what MOBO?

[P23UNK]

Hello everyone.
I'm fairly new to TT and have had a very bad time since joining. I tried to learn about O/Cing and have ended up with either a fried mobo or CPU. I'm gutted about this as over the last couple of weeks I have purchased a few new toys for my pc such as ram, mouse, gpu and the newest addition a great big noctua cooler. Now I can't use any of it. can you lot suggests the best mobo to replace of stuffed one? I'm open to different brands other than MSI. Would it be worth waiting for the z77 boards? Any idea how long untill they are released? Cheers.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: what MOBO?

Z77 is very soon, just wait a little bit if you have a system you can use for a while - while you wait

[profJim]

Re: what MOBO?

What was the brand/model number of your previous motherboard?
What are your primary needs? Gaming? Audio or video encoding? Photo image processing?
You need to consider your current and future needs; dual video cards? raid? dual network ports? discreet audio card? USB 3.0? sata 6Gb/s?
I assume that you want to overclock with a little help from your friends.

I recommend going with a z77/Ivy Bridge setup. Some of the z68 boards are quite good, but z77 should offer slightly better performance along with lower electrical power needs. Many P67 and Z68 boards have a convoluted list of restrictions if you want to enable most of the features, such as SLI or Crossfire, USB 3.0, sata 6Gb/s, raid, etc. Being an early adopter has some risks; immature bios issues and boards that are rushed to market before they have been fully tested.

Given the similarity between Z68 and Z77, I'm hoping that most if not all of these issues will not be a problem.
Desktop Ivy Bridge processors and boards should be released to the consumer market by mid April.

The NDA (non-disclosure agreement) should be lifted soon, so there will be a flood of cpu + mobo reviews available from the major review sites shortly.
Some sites like HardOCP are brutally honest when it comes to pointing out problems or shortcomings with hardware.
Try to read Z68/Z77 overclocking guides and tutorials to get a basic understanding of what's involved with properly setting up your system, stress testing, and overclocking.

Cpu prices are often inflated when new models are released. It's hard to say how long it will take for prices to lower to or near MSRP.
Keep in mind that hard drive prices are still quite high and prices may not lower to former price levels for another six months or longer.

Don't forget that the power supply is the most important part of your system.
Cutting corners by using a cheapy power supply or one that is underpowered is asking for trouble.
A psu that doesn't deliver clean, well regulated power can shorten the life of your hardware and cause system instability.

[P23UNK]

Re: what MOBO?

Wow, that's a lot of info, thank you. My current (buggered) mobo is MSI p55-gd45 and my primary needs would be gaming. I would like to fit a second gpu in crossfire in the future. I don't know what raid is so not sure about that part and yeah I would like to overclock (safley) again and maybe with faster MHz RAM than I currently have which is 1600 at the moment. The PSU I have at the moment is what came in the computer when I bought it but it sounds like it is a bit weak for what I'm using it for. It is a 600w codegen supply, is this insufficiant for my setup?(setup in my signature) cheers, you guys are always a good source of help and info.

[wazza300]

Re: what MOBO?

take a look at the xfx psu's,5 year warranty and are rebadged seasonic units

[profJim]

Re: what MOBO?

No offense, but your psu is an ultra cheap P.O.S. unit that is not capable of supporting a modern system.
I quickly found a source for their 525 and 550 watt power supplies for $18.50 and $28.00.
Retire your psu immediately and use it as a low tech door stop.
Most of the cheap power supplies have poor voltage regulation and some will burn or explode if you try to use more than 50% of their "rated" power.
A poorly designed psu can easily destroy your hardware.

For a dual card setup, a high quality 750 watt unit would be ideal with mid-level video cards.
I recommend:
Seasonic or a Seasonic made psu.
Antec, most models
Corsair, most models

There are other excellent psu models, but you need to read the reviews from sites like JonnyGuru, HardwareSecrets, HardOCP, Pcper and TechPowerUp.
Most psu reviews from "lesser" sites are a bad joke.
Keep in mind that your psu is the foundation of your system.
Would you build or buy a nice house that has a crummy foundation?

**edit**
Yes, XFX power supplies are excellent and are made by Seasonic.
Seasonic is one of many OEMs that manufacture power supplies for other big name companies.
Antec, Corsair and others sell power supplies made by several different OEMs.