Suggestions for a P67 mobo?

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vortex2450

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Suggestions for a Z68 mobo?

It is funny how quickly the computer worlds moves, I've stayed relatively uninformed of the hardware world over the past 18 months, I catch snippets of the LGA1156 then LGA155 platform, followed my AMD's six core Proc's. Needless to say I am uninformed.

Anyways, my E8400 clocked @ 4.0 Ghz on water is fast in instances but with so many games and applications coming forth that overwhelm two cores it's time to upgrade. I am glad I held out n not going for a LGA1156 platform because it seems anyone who threw down cash on those systems got shafted as the new "K" unlocked CPU's seem to be amazing. Sorry to you guys who had to move on to early. :umm:

So, I plan on ditching my E8400/EP45/PC8400 for some more "capable" internals. My sights are set on the i7 2600K but I am unsure about motherboard/ram selection.

I had a great time with my Gigabyte EP45 so I trust Gigabyte but am not closed to the idea of an Asus or possibly Intel motherboard. RAM is here say but I was hoping to find opinions on the more stable stuff when pushed.

Also, I also want to ditch my 7200rpm HDD for an SDD but don't even know where to start. Soooo, suggestions? Help?

Thanks..

EDIT: Just did a lot of reading up and I'm going to go with a Z68 mobo, I've been waiting for a OEM SSD caching solution for a while.
 
my favorite P67 board

MSI P67A-GD65

Thanks for the sugestion but I've decided on the z68 mobo, why not right?

So I am settled on a couple of motherboard choices submitting it for review:

Motherboards Choices: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4P



MSI Z68A-GD80

Still not decided fully, want a Z68 chipset without a doubt, but still unsure here being as I am so out of the loop.

Update: I have also been looking at these two motherboards. I like the I/O arrangement and black/red color scheme that doesn't override the cleanly look of these babies.

ASRock Z68 Pro. Gen 3 (Fatal1ty)

EVGA Z68 FTW 160-SB-E689-KR

I noticed the P67 versions of these boards are like $30 cheaper but I think SSD caching as well as the ability to use the integrated graphics you are already paying for in the 2600k might come in as useful, I never liked the idea of buying a proc with integrated graphics I couldn't use do to motherboard, thankfully Intel realized it's error and corrected this for the better.

I haven't read any reviews on the FTW edition yet but I will shortly.

BTW where is the traffic around here? I remember this place (read Performance Computer Upgrade/Replacement sub forum) used to be very busy, what's going on guys? haha
 
@ vortex2450, please don't double post, if you have something else to add to the conversation and no one has posted a reply since your last post (within a 24 hr. period), please use the edit button (looks like a pencil) to add it to your previous post.

Of all the boards you've listed I would go with the EVGA Z68 FTW
 
@ vortex2450, please don't double post, if you have something else to add to the conversation and no one has posted a reply since your last post (within a 24 hr. period), please use the edit button (looks like a pencil) to add it to your previous post.

Of all the boards you've listed I would go with the EVGA Z68 FTW

My apologies, a bad habit I took up from less moderated forums. I will keep this in mind.

How is your Corsair Vengeance DDR3 treating you? What are they rated for? I looking at a set of Vengeance DDR3 so I figured i would ask.
Thanks.
 
The Corsair is good memory, mine are at rated at 8-8-8-24 @ 1.5 volts.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

If your planning on air cooling your system I would recommend memory with smaller heatspreader. I took the tall heatspreaders off and replaced them with regular sized heatspreaders as the have compatibility issues with a lot of cpu heatsinks.

Newegg.com - EVERCOOL EC-MC-BK Aluminum Heatsinks only

If I was buying memory today I would go with G.Skill like these

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

If you just want the Corsair Vengeance then I would go with these low-profile modules though the timings are slightly slower.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B
 
The Corsair is good memory, mine are at rated at 8-8-8-24 @ 1.5 volts.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

If your planning on air cooling your system I would recommend memory with smaller heatspreader. I took the tall heatspreaders off and replaced them with regular sized heatspreaders as the have compatibility issues with a lot of cpu heatsinks.

Newegg.com - EVERCOOL EC-MC-BK Aluminum Heatsinks only

If I was buying memory today I would go with G.Skill like these

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

If you just want the Corsair Vengeance then I would go with these low-profile modules though the timings are slightly slower.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

The heat spreader height is not an issue, I am still going to use my H20 Cooling. I heard more good things about the G-Skill but I also don't want eye sore ram. It may seem silly but I wanted Ram modules that don't stick out and look like they "belong". If I am to go for an upgrade I am going for a sleek, clean, and mean look, no extra gimmicks or clashing colors, sort of a less is more approach but that's me personally, I find beauty in computer parts.

I am looking at this set if I went with a Black/Red theme. What bugs me is that the EVGA FTW motherboard doesn't have an optical out which is a big upset for me as I run a 7.1 surround sound set up through a HQ receiver where an optical connection is a must to achieve the level of performance I seek in the sound department and it would be completely idiotic of me to spend $100 for a dedicated sound processor when I am paying $300 USD for a motherboard; $300 should buy you an optical out I would say!

Anyways, I'm still contemplating as the FTW had me sold until I saw it had no optical out. gahh.
 
the gigabyte z68x ud3 is a good choice. It is all black which would fit your theme and has an optical out. The SSd caching is a good feature. You can keep your current HDD and simply add a SSD to the mix
 
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