

[Tifosi248F1]

If you don't want to spend a lot, the ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 is $115 at NewEgg, and there's $18 off if you buy it with a 3570K. This puts the combo at $327. There's also a $10 NewEgg gift card with purchase of the 3570K. I paid $347 for that combo earlier this month.

The ASRock board is very solid, with some features you'd find in more expensive boards like the Asus ones. I would agree with the others on the Asus boards if you go that route. The LE, LX, or LK versions of the P8Z77-V are probably plenty of board for your uses.

 

[2is]

I have both an ASUS P8Z77-V Pro and a Gigabyte D3H and am very happy with both boards, especially the D3H, not because its better but because it's almost every bit as good for half the cost. The Asus has a lot of features but im using exactly none of those features over the gigabyte. That said, I may be going SLI for Crysis 3 and that's where the ASUS holds a nice advantage being able to run the second PCIe slot at 3.0 8x vs 2.0 4x for the D3H. Since gaming isn't a concern though I'd say the D3H is a perfect fit.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Which motherboard would you recommend for my needs?

This. Small form-factor, very low power consumption. Should be able to drive 3 monitors but, I haven't tried it yet. Technical support is there, in case you have questions.

 

[Big Roger]

2is, what's the D3H's VIA chip like for you, what driver are you running?

It just did very strange things when plugging the mic in. Couldn't get it to set a rec level, just default to zero. If I moved the fader up and down without letting go I could hear tapping on the mic that I was doing, so it was some strange driver issue...

With the VIA software removed the port functioned fine. Another issue was that I also found it to be very quiet when trying to use Mumble. The realtek chip on this V Pro board just works and sounds great.

Maybe I had a bad board/VIA chip?

 

[Meghan54]

I've built computers with these Z77 boards so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157297

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157306

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157296

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138353

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131830


Outside of the Asus Max. V Gene, which is much too expensive for your uses, and the AsRock Pro 3, which only has two video outputs, they've all been about equal in setup and use. The latest one I built with was the Biostar TZ77A, and it has not disappointed at all. Seems just as responsive as the AsRocks, including the Extreme 4, and setup easily.

The BIOS interface, though, seems a lot better/more polished on the AsRock boards vs. the Biostar board, but given what the Biostar cost, a little roughness around the edges for its BIOS interface was acceptable. Outside that one area, the Biostar is pretty much the equal of the AsRock boards and probably other brands of the same level.

 

[2is]

2is, what's the D3H's VIA chip like for you, what driver are you running?

It just did very strange things when plugging the mic in. Couldn't get it to set a rec level, just default to zero. If I moved the fader up and down without letting go I could hear tapping on the mic that I was doing, so it was some strange driver issue...

With the VIA software removed the port functioned fine. Another issue was that I also found it to be very quiet when trying to use Mumble. The realtek chip on this V Pro board just works and sounds great.

Maybe I had a bad board/VIA chip?

I haven't had any issues with it, but tbh, i'm not even sure if I've tried the mic yet. I'll play with it tonight and let you know.

 

[Big Roger]

Ah yeh well it's worth looking at just in case. I'd just really like to know what was happening as I did like that D3H board and I'd like to be able to recommend it for certain builds. Anyway, if you do check it out it would be interesting hearing what you find.

 

[2is]

Ah yeh well it's worth looking at just in case. I'd just really like to know what was happening as I did like that D3H board and I'd like to be able to recommend it for certain builds. Anyway, if you do check it out it would be interesting hearing what you find.

Messed around with it a little while, didn't experience any odd behaviors with the mic gain levels. Only thing I noticed was an occasional pop from the speakers. Not loud, and it was actually more of a click then a pop. Certainly not as good as the Z77-V Pro nor should anyone expect it to be. For an entry level Z77 board with all the necessary OCing options you would need, it's a solid contender.

 

[Big Roger]

k so with a mic plugged in you could set the rec level and mute and unmute fine?

Mine, as I say, did start working eventually but ewas just very quiet with quite a bit of feedback.

After a lot of re installs and restarts the strangest thing was when it started working it was because it went into standby (after I'd given up and went for a cup o coffee) and then when I got back and wiggled the mouse I went to the control panel to have a another annoyed look at it, it was fine and I could set a recording level

Anyway, I'm gonna put it down to bad board or possibly bad OS install.

 

[CornellEngineer]

Hi folks. I'm designing my first build and am getting pretty close to ordering components. Leaning heavily toward the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro board as a decent middle-of-the-road MB, although ASRock's Extreme4 looks good, too.

Noticed several posters here said they have this board in their own rigs and was wondering if those who do could recommend some trouble-free RAM? Right now was planning on throwing in a coupla 4GB sticks for starters, and at the moment have Corsair's low-profile Vengeance penciled in just to give me some more flexible CPU cooling options for the future if need be. But the last day or two I started seeing a few potential warning flags about these low-profile DDR3-1600 sticks, and was hoping to avoid buying myself a first-build headache if at all possible.

And since this is my very first post I just wanted to thank everyone who participates here. I've learned so much about computers the last couple weeks it ain't even funny...and falling asleep many nights lately with a thumping "over-research" headache proves it. Forums like this are a tremendous asset for us less experienced folks, and this one has rapidly become one of my favorites...top 3 or 5, easy.

 

[dma0991]

Noticed several posters here said they have this board in their own rigs and was wondering if those who do could recommend some trouble-free RAM?

Go for these and never look back.

 

[CornellEngineer]

Holy crap, just looking at user reviews of your suggestion on a few different websites...over 100 reviews and damn near every one is 5 stars. That's impressive.

But I just checked ASUS's RAM QVL for their Pro motherboard and your specific Samsung RAM isn't on it. You think I should go ahead and gamble on it anyway? I usually don't like to roll that way.

Thanks a lot for your recommendation, dma. Haven't yet researched RAM too much but I'm definitely gonna go ahead and put it on my list.

 

[CornellEngineer]

BTW, I just noticed you have a Corsair 400R case. That's the one I'm probably gonna get...either that or the 500R, but I do like the styling on yours better.

How you liking it so far? Cable management looks terrific on that 400/500 design of theirs.

 

[dma0991]

But I just checked ASUS's RAM QVL for their Pro motherboard and your specific Samsung RAM isn't on it. You think I should go ahead and gamble on it anyway? I usually don't like to roll that way.

Its not on the list if it isn't tested by Asus, not because it doesn't work on them. I've never actually had issues with RAM that doesn't appear on the compatibility list as I've always used matching sets from the same manufacturer or model, eliminates a little bit of the off chance that it won't be compatible.

You don't really need fancy heatspreaders on these, they work just fine without it in a proper ventilated case. Overclocks well to AFAIK, too bad I couldn't get a few for myself to test that out.

BTW, I just noticed you have a Corsair 400R case. That's the one I'm probably gonna get...either that or the 500R, but I do like the styling on yours better.

How you liking it so far? Cable management looks terrific on that 400/500 design of theirs.

It depends, if you're doing a watercooling setup like mine, I wouldn't recommend it. For air coolers, the 400R or 500R are both good choices.

 

[tweakboy]

Or grab a ASUS P9 mobo if you have money. If not go with Z77.

You dont play games so this machine is perfect for you.

 

[CornellEngineer]

Well, this guy is running non-QVL Samsung RAM on his ASUS Pro motherboard and he doesn't seem to be having any major problems...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2251205

As far as your Corsair 400R case, I understand it's a bit tight for watercooling. Not planning on doing that anytime soon, if ever. But hey, it'd give me a good excuse to buy a Dremel tool to cut out that top vent.

At this point I just want everything to be stable together at stock settings to get me up and running, and save the transistor tweaking for later...as in maybe never.

 

[2is]

Or grab a ASUS P9 mobo if you have money. If not go with Z77.

You dont play games so this machine is perfect for you.

Please show me a picture of how you got a P9x board running with a 3570k. I'd love to see it. As far as gaming, you're wrong there too.

 

[CornellEngineer]

Thanks, tweak...but I think that MB you mentioned is for a Sandy-E and I'm going with the 3570K.

And we engineers like to play games, too. I'll be glad when all this research is done and the system finally built, although I admit it's been an interesting learning experience.

 

[CornellEngineer]

Please show me a picture of how you got a P9x board running with a 3570k. I'd love to see it. As far as gaming, you're wrong there too.

Whew, for a second there thought I was gonna have to add a hammer to my list of required assembly tools.

 

[CornellEngineer]

The more reviews I read the more I am liking this RAM you recommended. I probably never woulda considered it on my own because the stock timings are nothing to write home about. But it looks like if I start tweaking a little earlier than I originally planned these will be great sticks to work with.

Thanks again, dma. One more thing I can cross off my list of parts to decide on. Getting close to time for pulling out the old credit card. That power supply I just received is looking mighty lonely just sitting there all by itself.

 

[riversend]

OP, what do you mean by no fan? 3570k has a stock fan to keep it cool. You do not need an additional fan, but if you want quieter you will need to get after market.

 

[Denis54]

My post was not clear. I should have said I will need one fewer fan as I will only have one fan (CPU) instead of 2 (CPU + GPU)