Mobo choice. My head is exploding. Help me.

[Olgierd]

So after smart and helpful people helped me with hashing out my build, I realized that there is one thing that I cannot seem to settle on: the motherboard. The only thing I'm certain of (derp-derp) is that it needs to be, of course, an LGA1155 socket and have SATA III. But then, brands, reviews, and features, oh my. With the price range hovering between $150 and $200, there's quite a bit to choose from out there, and I don't even know what to look for beyond raw tech specs.

Do some brands have a better OVERALL rep than others? Or is it down to personal experience and luck (or lack thereof) in the end and most mobos in the $150-$200 range are largely equal?

[Rakudjo]

Asus and Gigabyte are my two trusted ones. Honestly, it comes down to what you want/need your MoBo to have. I personally suggest an Asus P8P67, as it works, has an assload of USB slots, and plenty of PCI-E room. Think it's a full-ATX MoBo though, and I don't know what size your case is.

tl;dr pick whatever looks coolest/has what you want it to.

[noteworthynerd]

There are certain brands that are more often suggested than others, but there are lemons in every bunch... For example, a lot of people swear by Gigabyte stuff, but I'll probably never buy another product from them because I got a motherboard that was DOA and their return process was absolutely horrid for me. I know that forming an opinion on a brand based on one bad experience it is probably an irrational thing for me to do, but oh well... I've also heard horror stories from people about MSI and OCZ products, but I've had nothing but good experiences with both of those brands, so yeah...

Personally, I prefer MSI for cheaper 1155 MoBos and ASRock and ASUS for middle/high cost 1155 MoBos. At the moment, the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 is only ~$120, and is one of the best 1155 MoBos on the market.

[Deleted]

Personally, I prefer ASRock, ASUS and MSI for 1155 MoBos. At the moment, the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 is only ~$120, and is one of the best 1155 MoBos on the market.

Completely agree with you. it is really hard to compete with the price/performance of the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, it really is a $150-160 MB with a price tag of ~$120.

[Lohkay]

I can't speak for MSI/ASRock as I haven't bought enough of those to make a decent opinion. Asus on the other hand gave me ulcers more than once... I'd say out of my last 10 builds using Asus boards, 2 of them were DOA and 1 wouldn't accept my RAM and another would crash randomly.

Gigabyte is my brand of choice.. I've built 5 systems so far with their boards and every one of them run great. Look specifically for the -UD3 boards, they seem of better build and that extra copper does seem to make a difference.