Z77 Motherboard - opinions welcome

So I'm really itching to try and put together a new system as the Ivy Bridge parts arrive.

With that being said, I'm eyeing the new Z77 chipset boards.

My specifications are as follows:

Requirements:
--------------
4-DIMMs
UEFI
4 USB3.0 ports on back, plus support for front ports
2 16x PCIe slots (OK if 2nd is 8x electrical)
NO Lucid Virtu chip onboard.
Intel LAN only, no realtek or Marvel

Nice to have:
-------------
Bluetooth
Firewire


It's an odd list. The big sticking point I've found so far is the Virtu chip onboard. All of the nice boards that have everything I want also have the Virtu chip. I understand the technology but I don't ever see myself using it. I guess it would be nice not to have to switch between onboard and discrete graphics if I want to transcode, but as amazingly fast as Quicksync is, the software support is abysmal. Trying a few blurays in my collection, they all encoded in under 25 minutes (wow!), but 2 out of 3 ended up with the commentary track as the soundtrack. Fix it you say? The software currently available doesn't offer a choice. :mad:

If I simply don't install the software for the Lucid, will it lie dormant? Or will it just not function? That's the part I'm not clear on.

Asus seems to be out (despite moving their entire Z77 range to Intel NICs!), anyone have any advice on other brands?

Sad you didn't get any replies, I stumbled across this 6 Z77 motherboard shootout at toms yesterday:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-a2x,3187.html

Remember, you do not need to be as demanding on the PCIe interface because these boards use PCI-e 3.0. 4x PCIe 3.0 ~= 8x PCIe 2.0.

Do not worry about Lucid. I have Lucid on my motherboard. You can turn it off in the Bios or not install the software. It is actually a pain to get it to work, not the other way around.

Another bother is the USB3.0. You have to climb into the 200 dollar range to get a decent set of USB 3.0 connectors on the back.

After reviewing your list, I would take a look at the Asus P8Z77-V Pro. It has 1 16x or 2 8x PCIe 3.0, 4 USB 3.0 rear connectors support for 2 on front, built-in Wifi, Intel LAN, 4DIMM, and UEFI. Sadly, no firewire or bluetooth, but there are expansion slots for them. It also has 16 phase voltage regulator, which is fantastic for someone looking for rock-solid stability and clean power.

However, a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB seems to offer everything you want (not in the Toms Shootout.) Intel LAN (qualcomm and intel are both on the board), 4xUSB 3.0, UEFI, Firewire, 2-PCIe 3.0 8x or 1-PCIe 16x, and an included expansion card for Bluetooth 4.0 and Wifi. It also offers dual bios.

Yeah, actually amusingly I think I might have settled on the P8Z77-V Pro. One of the things that interests me on that board is that every single fan header is 4-pin. Since I just got a new case, and I haven't purchased fans for it yet, going all 4-pin is an interesting idea to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James

Yeah, actually amusingly I think I might have settled on the P8Z77-V Pro. One of the things that interests me on that board is that every single fan header is 4-pin. Since I just got a new case, and I haven't purchased fans for it yet, going all 4-pin is an interesting idea to me.

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I got away from motherboard powered fans. I use a fan controller now and am very happy with it. I like being able to physically change the fan setting instead of having to find a program to adjust them. Takes all of 2 seconds to adjust them up for gaming.

I just ordered the parts for a new Ivy-Bridge Z77 setup today. Going with the Gigabyte UD5H minus the Wifi to pair with a 3770K.

getting a Corsair Obsidian 650D, 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance, 7870 Video card and various other bits and pieces.

Been three years since I put a system together..can't wait.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brahma

I just ordered the parts for a new Ivy-Bridge Z77 setup today. Going with the Gigabyte UD5H minus the Wifi to pair with a 3770K.

getting a Corsair Obsidian 650D, 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance, 7870 Video card and various other bits and pieces.

Been three years since I put a system together..can't wait.:D

---

Just stumbled onto this thread, so, have you built it already? Looks like an awesome build, any change?:confused:

I was gonna jump in and recommend the ROG line of mobo from Asus, I now have two ROG boards (one's Intel, the other is AMD) and I can't say good things about these boards. The Z77 ROG board, if available, would be packed with features you would need and want, and then some....;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brahma

I just ordered the parts for a new Ivy-Bridge Z77 setup today. Going with the Gigabyte UD5H minus the Wifi to pair with a 3770K.

getting a Corsair Obsidian 650D, 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance, 7870 Video card and various other bits and pieces.

Been three years since I put a system together..can't wait.:D

---

I tried the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H and had some issues with getting into the bios regularly. I had to swap keyboards to be able to get into the bios, even though my keyboard is a Gigabyte gaming keyboard. Maybe I'm just nitpicking but it was annoying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brahma

I just ordered the parts for a new Ivy-Bridge Z77 setup today. Going with the Gigabyte UD5H minus the Wifi to pair with a 3770K.

getting a Corsair Obsidian 650D, 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance, 7870 Video card and various other bits and pieces.

Been three years since I put a system together..can't wait.:D

---

Just stumbled onto this thread, so, have you built it already? Looks like an awesome build, any change?:confused:

I was gonna jump in and recommend the ROG line of mobo from Asus, I now have two ROG boards (one's Intel, the other is AMD) and I can't say good things about these boards. The Z77 ROG board, if available, would be packed with features you would need and want, and then some....;)