Finally got fed up with my monster 17'' CRT + Pentium 4 setup. My thinking is to get a more or less future proof system with a i7 3770 cpu paired with a GTX660 ti gpu. One of the local guys recommend getting an Intel DH77EB board. Not to mention Intel announcing leaving the standard form factor mobo scene I initially found the board to be very erm... pedestrian? What's your take on Intel mobos? Sure, they lack the bling of other makers but supposedly they are very reliable. I'm not sure I'f I'll miss SLI/X-fire or extreme overclocking very much.

 

Thank you!

http://www.anandtech.com/tag/mb

 

Love the reviews on this site if you are looking for suggestions. I'm sure you'll be able to find a highly recommended MOBO for the price range you are looking for.

I would pay the extra $10 for the Asus P8H77-M/CSM

AsRock looks like a good deal for the money but I still can't shake off their former image when they were a part of Asus. Their Z77 Extreme4 board has received a lot of praise.

 

But yea, AssRock.

Heh, don't let crappy marketing and brand image get in the way of a good product at a good value.

Also, this might be worth checking out as a maximum bang for the buck build.

 

http://techreport.com/review/24059/tr-christmas-2012-system-guide/6

I'd avoid the intel board there's plenty of great options out there from asrock, asus, and gigabyte.  Just set yourself a budget and find the best board that meets all your feature requirements.  If you really want to be "future-proofing" here get a K series cpu so you can have the unlocked multiplier and overclock the hell out of it.

How much of a performance boost could I get via overclocking? My thinking was to get a more powerful CPU and run it on stock settings for better longevity. It seems that nowadays PC's don't get obsolete in six months. The gaming market is largely dictated by consoles except for the odd Ukrainian release or so. I also want to keep my fan noise low because it has a tendency to creep into my listening sessions.

 

I'll get the Asrock Z77 Extreme4 and when the day comes I will buy a new cpu.

 

Thanks for the info!

From what I hear, Ivy Bridge doesn't overclock all that well so its probably wise to just run it at the stock clocks.

 

I've also heard that Haswell is going to be a different socket configuration from Ivy, which is a real bummer as we won't be able to just drop Haswell in an existing Ivy system once it releases around June.

The problem with Ivy Bridge it seems is a pronounced hotspot on the CPU plate that most coolers aren't very successful at cooling. I guess that's the price you must pay for die shrinking. For pure overclocking I'd get 2600K as it cools a lot better and you are able to get it up at similar frequencies.

I'm thinking of starting a build too once my PC laptop sells on eBay early next week. As much as I'd like to start right now, I think I'm going to wait for AMD and nVidia to release their 2013 lines, which should happen in the next month or two.

 

nVidia's new GK110 looks like its going to cost a boat-load, but if it delivers 85% of the performance of a pair of SLI'ed 680s then I think it might be worth the extra scratch.

 

http://techreport.com/news/24246/rumor-gk110-coming-in-899-geforce-titan

 

EDIT: and for AMD: http://techreport.com/news/24012/rumor-next-gen-radeons-due-in-the-second-quarter

Edited January 26, 201313 yr by TMoney

Well, the new GPU's will come out... Then you'll have to wait for the non-reference design PCB's and so on. I waited 8 years for this! Now none will keep me from C4-ing a shark in Farcry 3!

So, quick GPU question.

 

Can you do SLI/Crossfire with two mismatched graphics cards or do they have to be the same make and model.

 

For example, could you SLI a 660 Geforce with a 680? or would you have to do a pair of 660s/680s?

Well, went ahead and made my big newegg purchase.

 

I ordered pretty much everything but a graphics card, as I figure its probably best to wait until NVidia and AMD announce their 2013 slate. I'll just plan on running the Intel integrated graphics until then. It should be a fun build.

 

As far as MOBOs go, I went with the ASRock Z77 OC Formula.

Edited February 1, 201313 yr by TMoney