# A motherboard for my build. Gigabyte or Asus?



## Kikka

Hi all,

I'm indecisive about which motherboard to choose for my build. I've been suggested *Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P*, *Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD4-B3* or *Asus P8Z68-V*. What's the difference between those and what would be the reasons to choose the Gigabyte one over the Asus? Feel free to suggest any other mobos as well.

This is my gaming rig build:
*Video Card:* NVIDIA GeForce GTX560 Ti AMP 1 GB
*CPU: *Intel Core i5 2500K 3,3 GHz LGA1155
*Power Supply:* Corsair TX850W V2 Enthusiast
*RAM:* Kingston HyperX Genesis KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL9 XMP
*Hard Drive: *Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 64MB
*Optical Drive:* Samsung SH-222AB
*Motherboard:* ???
*Case:* Not sure yet

Peripherals:
*Mouse:* Logitech G700
*Keyboard:* Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard
*Speakers:* Logitech Z523 2.1
*Monitor:* Not sure yet.

Thanks a bunch.


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## jonnyp11

both are great, but apparently asus has been having some problems as of late with doa's and less than great support with issues (newegg will handle the doa though) and msi is also a good brand but not as good, really i'd just say go with the cheapest of the 3, they are all great.


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## Kikka

jonnyp11 said:


> both are great, but apparently asus has been having some problems as of late with doa's and less than great support with issues (newegg will handle the doa though) and msi is also a good brand but not as good, really i'd just say go with the cheapest of the 3, they are all great.



Thanks for the good advice! What if I wanted to downgrade a tier? Whats the next best mobo after those?


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## jonnyp11

forgot evga is also one of the better ones, but they only really have really high end ones, msi is also pretty good, was in last post, then there's also intel boards and ASRock and Biostar aren't too bad i guess, but if you're looking for a certain price every brand has boards in every price range.


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## StrangleHold

If your looking for a manufacture other then Gigabyte or Asus. Look at some Asrock or MSI boards. Would not get a Biostar.


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## jonnyp11

really the q is what are you looking to spend on it? all brands have boards in nearly every budget, so you should be able to find something perfect for you by a good brand no matter the budget.


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## Kikka

jonnyp11 said:


> really the q is what are you looking to spend on it? all brands have boards in nearly every budget, so you should be able to find something perfect for you by a good brand no matter the budget.



Well the ones in the OP are about 150 euros. If those are the best for that price level what would be the best in the range of, say, 100€-130€. I ask because 150 euros may be too much for me.


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## StrangleHold

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, good board for the price.


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## jonnyp11

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-360-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

great board


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## Kikka

jonnyp11 said:


> http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-360-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990
> 
> great board



Unfortunately its unavailable here in Finland. Is there nothing cheaper that still has z68, 1155 and supports DDR3?

DOA is prolly problem only if bought from the internet?


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## jonnyp11

doa can happen from anywhere, no store will open and check every single board as it makes it used/open box, and the manufacturer doesn't either, and what is a site or store around you that we can check the site of?


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## Kikka

jonnyp11 said:


> doa can happen from anywhere, no store will open and check every single board as it makes it used/open box, and the manufacturer doesn't either, and what is a site or store around you that we can check the site of?



https://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/cart/populate?products[26565]=1&products[1474]=1&products[50692]=1&products[14230]=1&products[8775]=1&products[16061]=1&products[8289]=1&products[43340]=1&products[54973]=1&products[47731]=1&products[19562]=1&products[34448]=1&products[1436]=1&products[21972]=1&products[2126]=1


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## jonnyp11

you will need this copy of windows, the other is an upgrade disk not an install disk

http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...oft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-64-bit-FIN-OEM-SP1

also there are 2 psu's on there, and both of them are overkill, only need like a corsair 600w builder series for this.


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## Kikka

jonnyp11 said:


> you will need this copy of windows, the other is an upgrade disk not an install disk
> 
> http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...oft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-64-bit-FIN-OEM-SP1
> 
> also there are 2 psu's on there, and both of them are overkill, only need like a corsair 600w builder series for this.



What about TX650 for PSU? It seems to be slightly better quality.


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## Kikka

Also, what do you think of this build?

https://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/car...ts[0325]=1&products[16452]=1&products[6131]=1


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## Kikka

Sorry for harassing. You have been very helpful! Thanks for that.

What exactly is the difference between these two products with the same name?

http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...ital-Caviar-Black-750-GB-SATA-6-Gb-s-7200-RPM
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...al-Caviar-Black-750GB-S-ATA-3-0-GB-s-32MB-3-5


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## jonnyp11

the second has a 64 mb cache while the first has a 32 mb cache, and i'd ssay look at the samesung f3, cheaper, not too much slower, and 1tb too. also, the tx650 is great, but the price and watts on it are way more than you need, you only need a 55o for your build, a 600 would be great as it gives you enough headroom for the future, and 650 is just wasting money as the system will never need that many watts. and also, get the windows disk i linked, you put a 32 bit version which can't use your system to its best, it will only recognize 4gb's of ram and a few other things i don't remember.


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## Kikka

Why is the slower one of the two caviar blacks more expensive? 32mb 3gb/s is worse than 64mb 6gb/s right?

These guys here behind that link disagree with you about the 32-bit vs 64-bit. I would very much like to hear your comments about their thoughts.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...se-for-a-gaming-rig-598457-2.html#post3424655


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## jonnyp11

http://www.techspot.com/guides/177-windows-install-32bit-64bit/

the benefits of 32 are 0, 64 bit reads more ram meaning better multitasking since they seam to have forgotten 5 windows each asking for 750mb's ram ontop of windows and all your anitvirus and stuff already taking up about a gig means they won't have the recomended and meaning slower performance and switching windows will take much longer in comparison, also a 64 bit os can run most 32 bit software, while 32 bit can't run anything 64 bit, also 64-bit is becoming the norm, meaning more is made for it, his comment on neading specific drivers is b.s., yes you need the 64 bit, but the 32 bit needs the 32 bit so it's the same thing for it, trust me, 64-bt is better and that guy is no where near as smart as he thinks he is.


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## tech savvy

jonnyp11 said:


> http://www.techspot.com/guides/177-windows-install-32bit-64bit/
> 
> the benefits of 32 are 0, 64 bit reads more ram meaning better multitasking since they seam to have forgotten 5 windows each asking for 750mb's ram ontop of windows and all your anitvirus and stuff already taking up about a gig means they won't have the recomended and meaning slower performance and switching windows will take much longer in comparison, also a 64 bit os can run most 32 bit software, while 32 bit can't run anything 64 bit, also 64-bit is becoming the norm, meaning more is made for it, his comment on neading specific drivers is b.s., yes you need the 64 bit, but the 32 bit needs the 32 bit so it's the same thing for it, trust me, 64-bt is better and that guy is no where near as smart as he thinks he is.



Thats one looong ass sentence. You like your comma's,huh?


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## jonnyp11

hey, it ain't bein graded so y the crap should i make it grammatically correct? hate (and normally don't) doing it for school, so not gunna do it here, but i do do better with the stuff there, just hate all that crap.


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## Kikka

Thanks guys, I think I'll go with 64-bit system and 8 gb corsair vengeance memory (hopefully I can fit a CPU cooler with them)


Jonny do you know answer to this question?: Why is the slower one of the two caviar blacks more expensive? 32mb 3gb/s is worse than 64mb 6gb/s right?

http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...ital-Caviar-Black-750-GB-SATA-6-Gb-s-7200-RPM
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...al-Caviar-Black-750GB-S-ATA-3-0-GB-s-32MB-3-5


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## Kikka

Does anyone know whats the difference between the asus mobos p8z68-v, p8z68-v LE, p8z68-v LX?


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## jonnyp11

i'd say the pricing is an error, and for the mobos they just have better features like one of those will prob run the 2 pci-e x16's at 1=x16/2=x8/x8, while another might be able to run both at x16 or 1 at x16 and the other at x8, but in the end they are all fine and will work fine


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## StrangleHold

Kikka said:


> Why is the slower one of the two caviar blacks more expensive? 32mb 3gb/s is worse than 64mb 6gb/s right?
> 
> http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...ital-Caviar-Black-750-GB-SATA-6-Gb-s-7200-RPM
> http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...al-Caviar-Black-750GB-S-ATA-3-0-GB-s-32MB-3-5


 
There is a harddrive price war going on. Everybody is buying out the smaller companies. Western Digital probably has a lower price on the newer model. The older model is selling for a older price point.



Kikka said:


> Does anyone know whats the difference between the asus mobos p8z68-v, p8z68-v LE, p8z68-v LX?


 
The LX is a cheaper model. Has no heatsinks on the mosfets and the second PCIe X16 slot runs at X4. The LE is next up and has a smaller heatsink on the mosfets and the second PCIe X16 slot runs at X4. The V is the higherend model and has a larger heatsink on the mosfets and the PCIe X16 slots runs as a single at X16 or together they are X8 and X8


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## Kikka

Thanks


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