[Alex of the West]

ive been planning out this computer for a little while, and after looking at amds long and hard, i might be forced to pay a bit more and just go for the i7 920, it just sounds better from what i am hearing. it is sad to admit that though, i love my old trusty amd im running on currently. Anyways! I need help picking out a motherboard for the i7 920. i dont really know what to look for yet, as i am starting fresh with the intel road.

-things i am looking for in this board:
1)cost effective, not necessarily the top motherboard that exists
2)has decent on-board video
3)can overclock alright later when i throw in a 5850 videocard
4)i do NOT need to crossfire, ill only ever use 1 card at a time.
5)normal size board,im going with a cm 690 case

thanks in advance guys! keep in mind this is my first computer build so bare with my lack of expertise

p.s. i might also need help with the ram.

 

[Dopamin3]

No motherboards that support the i7 920 will have integrated video.

edit: with that being said, I would recommend the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. It is reasonably priced, has SATA 6Gbps/USB 3.0, a ton of SATA connectors, and will overclock nicely. The cons of the board are it's hideous layout (which will not effect you since you want one video card) and also you get a drop in PCI-E lanes when running multiple video cards if you enable the onboard SATA 6Gbps/USB 3.0 controllers (which again won't effect you since you run only one card).

edit #2: The board is cheaper on here. Use promo code MADNESS15 for an additional $15 off, and Bing Cashback for the site can be found under the name "SuperBiiz" They are a top notch company.

 

[Alex of the West]

i agree, that motherboard looks excellent and about 70 dollars cheaper than what i was expecting. what kind of memory would you go with with that mb ?

 

[Dopamin3]

What's your budget?

I think the best mid-high end kit is this. They are Elpida BBSE chips and can do 6-7-6-18 @ 1600mhz and don't break the bank (too much).

For a cheaper kit, I would probably go with this.

 

[PowerTrip]

Dopamin3's suggestion on the Gigabyte X58A UD3R is spot on.

From the sound of the original post, seem's like he is budget conscious and wants best bang for the buck components so for RAM I would suggest this DDR3 1600 G.Skill set because OCZ has been dropping the ball lately on their RAM in regards to quality.

EDIT: Since X58 Motherboards do not come with onboard video, you will have to get a video card. You mentioned the 5850 so here is a combo to consider.

 

[Alex of the West]

you guys are AWESOME! i was jumping back and forth between those exact two sets of ram.
here is what i am looking at currently, feel free to point out things i overlooked / or a better deal on something.

in terms of budget, ya, i was originally planning on getting an amd setup with a 5850, but with the intel build that will take me a little higher than i wanted to go so i went 5770 instead, i hear its still a decent card, just that it needs better drivers.

i heard of a glorious deal on i7s at a place called microcenter for $180, they were out of stock,i sent them an email asking them when they will resupply and if theyll keep the same price, who knows... http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0302727

any thoughts on this build so far?

p.s. its a shame ssds are too overpriced, 120gig solid state would be completely perfect for what i use computers for.

 

[Dopamin3]

I don't like the video card.

1) It's XFX. XFX is a horrible company who loves shafting consumers. I can guarantee you the VRM on that is as cheap as possible, will hinder overclocking, and cause problems.
2) It has the V2 cooling, which has no memory chip cooling.
3) I'm 95% sure that card won't allow voltage control.

I strongly recommend the MSI 5770 Hawk. Use promo code MADNESS15 for $15 off, for a cost of $164.99. Don't forget the Bing Cashback too

Hurry because this deal ends on the 25th.

The 5770 Hawk uses great quality components and a much better cooling solution. It should give you a slightly higher overclock too at stock voltages which is always a good thing. Then you can overvolt it too if you want to push it real far. My friend just got the 5770 Hawk and is very impressed of it, I believe he upgraded from a 9400gt or something. If you don't want the Hawk at least get a V1 cooler. They are big leafblower looking things and do great. V1 cards look like so:

 

[Defiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopamin3 What's your budget? I think the best mid-high end kit is this. They are Elpida BBSE chips and can do 6-7-6-18 @ 1600mhz and don't break the bank (too much). For a cheaper kit, I would probably go with this.

I've been looking at this MB for a little while now and with the free ship and code it's a no brainer.

My question is, since you suggested ram, any thoughts on this ram?

 

[killnine]

I know you said normal sized board, but I got my Gene for $175 open box from newegg and it was probably the best purchase I ever made. Great system, very stable, looks fantastic and performs even better. It's cheap, too.

Itll leave you plenty of room in your case for water cooling

 

[Defiler]

Thanks again D3 for the cheapest price I've seen on this board. Just ordered it. Gave a rep.

EDIT: BCB gave $6.27 back. They paid the CB on the original price not the price - $15. Very nice.

 

[Defiler]

Holy crap! I placed my order today got the ship notification and it gets delivered tomorrow! SWEET!!!

BTW, D3, I was going through some other threads after searching on this MB and just last month you were dogging this board left and right. What gives?

 

[G|F.E.A.D|Killa]

if you dont like the legobyte i suggest the evga SLI micro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188051

its a cheap board and OCs pretty damn good.