Best Motherboard for Gaming - Top i7 CPU Board Combo for 2012

Now that the i7 series of processors have come down in price, gamers everywhere are looking to find the perfect motherboard CPU combo to improve their gaming performance.

Because CPUs only fit certain motherboards it's important that you decide which type of gaming processor you want before you look at motherboards. If you haven't chosen your CPU then I recommend you read this hub on the best gaming processors for 2012.

Before we begin I'd like to advise you that since this hub is about i7 CPU and motherboards, there will be no AMD boards and CPU featured. This is because I have written a hub entirely dedicated to the best AMD CPU motherboard combos for 2012.

Why you need to choose your CPU first

If you already know why you need to choose a CPU before you choose your motherboard, then you can skip this section.

Motherboard's are brand specific. For example, you wouldn't try to put an AMD processor on a motherboard that is made for an Intel processor or vice versa. Also motherboards only fit certain types of CPUs. The easiest way for you to tell if a motherboard would work with the CPU that you have is to look at what type of socket it has. The "i" series of Intel processors are all built in one of three types of sockets, the LGA 1155 LGA 1156 and the LGA 1366. When purchasing your CPU it will list the socket type in the processor name. Make sure it matches the socket type in one of the motherboards that you choose below.

What's the difference between the i7-2600k and i5-2500k?

One of the biggest questions in the gaming world right now is whether the additional money for the i7-2600k is worth it. As far as gaming is concerned you probably won't see a noticeable difference in FPS. The i7-2600k does have hyperthreading allowing you to use its 4 cores as 8 threads. Additional details include 8MB of L3 cache rather than 6MB for the i7-2500k. If you are a part-time graphic designer, then it might be worth it (or if you just like having the best), but otherwise, stick with the i5-2500k.

Z68 vs P67 vs H67

The P67 and H67 designations have been commonly used with Intel chipsets. The P67 allows you to overclock your CPU but doesn't support integrated graphics while the H67 supports integrated graphics but doesn't support processor overclocking.

The Intel Z68 chipset allows for the best of the P67 and H67 allowing for integrated graphics support and switching and CPU overclocking. Intel Smart Response technology also allows you to use a portion of a solid state drive as "cache" to allow that 2TB hard drive of yours to have near solid state drive speed and functionality. Intel released the inexpensive 311 series of SSD with 20GB of space as a result.

Gaming Motherboards: Options to Consider:

Sata 3 Gb/s vs 6 Gb/s?

One of the options to consider when choosing a motherboard will be whether you want Sata 3 Gb/s or 6 Gb/s. From what I've seen most 1155 and 1366 socket motherboards are compatible with the Sata 6 while only some of the 1156 are. In the future because of solid state drives this may become a moot point, but from what I have read from Seagate in the last couple of days, SSD may not become a standard for several years until there is more capacity to produce them. Also remember that if you want to use the 6 Gb/s not only do you need a motherboard that is compatible with it, but a hard drive as well. Expect to pay a little bit more for one with 6 Gb/s Capability.

DDR 3 and USB 3.0

Most newer boards now support both, but it's always worth checking.

Ram

How much ram do you plan on using? A good motherboard will go up to at least 16 GB of ram or more. For gaming, I don't see a need for more than 16 GB of ram for the next several years, but there are some that go up to 24 GB. If it's cheaper, then I'd stick with the 16 GB for now as by the time we all need 24 GB ram, you'll want to upgrade everything anyway.

My choice for the best gaming motherboard under or around $200 is the ASUS LGA 1155 P8Z68-V PRO.

This along with the i7-2600k (unlocked) CPU from intel is our choice for best motherboard cpu combo for 2011. Those seeking value should consider the i5-2500k.

2/3/2011 - *As you've probably heard Intel has recalled it's Sandy Bridge CPU and will be re-releasing these again in the next month and a half. For now, consider the core i7 950 with the ASUSP6X58D.

5/23/2011 - The CougarPoint chipset is no longer a concern. Make sure to look for the B3 revision both on your motherboard's packaging and in the BIOS.

I hope you've enjoyed this hub on the best motherboards for gaming. If you have, then please comment and vote this hub up at the bottom. This allows other gamers to see this hub.

Did I miss something?

Sometimes I try to run 4 cores on a brain that simply only has one. When I try to overclock, it freezes and gives me a blue screen. If I've missed a product that you would like me to feature, then let me know in the comments below. You can see additional information on the all best new z68 motherboard here.