I Need a New Motherboard

[Vortex88]

So I've been running with an MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) for a while now, and I haven't really been happy with it since I bought it, but it's been acting up more than usual lately. If you don't want to hear the long drawn out explanation about how my board doesn't work, then skip to the next paragraph, where I will actually ask some questions I need answered. The board is pretty much busted, and I've been having multiple problems with it. I haven't been able to get a 100% stable overclock out of it at all. I was running the 2600K at 4.8Ghz for a while, but then discovered that it wasn't completely stable when my computer would crash during certain games. I backed it off to 4.6Ghz and it started crashing during 3dMark11. 3dMark11 crashes when I run my cards in SLI now, and I've tested both cards individually, so I know the cards aren't the problem. The board also has issues posting sometimes. Sometimes it posts and boots up fine, but other times it will take a very long time to post or just not post at all. If I use the OC Genie button to try to get it to overclock automatically, it won't post. Also, LED lights on the board that are supposed to stay solid actually flicker quite often.

All that being said, I need a new motherboard. I just can't figure out which one I want. I don't really care about SSD caching or any of the other features that came with Z68 or Z77. I just want the best overclocking board on the market for 1155 that supports SLI and RAID. I also really want an ASUS board. I've been agonizing over these:

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme (Rev. 3.0)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700

ASUS P8Z77-V Pro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819&Tpk=P8Z77-V%20Pro

ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131818&Tpk=P8Z77-V%20deluxe

Now, I'm kind of iffy on the Deluxe board just because I have a pretty kickass PS2 keyboard and the Deluxe doesn't have a PS2 port. I would rather have a motherboard that natively supports PS2 instead of having to go out and buy an adapter, as long as it overclocks the same as the Deluxe or better.

I also understand that the power delivery systems on these boards are very different. The Maximus has 8+3, the Pro has 12+4, and the Deluxe has 16+4 power phase design. I also understand that the number of power phases doesn't necessarily mean anything if one board has better quality power phases than the other.

Which of these would be best for overclocking? Are there any other boards on the market you would recommend?

 

[VengeanceUK]

alternatively, if you can hold out a bit longer i believe the rog maximus v formula is due out

 

[Vortex88]

That's true, but I won't need all the extra features on that board, and I'm sure it's going to cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Lauralarry]

I hate asus.. :/ my GD65 does everything up to what their sabretooth can.. Useless good way to waste money is to want a asus board that's under 200$ it's LoL worthy but I see you're not doing that I suggest the deluxe, but just keep this in mind Asus boards hold no overclocking titles on the Z77 platform as of now, and yeah their ROG board is comming out but ROG is all hype..

Best boards for OC are..

These are the titles that they hold

Gigabyte UD3/UD5... 7.13 ghz

Msi GD55/GD65.. 7.08 ghz..

which are cheaper then the majority of asus boards

 

[Vortex88]

I hate asus.. :/ my GD65 does everything up to what their sabretooth can.. Useless good way to waste money is to want a asus board that's under 200$ it's LoL worthy but you my friend You're not one of those noobs I suggest the deluxe, but just keep this in mind Asus boards hold no overclocking titles for the ivybridge chip as of now..

Best boards for OC are..

Gigabyte UD3/UD5... 7.13 ghz

Msi GD55/GD65.. 7.08 ghz..

which are cheaper then the majority of asus boards

Well I'm not upgrading to Ivy Bridge. I'm keeping my i7 2600K. As far as I can tell, from my own experience and others' experiences, MSI is shit. I'm wary of Gigabyte too because of an incident with their LGA2011 UD7 board. Maybe their Sandy and Ivy Bridge boards are nice, but I'd rather stay away from them after hearing some stories about 2011 problems and bad customer support.

If you were to suggest a motherboard, though, what would you recommend. It doesn't have to be ASUS, but I'm rather biased towards ASUS right now.

 

[Bullmecha]

I would try the Gigabyte or MSI , as suggested.

I run a MSI still after almost 10 years for my Athlon XP 3k and my current rig is a Gigabyte.

All boards are luck of the draw, some win some lose but it's still a silicon lottery.

 

[Excalabur50]

Probably one of the best boards for overclocking would have to be the Sabretooth TTL gives them great reviews

 

[Vortex88]

I would try the Gigabyte or MSI , as suggested.

I run a MSI still after almost 10 years for my Athlon XP 3k and my current rig is a Gigabyte.

All boards are luck of the draw, some win some lose but it's still a silicon lottery.

Well even though I might have just gotten a bad motherboard, I'm still not a fan of MSI because of their bios and the fact that they don't let your multiplier go higher than 47 without throttling. That's not just my board either; it's been documented in multiple reviews.

 

[p1ngman1969]

i have an asrock fatal1ty z68 pro board for sale virtually brand new. it has all you are looking for and it is a brilliant board for overclocking.

also have a big bang marshal p67 if your case is big enough.

pm me if you are interested selling it cheap will do you a good price on it purchased from overclockers and i have the sales invoice for it.