Which MoBo combo from Microcenter
#1
I am about to place a pick up order for a i3 3225 from microcenter. Which board should I get? Micro boards

I am torn between a asrock z77 for $69 after $40 off or the h61 asrock for $9 after combo. Wish they had a good h77 board for in between price points. Is there a better option on there I should be looking at? I want some bells and whistle for future proof so not sure if I want he h61 but that price is good.

Thanks for help!
HTPC Basement: i3 3225, Asrock z77 pro4m, 8gb Crucial DDR3 1600, Samsung 840 120gb SSD, Silverstone GD05B Case

HTPC Livingroom: WIP

Server: UnRaid: Intel G550, Asrock B75 pro3m, 4gb ram, Parity Drive 3tb WD Red, Data 2 x 2tb WD Red, Cache 1tb WD Blue, Fractal Design XL R2 Case
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#2
Reasons to get z77 - SATA 3, USB3, and PCIe 3.0. Why not split the difference and go with the Intel DZ68AF? That would give you SATA3 & USB3 for $40. If you are going to be doing gaming in the future with a dedicated GPU then the z77 might be worth it. Otherwise I'd go with the z68 board. If you are not going to be using a SATA3 SSD or an external USB3 drive then the H61 would be fine - although if your needs change in the future you'd be screwed.
HTPC: Win 7 Home 64-bit | MB | CPU | GPU | RAM | Case | PSU | Tuner | HDDs: OS, Media | DVD Burner | Remote
Media server: unraid 4.7 | CPU | MB | RAM | Case | PSU | HDDs: Parity-2TB, Data-2x2TB
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#3
Went ahead and went with the z77 board. Also picked up Samsung 840 ssd 120gb for $89 while there. Not best price but don't have to mess with rebates. So far have silver stone gd05b case, corsair 430 modular psu, Samsung ssd, i3-3225, asrock z77m. Now just need some memory and blu ray burner. Any recommendations on last two parts? Anyone know of any good deals?

Also not what I was expecting at Micro Center. First time there, had no idea how big that place is. Wish it wasn't a 40 min drive. But def will be back if its best price there! Can't wait to finish build and use xbmc for first time!
HTPC Basement: i3 3225, Asrock z77 pro4m, 8gb Crucial DDR3 1600, Samsung 840 120gb SSD, Silverstone GD05B Case

HTPC Livingroom: WIP

Server: UnRaid: Intel G550, Asrock B75 pro3m, 4gb ram, Parity Drive 3tb WD Red, Data 2 x 2tb WD Red, Cache 1tb WD Blue, Fractal Design XL R2 Case
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#4
Also looking to use windows 7 and xbmc. I have a windows px disc, is there any way to get windows 7 cheap or free? Or better off just purchasing windows 7 and doing clean install?
HTPC Basement: i3 3225, Asrock z77 pro4m, 8gb Crucial DDR3 1600, Samsung 840 120gb SSD, Silverstone GD05B Case

HTPC Livingroom: WIP

Server: UnRaid: Intel G550, Asrock B75 pro3m, 4gb ram, Parity Drive 3tb WD Red, Data 2 x 2tb WD Red, Cache 1tb WD Blue, Fractal Design XL R2 Case
Reply

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Which MoBo combo from Microcenter0