Need some advise on upgrading my motherboard?

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

I have been slowly upgrading my PC and one of the last things I need to

upgrade is my Mobo. I'm currently running a Micro ATX board, the Asus P7H55

-M. I find I don't really have enough room, I've also just purchased a CM 690

II Advanced and want a nice board to compliment it.

It must have an Intel chipset as I never intend to switch to AMD.

i'm looking for a 1156 chipset. I'm currently running a Core i5 650, I will be

upgrading sometime in the future, I will be sticking to a 1156 chipset though.

It needs to have atleast 1 slot for my Xonar, therefore i'm not

worried about onboard audio.

I'm not fussed about having onboard graphics as I have a 9600gt lying about for

backup if I ever need it.

I'm only going to be using 4gb of ram, possibly 8 sometime in the future.

I'd love a board which has good overclocking capabilities for both the CPU

and PSU.

Crossfire would be a bonus, i've heard 6870's peform really well.

I don't want to be spending a great deal for features i'm not ever going to

need, I just want a Motherboard that can do all the things stated above,

thats reliable and looks the part, preferably a black base if possible.

Any advise would be welcome, thanks.

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

BUMP, Anyone?

What are our thoughts on the Asus Maximus III Formula?

 

[hmmblah]

That looks like a good board, it's hard to find P55 boards in stock now at my usual places.

The ASUS P7P55D-E Pro looks good too. I'd also look at the P55 Sabertooth from ASUS or the Gigabyte P55 UD3.

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

That looks like a good board, it's hard to find P55 boards in stock now at my usual places.

The ASUS P7P55D-E Pro looks good too. I'd also look at the P55 Sabertooth from ASUS or the Gigabyte P55 UD3.

Cheers, they look like very nice boards, the sabertooth stands out to me the most.

I am starting to take to the idea of upgrading to a 1366 socket but i'd have to wait a bit longer for a new CPU. 1156 chipsets seem to be getting rare and a lot are "out of stock".

 

[hmmblah]

If it were me, I'd probably keep what you have. If you feel the need to upgrade now, I'd go to Sandy Bridge and P67 (1155) before I'd go 1366.

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

Good advise. For now then I think I'll just upgrade to a cheap ATX. that Sabertooth p67 looks a beast.

 

[hmmblah]

Good advise. For now then I think I'll just upgrade to a cheap ATX. that Sabertooth p67 looks a beast.

If you go P67, you'd need new CPU too. Did you mean P55?

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

If you go P67, you'd need new CPU too. Did you mean P55?

Oh sorry, I meant I don't think i'll upgrade to a new socket for a while but when I do i'll definetly be getting that sabertooth P67.

 

[hmmblah]

Ah ok, just making sure we were on the same page.

 

[marsey99]

With 1156 being eol now you might find the best way to go would be eBay because retail prices will go up as supply drops while people selling theirs on just want to free up the cash for more upgrades.

I'm a fan of gigabytes boards myself but msi did some good p55 boards too.

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

With 1156 being eol now you might find the best way to go would be eBay because retail prices will go up as supply drops while people selling theirs on just want to free up the cash for more upgrades.

I'm a fan of gigabytes boards myself but msi did some good p55 boards too.

Yeah I was thinking ebay, I might stick with my micro atx until I can afford to upgrade to p67.

 

[marsey99]

If you can hold of I bet a few 1155 setups will go cheap when Intel release socket 2011.

 

[JezEngland]

Hi. ASUS Micro ATX Maximus 3 Gene can be cheapish today. I started 1156 with the i5 750 and an ASUS P7-H55 M PRO

I have the ATX ASUS MAXIMUS 3 FORMULA NOW, it's excellent, I haven't found an OC limit, I've had it at 211 Base Clock running very fast and well. CPU max I've had is 4.1Ghz with under 1.4Volts. The Maximus 3 Gene is a similar board and has similar overclocking BIOS and software, gaming features etc. The performance difference with the H55 and this MAXIMUS 3 FORMULA board is alot.

I recommend either

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

Hi. ASUS Micro ATX Maximus 3 Gene can be cheapish today. I started 1156 with the i5 750 and an ASUS P7-H55 M PRO

I have the ATX ASUS MAXIMUS 3 FORMULA NOW, it's excellent, I haven't found an OC limit, I've had it at 211 Base Clock running very fast and well. CPU max I've had is 4.1Ghz with under 1.4Volts. The Maximus 3 Gene is a similar board and has similar overclocking BIOS and software, gaming features etc. The performance difference with the H55 and this MAXIMUS 3 FORMULA board is alot.

I recommend either

Yeah I was looking at both, I'd prefer not to have a micro ATX though, they both seem to overclock well. I think i'll hold out for a sabertooth p67 though. They look awsome.

 

[sg12004]

Asus Maximus III Formula? is must have bord

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

Thanks for all your suggestions. The Asus Maximus III formula does look nice but I am holding out until I have enough cash to upgrade to the 1055 socket and get the Sabertooth p67 and pair it with a core i7 2600k.

When i've finished this build i'm aiming to keep it for atleast 3 years.

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

didnt mean to post. "facepalm"

 

[Ya93sin]

Do you mean 1155?

You could always go for the i5-2500K, makes more sense as the only difference is the number of threads (there may be another small difference if I remember correctly)

 

[oO_KoPiTe_Oo]

Do you mean 1155?

You could always go for the i5-2500K, makes more sense as the only difference is the number of threads (there may be another small difference if I remember correctly)

Indeed I do smart arse.

I'll decide when the time comes.