# [SOLVED] Bought the wrong MB



## moon4pie (Jul 24, 2008)

So I just made a new 'gaming' setup, but was very sloppy and mistakenly bought a motherboard that provides no overclocking capability (B75 chipset). This is even more dramatic considering that I paired it up with a 3770k.

I am just curious what would your approaches be in this case. I can't exchange the motherboard, nor can I give it back for a refund. Should I buy a new MB and throw this one away? (It would be a loss of about 100$) Or is it not worth it at all? How much would I be missing on exactly?

Thanks,
moon


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

What brand and model motherboard did you buy?


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## moon4pie (Jul 24, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

Sorry about that. I assumed the chipset would suffice.

MB: ASRock B75 Pro3
CPU: Intel 3770k
GPU: EVGA GTX 480
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz
PSU: HX650W Corsair
120GB SSD + 1TB HDD


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

Full spec sheet: ASRock > B75 Pro3-M
only shows generic warning for overclocking.


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## The_Janitor (Sep 10, 2012)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

I've done some research using keywords such as <motherboard model number> + <overclock>/<custom BIOS>/<modded BIOS>

This is the most substantive link I've found:

Award & AMI Bios mod requests. - Page 4158

Which indicates that there may be a modded BIOS that may give you features that are not on the factory BIOS.

Other reports are mixed. Most say explicitly that you cannot change the CPU multiplier. Some say that you can change the memory clock, while others say you can't. All of the major sources (manufacturers, reviewers, etc...) describe the B75 chipset as one that "can't" be overclocked, and by design, however I suspect that is only because the manufacturer's BIOS does not allow for it.

I've also read reports that creating your own custom BIOS is not as difficult as you might think, however I've never tried it. If you REALLY wanted to dig-in and make a career out of trying to overclock this thing, I'd give you a 50% chance of getting something out of it, although at some point you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. I think the real question is do you want to be the only kid on your block that managed to overclock a chipset that everyone else said couldn't be done. Those people exist; the question is if you are one of them.

I suspect not. OC'rs are a strange breed. They have a particular mix of Obsessive Compulsive behaviors in that they cannot control, as well as an adrenaline addiction of flipping a button in order to watch a computer gain 2% more performance, or make a loud <ZZAP!> sound, and a cloud of melted capacitors. Smells like "victory" to them, in some weird way.

Gamers on the other hand, are not really overclockers, although they get lured into the abyss by grandiose promises of 100 fps with settings on max, they don't REALLY want to overclock, or learn to overclock. They just want the highest spec possible, and don't care how it happens, just so long as it happens. To the extent that they are willing to pay someone else to "overclock" "their rig" (lol), which opens the door to all manner of scams and frauds. This is why my not-yet-published e-book has a chapter titled "Gamers are Dumb".

My sense is that you are case "B", and you have been lured into believing that you can somehow cheat both the Laws of Physics and Economics by purchasing cheap hardware and overclock it into becoming expensive hardware. And yes, that IS possible. However, the time spent learning to do all of that could be better spent flipping burgers (or whatever it is that you do) in order to earn the money and then PAY for that performance, and then do what you really want to do, which (guessing here) is to game. The advantage with this option is that you can rely on the extra performance you are paying for as it is within factory spec, and if things go wrong you can send it back for a refund or replacement.

Finally, overall I think it's a good idea to step back and look at what real-time performance benefit there is to be gained, and at what cost and at what risk. My time spent overclocking taught me some valuable lessons in Repair, and that gets put to use every day, and for money. However most people do not translate their online learning into cash, and if it doesn't result in a significant performance gain, nor fulfill an odd desire to "risk everything" for a minor improvement in performance, then why bother doing it. Purchase the performance with money (and not time & effort) and get on with doing what you really want to do.


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## moon4pie (Jul 24, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*



The_Janitor said:


> I've also read reports that creating your own custom BIOS is not as difficult as you might think, however I've never tried it. If you REALLY wanted to dig-in and make a career out of trying to overclock this thing, I'd give you a 50% chance of getting something out of it, although at some point you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. I think the real question is do you want to be the only kid on your block that managed to overclock a chipset that everyone else said couldn't be done. Those people exist; the question is if you are one of them.
> 
> I suspect not. OC'rs are a strange breed. They have a particular mix of Obsessive Compulsive behaviors in that they cannot control, as well as an adrenaline addiction of flipping a button in order to watch a computer gain 2% more performance, or make a loud <ZZAP!> sound, and a cloud of melted capacitors. Smells like "victory" to them, in some weird way.
> 
> ...


First of all, why are you calling me a kid?

Secondly, I did not ask for a story or a preconceived set of opinions that have nothing to do with the subject at hand. 

I readily acknowledged my poor purchase decision and wanted some insight on whether the gain I'd get from buying a motherboard based on a more 'flexible' chipset would outweigh the cost. I guess I came to the wrong place.

Best regards,
moon


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## CubicleCowboy (Dec 4, 2012)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*



moon4pie said:


> So I just made a new 'gaming' setup, but was very sloppy and mistakenly bought a motherboard that provides no overclocking capability (B75 chipset). This is even more dramatic considering that I paired it up with a 3770k.
> 
> I am just curious what would your approaches be in this case. I can't exchange the motherboard, nor can I give it back for a refund. Should I buy a new MB and throw this one away? (It would be a loss of about 100$) Or is it not worth it at all? How much would I be missing on exactly?
> 
> ...


Personally, I would leave it as is. That rig should still be able to handle all your gaming needs and a B75 will serve you well. OCing that CPU wouldn't have a noticeable effect on games. Still, having a k processor on a B75 would bug me to no end, but that's just me. 

If you stick with the B75, you'd be missing out on the OC ability, dual GPU support, and some minor things like fewer USB 3.0 ports and the such. You really wouldn't be missing out on much but if you really want to OC then you would have to get a new board. In that case I'd get a Z77 from Asus or Gigabyte and just ebay or craigslist the B75, maybe put it into storage. I'd say that it depends on how badly you want to OC. 

Just to throw a wacky idea out there - if you're just going to be gaming then you could return the 3770k and get an i5-3570 and save some money by going to a full non-OC build. If you need the hyperthreading then you'll want to stick with the 3770k, though.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

Maybe a little more detail of the problem, the bios appears to me to have the Asrocks OC Tweaker menu and CPU ratio settings. While not as robust as a $250 board it a pretty solid board for it's price range.
Do have the link to the manual(the small paper ones that come with the board are a PITA) > ftp://174.142.97.10/manual/B75 Pro3-M.pdf


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

You're not going to realize any significant, if any, advantages OC'ing a 3.5GHz CPU.
I'd stay with what you have to avoid spending more money for a futile effort.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*



moon4pie said:


> First of all, why are you calling me a kid?
> 
> Secondly, I did not ask for a story or a preconceived set of opinions that have nothing to do with the subject at hand.
> 
> ...


 
He was using the work kid in jest, meaning _he didn't mean it that way_. You seem fairly intelligent, so i'm sure you will give him the benefit of the doubt now that I have clarified that for you. Stick with the B75 and be happy, but I would sure have advised you with a better brand like Asus.


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## moon4pie (Jul 24, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

Thanks for all your opinions; you've been really helpful!

@ChronoGeek, I might have been wrong, but taken from my perspective, it seemed as though he was trying to impose and not help. If you believe that wasn't the case, then all I can say is that I'm sorry.

Best regards,
moon


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*

As Tyree mentions, there's virtually nothing to gain from overclocking a 3770k. It's already a king. If you're interested enough to overclock for pure enthusiast reasons, you will need a board with better features. Look for heatsinks on the VRM and a better power phase.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Bought the wrong MB*



moon4pie said:


> Thanks for all your opinions; you've been really helpful!
> 
> @ChronoGeek, I might have been wrong, but taken from my perspective, it seemed as though he was trying to impose and not help. If you believe that wasn't the case, then all I can say is that I'm sorry.
> Best regards,
> moon


No worries. The term "kid on the block" actually implies all - meaning everyone in the room or in the conversation at that time. It's a generality term, inclusive.


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