Cheap ATX Z77

Choice depends on if you intend to overclock or not; and if so. how high. Most low end boards (sub $120) do not have manual voltage or load line controls so overclocks are limited. Most 3570k users end up settling for 4.0-4.2 OCs on those motherboards for that reason

limited OC I would pick
$100 MSI Z77A-G43

for full OC features on the cheap I would suggest:
$110 ($100 AR) Biostar TZ77XE3

( I personally wouldn't buy ASRock Z77 but you seem OK with it)
$115 ASRock Z77 Extreme4

$120 GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H is also a good option but I do not see any sellers with it in stock and free shipping.
 
Interesting choices. I haven't heard of a biostar rated higher then ASRock yet, why do you dislike ASRock? (have had horrible experiences with biostar)

As far as OC goes, it is literally last on the list, I'm looking for a cheap workstation build for a buddy, if he decides to OC he can complain about wanting a cheaper PC later. I'll end up nabbing the MSI for him, thanks for the recommendation!
 
Trimlock said:
Interesting choices. I haven't heard of a biostar rated higher then ASRock yet, why do you dislike ASRock? (have had horrible experiences with biostar)

As far as OC goes, it is literally last on the list, I'm looking for a cheap workstation build for a buddy, if he decides to OC he can complain about wanting a cheaper PC later. I'll end up nabbing the MSI for him, thanks for the recommendation!
Click to expand...

If it is just for a workstation you can save even more by opting for another chipset and forgoing overclocking entirely.

As for ASRock, they are still a second tier manufacturer to me and I had a lot more faith in their hardware when they were piggybacking off of Asus engineering and purchasing than I do now. I dislike their marketing of their "digi" VRM in particular on their Z77.series (X79 and earlier are honest) when they mislead buyers into believing they are full digital like Asus Gugabyte and Intel who invested in their VRMs. ASRock used to easily beat the major players on features and price but I don't see any significant pricing advantages anymore as they basically price themselves the same as Gigabyte who I would prefer to buy from.

Biostar vs ASRock for Z77 I would give Biostar a hardware advantage and ASRock a software UEFI advantage on equally priced models so it really depends on whats important to you. Do you want a better VRM or a pretty bios?
 
I don't think the bios will hardly get touched, won't get out of picking a Z77 which is up to him so I don't care. I just haven't kept up with motherboard stuff in so long that outside of major features I really just have NFC.

Don't think the VRM situation will mean squat honestly since I don't think this CPU will have a chance to be OC'd, as I have no intention of OC'ing for him and I doubt he has any idea what hes doing or intends to.

Funny you mention the 3570k, tried to convince him to 2500(nonK) and save some money since he has nothing that is CPU intensive.

You got me interested, what other chipset would you recommend?
 
For a pure budget build no overclock build, B75 motherboards can be found for roughly $75.You wont have any OC or high end RAM options but they are perfect for workstations.

H77 is also an option but those are so close in price to the Z77 boards today that I don't see the value in not stepping up.

If he is buying an unlocked processor you have to opt for the Z77, even a poorly tuned auto OC of 4.0 will make it worth the extra $25 in the long run. You could save a good deal of money with a 3450 or 2400 and B75 if you never intend to OC or use multiple video cards.

Also buying the 3570k over the 2500 will get him much better integrated graphics so it is probably a wise move long term if he is using the IGP even if he is on a budget.

edit: if you do consider B75 make sure it has the connections you need. Because they are intended for business machines you will often find things like parallel port and IDE drives supported in lieu of common home use items like like HDMI which I use frequently but find it is only on about 50% of the B75 boards.

Newegg seems to be charging shipping on all their B75s this month so Amazon may be a better option.
 
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Totally forgot about IGP, you make a good point, I think this actually may save him some money in the long run.

Think I'll go for the MSI (incase OC is ever a need) and go with the 3570k. Thanks for the help.
 
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