New indecisions regarding Z77 vs X79

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.

Build Revisions

So being in California for a month means I have access to Amazon's much cheaper computer parts as well as free shipping!  Taking that into account I can now slot the awesome Corsair AX1200 PSU into my build rather than the Silent Pro Hybrid.

Even though its got 100w less and has no fan controller included, it is slightly larger in dimension allowing for better heat dissipation and adds a nice gold accent to the aesthetic of my case.  It's very subtle but would look quite nice in amongst the rest of the noir scheme.

I could wait for this iteration of the same PSU being released later this year, however it'd be $100 more and has much too strong of a red accent to go with my selection of (or lack of) colours.  It is however 80 plus platinum rated rather than just gold rated.  It also has a digital power manager that allows real time updates through the OS which is very neat.  Unfortunately the AX1200i will be incredibly inflated when it hits the shores of AU.

 Something I can wait for is this nifty little upgrade to the previously selected GA-X79-UD3.  This is the GA-X79-UP4.  It has an upgraded power management system which I'll have to read up more about when it gets a release, 4 extra DIMM slots and some extra SATA ports amongst other things.  The DIMM slots will mean that should I somehow run low with 16gb of RAM, the 32GB option will be there =D

Here is something I've already managed to get shipped in.  A couple of slim slot loading drives of the SONY variety.  One is a standard DVD writer and the other a BD reader.  Since my previous build used a $300 LG BD writer and I only ever used it to rip BD movies to an external for playing on my VAIO, I figured it best to go with a reader only option. My wallet also thanked me for saving it the $400 premium on slim slot loading BD writer.  A neat little 5.25" tray that will hold both means there is less clogging of the bays so I can fit an extra fan for airflow.  I'll use a mesh style contact paper sheet with the slots and eject button cut out so that it better matches the mesh grill of the rest of the case.

SSD selection will also likely change in the near future.  Samsung 830 prices are quite reasonable and also seem to be a lot more reliable than most.  Intel would be great but the price on their 520 line is just not worth the performance ratio.   Corsair also has a Neutron GTX line that seems to show incredible performance stats that may also make the final cut.