Having researched long and hard, whilst also waiting for the release of several motherboards, I am now quite on the fence of whether or not I should go for the X79 option or the Z77 option. The main thing that keeps X79 so enticing is the fact that 40 PCIe lanes are just perfect for the set up I'm going for. Also the incredible impact Sandy Bridge E can bring to CPU heavy games such as Battlefield 3. On the other hand, Z77 has started to look more and more like an worthwhile choice. Especially with the Asus Maximus V Extreme soon to hit shelves. The gaming performance will likely match and even surpass SB-E in most titles. Along with a thunderbolt port, a PLX chip for better multi card PCIe support, and an mSATA mPCIe combo card, Z77 has never looked so good. Right now I think it's just become a race to see which one is released in Aus first. Also price wise, it needs to be significantly less inflated over the US pricing for me to consider.
So here are the contenders:
ASRock Extreme 11.
It has almost everything I ever wanted in a motherboard. The only thing that would top it off would be a dedicated HDMI out that could carry the Sound blaster signal. Pricing shouldn't exceed $500 otherwise this board would definitely be pushing beyond what people will be willing to pay.
GA-X79-UP4.
Previously mentioned, barebones type board with 2 important things; 8 DIMM and 4 way SLI capability. Not that I'd use 4 way sli, but because that extra x16 slot would come in useful for something. Also the ultra durable 5 temperature reduction should allow me to run my fans a little slower if they seem a bit noisy. Needs to be priced a little below $300 to make it a steal.
ASUS ROG Maximus V Extreme.
The Z77 killer board. A gaming board with Thunderbolt was already pretty enticing. Add 4 way SLI, and the ability to add an mSATA SSD and it's almost too good to pass up. If priced close to the $300 mark this one will be a keeper.
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