Best motherboard for a i7-980X?

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Greg Rosler

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Going to be building a new computer with a i7-980X chip and wanted some feedback.

I don't want a ASUS board (had too many past issues with them).

Anyone have any suggestions for a good motherboard and/or build? Note: I don't want to spend more than apx 300-350 for a motherboard.

Must have USB3/SATA 6gig.

And any suggestions on which memory to use with it.



Thanks,
Greg
 
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best indicates price is not an issue, so .... X58 Classified+Corsair Dominator
 
For single CPU, EVGA Classified and Gigabyte UD9. The Rampage 3 Extreme is a good option as well but you said you didn't want an ASUS board.

For dual CPU, well, there's only one option (assuming you want something that actually overclocks unlike most server boards) - EVGA SR-2.

The best high-end RAM brand is probably Corsair (most of this forum can likely agree on that) followed by Mushkin in my opinion. Both have had some really impressive DDR3 and Mushkin has even gotten theirs to 2700 MHz (not a typo!).
 
Unfortunately you can't go with the SR-2 and 980x. I had thought about that setup myself but I found out that the SR-2 only takes Intel Xeon processors.
For the 980x you're going to want the latest x58 motherboard. ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte are generally good motherboard brands. You can also check out MSI or Intel.
What is your intended usage again?

If you're knocking off ASUS right off the bat, you're limiting your choices. I'd say that an EVGA x58 Classified would probably be your best remaining bet.

Gigabyte boards are feature rich but they can have issues such as slow posting, usb keyboard issues, etc. These can be overlooked though as their boards are usually still high in quality.
Oh and don't get the UD9, it's a $700 motherboard that has a hard time overclocking to its full potential without extreme cooling. (Liquid Nitrogen, phase change, etc.)
See [H] article: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/08/17/gigabyte_x58aud9_extreme_motherboard_review
 
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you ought to go with the asus board..from user reviews it seems to be the best around..
I know you said no asus but this board is a sweet board..I would'nt refuse to consider it and you may want to ck out some of the reviews on it..you may have had bad luck with with asus but they do build solid boards for the most part but to not consider this RE3 is a mistake...this is a stellar board...
just think about it....
 
vjcsmoke said:
For the 980x you're going to want the latest x58 motherboard. ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte are generally good motherboard brands. You can also check out MSI or Intel.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you can rule out Intel as well. Not because of its quality, but because Intel does not currently offer a motherboard with either USB 3.0 or SATA 6 Gbps. In fact, the only X58 motherboard that Intel currently offers is the DX58SO, which lacks both of those features. Plus, it has only four DIMM slots (most other X58 motherboards have six DIMM slots).
 
The reason I'm ruling out asus is the last 2 computer builds I had 4 out of 5 asus boards DOA.

I might be willing to give asus a shot again but "only" from a local vendor.

I'm building this computer as a gaming machine and considering using 12 gig of ram with it.

If anyone has a specific motherboard that they like please list the ram you would use with it.
 
I'd get a Classified. Never had a problem wtih any of mine. Never had a problem with my ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution board either though.

I'd get an EVGA E760 instead of the coming E770. E760 is tried, true, and proven. And there's tons of info all over online for overclocking it. Unlike the coming E770 with is really a band-aid until the next chipset is out with onboard USB 3.0, not just at the I/O panel.
 
Since you already have a 980x you may as well get either an EVGA X58 3 way or 4 way SLI Classified or a Gigabyte UD9.
 
I didn't want an ASUS board either.... I loved them until like 2007 then I switched to Gigabyte.

But I just bought a 980X, and I paired it with a ASUS Rampage III Formula. From everything I have read, this board is stellar.

But if you still don't want ASUS, get the new EVGA Classified with the USB3.
 
Ok, I'm going to go with a GA-X58A-UD7 (rev. 2.0).

I'd like to drop 12 gig of ram on this motherboard.

Any suggestions as to which ram to buy? I'd like to buy a matched 12gig set.

Was thinking about getting DDR3 1600 but wanted some feedback.

Also, pros/cons on using 6 sticks of 2 gig ram vice 3 sticks of 4 gig ram.

Thanks much,
Greg
 
Greg Rosler said:
Ok, I'm going to go with a GA-X58A-UD7 (rev. 2.0).

I'd like to drop 12 gig of ram on this motherboard.

Any suggestions as to which ram to buy? I'd like to buy a matched 12gig set.

Was thinking about getting DDR3 1600 but wanted some feedback.

Also, pros/cons on using 6 sticks of 2 gig ram vice 3 sticks of 4 gig ram.

Thanks much,
Greg
Click to expand...

I'm running this RAM on a UD7 and a UD5 with zero issues. Very tight timings and stable as a rock. I'm only running 6GB on each board but 12GB should not be an issue.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226124
 
Well No way would I recommend I EVGA board.. I have a 980x and a 760 classified right now and I will tell you there is a major screw up with the 760 board that evga is covering up.. The board doesnt power the video cards right and causes your power supply to burn up or melt the 24 pin power connector. There is a big thread on evga forums right now... if I run my cpu over 4200 i get a burning electric smell.. My 24 pin power connector gets hot as hell.. Notice on the 770 they added the connector.. Yet they are telling 760 owners it is rare and only affects 1-2 percent of owners.. lol
 
if price is no issue, the ud9 for sure. The evga classy and new x58sli are great boards too
 
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