# the Intel LGA 1155 motherboard thread



## ico (Dec 28, 2011)

Too many "motherboard for my i5-2500k" threads lately. Now ask all your motherboard advice questions in this thread.

LGA 1155 is the socket of Intel's second generation Core processors also referred as "Sandy Bridge." It is incompatible with LGA 1156 used in first generation of core processors.

I'll start off with the basics (in simple language) about the various chipsets first. (I'll add a list of motherboards and prices later.)




*H61:* *4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU will work, no USB 3.0 except aberrations, no support for Quick Sync (some may have, so better to check), no support for overclocking*

Budget motherboards only fit enough for i3-2100 according to me. yes, you can put in an i5-2320, i5-2400 or above processor but why put a Rs. 10,000 processor in a Rs. 3,000 motherboard? A computer should be balanced.

*H67:* *2 SATA 3.0 6gbps ports, 4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU will work, *usually* will have USB 3.0 and in many cases not, Quick Sync supported (via Lucid Virtu while using discrete GPU), no support for overclocking*

This is the chipset to get if you are buying a non-K series processor like i3-2100, i5-2400 et cetera. Motherboards will usually have USB 3.0, but it is your duty to check out whether they have or not. Quick Sync is supported for H.264 video transcoding. It is not advisable to put K series processors in these as it doesn't make any sense to put an "overclockable" processor in a "non-overclockable" chipset motherboard. Lucid Virtu support needs to be checked manually for a motherboard if you are using a discrete Graphics Card.

*H77:* Basically H67 with native USB 3.0.

*P67:* *2 SATA 3.0 6gbps ports, 4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU not supported, will have USB 3.0 except aberrations, no support for Quick Sync, support for overclocking*

Chipset for overclocking and you should only put multiplier unlocked K series processors like i5-2500k, i7-2600k and i7-2700k in these. P67 motherboards don't support the on-chip GPU and hence will lack the display outputs. There are people who have done the mistake of pairing these motherboards up with non-K series processors. *DON'T DO THIS AS IT MAKES NO SENSE.* After the launch of Z68 chipset, it is making more sense to go for a Z68 motherboard. Explained below.

*Z68:* *2 SATA 3.0 6gbps ports, 4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU supported, will have USB 3.0 except aberrations, Quick Sync supported via Lucid Virtu, support for overclocking*

Intel's Z68 chipset. The fusion of H67 and Z68. Now you may be wondering, "why did Intel release P67 when they had to release Z68?" Intel are morons and they love confusion to get 2x money, that's why. Z68 chipset supports on-board GPU. There are Z68 motherboards which lack display ports, so you will not be able to connect monitor to those. Quick Sync is supported via Lucid Virtu. Kindly verify Virtu support for a particular motherboard on the manufacturer's website. Z68 motherboards also support Intel Smart Response Technology which is also called SSD Caching. But this is a gimmick without any real world significance as you are better off using a SSD as your boot drive for real boost rather than using it as a cache for your Hard Disk.


*Z77:* Basically Z68 with native USB 3.0.


*Why are you saying motherboards "usually will have USB 3.0" and "will have USB 3.0 except aberrations"? Every H67/P67/Z68 motherboard I have seen has USB 3.0?*

See, USB 3.0 controller is not integrated into these chipsets. AMD A75 chipset is the only one to do so as of yet. (Now H77 and Z77 also have integrated USB 3.0. i.e. they also don't rely on an external chip.) It is down the to the motherboard manufacturers to give USB 3.0 in a motherboard model or not. It's their choice. In high-end motherboards like P67 and Z68, they will always include it to justify the price. In low-end motherboards like H61, they don't see any reason to include it as it will cost them money and hence decrease their margins. In H67 motherboards, some motherboards will have and some won't. Also note, USB 3.0 ports will share lanes with a PCIe slot depending on the motherboard.

*So, which chipset motherboard should I buy?*
For non-K series processors, H67 or H77. For K series processors, P67, Z68 or Z77.

*Can you tell me about the on-chip GPU which Intel Sandy Bridge processors have? Also tell me about their performance.*

non-K series processors have Intel HD 2000 (Sandy Bridge) and Intel HD 2500 (Ivy Bridge) graphics. K series processors have Intel HD 3000 (Sandy Bridge) and Intel HD 4000 (Ivy Bridge) graphics. yes, K series processors have a faster GPU but still it doesn't make sense to buy an "overclockable" K series processors after spending Rs. 2500 more and then putting in a "non-overclockable" H67/H77 chipset motherboard.

The performance of Intel HD 3000 is roughly around the level of nVidia GT 520 and AMD HD 4350/5450. These cards cost around ~Rs. 2200. There have been a few dumb people who are buying cards like nVidia 8400 GS, 8500 GT, 9400 GT and pairing these with Sandy Bridge processors. Idiotic and waste of money. These cards are barely faster than Intel HD 2000 and 3000.

The "performance" in low-end cards only starts from AMD HD 5570 GDDR5 which costs Rs. 3500. This should be the minimum card which everyone should buy if they are spending money on a graphic card.

As far as on-chip GPUs are concerned, Radeon HD 6530D and 6550D in AMD A6-3650 and A8-3850 processors are roughly two times or more faster than Intel HD 3000. So, in budget "home" configurations, AMD A6-3650 and A8-3850 tend to get my recommendation over i3-2100 (Intel HD 2000).

*Is the H67 chipset + non-K combo really non-overclockable?*

To say the truth, you can increase the base clock (bclk) slightly and that would give you a little bit of boost, but it's nothing to talk about. Overclocking Sandy Bridge processors is (easy and) through the multiplier and for that you need an "unlocked" "K" series processor in a P67/Z68 chipset motherboard.


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## krishnandu.sarkar (Dec 28, 2011)

Hey great..!! Many of my confusion has now been answered


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## avinandan012 (Dec 28, 2011)

thanks for the info

+1


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## thetechfreak (Dec 28, 2011)

Another awesome thread Ico


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## clmlbx (Dec 28, 2011)

really nice, all confusion has been clear at least for me..

Now sticky this thread. Name suggestion for this thread

i3-i5 ( Intel Sandy Bridge LGA 1155 ) Motherboard Thread..

so it is easy for every member


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## Skud (Dec 28, 2011)

@clmlbx: you forget about i7. 

@ico: also add mobos with nf200 chipset to make this complete.


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## ico (Dec 28, 2011)

Skud said:


> @ico: also add mobos with nf200 chipset to make this complete.


yup, I'm on it. Should happen by next week.

Currently, there is a lot of activity in the moderator zone as we are on a sticky revision parade. Lot of threads about basic stuff are in the pipeline.



clmlbx said:


> really nice, all confusion has been clear at least for me..
> 
> Now sticky this thread. Name suggestion for this thread
> 
> ...


well, we won't sticky this thread. A similar thread regarding AMD motherboards is in the pipeline and we can't sticky everything. Most probably when everything is up, we'll create an Index thread and sticky it. It would contain links to all these threads like the Bulldozer thread, etc.


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## clmlbx (Dec 28, 2011)

gr8,to hear it everything in one place. all basic info in one page, everyone will get kick start to what one wants and even new users can join in discussion


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## Vyom (Dec 28, 2011)

Nice thread.

Although AMD configurations are easier than Intel, still a similar thread for the same would be highly praised.

Keep it up ico!


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## dibya_kol (Jan 6, 2012)

really nice effort ..


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## Vishnupg45 (Feb 19, 2012)

Ok the thread cleared 100% of my doubts.


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## Mr.V (Feb 19, 2012)

+1!
Great thread!


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## Vamsisd (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm Planing to get an i5-2500K--::Certainly Fixed on that!
 But the Problem:Mobo--Is P67 the only one out there that supports overclocking...or ...or...are they any other good ones...??
 If im compelled to get the p67--i think I'l have to--but having to spend around 15k(if i'm right ) for a mobo---What do you all think?And is it goin to be worth the cash?
 I already have a Gpu to get...Maybe the Hd 7970(if it is available in Hyd ) or the 7950..Have a 1920x1080 Dell LED.I game hardcore--Crysis,Assassons Creed Series---I wanna play them all at 1080p with everything (Aa etc.) Enabled!

 Eagerly Waiting...

 Vamsi.

btw....What's the price difference between p67 nd z68 ones


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## topgear (Feb 20, 2012)

^^ for a budget of 15k get either Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3** or Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 

@ *ico* - nice article but this article is about SB LGA 1155 based mobos a little mention of *Q67 chipset* would b great


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## ico (Feb 20, 2012)

Vamsisd said:


> btw....What's the price difference between p67 nd z68 ones


Read the first post. 

As far as GPU is concerned, go with HD 7950 3GB.


topgear said:


> @ *ico* - nice article but this article is about SB LGA 1155 based mobos a little mention of *Q67 chipset* would b great


ok. Will mention it.


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## Vamsisd (Feb 20, 2012)

topgear said:


> ^^ for a budget of 15k get either Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3** or Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4




Nouh!I implied if there's no other alternative than the p67 ud5 b 3----which sells at 9-12k in hyderabad...i am ready to go to 15k....
I'l Oc 2500k to around 4.6ghZ  not even around 5.0.....Gunning for stability....also suggest me a good cooler......I decided not to go for z68 as it's priced more and also about the extra Intel hd graphics support....i dont think it'l be adding anything to the performance interms of gaming..
Gpu--7950 selling at 32k here...ny lower price best card than that?---1080p gaming


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## ico (Feb 20, 2012)

^^ wait for a while then. HD 7950 should be around 28K.

HD 7970 is for 37K @ Flipkart.


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## ArjunKiller (Feb 20, 2012)

Great thread  Got all my answers.


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## harshatiyya (Feb 23, 2012)

Great Post. cleared my confusion on lga 1155 based chipsets.


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## rakesh_ic (Mar 16, 2012)

*budget mobo for i5 2500K*

Hi All,

I was searching for some mobos for i5 2500K and came accross this MSI board MSI Z68A-G45 (B3) fitting onto my budget <10K shipped.

Also how about the Biostar Z68K board. looks like its the cheapest option. Do we have good after sales service for Biostar?? is this mobo good or prone to issues?

please let me know if this is a good board for a medium overcloack of 4.4/4.5GHz and is it worth a board for gaming??

I will be investing on 7850 once released.

I am open to suggestions of other Z68 boards as well within 10K (VFM)  which has decent after sales in India (in hyderabad if possible 

I am not gonna SLI or crossfire, so any board with 1 PCI 16x is fine with me.

The site for online purchase with price details will be highly aprreciated


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## dibya_kol (Mar 16, 2012)

*Re: budget mobo for i5 2500K*

As a owener of biostar TZ68K+ mobo, i can tell u this mobo is great at it's price. Biostar offers 3 years of worrenty. Mid oc won't be any issue at all. But u need to buy an after market cooler before oc. Cooler like CM hyper 212 evo would be great.


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## rakesh_ic (Mar 16, 2012)

*Re: budget mobo for i5 2500K*

how about the after sales and RMA on biostar. My concern is about the probability of a defective piece and if any what could be the RMA time.. and did u face any space crunch while mounting 212 evo with the ripjaw X and the GC on this board?? how good is the board space??


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## dibya_kol (Mar 16, 2012)

*Re: budget mobo for i5 2500K*

this may be helpfull, but mind u they used bigger cooler than evo and older bios too. i updated to new bios and it is going nicely. no issue for g.skill ram.

Biostar TZ68K+ - Energy-Efficient LGA1155 Mainboard for Thrifty Users - X-bit labs


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## Tenida (Mar 16, 2012)

*Re: budget mobo for i5 2500K*

@Op- Biostar is  decent board you can go with it.
Btw check this *thread*


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## the_conqueror (Mar 17, 2012)

*ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*

I want to buy a mobo which supports all the 2nd generation core i5 and core i7 processor. It should have solid build quality and should have enough overclocking potential for RAM, CPU, and GPU. It would be good if it supports ivy bridge processors. My budget is 5k to 9k. Linking a review of the mobo in reply would be appreciated.


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## sumonpathak (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*

only a P67 will come in that budget..
only two Z68's i can see...
Flipkart: Intel DZ68DB Motherboard: Motherboard
Flipkart: Biostar TZ68K+ Motherboard: Motherboard

although i would tell you to increase your budget and get this
Flipkart: ASUS P8Z68-M PRO Motherboard: Motherboard


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## whitestar_999 (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/cpu-motherboards/154164-budget-mobo-i5-2500k.html


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## the_conqueror (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*



sumonpathak said:


> only a P67 will come in that budget..
> only two Z68's i can see...
> Flipkart: Intel DZ68DB Motherboard: Motherboard
> Flipkart: Biostar TZ68K+ Motherboard: Motherboard
> ...



but asus p8z68 m pro is a micro atx card. Is it suitable for overclocking ram, cpu and gpu(with an after market cooler for cpu). Are there any disadvantages of the micro atx boards ?


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## ico (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*



the_conqueror said:


> Are there any disadvantages of the micro atx boards ?


ATX and Micro ATX are just form factors.

ATX is big. Micro ATX is small and hence has less expansion slots.


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## sumonpathak (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: ATX form factor h67 or z68 mobo b/w 5k to 9k*



the_conqueror said:


> but asus p8z68 m pro is a micro atx card. Is it suitable for overclocking ram, cpu and gpu(with an after market cooler for cpu). Are there any disadvantages of the micro atx boards ?



no...the rog GENE-Z is a micro ATX board...still it can clock nicely....


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## dfcols71 (Mar 25, 2012)

an important question suppose i decide to go for asus vpro /gen-3 and by chance during shipping of board to my home address some pin s in mb get damaged how will asus play out on rma  how are are mb manufactures like  msi,gigabyte, biostar on this issue i have lot of complaint about asus afterservice of motherboards in newegg asus simply refuses to accept their fault if any pins on motherboards are damaged in shippin


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## topgear (Mar 26, 2012)

^^ they may label it as physical damage and refuse the RMA but you should try sending it for RMA anyway and create a thread regarding this in here ( if needed ) :
Service and RMA watch - Digit Technology Discussion Forum


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## dfcols71 (Mar 26, 2012)

this is a hypothetical question  so in other words better to get gigabyte z68 mb or msi even if they have loop problem since asus after sales service sucks


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 26, 2012)

No Supplier will accept a physically damaged card for RMA. Let it be anybody.


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## topgear (Mar 27, 2012)

dfcols71 said:


> this is a hypothetical question  so in other words better to get gigabyte z68 mb or msi even if they have loop problem since asus after sales service sucks



consider Biostar TZ68K+ @ ~7k as an good alternative


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## ico (Mar 27, 2012)

dfcols71 said:


> an important question suppose i decide to go for asus vpro /gen-3 and by chance during shipping of board to my home address some pin s in mb get damaged how will asus play out on rma  how are are mb manufactures like  msi,gigabyte, biostar on this issue i have lot of complaint about asus afterservice of motherboards in newegg asus simply refuses to accept their fault if any pins on motherboards are damaged in shippin


See, if something happens to the motherboard while shipping if you bought online from a dealer. You should be contacting the dealer and courier will be the one to blame.

No company's support (Asus/Gigabyte/MSI) will help you out in this case. It's the dealer's/courier's fault and you'll have to sort it out with the dealer.


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## dfcols71 (Mar 27, 2012)

what if the damage was from supplier to dealer after all any damage shown to pakage while
receiving from dealer can always be sent back to dealer and refund claimed within 15 days
according to indian consumer laws
but if was damaged during international to india one can only spot it after opening the package


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

one ques please help..
is overclocking necessary to get the full juice of i5 2400 or i3 2100 .. you said that they cannot be overclocked but i saw somewhere that we have to unlock the cores after buying.. and that the cores are not all working and unlocked when you buy them..
please help..


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## RiGOD (Apr 7, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> but i saw *somewhere* that we have to unlock the cores after buying.. and that the cores are not all working and unlocked when you buy them..
> please help..



Kindly post the link to this *SOMEWHERE*. Coz I've never heard of such a thing before.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

so what abouit the first question??

is the full juice of these proccys ready as we buy it??

i cant remember that.. saw it on some review website months ago....


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## Souro_Ray (Apr 7, 2012)

I'm planing on a rig setup for a close friend and i've decided most of the parts already. The rig will be for some mid resolution gaming, photo editing and web surfing.

My main confusion is which particular motherboard i should pair up with either the i5-2320 or i5-2400. I'm decided on RAM, cabinet and PSU.

My choice of GPU is limited to either HD6770 or HD7750, both nearly equal in price.. Any advice would be highly appreciated


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## RiGOD (Apr 7, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> so what abouit the first question??
> 
> is the full juice of these proccys ready as we buy it??



The i5 2400 comes ready to fire on all cylinders. You just have to put it in a motherboard and start running.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

very very thanks rigod..

and whats the best mobo choice for it (to get the full juice)


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## RiGOD (Apr 7, 2012)

Souro_Ray said:


> My main confusion is which particular motherboard i should pair up with either the i5-2320 or i5-2400. I'm decided on RAM, cabinet and PSU.



Go for Intel DH67CL or MSI H67MA-E35.



Souro_Ray said:


> My choice of GPU is limited to either HD6770 or HD7750, both nearly equal in price.. Any advice would be highly appreciated



Go for MSI R7750-PMD1GD5/OC.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

rigod please suggest one mobo for i5 2400 also . 
onboard sound and graphics are required.

thanks in advance


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## ico (Apr 7, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> one ques please help..
> is overclocking necessary to get the full juice of i5 2400 or i3 2100 .. you said that they cannot be overclocked but i saw somewhere that we have to unlock the cores after buying.. and that the cores are not all working and unlocked when you buy them..
> please help..


you're talking non-sense. 

Nor you can "unlock" i3-2100/i5-2400. Nor you can "overclock" them.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

oh you answered that for sauro..
k..
which is better a/cc to u?

sorry.... i know its nonsense to u guys but to a guy who doesnt but wants to know....

I SAID SORRY..
hehehehe

and ico.. suggest some good mobos for i5 2400.

please.


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## RiGOD (Apr 7, 2012)

^^Souro_Ray is purchasing i5 2400/2320 too. Hope you saw the couple of motherboards I suggested  there. There's no separate motherboard for mastercool8695 & Souro_Ray


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## ico (Apr 7, 2012)

yup. Pretty much same choices. H67 should be the chipset.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 7, 2012)

RiGOD said:


> ^^Souro_Ray is purchasing i5 2400/2320 too. Hope you saw the couple of motherboards I suggested  there. There's no separate motherboard for mastercool8695 & Souro_Ray




yup i saw those .. thats why i posted again...
i am askin which one would you prefer as you opted for two mobos..


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## RiGOD (Apr 7, 2012)

^^As both are H67 based, performance wise there's no difference. So connectivity options will be the decisive factor. I'd say *Intel DH67CL*.


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## Souro_Ray (Apr 7, 2012)

I'm leaning towards that board as well. No service issues in the city, i guess? Also, how is that board, quality and build wise? Feature wise it looks pretty packed! One of the few H67 boards with 4 dimm sockets


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## topgear (Apr 8, 2012)

time to add Z77 chipset  and see the price of these mobos :

Asus ASUS P8Z77-M @ 8.2k || ASUS P8Z77-M PRO @ 11.9k || ASUS P8Z77-V @ 14.9k ||  ASUS P8Z77-V PRO @ 16.2k ||  ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE @ 20.8k


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## dfcols71 (Apr 8, 2012)

what about h77 and b75 and h75 series motherboards


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## RiGOD (Apr 8, 2012)

topgear said:


> time to add Z77 chipset  and see the price of these mobos :
> 
> *ASUS P8Z77-M @ 8.2k* || ASUS P8Z77-M PRO @ 11.9k || ASUS P8Z77-V @ 14.9k ||  ASUS P8Z77-V PRO @ 16.2k ||  ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE @ 20.8k



Just went through the specs of ASUS P8Z77-M at flipkart. It's good for the price I guess. 4 RAM slots, Internal USB 3.0 header and OC'ing support as well right?


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## d6bmg (Apr 15, 2012)

Isn't it the time when we stop suggesting unlocked Intel processors with Z68 boards (nobody here suggests P67) and start suggesting specially i5-2400 along with any good H67 board, specifically for mid-end configuration. The main reason behind is the fact that supply of AMD Phenom II processors are running out and only some specific models are there in the market, and at any condition they will be out of stock in 2-3 months (at max)


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 15, 2012)

^^ good idea..

and also i5 2400 with h61 .


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## d6bmg (Apr 15, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> and also i5 2400 with h61 .



Bad idea. i3-2100 can be paired with H61.
Intel DH67CL @5.3K is the best board for i5-2400.
One can even go with Intel DH67BL @5K if one needs m-atx board.


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## RiGOD (Apr 15, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> Intel DH67CL @5.3K is the best board for i5-2400.



Could you make it clear? I've seen gamers on a tight budget pairing i5 with H61. AFAIK there's no performance difference between H61 & H67.


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## sanjay6502 (Apr 15, 2012)

What about Intel DH67CL (rs.5.6K) vs Asus P8H77-M (rs. 7.8K) ? 

This I am asking for i5-2400......

How do both mobo's compared technically and is the added cost of H77 justified for an overall use (not only gaming... but general overall use), offcourse budget permitting !!!!!!


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## RiGOD (Apr 15, 2012)

^^The Asus one has an internal USB 3.0 header, PCIe 3.0 slot etc. I'd say its a bit overpriced. My vote goes to DH67CL. Or else wait for H77 boards from other manufactures like Intel/MSI, they'll be cheaper and will have the same features.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 15, 2012)

RiGOD said:


> Could you make it clear? I've seen gamers on a tight budget pairing i5 with H61. AFAIK there's no performance difference between H61 & H67.



if there is no performance difference then , h61 must be a good buy then ??
suggest one..


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## d6bmg (Apr 15, 2012)

RiGOD said:


> Could you make it clear? I've seen gamers on a tight budget pairing i5 with H61. AFAIK there's no performance difference between H61 & H67.



For answer: Use google. You will get the answer in your way. 
If there were no difference, then there would not have been 2 different chipsets, ain't it?
By pairing i5-2400 with H61 board the system will run, but enable turbo boost with H61 and see the VRM of the board been blown away at the same instant. 
H61 is intended mainly for Pentium processors and at max for i3-2100.
Again, for more info, google. I'm not in the mood to copy paste the facts from different site.


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 15, 2012)

k..
buddy
thanks for the info
just googling..


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## dibya_kol (Apr 15, 2012)

@ico, time to add Z77 mobo in ur list ..


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 15, 2012)

still not clear , some sites say h61 and h67 are same in performance ,
some say that h61 is less than h67 in performance..

but to be sure..
please suggest ..
i think getting a msi one at 1 k more : *http//www.flipkart.com/msi-h67ma-e...pw--&ref=27afc955-87ea-49bc-bc76-ee1b0f9e6a6e

i'll have h67 and also its one k less than other h67s


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## d6bmg (Apr 16, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> still not clear , some sites say h61 and h67 are same in performance ,
> some say that h61 is less than h67 in performance..
> 
> but to be sure..
> ...



Add 0.6K, and buy Intel DH67-CL


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## AcceleratorX (Apr 16, 2012)

If you're going to go for an H67 platform, then you're probably not an overclocker anyway. For that reason, you can go with just about any brand.

I actually recommend this ECS board:

Theitdepot - ECS H67H2-M3 16GB DDR3 USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard

It actually has decent features and a very good price to boot.


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## RiGOD (Apr 16, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> If there were no difference, then there would not have been 2 different chipsets, ain't it?
> By pairing i5-2400 with H61 board the system will run, but enable turbo boost with H61 and see the VRM of the board been blown away at the same instant.



There are differences like USB 3.0, SATA III, RAM slots etc due to chipset limitations. I couldn't find any case in google in which an h61 board got blown away on enabling Turbo Boost. So when you're in good mood,  Knidly post the link to that. It'll be helpful to others having the same doubt too


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 16, 2012)

@ d6bmg : please ^^ the above is the only solution ..

and add 1 k to 4.6 k to make it 5.6 k

and i searched google for the vrm thingy..
the only meaningful link there, was to this thread.....


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## samiryadav (Apr 17, 2012)

is it worthy enough to upgrade from intel extreme DP67BGB3 + i5-2500k to 
Z77 series?


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## topgear (Apr 17, 2012)

^^ I don't think .. stick to what you have unless you need Intel Quick Sync or going for some extreme level OCing


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## samiryadav (Apr 17, 2012)

^^thanks....i will keep what i have for now...and wait till next year for any upgrade. 
i am running my cpu at 4.4Ghz and RAM @ 1666Mhz this is more than enough for me 

and i don't know what exactly intel Quick sync is for?


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## topgear (Apr 18, 2012)

^^ Read this 

AnandTech - The Sandy Bridge Review: Intel Core i7-2600K, i5-2500K and Core i3-2100 Tested


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## mastercool8695 (Apr 19, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> For answer: Use google. You will get the answer in your way.
> If there were no difference, then there would not have been 2 different chipsets, ain't it?
> By pairing i5-2400 with H61 board the system will run, but enable turbo boost with H61 and see the VRM of the board been blown away at the same instant.
> H61 is intended mainly for Pentium processors and at max for i3-2100.
> Again, for more info, google. I'm not in the mood to copy paste the facts from different site.


please post the link buddy..


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## amruth kiran (Jun 12, 2012)

hey guys ! i got 2 questions..
1> can the z77 support lga1155 chipsets?? if yes ,please suggest some mobo under 10k
2> what is (B3) in "Intel DH67CL B3 LGA 1155"?

also is the above mobo Intel DH67CL LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard good?


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## topgear (Jun 13, 2012)

Z77 chipset based mobos indeed supports LGA 1155 cpus from Sandy and Ivy Brdidge family.

whether you will need to get a z77 or H67 mobo depends on what cpu you are going to use - if you will get a K series cpu ( like 2500k, 2600k, 3570k etc. ) then opt for z77 mobo or else h67 chipset based mobo like the one you mentioned above is just fine .

B3 is a revision to fix the Cougar Point Issue found on earlier P67/H67 mobos - 

AnandTech - The Source of Intel's Cougar Point SATA Bug

all of the latest B3 labeled P67/H67 and Z68, Z77, H77, Z75 chipset based mobos are free from this issue though.


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## amruth kiran (Jun 13, 2012)

^^ @topgear, thanks man.so i think a h67 is enough for i5 2400.

and also is there any differences between the processors in the i5 series?? like the 2400 and the 2320 and the like, ( not k, i know its oc'able).


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## topgear (Jun 14, 2012)

^^ there's no significant difference between core i5 2400 and core i5 2320 other than 100 Mhz clock speed - so if you want to save some bucks you can go for core i5 2320.


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## amruth kiran (Jun 14, 2012)

^^ hmmms sounds good. thanks.


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## topgear (Jun 15, 2012)

^^ you are welcome


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## amruth kiran (Jun 15, 2012)

instead of the z77  or h67 ,why not the h61?? 
the asrock mobo's has great features.


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## d6bmg (Jun 15, 2012)

amruth kiran said:


> ^^ @topgear, thanks man.so i think a h67 is enough for i5 2400.



Buy Intel DH67-CL (b3) @5.3K for 2320/2400 whatever you are buying & be happy.
Best board for any non 'K' i5.


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## topgear (Jun 16, 2012)

amruth kiran said:


> instead of the z77  or h67 ,why not the h61??
> the asrock mobo's has great features.



if you have the budget why opt for a H61 chipset mobo ??


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## amruth kiran (Jun 17, 2012)

okay d6bmg and topgear. got your point. thanks. i was trying to save a few bucks for a good gpu


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## topgear (Jun 18, 2012)

^^ I though you were going to use the Intel HD gfx 

anyway, there's not much ground breaking difference between H61 and H67 ( performance wise ) - so saving money for a gpu always gets more priority as this will boost up the performance really well and you can go with the ASRock H61M/U3S3.


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## d6bmg (Jun 18, 2012)

My point: A big NO NO for ASRock H61M/U3S3. 

It is never a good idea to compensate the quality & reliability of motherboard only to buy a good graphics card.


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## amruth kiran (Jun 18, 2012)

so d6bmg, i should take the ol' reliable intel mobo.??

but i thought asrock was quite good..? any mother board benchmarkers??


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## d6bmg (Jun 18, 2012)

Intel Core I5-2400 
and 
Intel DH67CL(b3) do make a very good pair. 
Buy this combo.


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## topgear (Jun 19, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> My point: A big NO NO for ASRock H61M/U3S3.
> 
> It is never a good idea to compensate the quality & reliability of motherboard only to buy a good graphics card.





amruth kiran said:


> so d6bmg, i should take the ol' reliable intel mobo.??
> 
> but i thought asrock was quite good..? any mother board benchmarkers??





sumonpathak said:


> EVEn Intel is better than Asrock..



Foxconn makes Intel motherboards and Asrock makes their own motherboards ( correct me if I'm wrong ) - so which one is better considering ~2.5-5k mobos ?


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## d6bmg (Jun 19, 2012)

topgear said:


> Foxconn makes Intel motherboards and Asrock makes their own motherboards ( correct me if I'm wrong ) - so which one is better considering ~2.5-5k mobos ?



All the Asus/Asrock boards are also made of Foxcon parts.
For example, if you see the name on the steel of the LAN from inside, you will see 'foxcon' there.


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## topgear (Jun 20, 2012)

^^ I thought Asrock makes their own mobos and some of the Asus mobos too ( though Asus is going for another manufacturer ) - is it possible that only the lan port is made by foxconn ? coz on many Intel ( original and 3rd party ) mobos I've seen the cpu socket protector cover has foxconn written on it.


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## The Sorcerer (Jun 20, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> All the Asus/Asrock boards are also made of Foxcon parts.



Every manufacturer uses I/O connectors, DIMM slots and PCie slots (maybe even those USB/Firewire headers too) and sockets Foxconn or LOTTES, even Gigabyte has it too. No1 makes all that on their own. If you're looking at it this way, Low RDS mosfets, Phase inductors, solid capacitors and all are obviously made by someone else irrespective of the brand. They have to source those connectors from somewhere, ya know!


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## sumonpathak (Jun 20, 2012)

If i am not horribly wrong only the QC is done by the companies and they choose whatever they seem fit to use in their product and that makes all the difference...
(correct me if i am wrong)


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## topgear (Jun 21, 2012)

@ The Sorcerer - thanks for your reply.

BTW, I think the thread name should be changed to Intel LGA 1155 motherboard thread so it can represent both the Sandy and Ivy Bridge cpus.


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## AcceleratorX (Jun 22, 2012)

Uh, let me clear this up a bit. Intel designs only the BIOS/UEFI and the general layout of the motherboard (ports, slots, VRM). The manufacturing as well as the choice of components are left to Foxconn within reasonable expectations of quality and discounts for using Intel chips wherever possible (e.g. using Intel's own ethernet chip).

Foxconn and LOTES are also manufacturers of connectors and sockets and these are bought by nearly all motherboard makers to fit into their boards. So Pegatron manufactures ASRock and some Asus boards (not anymore though, newer Asus boards from August will be made by ECS) and designs ASRock boards and also selects the components to be used themselves (or based on what Asus tells them). Only connectors and sockets are bought from Foxconn.

In my opinion after general analysis I think ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI and Asus all offer comparable, if not better value than Intel boards for the same price range. Intel's extreme series boards are good but for a value board you are probably better off getting an ASRock, MSI or Biostar because they offer more features (e.g. solid capacitors, more ports), better reliability (better VRMs) and ability for overclocking (Intel's non-extreme boards are simply no good for overclocking or even tweaking of any kind. You better believe it).

The Intel DH67 is a good product for the price. You can also try for Foxconn's Z75 series (Z75M-S and Z75A-S, should be available at same or lower prices from Compuage Infocom).


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jun 26, 2012)

Wow this cleared up my confusions with chipsets & their relation to motherboards 

BTW what mobo would you suggest under a budget of 10K Rupees with a P67 (or Z68) chipset for a Core i5 2500K + R7850?? Not planning on Crossfire but will OC the processor. USB 3.0, on-board GPU & excess slots, etc are not necessary.


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## thetechfreak (Jun 26, 2012)

WILDLEGHORN said:


> BTW what mobo would you suggest under a budget of 10K Rupees with a P67 (or Z68) chipset for a Core i5 2500K + R7850?? Not planning on Crossfire but will OC the processor. USB 3.0, on-board GPU & excess slots, etc are not necessary.



ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 @Rs.10000


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## topgear (Jun 27, 2012)

^^ actually that's a little over 10k - under 10k _WILDLEGHORN_ can get ASRock Z77 Pro4 but ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 is a better choice.


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## AcceleratorX (Jun 27, 2012)

If you don't need crossfire or extra slots you can go for the ASRock Z77 Pro4. It is feature rich with extra SATA ports and USB 3.0. However, if you can settle for a Z68 chipset you also have the barebones Biostar TZ68K+ and the MSI Z68A-G45 B3 and G3 (B3 - 8.5K, G3 - 9.5K from SMC). Both MSI boards have two PCIe x16 slots so you can do Crossfire if you wish. B3 version doesn't have PCIe 3.0 support.

For a good overclock I'd recommend a Biostar or ASRock board, MSI has limited certain tweak options in their BIOS because their VRM isn't rated upto the same standards as ASRock and Biostar. Given the price difference between Pro4 and Extreme4, it's probably better you just get the Extreme4 since it has a better VRM (8+1 phase), more features (i.e. Crossfire x8/x8 vs. x8/x4, better audio chip). The Pro4 does have one advantage in that it has 8 rear panel USB ports compared to the Extreme4 which has 6.


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## The Sorcerer (Jun 27, 2012)

Let me correct AcceleratorX's words



AcceleratorX said:


> Uh, let me clear this up a bit. Intel designs only the BIOS/UEFI and the general layout of the motherboard (ports, slots, VRM). The manufacturing as well as the choice of components are left to Foxconn within reasonable expectations of quality and discounts for using Intel chips wherever possible (e.g. using Intel's own ethernet chip).
> 
> Foxconn and LOTTES *(there's more- and these are 2 of the 3, maybe 4, who make processor sockets)* also manufacturers of connectors and sockets and these are bought by nearly all motherboard makers to fit into their boards. So Pegatron manufactures ASRock and some Asus boards (not anymore though, newer Asus boards from August will be made by ECS) and designs ASRock boards and also selects the components to be used themselves (or based on what Asus tells them). Only connectors and sockets are bought from Foxconn.
> 
> ...



Done. If ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI and Asus make comparable boards, then why do of them claim that they have digital VRM on certain model of the boards, including on the newer one like Z77 when its actually nor Digital VRM? And one of them don't even design their own bios/UEFI. 

Cheers.


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## sumonpathak (Jun 27, 2012)

AcceleratorX said:


> _*For a good overclock I'd recommend a Biostar or ASRock board,*_



errr....




AcceleratorX said:


> MSI has limited certain tweak options in their BIOS because their VRM isn't rated upto the same standards as ASRock and Biostar.


care to elaborate?


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jun 27, 2012)

Guys can you suggest me any good OC'ing mobo for core i5 2500k having these min features:
1 LAN port, 1 pci-ex x16 slot, 2 usb 2.0 ports & 4-8 GB of DDR3 memory support. Not at all planning to crossfire in future so 1 gfx card slot is enough. 

Features I don't need/won't use include:
Usb 3.0 ports, pci-ex 3.0, &/or excessive unnecessary ports that I don't know about.

Other extra ports are fine but probably won't be used since I'll only mainly do gaming, watch movies & download stuff  The problem is I need this mobo around Rs. 5-7k & it should be a good reliable mobo as well. So are there any good ones out there in that Rs. 5-7k price range?


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## the_conqueror (Jun 28, 2012)

OCing won't prove much helpful when gaming at 1080p. GPU will play the major part. At 5k-7k budget, no z77 board is available AFAIK, and even IF you are able to find one, then it won't be a good one. Better get a locked processor and a H67 board and save a few bucks.


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jun 28, 2012)

the_conqueror said:


> OCing won't prove much helpful when gaming at 1080p. GPU will play the major part. At 5k-7k budget, no z77 board is available AFAIK, and even IF you are able to find one, then it won't be a good one. Better get a locked processor and a H67 board and save a few bucks.


Ok! What's the cheapest one that I can get for OC'ing core i5 2500k with those min features that I listed above??

Thanks


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## the_conqueror (Jun 28, 2012)

Biosta TZ68K+ for around 7.5k is the cheapest option. Even though it has got good reviews, i personally do not recommend it. 
BTW, if you are planning to OC then you'll need a good aftermarket cooler like Cooler master hyper 212 evo. Add another 2k for that.


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## sumonpathak (Jun 28, 2012)

WILDLEGHORN said:


> Ok! What's the cheapest one that I can get for OC'ing core i5 2500k with those min features that I listed above??
> 
> Thanks



this:
Asus P8Z77-M PRO Intel Z77 Chipset


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## AcceleratorX (Jun 28, 2012)

sumonpathak said:


> errr....
> 
> 
> 
> care to elaborate?



MSI's VRM components are simply not rated to the same standard as ASRock, Asus, Biostar or other good brands. You'll find a lot of threads about it on the net where MSI boards VRM caught fire or failed (across many platforms, not just 1155(. MSI's solution to those issues was to limit the power handling to a safe limit so the tweaking is somewhat limited except for the highest end motherboards. For example a lot of midrange MSI motherboards have VCore capped to around 1.35V and don't allow you to tweak offset modes.

A good Gigabyte, Asus or ASRock board will shut down the motherboard when a dangerous situation occurs w.r.t the VRM temperatures. MSIs are known to simply catch fire instead. It's not that big a deal however since most of us aren't extreme overclockers but that's a fact right there.

And you elaborate too please. ASRock and Biostar provide great OC ability within their price range. Nearly all the reviews show it. In fact as far as Z68 was concerned there was little reason to get an Asus because other brands offered so many features for the same price! And if you are not OCing, you are buying a budget board and they are still winners there because of good features at a good price.

@The Sorcerer: How much difference do you think a Digital VRM makes? You will find not much. Theoretically you can just call any VRM digital because the output has to be a signal level that goes to the processor in digital form  {AFAIK Gigabyte doesn't make false claims about VRM and MSI doesn't use Digital VRM much anyway}

As for comparisons, see this quote:



> Analog is slightly faster adapting to voltage changes but worse at fine tuning. Digital offers the best user controls and fine regulation. New tech vs old tech. While the old tech can certainly get the job done the new tech is doing it better with less phases.



It doesn't matter that much when you have 8 phases or more anyway within the VRM circuitry. In fact Intel has commented several times that 4+1 phase is more than enough and more than 8 phases is overkill for nearly any motherboard and Intel doesn't use digital VRM everywhere either. Design matters!

let's face it - if you're purely talking textbook based featuring ASRock and Biostar probably won't make the cut of an Asus or Gigabyte but they are simply the best for price-to-performance ratio right now, even compared to Intel whose only benchmark is that of reliability. I've stated several times what you lose when you go for an ASRock or Biostar: PCB thickness, layers of copper, maybe a few heatsinks. But you still get high quality and reliability. And it's good enough when you don't have deep pockets. If you do, you wouldn't look at anything other than Asus and Gigabyte anyway


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## The Sorcerer (Jun 28, 2012)

I am not saying it makes a difference. You're the one who said "In my opinion after general analysis I think ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI and Asus all offer comparable, if not better value than Intel boards for the same price range."

But what makes a difference is maximum switching frequency- dual mode method or as a doubler- in both cases, doesn't matter. That's why some boards are meant for overclock don't overclock that well. Some companies put good enough PWMs for CPU whereas use some crap for VCCSA, VTT and for DRAM. Everyone makes it differently for different models with different maximum switching frequency- even MOSFETs- low-side and high side configuration. That's all the more reason it makes more sense to test the entire board with all the slots filled up- including the I/O ports, OC the rig and stress test it. That's the way to know how good your board really is. Not everyone makes the board the same way. Some use more than 2-4 PCIE 3.0 and 2.0, some don't, Intel doesn't make a design- not even a reference design. They probably might have some reference design and give it to foxconn to make boards on behalf of them, but that- a maybe- and even if it is Intel makes pretty good boards for a stock.

And I wasn't talking about Gigabyte. Keep on guessing which company I am referring to .

You're the one who nees to check the facts properly. Problem with MSI is that their lower board isn't good at all, but some of their mid-to-high end is good but unfortunately for them there are better boards- and its not Biostar, not even close- ironic since MSI makes good graphic cards.

Biostar has a thing to degrade quality of newer batch productions. You're lot better off buying an intel counterpart over Biostar and such boards. 

Bios/UEFI are designed by the manufacturers of the board themselves. Couple of companies- not Tier 1 for sure...not really Tier 2- don't make their own UEFI/bios. They have contracts with other manufacturers to make their bioses for their boards. These companies are not How to use PCIe lanes circuitry designs depends on the company themselves. Spacing between the slots, around the processors, ATX type- decided by them. Intel gives them the chipset and an instructional manual, rest the RnD guys of the motherboard take care of it. 

And not all enclosed capacitors are solid capacitors and not all of them have the same resistance. Same goes for MOSFETs, Phase inductors and Driver ICs. Same goes for the quality of the PCB, the printing methodology of the PCB. Even the plastic quality differs in slots- even if the manufacturer is the same.


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## saswat23 (Jun 28, 2012)

WILDLEGHORN said:


> Ok! What's the cheapest one that I can get for OC'ing core i5 2500k with those min features that I listed above??
> 
> Thanks



What about this: www.primeabgb.com/index.php?page=sh...ategory_id=58&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53


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## Chaitanya (Jun 28, 2012)

+1 to above mobo..


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## topgear (Jun 29, 2012)

how good is this one :

Buy Gigabyte GA-Z77P-D3 Motherboard in Mumbai India


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jun 29, 2012)

^^ Yes I'd like to know the same. How's that board? It's pretty cheap comparatively @ Rs. 7,200. Will it be suitable for my needs that I mentioned above? Will it be good for OC'ing i5 2500k & R7870 ?? Just need only one x16 lane for a single gfx card, won't CF ever in future. Flipkart got it for a bit high @ Rs. 10176 & only online shop I can buy from is FK


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## sumonpathak (Jun 29, 2012)

^^for oc ing...no way....just look at the board...no vrm heatsinks nothing...


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## topgear (Jun 30, 2012)

so it's not even suitable for mild OC then - say ~4 Ghz ?? overall TZ68K+ is still a good option at ~7.5k if one can get one or else Biostar TZ75B loks also good for it's price @ $ 100.


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## sumonpathak (Jun 30, 2012)

^^i wouldn't recommend it....


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## saswat23 (Jun 30, 2012)

Compared here: 
Gigabyte GA-Z77P-D3 Motherboard vs ASUS P8Z77-M Motherboard vs Biostar TZ68K+ Motherboard: Compare Motherboards: Flipkart.com

The P8Z77-M is the best option for its price.


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jun 30, 2012)

OK guys how is theITwares.com for online shopping? I'm thinking of getting every single component from there as it's cheapest even compared with flipkart. Once payment & everything is cleared will they ship to my doorstep? How is the package delivered? Using couriers? I'm not really sure how online shopping works & currently on the fence about it right now


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## dashing.sujay (Jun 30, 2012)

WILDLEGHORN said:


> OK guys how is theITwares.com for online shopping? I'm thinking of getting every single component from there as it's cheapest even compared with flipkart. Once payment & everything is cleared will they ship to my doorstep? How is the package delivered? Using couriers? I'm not really sure how online shopping works & currently on the fence about it right now



They're fine.


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## topgear (Jul 1, 2012)

check this out 

Z77 Mobo Roundup II: EVGA, ASRock, Gigabyte, Zotac - HotHardware


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## sumonpathak (Jul 1, 2012)

kinda weird!!


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## topgear (Jul 2, 2012)

^^ why so ??


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## sumonpathak (Jul 2, 2012)

Evga Z77 is known to have issues...don't know why they recommended it....


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## topgear (Jul 3, 2012)

^^ for 4 way CF/SLi support may be - that's the only board on the test with 4 way SLI/CF support but as most people don't need this feature not many will pay attention to this for it's high price tag.

BTW, EVGA Z77 FTW has what kind of issues ??


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## amruth kiran (Jul 4, 2012)

hey guys!!
 10k budget!! need  a mobo for i5 2500k!!

will any z77 do?? the july issue has the list but is it specifically for ivy series??


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## sumonpathak (Jul 4, 2012)

topgear said:


> ^^ for 4 way CF/SLi support may be - that's the only board on the test with 4 way SLI/CF support but as most people don't need this feature not many will pay attention to this for it's high price tag.
> 
> BTW, EVGA Z77 FTW has what kind of issues ??



basically unless mr kingpin uses the board u wont get good results 
overall perf issues....


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## topgear (Jul 5, 2012)

I think if you can get the chance you can do the same 



amruth kiran said:


> hey guys!!
> 10k budget!! need  a mobo for i5 2500k!!
> 
> will any z77 do?? the july issue has the list but is it specifically for ivy series??



ASRock Z77 Extreme 4.


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## sumonpathak (Jul 5, 2012)

topgear said:


> I think if you can get the chance you can do the same



not unless its a binned one....


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## amruth kiran (Jul 5, 2012)

topgear said:


> ASRock Z77 Extreme 4.



thanks . this is what i had in mind


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jul 5, 2012)

amruth kiran said:


> ASRock Z77 Extreme 4.



thanks. this is what i had in mind[/QUOTE]
Or maybe you can also go with the ASRock Z77 Pro4 mobo which is a bit cheaper than Extreme 4 but has few features less as well-
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


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## sumonpathak (Jul 5, 2012)

^^^^this would be the best choice IMHO
Asus P8Z77-M Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboard


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## amruth kiran (Jul 5, 2012)

also is this only for ivy? will lose performance if i use  a i5 ? or i3??

for  a friend of mine. a gift.


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## sumonpathak (Jul 5, 2012)

^^u wont face any such problem....


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## WILDLEGHORN (Jul 5, 2012)

amruth kiran said:


> also is this only for ivy? will lose performance if i use  a i5 ? or i3??
> 
> for  a friend of mine. a gift.


Both
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
And
Asus P8Z77-M Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboard
Will work on Ivy as well as Sandy based CPUs.
Also, i5 will obviously perform a bit better than i3 having more physical cores


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## amruth kiran (Jul 5, 2012)

okay thanks. i'll send this mobo to him this week. with all your wishes too.

can anyone  solve my own problem. i've made this thread.*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/cpu-motherboards/159587-cpu-gpu-performance-queries.html


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## topgear (Jul 6, 2012)

sumonpathak said:


> not unless its a binned one....



most of the time to make records ( like kingpin  ) manufacturers send the Ocers the best possible gpu IMO and I think people like you has the skill to make records and make us proud 



sumonpathak said:


> ^^^^this would be the best choice IMHO
> Asus P8Z77-M Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboard



for 2500K cpu don't you think M-pro is better ( though costs 2-2.5k more ) - the Asus P8Z77-M has VRM region heatsink but it's not covering all the vrms and this asus mobo has only 4+1 power phase design but Asrock Z77 Ext 4 has 8+4 power phase design with vrm heatsink covering all of the vrms.


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## sumonpathak (Jul 6, 2012)

topgear said:


> most of the time to make records ( like kingpin  ) manufacturers send the Ocers the best possible gpu IMO and I think people like you has the skill to make records and make us proud
> 
> 
> 
> for 2500K cpu don't you think M-pro is better ( though costs 2-2.5k more ) - the Asus P8Z77-M has VRM region heatsink but it's not covering all the vrms and this asus mobo has only 4+1 power phase design but Asrock Z77 Ext 4 has 8+4 power phase design with vrm heatsink covering all of the vrms.



the M rpo is certainly better...but since he strictly needs under 10k i had to suggest this...
as for the manufacturer sending best possible products...it would have been great if the performance level of retail product is kinda similar to what is sent to reviewers and extreme enthusiasts...


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## topgear (Jul 7, 2012)

check this out :

MSI Z77A-GD80 (Intel Z77) Motherboard with Thunderbolt Review :: TweakTown USA Edition


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## chillnthrill (Aug 1, 2012)

@ico.. wonderful thread! I was trying to ascertain if it was worth going for the H67 chipset for my 15-2400 proccy or going for the H77 chipset instead. Needed onboard USB3 & HDMI options & the price difference is only 1.5K approx(Rs 5500/- or DH67CLB3 vs Rs 7K for Asrock H77 Pro 4). But I could not find any info regarding H77 on this thread. Any insights/updates which are India specific would be much appreciated! 

Luv your work & appreciate the time & efforts that you & all members of the forum have selflessly invested! Thanks much, guys! 

PS: As a new member, the random questions are improving my GK! Thanks to whoever suggested it-It's a pain allright, but like the GK!!


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## ico (Aug 3, 2012)

yes, you can go with H77 chipset. ^

It is basically H67 chipset + native USB 3.0.


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## d6bmg (Aug 3, 2012)

chillnthrill said:


> @ico.. wonderful thread! I was trying to ascertain if it was worth going for the H67 chipset for my 15-2400 proccy or going for the H77 chipset instead. Needed onboard USB3 & HDMI options & the price difference is only 1.5K approx(Rs 5500/- or DH67CLB3 vs Rs 7K for Asrock H77 Pro 4). But I could not find any info regarding H77 on this thread. Any insights/updates which are India specific would be much appreciated!
> 
> Luv your work & appreciate the time & efforts that you & all members of the forum have selflessly invested! Thanks much, guys!
> 
> PS: As a new member, the random questions are improving my GK! Thanks to whoever suggested it-It's a pain allright, but like the GK!!



DH67CL(b3) @5.5K seems to be better value for money.

Full ATX board have more space to work with.


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## saswat23 (Aug 3, 2012)

IMO Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H for 4.6k is a better choice.


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## d6bmg (Aug 3, 2012)

^^ Microatx. 
Also another fact to consider: is it available in India?


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## AcceleratorX (Aug 4, 2012)

The Sorcerer said:
			
		

> How to use PCIe lanes circuitry designs depends on the company themselves. Spacing between the slots, around the processors, ATX type- decided by them. Intel gives them the chipset and an instructional manual, rest the RnD guys of the motherboard take care of it.



Let me add clarity you this time.

*For Intel boards* - Board layout, specs, slots, ports, etc. is done by Intel. Manufacturing as well as actual choice of components - Foxconn.

*For other brands* - What you said.


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## topgear (Aug 4, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> ^^ Microatx.
> Also another fact to consider: is it available in India?



wanna get one  

Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Motherboard | Motherboard | Flipkart.com

Theitdepot - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H 32GB DDR3 Intel Motherboard


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## commsanjay (Aug 9, 2012)

ico in his introduction:-

"H61: 4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU will work, no USB 3.0 except aberrations, no support for Quick Sync, no support for overclocking..."

On Asrock website for some of their H61 Motherboards (H61MU3S3) it is stated that it has Quick Sync Video support. can it be true or will there be any caveats? how are Asrock H61 boards quality wise?


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## reniarahim1 (Aug 9, 2012)

Please include new chipsets like B75.


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## d6bmg (Aug 9, 2012)

topgear said:


> wanna get one
> 
> Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Motherboard | Motherboard | Flipkart.com
> 
> Theitdepot - Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H 32GB DDR3 Intel Motherboard



Although it is out of stock @flipkart, its nice to see some new Gigabyte boards in India.


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## topgear (Aug 10, 2012)

commsanjay said:


> ico in his introduction:-
> 
> "H61: 4 SATA 2.0 3gbps ports, on-chip GPU will work, no USB 3.0 except aberrations, no support for Quick Sync, no support for overclocking..."
> 
> On Asrock website for some of their H61 Motherboards (H61MU3S3) it is stated that it has Quick Sync Video support. can it be true or will there be any caveats? how are Asrock H61 boards quality wise?



ain't quick sync is a cpu feature rather than mobo's chipset - so any cpus having quick sync support will enable the quick sync function on any H67/H61 motherbaord which has  video output port.


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## kranti (Aug 10, 2012)

I have i7 2600. suggest a mbd that will give better performance.


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## topgear (Aug 11, 2012)

^^ if you have a core i7 2600 ( non K cpu ) then depending on your budget look for B75/H67/H77 chipset based motherboard but do let us know your budget to get the best recommendation.


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## ico (Aug 11, 2012)

topgear said:


> ain't quick sync is a cpu feature rather than mobo's chipset - so any cpus having quick sync support will enable the quick sync function on any H67/H61 motherbaord which has  video output port.


When I created this thread while referring to Intel's website for everything, H61 doesn't support Quick Sync. Now many confirm it does support, but most low-end motherboards lack Virtu support. If you put in a discrete graphics card, then you need to verify Virtu support otherwise you're doomed. And now Intel has removed the Quick Sync row altogether from the comparison page - *ark.intel.com/compare/52806,52807 :/

Even a video port and supporting CPU can't be the criteria.

There's this Z68 motherboard. Lacks a video port and doesn't support Quick Sync. *www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3851

I have Asus P8Z68 Deluxe. It also lacks a video port but it supports Quick Sync,


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## topgear (Aug 11, 2012)

^^ so a motherboard with video output port is not needed for quick sync at-all - it depends on the motherboard manufacturer ?? so the only way to be sure is to read the specs page of motherboard ( for quick sync feature ) before buying.


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## ico (Aug 11, 2012)

yup. Reading for Quick Sync and Virtu is the only way.


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## kranti (Aug 11, 2012)

topgear said:


> ^^ if you have a core i7 2600 ( non K cpu ) then depending on your budget look for B75/H67/H77 chipset based motherboard but do let us know your budget to get the best recommendation.



My budget is upto 10K.


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## topgear (Aug 12, 2012)

^^ for a such decent budget you can get Asrock Z77 Extreme4 even though you don't have a K series cpu the features and future proofing this board offers is unmatched at this price point.

@ *ico *- thanks for the clarification.


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## ricky_pradeep (Sep 2, 2012)

ico said:


> Too many "motherboard for my i5-2500k" threads lately. Now ask all your motherboard advice questions in this thread.
> 
> LGA 1155 is the socket of Intel's second generation Core processors also referred as "Sandy Bridge." It is incompatible with LGA 1156 used in first generation of core processors.
> 
> I'll start off with the basics (in simple language) about the various chipsets first. (I'll add a list of motherboards and prices later.)




I'm stumped. Clear, concise information on the thinkdigit forum! I'd given up on the website considering what a shabby job the editorial team is doing on the website compared to the print mag, but it seems the forum is still backed by the enthusiastic community that has stuck around for years. 

ICO, thank you!


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## AcceleratorX (Sep 3, 2012)

Biostar TZ77B available on Infibeam for 7.7K:

Buy Components in India | BioStar TZ77B Motherboard | Computers & Accessories India - Infibeam.com

For that price it is good value I think.


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## topgear (Sep 3, 2012)

^^ great pricing - this is the replacement for the z68+ mobo they previously have IMO but many are still reluctant about suggesting Biostar and Asrock mobos


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## mastercool8695 (Sep 4, 2012)

should we consider biostar or asrock for h61 mobo for i5 2400 ??

should we consider biostar or asrock for h61 mobo for i5 2400 ??


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## topgear (Sep 5, 2012)

^^ I think you can but better would be if you look for B75 motherboards - these can be found around ~4.5k ( for eg. Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H @ ~4.35k )


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## great_manish (Sep 5, 2012)

topgear said:


> ^^ I think you can but better would be if you look for B75 motherboards - these can be found around ~4.5k ( for eg. Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H @ ~4.35k )



i bought one yesterday for 3.9k +4% vat locally(kolkata)

mrp. on the box was rs.4600


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## mastercool8695 (Sep 5, 2012)

do you mean the gigabyte one??
which shop ??


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## great_manish (Sep 5, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> do you mean the gigabyte one??
> which shop ??



yes the gigabyte one, from starcomp in ganesh chandra avenue. Starcomp Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

i think you can bargain a little more.

the shop which i trust most in chandni is arihant infotech. rates are more or less the same in evry shop.


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## mastercool8695 (Sep 5, 2012)

thanks.
buddy.
what about bundled things ??
what else was supplied ??


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## great_manish (Sep 5, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> thanks.
> buddy.
> what about bundled things ??
> what else was supplied ??



just 2 sata II cables and the regular manuals,drivers dvd, screws


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## topgear (Sep 6, 2012)

great_manish said:


> i bought one yesterday for 3.9k +4% vat locally(kolkata)
> 
> mrp. on the box was rs.4600





great_manish said:


> yes the gigabyte one, from starcomp in ganesh chandra avenue. Starcomp Infotech Pvt. Ltd.



Thanks for the great info.


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## mastercool8695 (Sep 6, 2012)

i think its slightly off topic.
can we connect a sata 6 gbps hdd to a sata 3 gbps port using sata 3 gbps wire ??


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## great_manish (Sep 6, 2012)

mastercool8695 said:


> i think its slightly off topic.
> can we connect a sata 6 gbps hdd to a sata 3 gbps port using sata 3 gbps wire ??



Yes, a SATA III HDD will work on SATA II ports and cables. Its backward compatible.


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## mastercool8695 (Sep 6, 2012)

@great_manish : thanks buddy.
that means all the sata ports are same as far as size and structure is considered. good


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## topgear (Sep 7, 2012)

^^ yep, like USB posrts 

BTW, check this out :

ASRock Z77 OC Formula Motherboard | Hardware Secrets


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## d6bmg (Sep 7, 2012)

topgear said:


> BTW, check this out :
> 
> ASRock Z77 OC Formula Motherboard | Hardware Secrets



Very good board. Again, spending >15K on a asrock board doesn't make any sense at all.


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## AcceleratorX (Sep 7, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> Very good board. Again, spending >15K on a asrock board doesn't make any sense at all.



ASRock's high end boards are very much comparable to the best ones from Asus and Gigabyte IMO. HardOCP, who has always been hard on ASRock boards due to perceived issues with product quality was pretty impressed by their X79 board, for example.

BTW ASRock now has in their UEFI the "No-K OC function" which gives an instant overclock to a non-K processor and also allows some tweakability (i.e. OC headroom).

_Those of you who own an ASRock Z77 board should update their BIOS to the latest version to avail of this functionality_.


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## topgear (Sep 8, 2012)

^^ never heard of anything like _No-K OC function_ though i know the non K cpus can be OCed to some extent but this non K OC things really wroks a little better than manually OCing a non K cpu - found something here :

Non-K overclocking! ASRock released NO-K OC overclocking technology | Pc-Union

don't count on the English though but it's understandable


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## d6bmg (Sep 8, 2012)

AcceleratorX said:


> ASRock's high end boards are very much comparable to the best ones from Asus and Gigabyte IMO.


Now it comes down to personal choice. Asrock boards are cheap, and if anyone already made up his/her mind about buying the cheapest motherboard availible in the motherboard regardless of its quality, he or she is most welcome to buy boards from Asrock, biostar, murcury, ECS, sapphire(available in india?) etc etc.


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## AcceleratorX (Sep 8, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> Now it comes down to personal choice. Asrock boards are cheap, and if anyone already made up his/her mind about buying the cheapest motherboard availible in the motherboard regardless of its quality, he or she is most welcome to buy boards from Asrock, biostar, murcury, ECS, sapphire(available in india?) etc etc.



The difference between ASRock and Biostar/ECS/Sapphire/Mercury etc. is that ASRock actually actively targets the enthusiast segment. See how many enthusiast boards you find from ECS or Biostar - very few!
ASRock features a value line *and* an enthusiast line. The quality and features *do* scale. Some of their Fatality boards are very much comparable to the ROG series from Asus, for example. For this reason, in a high end board costing 15K+ there is little difference which brand you are buying (Anyway you won't find a lot from ECS or Biostar or some such brand at that price). When HardOCP, who has consistently bashed ASRock's value boards for the thin PCB and perceived quality issues (even when the rest of the internet was giving those boards awards) praises their higher end board in terms of quality as well as performance, you should know there is a difference there.
Value range is a different beast - there you look for a balance between features, performance and reliability. But paying 15K+? You'll be hard pressed to find a difference. Even ECS produces some decent boards at that price range......


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## sumonpathak (Sep 8, 2012)

the term value needs to be redefined...
also...boasting of digital VRM while using a analog controller is kinda pushing the envelop in unfair trade treatises...


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## topgear (Sep 9, 2012)

d6bmg said:


> Now it comes down to personal choice. Asrock boards are cheap, and if anyone already made up his/her mind about buying the cheapest motherboard availible in the motherboard regardless of its quality, he or she is most welcome to buy boards from Asrock, biostar, murcury, ECS, *sapphire*(available in india?) etc etc.



Sapphire has few very good motherboards ( they don't makes lots of mobos like other manufacturers ) for LGA 1155 socket and you can't compare the quality of Sapphire motherboards with Mercury ( recent mobos ) :

*www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/zardon/sapphire-pure-platinum-z77k-motherboard-review/
Sapphire Pure Platinum Z77K Review - Overclockers Club
Sapphire PURE Platinum Z77/K | Pure Overclock

*www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/zardon/sapphire-pure-platinum-z68-motherboard-review/
Sapphire Pure Platinum Z68 review | Expert Reviews

but you are right about the availability .. though Sapphire gfx cards are readily available same can't be said about motherboards.


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## digitfan (Oct 26, 2012)

Ok guys this is what i understood.

If you want overclocking and usb 3.0 then go for i5 2500k or above with a z77 mobo If you dont want overclocking then go for any non k processor with same speed with a compatible mobo.

For egerformance wise an i5 2500k @3.3ghz and an i5 2400 @ 3.3ghz will be almost same?(ignore Quick Sync & igp)


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## ico (Oct 26, 2012)

digitfan said:


> Ok guys this is what i understood.
> 
> If you want overclocking and usb 3.0 then go for i5 2500k or above with a z77 mobo If you dont want overclocking then go for any non k processor with same speed with a compatible mobo.
> 
> *For egerformance wise an i5 2500k @3.3ghz and an i5 2400 @ 3.3ghz will be almost same?(ignore Quick Sync & igp)*


What you've understood is completely right.

Yes, processing wise they both are going to be exactly same. Slight difference here and there.


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## digitfan (Oct 26, 2012)

^^Ok thank you.
Now as you know my budget what do you suggest I have decided not to go for overclocking.So should i get the sandy bridge 2500 (non k) or shift to ivy bridge.Speaking of which will sandy bridge mobos support ivy bridge too.


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## ico (Oct 27, 2012)

digitfan said:


> ^^Ok thank you.
> Now as you know my budget what do you suggest I have decided not to go for overclocking.So should i get the sandy bridge 2500 (non k) or shift to ivy bridge.Speaking of which will sandy bridge mobos support ivy bridge too.


Every Sandy Bridge motherboard will support Ivy Bridge and vice versa since socket is same - LGA 1155. 

I'd say, get i5-2400.


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## digitfan (Oct 29, 2012)

^^ can i go for a AMD FX-8120 too.As per your suggestion here *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/cpu-motherboards/149791-best-cpus-money-india.html  
This is even cheaper than an i5 2400.


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## topgear (Oct 30, 2012)

Depends on the type of your work .. for mixed threaded apps like games, progarmming apps SB/IB cpus are better but heavily multi tasked apps performs better on Octa core AMD cpus and if you want to get one waiting for PileDriver ( FX-8350/20) is recommended as they are better than BullDozer cpus.


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