My system:
Intel i7 5820K (stock 3.3 ghz, overclocked to 4.2 ghz)
MSI 980 TI GPU @ stock
32 GB (8 x 4gb) Corsair DDR4 3200 mhz ram
Samsung 850 Evo SSD (512 GB) as boot drive, 2x Additional SSDs from the house and 1x 3TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
Noctua NH-D15 Premium CPU Cooler (2x fans)
Creative Sound Blaster Zx PCIe Gaming Sound Card (with audio control module)
Corsair RM series 1000 Watt PSU (gold certified)
TP-LINK Archer T9E AC1900 Dual Band Wireless Adapter
NZXT Sentry 3 5.4-Inch Touch Screen Fan Controller
Thermaltake A71 Chaser Case
OS: Windows 10 Pro, 64 bit
Note: the sound card is unnecessary. The motherboard includes a Sound Blaster chipset and Sound Blaster Recon 3Di control panel. This is a very nice chip to have in a motherboard compared to generic sound controllers (I had it in a laptop previously, you hear a huge difference in sound quality with it on vs. off). I only purchased a dedicated sound card to further enhance my sound quality, since I like to listen to music while playing certain games.
When I was looking for a motherboard, this was not the only one that could have worked for me. I selected this one because it is relatively cheap for a 4-way SLI motherboard (these easily reach $400 to $500), And it was compatible in every way I needed it (LGA 2011 socket, DDR4).
Be sure to verify your CPU will fit into this motherboard (LGA 2011), your system is using a DDR4 configuration, and your case supports an E-ATX motherboard. ATX cases will NOT work! E-ATX, or Extended ATX, only!
This was my first ever PC to be built by hand, so overclocking was well out of my mind. Just getting the PC up and running was step one, which is a lot simpler than I expected. But, this motherboard will allow you to literally perform a one-click overclock. I downloaded the utilities that come with my motherboard, opened "EasyTune", clicked on one of 3 overclocking options (3.8, 4.0, and 4.2 Ghz), and simply clicked "restart". When I restarted, my CPU was going at 4.2 Ghz. Note: I did start at 3.8 Ghz, followed by 4.0, and finally 4.2 to verify I wouldn't overheat. If you are interested in overclocking, but do not really know how, this motherboard is perfect for you! Overclocking the ram is simple, too. Simply move a slider or select a speed from the drop down via the BIOS. Let the motherboard handle the voltage!
This is a very user-friendly motherboard. If you know what you are doing, you will appreciate the easily-navigated BIOS. If you are like me and know a lot less about overclocking, this motherboard will do most of the work for you. Just make sure you don't overheat!
I am very pleased with this motherboard. I definitely recommend it.
| RAM | DDR3 |
|---|---|
| Memory Speed | 2133 MHz |
