Best and cost-effective Motherboard for i7 3930k

[prvnrk]

Hi,

I'm planning to buy a new gaming system with

Intel core i7 3630K / 32GB / midrange graphics card
with
Liquid cooling solution for overclocking

I'm considering (My budget = £175 to £225)

a. Asus Rampage IV GENE Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard [90-MIBHM0-G0EAY00Z]
b. Asus P9X79 PRO Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard [90-MIBH40-G0EAY00Z]
c. Gigabyte X79-UD3 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard [GA-X79-UD3]

My queries:
1. which is best among the above?
2. any other board better than this?
3. what is the difference between option-a and option-b?

thanks
prvnrk

[scaryjim]

Hi prvnrk,

You've got a lot of threads all over the hardware section asking lots of different questions about the same computer build - I imagine a lot of people (like me!) are finding it hard to track exactly what you're planning to do. It might be a good idea to create one thread in either the "review my build" forum or main hardware forum to collect all of your thoughts together. Most people who read these forums read all the boards and will pick up on your master thread, and they are more likely to respond when they can answer several questions at once. Just a thought

As to your question here, there's not really a "best" at these price points - all the boards will be good quality and competent for your purposes. I'm sure there are a number of X79 boards in your price range - really you need to work out what features you actually want (USB3? Firewire? etc.) then look for boards that have them all.

The main difference between the Rampage IV Gene and the P9X79 Pro is that the Gene is micro ATX - i.e. the board is physically smaller, and has less expansion slots. However, as it's part of ASUS' top end Rampage line I suspect it may have a few features that the P9X79 Pro lacks.

[prvnrk]

Hi Scaryjim,

thanks for the reply and SORRY for posting lot of threads. I realized it and just now posted my complete requirement under "Review my build" section - http://forums.hexus.net/review-my-bu...tom-build.html

Thanks again,
prvnrk