Buying Decision Help (Z68->Z77)

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Major_A
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Buying Decision Help (Z68->Z77)

Post by Major_A »

I won an awesome rig on LR last year. Thank you again. The computer shipped with an Intel branded board and features a lot of cool stuff. The problem I have with it is the overclocking section and options are completely broken. At stock the board is stable as a rock but paired with an i7 2600K it's a waste. I have finally decided to buy a new board and skip the Z68 in favor of a Z77 in case I want to get an Ivy Bridge down the road. I know you can put an Ivy Bridge in a Z68 board but my particular board's BIOS files are pure JUNK.
Intel DZ68BC
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... ard+dz68bc
BIOS Problem Examples:
https://communities.intel.com/thread/29 ... 0&tstart=0
https://communities.intel.com/message/190426#190426
https://communities.intel.com/message/184520#184520

Through looking around I think I have narrowed down my search for a Z77 to three boards.
ASRock Z77 Extreme6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813157295
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131819
MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130686

I need opinions on which one you think I should go with. Right now I am leaning toward the ASUS board for a few reasons.
1) It has an Intel NIC, which I think are miles better than anything Realtek makes.
2) ASUS makes software that really adds value to their products.
3) Looking at BIOS dates on each of the sites it seems like ASUS updates their BIOS more often. The plus side is my i7 2600K is supported with the initial BIOS that was shipped with the board so I don't have to worry about compatibility out of the box.
4) I like that the board has 2 USB 3.0 front panel connections on the board if I wanted to buy a breakout box I'd have 4 ports on the front of the computer.

I have never personally used an ASRock board but I have built several friends/family computers with an ASRock board. I have never touched an MSI board but everything I've read about their Gaming line has been all good.
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Apoptosis
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Re: Buying Decision Help (Z68->Z77)

Post by Apoptosis »

I think your first instinct with the ASUS board is spot on
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Major_A
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Re: Buying Decision Help (Z68->Z77)

Post by Major_A »

Well I ordered the ASUS. The last ASUS board I had was a P4P800 so it's time to give ASUS another go. I was looking at the NZXT Kraken to replace the Asetek unit that came with the build and ended up getting a Phanteks PH-TC14PE instead. When I leave the house I turn off my computer out of some irrational fear that the AiO unit is going to either die or leak while I'm gone. Going back to air gives me some peace of mind that if a fan or both go out the heatsink should be enough until I get back on it.
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