Member Avatar for deceptikon

I'm putting together a new gaming machine, but would like some opinions on the motherboard since I'm weaker in that area. Here are the minimum requirements based on other components I've pretty much nailed down for my needs:

  • i5-3570K CPU (LGA1155 socket) -- already purchased, hard requirement
  • 16-32GB DDR3-1600Mhz RAM (240-pin DIMM) -- not a hard requirement except for the GB
  • 2 Radeon HD 7970 Graphics Cards (probably Gigabyte GV-R797OC-3GD) -- model not a hard requirement

Everything else can be customized based on the motherboard, but things like the case and coolers will depend on the mobo. I know that's not a whole lot to go on, but it is what it is. What would you recommend?

On a side note, I've been looking at the ASUS Sabertooth Z77 as a strong contender.

My current planned setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Marikallees/saved/2x25

Thanks guys!

Edited by deceptikon
  • 6 Contributors
  • 6 Replies
  • 302 Views
  • 8 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by fitnessfun
Member Avatar for rubberman

Why Radeon video cards instead of nVidia? I have some seriouos gamer friends at work (we are a tech company w/ very savvy users) and they won't get AMD video gear simply because they don't perform as well as nVidia cards. As for a case and power supply, the case is only important as far as it's cooling capabilities are concerned, but the power supply is critical. For serious gaming gear, don't go for less than 1000 watts!

Member Avatar for deceptikon

I have some seriouos gamer friends at work (we are a tech company w/ very savvy users) and they won't get AMD video gear simply because they don't perform as well as nVidia cards.

It's very much dependent on the game. Some games run better on AMD, some on nVidia, and even then the difference isn't huge. I think your friends have an irrational bias, or only play games where nVidia benchmarks better. ;)

I'm not partial either way, but I've had good results with AMD in the past, and that's why this build uses Radeon cards.

For serious gaming gear, don't go for less than 1000 watts!

When the draw will probably be less than 800W even after overclocking? Seems like overkill to me.

Member Avatar for Vikram Sehgal

the gaming mother board i would suggest is ASRock Z77 Extreme4 click here
its pretty cool or i would suggest an nvidia produst for gaming.

Member Avatar for IndieDeV2002

You probably will want a asus motherboard since they are the best.

Member Avatar for jwenting

without giving reasons why "they are the best" that's an utterly useless statement.
No surprise then that's it's wrong as well. They maybe be "best" for some purposes but certainly not for all, and I'm sure that there's other brands that produce specific boards that are superior for gaming than specific Asus boards.

Same with NVidia vs. AMD cards. NVidia has the better OpenGL support, which may or may matter to you.
But that's true only right now. A year from now AMD might well have superior OpenGL support (they've already improved markedly just by making improvements to their drivers over the last several months).
DirectX support is pretty much a tie.
Remains heat and bus speed, and that's not related to chipset brand at all but rather to design choices in individual cards from individual manufacturers.
For my next machine, I'll probably choose NVidia simply because I can benefit from their current superiority in OpenGL support, but the difference isn't large enough that I will pass up a heavily discounted AMD based cart that would get me a card with higher specs than a similarly priced NVidia based card.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.