1155 Motherboards
Asus Maximus IV Extreme
*GRG Tip – Be sure to purchase your 1155 motherboard from a reputable company. Look for the Rev 3.0 or B3 revision stick on the box. You can take additional caution by checking the bios once you receive it in the mail.
For our 1155 motherboards we chose to review one of the bestselling and most anticipated motherboards of the year, the Asus Maximus IV Extreme which comes with a generous 3 year warranty. From the unlimited options and peak performance you get with this motherboard to the lack of support for a integrated graphics core this motherboard screams “gaming” and speed. The Maximus 4 extreme comes with 8 USB 3.0 ports, 1 ps/2 port, 1 optical, 6 audio ports, 4 Sata 6 Gb/s, and 4 Sata 3 Gb/s. Oh yeah, did we mention that it supports up to 32 GB ram? Here’s some additional technical Details:
- VRM and FGI Digital Power Design for increased System Stability.
- Real-time power management allows for increased energy savings.
- Self-Optimized Settings
*See our “gaming motherboards” section for a complete list and review of all of our gaming motherboards.
GRG’s Mid-Range 1155 Motherboard Pick –
ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 1800 ATX Motherboard
GRG’s Budget 1155 Motherboard Pick –
ASUS P8P67 LE LGA 2200 ATX Motherboard
AM3 Motherboards
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula – AM3 – AMD 890FX
Here’s another amazing gaming motherboard from Asus. If you’re an AMD fan, then I’m sure you’re watching for AMD’s release of their Bulldozer release set in late Quarter 2 of 2011 or early Quarter 3. Many of the 8 series of motherboards both from Gigabyte and Asus are already compatible with the Bulldozer (with a quick bios update). This news comes from Event.Asus.com months after AMD had announced that they would most likely not be compatible with the AM3+ CPU. You can check out that information here:
http://www.event.asus.com/2011/mb/AM3_PLUS_Ready/
For more information on what Gigabyte AM3 motherboards are Bulldozer ready, Gigabyte has a “AM3+ ready” description on many of their 8 series motherboards.
We’re featuring the Crosshair IV AMD 890FX because it’s “Game First” or in other words the intuitive interface prioritizes packets for gaming and because this particular motherboard is known for its unparalleled overclocking ability. It supports up to 16 GB Ram DDR3 – 2000(O.C.)/ 1800(O.C.)/ 1600(O.C.)/ 1333/ 1066, USB 3.0, and Sata 6Gb/s. Like the Extreme model above it comes with a 3 year warranty as well.
GRG’s Mid-Range AM3 Pick
Gigabyte AM3 ATX Motherboard GA-890GPA-UD3H
GRG’s Budget AM3 Pick
Gigabyte AMD AM3 GA-880GM-UD2H
1366 Motherboards
ASUS LGA 1366 – Republic of Gamers Rampage III Extreme
The 1366 socket motherboards were designed specifically for higher-end users seeking top of the line performance and specifications. In 2011, the i7-950 gave gamers everywhere the right mix between price and performance. With the i7-950 CPU coming down in price 1366 motherboards are still very popular despite the release of new 32nm microarchitecture in the 2600k CPU.
For 1366 motherboards we chose to feature a motherboard that is only for the most serious of users., the Asus Republic of Gamers Rampage III Extreme. It supports up to 24GB of DDR 3 Ram on the DDR3 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 / and 1066 standard. It features 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 flexibility for ultra-performance with SLI/Crossfire. It also supports the newest technology in Sata 6 Gb/s and Superspeed USB 3.0 (up to 5Gb/s). It also gives you ight channels of HD sound from its integrated audio chipset for pure, clear audio. Additional Details:
- Features Real-time system tuning at the hardware level with ROG Connect
- Remote overclocking via Bluetooth devices with RC Bluetooth technology/
- New technology – Experience extreme overclocking with the ROG Extreme OC Kit
GRG’s Mid-Range 1366 Pick –
Gigabyte LGA1366 SATA3 ATI CrossFireX ATX Motherboard GA-X58A-UD3R
GRG’s Budget 1366 Pick
ASRock X58 Extreme Core i7 A&GbE ATX Motherboard
1156 Motherboards
Intel DP55KG Extreme Series
If you’ve got a decent 1156 CPU and just need a new motherboard, then consider upgrading to the Intel DP55KG Extreme Series.
We like the DP55KG because with the Intel Desktop Control center you can easily control and tune your processor, memory, and bus speed for speed and reliability. You can also see the temperature of your rig and control your fan speeds right from your fingertips.
The DP55KG Extreme also supports multiple Graphics Processing Units for extreme users want to use SLI or Crossfire. You can also load it up with up to 16 GB of Ram and the DP55KG supports 600 MHz, 1333 MHz, and 1066 MHz variants of DDR3 memory for flexibility with existing ram. One of the features we are most excited about is the 10-channel Dolby 7.1 audio system which gives you high quality audio without having to worry about getting a pricey sound card.
GRG’s Mid-Range 1156 motherboard Option
ASUS LGA 1156 2133OC- mATX Motherboard P7H55-M Pro
GRG’s Budget 1156 Motherboard Pick
Biostar DDR3 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (H55 HD)
