X79 Board for OCing 3930k and 2 7970s?

[alduin]

So I am upgrading my 1090t to a 3930k and I am having a tough time choosing a motherboard. The requirements/setup are as follows:

3930k and 16GB (4x4G of Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz (for now). I will not need 8 memory slots.

2 7970s in crossfire. Obviously I want to be able to use both cards with PCI-E 3.0 x16.

For cooling I will be using an H100 and the reference coolers on the 7970s. I plan to just run at stock clocks for a few months until I upgrade to a full WC loop, at which point I want to OC as far as I can push things.

I will be using Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, which can use any x1, x4, x8, or x16 PCI-E slot. On-board audio does not matter at all to me.

This whole setup will be installed in my Coolermaster HAF-X with a Corsair TX750w PSU.

I really prefer an all black board (ASRock or Gigabyte). I don't mind red so much either but I really don't like blue or any beige/grays.

I have 4 Hard drives to be installed; 2x Corsair Force GT 120GB in RAID 0, OCZ Vertex 2 60GB, and a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB.

Last thing is budget, which is around $250-300. I don't really see what I gain from the higher end boards other than extra slots, ports, and nice onboard audio or other unnecessary features. I really want to get to get the best bang for my buck, that will allow me to easily OC my hardware.

Now with all this in mind, what would you recommend me for a motherboard? Right now I am considering the Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4, or the ASRock X79 Extreme4. There is also the ASRock X79 Extreme6, but as far as I can tell its pretty much the same as the Extreme4 with more slots. And I just found the Asus P9X79 Pro on sale. Even though its blue would it be worth getting over the Gigabyte or ASRock?

[Drdeath]

Welcome Aldwin. Private message me. I have the perfect board for you and great priced. I review boards here at Pure OC.

[xelosia]

Welcome to PURE OC

[alduin]

Thanks for the friendly welcomes guys!

[realneil]

Welcome to PureOC. Jim (Drdeath) can probably give you an outstanding deal on a board.

[alduin]

Thanks, I have sent him a PM. Hopefully we can work something out!

[JamesLT3]

Thanks, I have sent him a PM. Hopefully we can work something out!

Welcome Alduin to PureOC! I dont think you will have a problem getting a good board from Jim! Dont know if you have entered the Final Giveaway yet but if not head over ---> http://forums.pureoverclock.com/anno...-giveaway.html theres a lot of good prizes!

[SamCR3]

Welcome. Sweet system you are planning. Can't wait to see the final product.

[Steve]

alduin to PureOC.

[Solara2xb]

Welcome!!! Yea, Jim is our resident motherboard reviewer and he will point you in the right direction..

[Doctor_Death]

Welcome to Pure OC! I hope you enjoy your stay with us, we have a lot of great members always willing to help.