i5-3570K CPU + ASRock Z77 Pro3 Motherboard $224.98 + Tax at Micro Center (B&M ONLY)

Quote from RyanL : Actually I'm into OCing a bit and one of the first things that I look for is a board with an 8 pin CPU connector.

so the 8pin will be required? i'd need to find a power supply with the 8 pin connector also? can you point me to a good one?

Quote from bell07south : so the 8pin will be required? i'd need to find a power supply with the 8 pin connector also? can you point me to a good one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6812201005

Use a 4 pin to 8 pin adapter, I'm using it and it works just fine. Just a heads up i have the exact combo the op is talking about i5- 3570k + pro-3.

Also a heads up the pro series motherboards are not true SLI/Crossfire. They use a 16x/4x lane. If you want to crossfire you will need to use at least a x8/x8 lane or you will experience a ton of microstutter.

Also, if you're into overclock the pro series motherboards are not really recommended, they use a 4 phase power for the cpu. You can get around 4.4 overclock though, but with higher voltage.

Another note is that the Ivy bridge processors run hotter on higher voltage in comparison with the sandybridge since Intel used a cheap TIM on the processors.

I bought this very deal a month or so ago,at Microcenter, for the same price. It's been great so far. Definitely worth considering.

Quote from reccax626 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6812201005 Use a 4 pin to 8 pin adapter, I'm using it and it works just fine. Just a heads up i have the exact combo the op is talking about i5- 3570k + pro-3. Also a heads up the pro series motherboards are not true SLI/Crossfire. They use a 16x/4x lane. If you want to crossfire you will need to use at least a x8/x8 lane or you will experience a ton of microstutter. Also, if you're into overclock the pro series motherboards are not really recommended, they use a 4 phase power for the cpu. You can get around 4.4 overclock though, but with higher voltage. Another note is that the Ivy bridge processors run hotter on higher voltage in comparison with the sandybridge since Intel used a cheap TIM on the processors.

A 4-pin power supply connector works in the motherboard's 8-pin connector without an adapter. I tried it and it works also see page 36 of the manual for this board. ftp://europe.asrock.com/manual/Z77%20Pro3.pdf

It might limit the overclock if all 8 pins are not connected but not sure. I picked up this combo but I am waiting for my RAM from newegg before I can get this up and running.

Quote from bell07south : so the 8pin will be required? i'd need to find a power supply with the 8 pin connector also? can you point me to a good one?

I wouldn't say that it's required, but I've never seen a motherboard that OCs well with a 4 pin CPU power connector. As far as pointing you in the right direction for a PSU, any direction will do. Seriously, I don't think that I've bought a PSU in the last 10 years that didn't have a 8 pin CPU connector. At this point in time I believe that you would actually have to go out of your way to find a PSU that didn't come with an 8 pin connector unless you bought an ultra cheap one. It's hard to recommend a good PSU without knowing your plans (I don't know if you're planning on running dual 6970s). If you're looking for just a basic system with just a few fans, a couple of hard drives, mid range video card such as a 7850 or 660, then something like an Antec Earthwatts or Corsair in the 400-500 watt range should work well. They go on sale and are posted on here all the time. Just check the reviews and see what other people on here are saying about them.

Are people still delidding the CPU to reapply thermal paste? Has the issue been solved?

This motherboard is good for single video card solutions only. It is not suitable for SLI/CF or even Primary/Physx.

16x 3.0 pcie
4x 2.0 pcie

Quote from Kasten : Not sure how it compares overclocking wise but here is a side by side by side of the mobo I posted, the Z77 Pro4, and GA-Z77-DS3H. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...128-547-TS

I have the Gigabyte ds3h motherboard. It's an OK budget mobo that's easy for a hackintosh build because everything is natively supported on OS X. The major downside I see with it is that it won't let you adjust vcore voltage so overclocking is somewhat limited. I didn't plan on doing any crazy OCs so I didn't mind. The Asrock motherboard should be better for OCing assuming it lets you adjust the VCore voltage.

Damnit, the MicroCenter in my place closed down a couple months ago. This is a pretty sweet price... and my little brother is looking for this exact combo.

It's been this price for awhile.. I don't see what the big deal is..

Wow, just picked up i7 2700k for stupid good price, if I didnt get it, I would have gotten this. Or I can get rid of my 2600k and then get this? I know, I know why upgrade from 2600k to 2700k, it was super duper good deal. Hmmmmm decisions, decisions.

Quote from belae : They did last year before ivy bridge came out, I picked up a i5-2500k and asus z68 board for 220 +tax last year about 4th of july. It was 150 for the cpu and 120-50 for the MB. Been very happy with it. Can OC to 4.3 easy with a decent air cooler.

Last year?! Heck, they had it just a few months ago, and the 2500k was only $169.99 too with $50 off any 1155 MB. Think they ended it when they dropped the price to $159.99, but may have been some overlap... not sure.

The pro3 mobo is horrible. Not sure why you would pair an i5-3570k with a crappy, cheap mobo. The bare minimum should be gigabyte z77x-d3h or asrock extreme4.

Quote from theon105 : The pro3 mobo is horrible. Not sure why you would pair an i5-3570k with a crappy, cheap mobo. The bare minimum should be gigabyte z77x-d3h or asrock extreme4.

Enlighten us on why you think it's horrible.