Motherboard Suggestions? (Gaming rig)

[Omika_Pearl]

Okay, I think I'm going to grab the 920 and stick it with this mobo:

Newegg.com - EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX X58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Thoughts? Looks slicks to me. I like black.

 

[Hefemeister]

One of my top 2 choices in that price range. Nice board.

 

[Omika_Pearl]

My only concern is I'm going to be using an antec 900 case, and I have a feeling this thing is going to run a little warm. I'll only be using one GPU, though. Will stock cooling cut it in that case if I OC to about 3.0 ghz, or do you think I ought to invest in a better fan for the CPU?

 

[Hefemeister]

Well I always invest in an aftermarket heatsink so I would say yes (kind of like asking a car nut if nitro is worth it).

If cost is an issue just bump it up and check your temps. If they are too high drop the OC down until you can afford a good heat sink.

 

[Omika_Pearl]

Got a suggestion that would fit into a 900 with those two? I have my eye on a good fan, but I'm not sure if it will fit (it's huge.)

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

 

[Hefemeister]

looks like it is 126.5mm high. Time to get out the measuring stick. If you have a side panel fan it may have to go. I know there is just enough room for a true 120 in an antec 300 as I measured mine once for fun. I have mine in a full tower but I thought I would check to see if it would fit.

 

[Omika_Pearl]

Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Someone on newegg fit that into a case the same size as mine with their i7, so I'll probably do that too. Plus, free thermal paste!

Now I just need a good GPU (thinking a GeForce 260) and we're good to go.

 

[Omika_Pearl]

Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

I could get this one for roughly the same price as the one previously linked. Anyone willing to help me with a comparison?

From what I can tell, this one supports faster RAM, has onboard audio, more ports (some of which I don't even recognize), a PATA storage device (no idea!), a different SATA RAID... I dunno what it all means. But since I could get them for the same price on newegg, this one seems like a better idea.

 

[Slaymate]

That mobo is a good one, it's the mobo Hefe's using if I'm not mistaken.

That Zalman Heatsink is a piece of crap, especially at that price. The Antec 900 is only a 1/2" narrower than my case so you should have Plenty of room. This heatsink is only a few dollars more than the Zalman.
Newegg.com - Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

 

[Omika_Pearl]

That mobo is a good one, it's the mobo Hefe's using if I'm not mistaken.

That Zalman Heatsink is a piece of crap, especially at that price. The Antec 900 is only a 1/2" narrower than my case so you should have Plenty of room. This heatsink is only a few dollars more than the Zalman.
Newegg.com - Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Thanks much for that recommendation. I'll get the Noctua, then!

I can tell the MOBO is good, but I kind of want to know why. All I do is gaming (as far as high-end activities go), so I'm wondering if it's worth the extra money. Do most MOBOs these days have sound capability built in, or do I have to buy a seperate sound card? I'm just going to be using headphones, honestly, I'm not going for surround sound or anything (yet.)

Just want to make sure I don't purchase anything superfluous to my needs as a user.