Hey guys,Next week I plan on ordering parts for my new PC build, which will be using the i5-2500K and MSI GTX-560ti Twin Frozer II with 8gb of DDR3 RAM. But one thing I am having trouble with is deciding on a motherboard for the build. There are so many to choose from. I am looking for a Z68 in the $150- $200 price point which will allow me to overclock to around 4.5GHZ and one with a great BIOS. Do any of you have any recommendations on a motherboard, as at the moment I am having great trouble due great amount of boards.Thanks guys,Ollie

I would be looking at the Gigabyte, MSI, ASUS and ASRock motherboards as theones don't tend to have as much bang for buck around that price point. You options would be the GA-Z68X-UD3P, ASRock Extreme 4, ASUS P8Z68-V and the MSI Z68A-GD55. Obviously the ASRock, ASUS and the MSI have the UEFI which may be easier for some but personally I find the classic BIOS very easy to use.

ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 or ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3I have really enjoyed my ASUS. It has been completely hassle free and the BIOS is rock solid. Looks good too!

I've just built a similar system with a MSI board, and I'm very happy with the MB (after a BIOS update). Here're the specs:MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) MBi5-2500K CPU oc 4.4 GHz8 GB G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 RAMEVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GPUCorsair 850HX PSU1 WD Raptor X 300 GB SATA HDD1 Seagate 320 GB SATA HDD1 WD 1 TB HDD Black CaviarPioneer DVR-111D DVD-RW PATAASUS VK246H 24" LCD monitorWin 7 Premium (64 bit)Forceware 285.62 video driver

Well when you say $200, what currency is that?

Oh yeah sorry, AUD.

My MSI GD-65 is now suffering the power cycling issue. I am now trying to decide whether I RMA it or ditch it all together and go with an ASUS Z68 mobo. My last 1366 ASUS board was rock solid for two years, and that is why I am leaning towards an ASUS board.

Oh yeah sorry, AUD.

Yeah well if its AUD depending on where you are my suggestions are probably best. They are just the lower models of what you can get in the USA and that for $200, still fine for all you need most of the time.

My MSI GD-65 is now suffering the power cycling issue. I am now trying to decide whether I RMA it or ditch it all together and go with an ASUS Z68 mobo. My last 1366 ASUS board was rock solid for two years, and that is why I am leaning towards an ASUS board.

Shane - mine was doing the same thing. It isn't now after updating the BIOS ( from the MSI website) and upping slightly the voltages to both the CPU and the RAM. CPU is at 1.3v and the RAM is at spec at 1.6v. Hope this helps.MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) MBi5-2500K CPU oc 4.4 GHz8 GB G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 RAMEVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GPUCorsair 850HX PSU1 WD Raptor X 300 GB SATA HDD1 Seagate 320 GB SATA HDD1 WD 1 TB HDD Black CaviarPioneer DVR-111D DVD-RW PATAASUS VK246H 24" LCD monitorWin 7 Premium (64 bit)Forceware 285.62 video driver

Shane - mine was doing the same thing. It isn't now after updating the BIOS ( from the MSI website) and upping slightly the voltages to both the CPU and the RAM. CPU is at 1.3v and the RAM is at spec at 1.6v. Hope this helps.MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) MBi5-2500K CPU oc 4.4 GHz8 GB G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 RAMEVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GPUCorsair 850HX PSU1 WD Raptor X 300 GB SATA HDD1 Seagate 320 GB SATA HDD1 WD 1 TB HDD Black CaviarPioneer DVR-111D DVD-RW PATAASUS VK246H 24" LCD monitorWin 7 Premium (64 bit)Forceware 285.62 video driver

Hmm, well I updated the bios when I got the board about 2 months ago. How did you go about updating it? My computer doesn't post, and when I power it on, it powers off after about 3 seconds.

Hmmm...sounds like a different issue then, because my board has hasn't had a problem posting. It was re-posting during a cold start-up and even sometimes during a hot re-boot.Can you get to your BIOS settings at all? Apparently, some of these boards have a tendency to deliver les than reporting voltages to the CPU and RAM. It may indicate 1.6v to the DIMM slots but actual voltages are a bit less. I wonder of you board just isn't delivering enough juice to boot up.You've probably already checked out the MSI forum here: http://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=v5e08rn2rr7mnd5vm49a4hnc02&board=54.0

I meters the boards voltage to the CPU and RAM, and they are within spec.

I would go with the ASUS P8Z68-V Pro only because I've just built my system recently and this board is a dream to overclock with

You're way ahead of me then and the board probably needs to be returned. I hope you're able to get the new rig up and running soon.

Yeah, I have my eyes on the ASUS z68 Pro with PCI 3.0. I also think that board is going to be compatible with Ivy Bridge processors, which would be nice to have the option to upgrade to.