Need Recommendations

[joe_H]

So I've decided to upgrade from my E8400 to a new 2500k, and have been doing some research on upgrade components. I'll be getting a new mobo, 2500k, DDR3, and cooler. Just looking for comments and/or suggestions for alternatives.

CPU: 2500k

I'm set on this processor.

MOBO:

Either the ASUS P8P67 Pro or the ASROCK Extreme 4

My P5Q-Pro that I've been running has been rock solid, so I really wanted to go the Asus route here, however I've been reading lots of negative stories about these boards. BIOS updates fixing most of the issues? Need some good recomendations here either way.

RAM:

G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 x 4GB)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314

These have gotten good reviews online, but seem to have problems with the new boards? I'm looking for 1600 ram and want 8GB. Has the 1.5V Sandy Bridge mobo's like.

Go with this...or any better recommendations? Would like to stay in the same price range.

COOLER:

CoolerMaster Hyper 212

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065

Fairly inexpensive, with a back plate instead of pushpins. If anyone knows a better backplate mounted fan around $50 or less, please list one.

Thanks for any imput.

 

[CraigRT]

RAM looks good.
I'd go with the Asrock between the 2 after reading some reviews. The Extreme4 is inexpensive and competes with boards that are like $30-50 more or something like that.

Also the Hyper212 is great, I have one on my i7 860. It's also very quiet.

 

[joe_H]

RAM looks good.
I'd go with the Asrock between the 2 after reading some reviews. The Extreme4 is inexpensive and competes with boards that are like $30-50 more or something like that.

Also the Hyper212 is great, I have one on my i7 860. It's also very quiet.

Thanks for the input. I've purchased the processor, the ram, and the cooler. Just waiting on the motherboard. My dilemma is that I really like ASUS boards, and really like the feature set of the P8P67 Pro. I just wish there weren't so many current BIOS issues. The ASRock is getting great reviews and I haven't seen any problems with it whatsoever...but I can't pull the trigger on it over the ASUS board...yet. It appears that ASUS is heavily involved over on HardForum in getting people's boards working right, and I can't ignore that kind of service. 3 year warranty vs. 1 is also something to consider.

Anybody else have a hard time between the ASUS and the ASRock? What did you decide on?

 

[djshortsleeve]

I have Corsair Vengeance running in my P8P67 Pro w/ 2500k build. Initially the machine had it running at 1333 MHz but I adjusted in the BIOS.

 

[Ausm]

RAM looks good.
I'd go with the Asrock between the 2 after reading some reviews. The Extreme4 is inexpensive and competes with boards that are like $30-50 more or something like that.

Also the Hyper212 is great, I have one on my i7 860. It's also very quiet.

Agree I think Asus pushed their boards out before they were ready for primetime.

 

[Beaner]

I'm in the same boat as you Joe....upgrading from an E8400.
The CPU, memory and cooler you picked are my choices as well.
I'm waiting on the mobo, as it seems they were all rushed to market.
What I really want is the Gigabyte board, but I can't figure out why they didn't include uEFI.

I'm going to give it a few more weeks to let the dust settle with all the mobo issues and see how things shake out.

You didn't mention graphics. Are you a gamer? I'm a casual gamer and will be upgrading my Radeon 4870 as well with this new build.

 

[joe_H]

I'm in the same boat as you Joe....upgrading from an E8400.
The CPU, memory and cooler you picked are my choices as well.
I'm waiting on the mobo, as it seems they were all rushed to market.
What I really want is the Gigabyte board, but I can't figure out why they didn't include uEFI.

I'm going to give it a few more weeks to let the dust settle with all the mobo issues and see how things shake out.

You didn't mention graphics. Are you a gamer? I'm a casual gamer and will be upgrading my Radeon 4870 as well with this new build.

Thanks for responding. Sure, I play games as well. Didn't mention a video card as I currently have a HD 5850, which isn't going to be replaced anytime soon. I'm going to make a mobo decision in a few days, which is why I was soliciting responses. I'm thinking I'll give ASUS one more BIOS revision to see if they straighten most of the issues out prior to purchasing. From one of the other threads I noted that Gary from ASUS stated a new BIOS would be coming out in the next few days.

 

[MrTransistorm]

What I really want is the Gigabyte board, but I can't figure out why they didn't include uEFI.

Because it wasn't ready. Apparently Asus wasn't ready either :biggrin:

All joking aside, this is how it goes for a new platform at launch. You have to be prepared to deal with a bumpy ride this early on. Asus, Gigabyte, et al. are working on fixes. A little patience from our end is all it takes.

 

[CraigRT]

Because it wasn't ready. Apparently Asus wasn't ready either :biggrin:

All joking aside, this is how it goes for a new platform at launch. You have to be prepared to deal with a bumpy ride this early on. Asus, Gigabyte, et al. are working on fixes. A little patience from our end is all it takes.

I actually put in an order from a local supplier for a P67A-UD4 so we'll see how that goes.
I'm not opposed to dumping it if there are problems. Although aside from the old school BIOS it seems like a decent board with little problems overall. (compared to some at least)