Legacy Overclocking Experts - Help me choose a replacement uATX Z77 motherboard for my 2600K!

Associate
Joined
19 Sep 2014
Posts
630
Hello all,

I've currently got an Asrock Q77M vPro motherboard for my i7 2600k. I've owned this processor since 2011 when it came out and I believe it will be more than adequate for anything I throw at it (general app usage, music production, not gaming), especially if I can tweak it up a bit.

I used to run it at 4.8Ghz peak on an old Intel skulltrail board, but that died a number of years ago and was replaced with the asrock.

So now i've managed to fix my nvme boot problem, it's made me interested in getting the most out of what i've got, and to do that I need a new motherboard that supports overclocking.

I really need help your help with options! I would like to again have a reliable ~4.8ghz system if possible.


So far I am looking at:

  • Asrock Z77M
    • Pro: Has a few more connections
    • Con: Only two DIMM slots, which means I would need to buy new RAM
  • Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H
    • Pro: Doesn't require me to buy new RAM; has AMI BIOS
    • Con: Don't have any experience with gigabyte
  • Asus P8Z77-M
    • Pro: Doesn't require me to buy new RAM; has AMI BIOS
    • Con: n/a


Needs/Wants:
  • Need: Must be uATX to fit in existing case
  • Need: 2x PCI-e, 1x PCI slots (usable with a double-width video card)
  • Need: AMI BIOS so I can hack it to support nvme boot if required
  • Want: Upgrade path to 32GB RAM if possible
  • Want: To buy as few additional/replacement components as possible

Supporting Components:
  • Intel i7 2600k CPU
  • Corsair 105 Hydro AIO Cooler
  • Corsair Carbide 240 case
  • 4x 4GB Corsair Vengeance 1333Mhz DDR3 (not too impressed)
  • Asus Strix GTX960 video card
  • RME 9632 sound card
  • Random PCI-E/nvme adapter with Samsung XP941 for boot
  • Samsung 850 Pro SATA SSD for data
  • Not sure which PSU, most likely a Corsair 650W or similar


Really appreciate any useful information to help me make a decision. There's life in this old kit still.
 
Last edited:
Associate
Joined
29 Oct 2002
Posts
698
I'd been looking into this fairly recently, the best advice I can give you is to give up. What boards there are are only on the auction sites, and for the price you'd pay for one you could get a Ryzen chip + board + RAM (that's what I did)
 
Associate
OP
Joined
19 Sep 2014
Posts
630
I'd been looking into this fairly recently, the best advice I can give you is to give up. What boards there are are only on the auction sites, and for the price you'd pay for one you could get a Ryzen chip + board + RAM (that's what I did)
The boards I mention above are available on auction sites for less than £100. I won't ask you to show me an alternative for the same money that's going to be as fast as an overclocked 2600k!

Do you have mom access?

fire a wanted post up someone will have a z77 tucked away
Not sure what mom is?
 
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