Z77 - Asrock vs Asus vs Gigabyte?

[NLight95]

In a few weeks I will be upgrading my aging X38 E8500 system to a Z77 platform. Initially I'll be using a 2550K and will upgrade later to an IB processor when the process has matured. Cooling will be done via a TR Silver Arrow. Dual-band wi-fi is important but I suppose I could always get an external router. So far I have these motherboards in mind:

AsRock Z77 Pro (Fata1ity series)
Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB

Here's a comparison of the three at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...^13-157-299-TS

The AsRock seems to offer a lot for the money but I'm concerned about their long-term BIOS support. According to their web site it comes with military-grade components (like the Asus ROG boards). Both the GB & Asus boards have db wi-fi. The Asus provides DLNA which for home networking. Not sure of the GB does.

I will not be stressing the board via LN2 cooling. I may go with a custom water loop down the road but for now it's air. I thought about the Sabertooth Z77 but I guess I'm not convinced about the added value of the Thermal Armor.

Recommendations?

[HexiumVII]

At the $200+ range i would go with Asus Deluxe, it has 12phase power and thunderbolt headers. Also T-Topography memory can have memory going 3000Mhz+! I'm probably going with Asrock z77 extreme4, (only $135!) as it has most of the features of the high end boards, with the first IVY stepping. Prob get a nicer v2.0 Asus to upgrade my work puter later this year. Sabertooth seems a bit gimicky as it really only has the shield going for it, it has less power phases (only 8) than even the Z77 Pro and only realtek 892 sound.

[PiLsY]

T-Top is ROG only, as are all the memory oc profiles and advanced timing options according to the asus rep here. Id say UD5H or Maximus 5 Gene.

Dont know why youre getting the 2550k? There wont be any "maturation" of ivy bridge just as we say no improvement from SandyBridge. The "mature" IvyBridge is Haswell which is socket 2011. If you want to wait for improved 22nm then you need to get an x79 board and a 3820/3930k (which will blow your budget out the water). That's without even taking into account not being able to use Virtu MVP on the 2550k. You definitely want an igpu with a z77 board.

Id suggest you have a read of the reviews and forum posts before deciding, but when you do you should be looking at either a 2500k (maybe 2600/2700k if prices drop) or 3570k. Given youre quoting the egg so you're probably in the US id take a look at the microcenter post for the 3570k and UD5H deal theyre doing instore tomorrow, that could make your mind up here and now.

[Leeghoofd]

Are 12 phases even needed for daily usage with Vcores between 1.3-1.5 ? 3000mhz ram is only for benchers...

Out of the three go with the Gigabyte UD5H, cheapest of them all and it has the features he's looking for. Works fine with my 2700K at 4900Mhz at 1.43Vcore and with both IB around 4.7-4.8Ghz at 1.3Vcore... ram speeds up to 2800mhz depending on CPU no problemo... From bios F5 very reliable board...

[Raja@ASUS]

T-Top is ROG only, as are all the memory oc profiles and advanced timing options according to the asus rep here. Id say UD5H or Maximus 5 Gene..

No, T-Topology is ALL ASUS Z77 boards. The ROG memory profiles have nothing to do with T-Topology, the profiles are just timing presets, while T-Topology is physical trace layout.

[PiLsY]

Oh right, sorry misunderstood your post in the z77 thread .

Are all the timings in the presets available on the boards without presets?

[Raja@ASUS]

The memory timings are there.

[banwell]

Well it was a close run thing - but I just plumbed for a p8z77-v. I am a huge Asrock fan having loved their P67 Ex4, but I came from an Asus deluxe on 775 (which I also loved) and when it came to choosing a z77 I found the Asus board to be the most reasonably priced (I would have went for Asrock ex6/ MSI gd65 or Giga UD3H had they been more competitively priced). Additionally I think the Asus is ahead in the software/firmware stakes - but I could be wrong! time will tell. My choices centered around the $200 mark so YMMV.

[NLight95]

Don't know why I overlooked that--you're right, the 2500K would be a better way to go (save some $$).

By "maturation" I was referring to the first crop of IB processors coming shortly in May. I'd rather wait for a revision to the 22nm process down the road. I live in the US so any pricing with Newegg would be in US dollars.

T-Top is ROG only, as are all the memory oc profiles and advanced timing options according to the asus rep here. Id say UD5H or Maximus 5 Gene.

Dont know why youre getting the 2550k? There wont be any "maturation" of ivy bridge just as we say no improvement from SandyBridge. The "mature" IvyBridge is Haswell which is socket 2011. If you want to wait for improved 22nm then you need to get an x79 board and a 3820/3930k (which will blow your budget out the water). That's without even taking into account not being able to use Virtu MVP on the 2550k. You definitely want an igpu with a z77 board.

Id suggest you have a read of the reviews and forum posts before deciding, but when you do you should be looking at either a 2500k (maybe 2600/2700k if prices drop) or 3570k. Given youre quoting the egg so you're probably in the US id take a look at the microcenter post for the 3570k and UD5H deal theyre doing instore tomorrow, that could make your mind up here and now.

[NLight95]

I'd like to add another mb into the mix:

MSI Z77A-GD65 [$170]

The GDA65 uses military-grade components (like the ROG/Sabertooth boards), looks great, and has a 3-year warranty. The best part is the price. But like the AsRock, I'm concerned about the long-term support.

[iboomalot]

microcenter has a special combo get $50 off the UD-5H for $139.99 but you have to buy a 3750 with it. I just bought mine this morning.

[NLight95]

Sounds like a great deal--thanks for the heads up! Just for kicks I tried adding both the UD5 & 3570K to the online shopping cart but I get the following message in red letters. (Perhaps it's probably due to the 3570K not being in stock)

"Removed items that are inactive or no longer valid."

MC is MUCH cheaper on the 3570K than Newegg. [$190 vs $250]

microcenter has a special combo get $50 off the UD-5H for $139.99 but you have to buy a 3750 with it. I just bought mine this morning.