Choosing a SB mobo

[unhinged_loon]

Say I have a i7-2600k that I intend to use another 1-2 years, or possibly longer as secondary PC. At present, I want to use the iGPU, and also maintain the OC option (mild ~4GHz for everyday use). So I need a Z68/Z77 mobo. If I buy new, I have a few options based on price lists:

1. MSI Z77M Power -- $209 (PCThemes)
2. Asrock Z77 Extreme4 -- $188 (PCThemes)
3. Biostar TZ68K -- $150 (TradePac)
4. MSI Z77A-GD65 -- $194 (TradePac)

Asus Maximus are off the table due to price.

The Asrock Extreme4 is known to have a thin PCB. The Biostar is the only Z68 mobo (and cheapest), but it has only 4 USB ports and Biostar is not as highly regarded as other brands (and 2 years warranty).

The alternative is that I buy a second mobo, which may not have warranty, or a fairly short one left.


Opinions and why?

 

[jtjt00]

You can get Fuwell pricelist here:
FUWELL - Your Preferred IT Partner! - Home

... Can't dl the Fuwell pricelist, so can't check if they sell any LGA1155 mobos....

 

[unhinged_loon]

Thanks. Looks like Fuwell doesn't have any Z68/77 mobos for sale.

 

[Alternative X]

If you do not mind refurbished stuff, CDL has some refurbished mobos for clearance.

CDL Clearance Pricelist 2013

Do remember to call first to check stock levels.

 

[unhinged_loon]

If you do not mind refurbished stuff, CDL has some refurbished mobos for clearance.

CDL Clearance Pricelist 2013

Do remember to call first to check stock levels.

Thanks. If those are without warranty, the prices are a little steep. May contact them about this. Anyway, those Z68 boards appear to HDMI only, no DVI.


Anyone's opinion on going for brand new or 2nd hand?

 

[openbox]

just buy a 2nd hand one. Can buy a cheap Z77 board for below $100 in the two forums with hopefully at least 6 months warranty left. If it dies, you can buy another one and it'll probably be around $50 by then.

Just be careful, make sure that no cpu pins are bent and no burnt caps because the distros may not accept physically damaged boards.

Make sure you get receipts and just check past posts/threads by seller. If he has a history of dishonesty or a lot of negative feedback, stay far far away.

 

[BabyTurkey]

Motherboards are the one component I would suggest to buy new. As the computer ages, other parts are relatively easy to replace with newer, faster parts if they fail (GFX card / RAM etc..). However, if the motherboard goes, it's really troublesome to replace even with a new part (need to remove from casing, replace CPU thermal paste etc...)

Also, I've found that my aging motherboards tend to fail gradually (due to capacitor failures?), giving random problems such as occasionally failing to boot, random BSODs (even after swapping around RAMs) or onboard peripherals going bad.

All-in-all, it's a pain to troubleshoot bad motherboards and even if the refurbished mobo seems to be working, no idea how long before it starts to deteriorate.

I faced a similar situation as you. In the end bought a new MSI Z77 MPower motherboard for my 2500k, since the CPU should still be powerful enough for several more years as a gaming setup, and even longer beyond that as a secondary PC.

On the other hand, for my older spare CPU (Core 2 Quad), I would consider a 2nd-hand mobo if it were cheap. Though Tradepac seems to still have new LGA775 mobos on sale that aren't too expensive. (Hmm...)

Another viewpoint: Ever considered to buy the new mobo with the cheapest bundled CPU (eg. a low-end Pentium) and sell off the BNIB CPU on HWZ marketplace? I managed to get a Pentium G2030 for an additional $20 with my mobo. Should be worth more than that on the market?

 

[BabyTurkey]

On choosing between the 4 new mobos you listed,

1) Between Z77 and Z68, Z68 does not officially support TRIM with a pair of SSDs in RAID (if that's important to you). That's why I went for Z77.

2) If you decide to bundle with a cheap CPU, the MSI Z77 Mpower seems to have the cheapest bundle price. No idea why.

 

[unhinged_loon]

Motherboards are the one component I would suggest to buy new. As the computer ages, other parts are relatively easy to replace with newer, faster parts if they fail (GFX card / RAM etc..). However, if the motherboard goes, it's really troublesome to replace even with a new part (need to remove from casing, replace CPU thermal paste etc...)

Also, I've found that my aging motherboards tend to fail gradually (due to capacitor failures?), giving random problems such as occasionally failing to boot, random BSODs (even after swapping around RAMs) or onboard peripherals going bad.

All-in-all, it's a pain to troubleshoot bad motherboards and even if the refurbished mobo seems to be working, no idea how long before it starts to deteriorate.

I faced a similar situation as you. In the end bought a new MSI Z77 MPower motherboard for my 2500k, since the CPU should still be powerful enough for several more years as a gaming setup, and even longer beyond that as a secondary PC.

On the other hand, for my older spare CPU (Core 2 Quad), I would consider a 2nd-hand mobo if it were cheap. Though Tradepac seems to still have new LGA775 mobos on sale that aren't too expensive. (Hmm...)

Another viewpoint: Ever considered to buy the new mobo with the cheapest bundled CPU (eg. a low-end Pentium) and sell off the BNIB CPU on HWZ marketplace? I managed to get a Pentium G2030 for an additional $20 with my mobo. Should be worth more than that on the market?

Interesting suggestion on the G2030. I have no idea that it goes so cheap when bundled with the Z77M Power at PCThemes (not a typo mistake right?! Probably clarify with them before buying).

I was leaning on the Z77A-G65 from Tradepac, since it has DVI out and I am lazy to get a new HDMI cable. However, the cheap G2030 is something I can make use of. Thanks for the suggestion.