[DNytAftr]

Hey guys, its been a few months since i posted but my GF has been interested in adding a "steam box" to our living room. Im thinking of putting together some parts i have which leaves me with needing just a motherboard. With the board i would probably be using SLI and a i3 2100 or a i5 2500k

The two boards im currently looking at are the P8z77-M Pro and Maximus V Gene. I was looking at the Gene since it does have a built in sound card although it does cost quite a bit more. Other then sound would there be munch of an advantage to the Gene or are there any other boards i should consider looking at?

Thanks for the help

 

[Aznboy1993]

The Gene is a ROG board and you are basically paying the delta between the two prices namely for the ROG features (i.e. higher yields for overclocks due to extra features in BIOS/better components, ROG scheme, ROG brand, etc.). Is it worth the extra $50? I personally think so. I've always been a fan of the ROG series and I've owned multiplier iterations of the boards and I've had zero problems with any of them.

 

[Capwn]

I used my Gene in my HTPC for a while ..
Not that this contributes anything to the convo, just sharing that its not crazy or nothing.

 

[DNytAftr]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Is there a big difference between the z68 maximus iV gene and the V gene other then the msata? i believe the z77 and z68 features are pretty similar?

Also does asus do warranties from date of purchase or by the date it was shipped from factory (or something around those lines)? wonder if i should go with an open box models of the boards from a local store.

 

[PontiacGTX]

what about you go with Asrock OC Formula o MSI mPOWER?

 

[Aznboy1993]

This is from Asus's website:
Quote:

This applies to ASUS Motherboard products sold and purchased in North America only. This warranty applies only to products that are new on the date of purchase from an authorized ASUS product reseller. Please keep the original purchase invoice and warranty card for future service requests. The warranty does not cover any monitor, batteries, free or special bundled accessories, which may have been delivered together with your ASUS Motherboard.

In other words, I think that would mean that the warranty starts from the original date of purchase of the said open box motherboard. HOWEVER, I think some stores do different policies for open box items, etc. so just to be sure I would contact your local re-seller and ask them about the manufacturer's warranty (or you can contact Asus themselves).

As for Z68 vs. Z77...I'd say go for the MVG if it's not that much more than the MIVG-Z just because the Z77 chipset is newer than the Z68 and does have some improvements over its predecessor. However, if the price differential is more than, say, $30-40, then you could just go ahead and get the MIVG-Z. Here's a relatively decent and simple comparison guide between the chipsets.

 

[DNytAftr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PontiacGTX

what about you go with Asrock OC Formula o MSI mPOWER?

From what i recall those are atx motherboards, was hopping to go with matx to save some space

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aznboy1993

This is from Asus's website:
In other words, I think that would mean that the warranty starts from the original date of purchase of the said open box motherboard. HOWEVER, I think some stores do different policies for open box items, etc. so just to be sure I would contact your local re-seller and ask them about the manufacturer's warranty (or you can contact Asus themselves).

As for Z68 vs. Z77...I'd say go for the MVG if it's not that much more than the MIVG-Z just because the Z77 chipset is newer than the Z68 and does have some improvements over its predecessor. However, if the price differential is more than, say, $30-40, then you could just go ahead and get the MIVG-Z. Here's a relatively decent and simple comparison guide between the chipsets.

nice, thanks for looking that up,

ill probably send asus an email to check with them on their waranty in terms on open box.

hmm i think the V Gene would be about ~$80 price difference over the IV Gene. Although i am leaving towards the MVG since it has a msata/mpcie which could be useful if i want to add wireless in the future Also i was going to be skipping haswell since i got a bunch of processors on the 1155 socket so maybe getting a "newer" motherboard might help get the most out of the cpu series.

Originally i had a $300 budget for a case and motherboard, so ~$340 for a Silverstone FT03 and Maximus V Gene is not that far off

 

[Aznboy1993]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNytAftr

From what i recall those are atx motherboards, was hopping to go with matx to save some space

nice, thanks for looking that up,

ill probably send asus an email to check with them on their waranty in terms on open box.

hmm i think the V Gene would be about ~$80 price difference over the IV Gene. Although i am leaving towards the MVG since it has a msata/mpcie which could be useful if i want to add wireless in the future Also i was going to be skipping haswell since i got a bunch of processors on the 1155 socket so maybe getting a "newer" motherboard might help get the most out of the cpu series.

Originally i had a $300 budget for a case and motherboard, so ~$340 for a Silverstone FT03 and Maximus V Gene is not that far off

Yeah the mATX combo is nice..I went ahead and stuck a mPCIe dual band 802.11n wifi/bluetooth 4.0 combo card in there and it works like a beauty. I honestly think the MVG is worth the money. Heck, for my build I payed the full price for it and I didn't even think twice about it lol (and I'm a poor student too imao).

And yeah dude $40 is nothing haha (jk, it can be a lot!). I say go for it

 

[DeXel]

If you plan to run audio through HDMI or digital outs on your HTPC (which is probably the only optimal way to do), better audio on MVG is complete waste of money. Not to mention it's actually just a Realtek codec with PCB separation.

So for audio alone, it isn't worth it. Not sure about WiFi adding that much to its cost either...

Other mATX board to consider is Sniper M3, but it seems EOL. Its MSRP was around $150 and it has a Creative audio processor. Also if you end up using an i3 or any non-K CPU, you may as well get something even cheaper.

 

[Aznboy1993]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeXel

If you plan to run audio through HDMI or digital outs on your HTPC (which is probably the only optimal way to do), better audio on MVG is complete waste of money. Not to mention it's actually just a Realtek codec with PCB separation.

So for audio alone, it isn't worth it. Not sure about WiFi adding that much to its cost either...

Other mATX board to consider is Sniper M3, but it seems EOL. Its MSRP was around $150 and it has a Creative audio processor. Also if you end up using an i3 or any non-K CPU, you may as well get something even cheaper.

Yes, he is correct. He does have some very valid points. If you don't plan on OCing the chip (i.e. having a non K CPU) then there's no point to buy the Gene since you won't be using any of the extra capabilities for overclocking overhead.

 

[DNytAftr]

hmmm

well i i think i probably will be using HDMI for now at least until we get a new tv around black friday, but i would be attaching it to my AV receiver via rca or digital out.

The z77 sniper looks to have a nice set of features, it seems hard to find, the cheapest is about $190 that i could find

Im guessing that 1155 socket boards are starting to be phased out alread now that the new sockets out.

The main use for the build is for gaming in the living room (with a wired xbox controller) im debating between using a i3 or 2500k, for sli gtx 470's i think an i3 may be cutting it close (depending on the game) but i have run the 2500k @ 4.5 for awhile before i replaced it with the 3770k. But i am looking at some sort of z77/z68 board if i decide to "upgrade" it again this year or next

Summing up some of my thoughts this morning: i do like the Gene V since it does offer alot, but the question i guess i got to figure out is: will i be using those extra features now or in the future. Or if i could find another board that does fit what i would like to do for less then $194, ~ $160 would put me on budget. decisions decisions >.< .

 

[Aznboy1993]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNytAftr

hmmm

well i i think i probably will be using HDMI for now at least until we get a new tv around black friday, but i would be attaching it to my AV receiver via rca or digital out.

The z77 sniper looks to have a nice set of features, it seems hard to find, the cheapest is about $190 that i could find

Im guessing that 1155 socket boards are starting to be phased out alread now that the new sockets out.

The main use for the build is for gaming in the living room (with a wired xbox controller) im debating between using a i3 or 2500k, for sli gtx 470's i think an i3 may be cutting it close (depending on the game) but i have run the 2500k @ 4.5 for awhile before i replaced it with the 3770k. But i am looking at some sort of z77/z68 board if i decide to "upgrade" it again this year or next

Summing up some of my thoughts this morning: i do like the Gene V since it does offer alot, but the question i guess i got to figure out is: will i be using those extra features now or in the future. Or if i could find another board that does fit what i would like to do for less then $194, ~ $160 would put me on budget. decisions decisions >.< .

In that case...I'd just go for the MVG, personally. Haha

(Also def. go for a Sandy/Ivy i5 unlocked!)

 

[DeXel]

So yea if you're going to use optical, don't bother with onboard sound on Gene. Just make sure that the board comes with DTS connect or Dolby Digital Live. You can also purchase the software pack from Creative, but never found a post if it works.

 

[DNytAftr]

So i did chat with my GF about what her thoughts on the board to get. Basically we decided to go with the maximus V gene, since i did manage to find it for $170 (so i did manage to keep in my original budget) and she eventually has some plans for it down the road (new cards, custom loop, etc) ... along with a pink sparkly paint job -__- ..