I'm looking to upgrade my current PC (q6600 processor, 9800gt 512mb video card, 4gb ram) and get these components, but I don't know which mobo to go with....
CPU - perfect
Fan - I've heard the cooler is good, but can be loud. Check out the CoolerMaster 212 Plus http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103065
It'll get your processor to 4.5 GHz easily. And it's quiet and a bit cheaper.
RAM - I'd probably go with 1600MHz. You just won't notice the difference with anything higher and it'll save you a bit of cash http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231314
GPU - And then you can put that extra cash into a slightly better video card http://www.newegg.co...&Tpk=asus%20570
Both are 570s, but the Asus will be quieter and slightly faster.
If you were looking to save a bit more money yet not sacrifice much performance, you could go with an AMD 6950 or an Nvidia 560Ti. Of course they aren't QUITE as good as the 570, but are close. And it'll save you $80-$100, depending upon the brand, model, etc. I don't want to talk you out of the 570, because it's a great card. Just sharing what I thought through before I purchased my card. I ended up getting an MSI 6950, simply because I don't play THAT many computer games, and the ones I do aren't very GPU taxing (WoW, D3, SC2, Aoe3, etc etc).
PSU - you didn't mention what power supply you have. It may be something you'll want to upgrade as well, given the higher power requirements. As long as you have a good 650W or higher you'll be fine.
Edit: I saw this (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131791) motherboard, which looks like it's bad ass, but it's more than I wanted to spend. *frowny face*
Ha! Yikes. Check out that Asus I linked to earlier http://www.newegg.co...8-v+pro&x=0&y=0
Solid board, will let you overclock the i5 and, if you so choose, will work with the Ivy Bridge processors. At this point it should come with the required bios version of at least 0902 for the Ivy.
You could also go with a Gen3 version http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131790
But really the only difference between the two (aside from price) is the Gen3 supports PCI-Express 3.0. But I don't foresee GPU bandwidth being a problem for quite some time. So spending the extra $40 would be a personal choice.
What about this fan (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103046)? Or is it just overkill. The other one you linked looks pretty good too, just figured I'd ask.
If I won't be able to tell the difference between the 2133 and the 1600 RAM, then I'll go with this (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231358). I wanted 12gigs of RAM anyways, but the 2133 stuff was a lil' too expensive for 3x 4gig sticks.
This mobo (http://www.newegg.co...#scrollFullInfo) looks pretty good. Wish it was about $50 less (I know the other board is like $30 less, but it's open box & I don't trust that).
Ok, sorry for the giant quote but I wanted to touch on everything.
CPU
Excellent CPU choice, althought if you're not really on a restricted budget the i7 2600k is worth 100 more bucks (I'm glad I decided to do it when I was looking at the i5) and it's more "futureproof" than the i5 due to hyperthreading.
COOLING
For the Heatsink/Fan, you're already looking to spend around 50 bucks (close to it anyway) it seems so I recommend you go for the best Heatsink/Fan out there right now.
#1 on that list, it's amazing and has been consistantly #1 on that list for a year and it only costs like 50-60 bucks. Downside is it's hard to find. Here is a list of good sites that carry it. I got my from PerformancePCs.com but they are sold out ATM...http://www.frostytech.com/permalink.cfm?NewsID=78062
Getting the right cooling system will allow you to OC your i5 (or 7 :)) to 30%+ with really good temps and the HUGE increases in performance is worth it (my i7 is OC'd to 4.7GHz on that Heatsink I showed you and it idles under 40 celsius.
RAM
Superfula is correct when he says to stick with 1600MHz RAM. GSkill is a great choice and the RAM you picked is awesome.
GPU
Out of those 2, I would go with the EVGA card.
MOTHERBOARD
When it comes to the motherboard, I would look at P67 motherboards only unless you plan on using Intel QuickSync, SSD Caching, and the intergrated CPU graphics (the H67 feature). Those features are what separates Z68 from P67 and you'll save yourself 70-40 bucks depending on the P67 board you choose.
I personally have an ASRock Extreme4 Gen3. Picked it after looking at a few motherboard "roundup" reviews. It had really good SATA 6GB performance, excellent temps and power consumption scores. The ASUS boards on there are good too though.
What about this fan (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103046)? Or is it just overkill. The other one you linked looks pretty good too, just figured I'd ask.
Good deal about the PSU. As far as the fan...I've never used it so I couldn't speak to it's effectiveness. It may be worth searching around for some reviews or comparisons.
With the cooling it has, I'd have a hard time believing it wouldn't overclock higher than the EVGA. It may be another item to check actual reviews on. The Newegg comments are nice, but they can't replace a review that Anand or another tech site does. Another you may want to look at is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582&Tpk=msi%20570 Like the Asus it is overclocked slightly and comes with a superior cooling solution than most cards. A bit pricier though. Just throwing out options
The EVGA is nice, but with the stock cooling and smaller fan, it's going to be louder. It really comes down to personal choice.
This mobo (http://www.newegg.co...#scrollFullInfo) looks pretty good. Wish it was about $50 less (I know the other board is like $30 less, but it's open box & I don't trust that).
It is exactly the same as the Pro, aside from three things
2 extra SATA III ports on the Pro
Onboard firewire on the Pro
Bluetooth V 3 (the non pro has v 2.1) on the Pro
Ok, sorry for the giant quote but I wanted to touch on everything.
Excellent CPU choice, althought if you're not really on a restricted budget the i7 2600k is worth 100 more bucks (I'm glad I decided to do it when I was looking at the i5) and it's more "futureproof" than the i5 due to hyperthreading.
For the Heatsink/Fan, you're already looking to spend around 50 bucks (close to it anyway) it seems so I recommend you go for the best Heatsink/Fan out there right now.
#1 on that list, it's amazing has been consistantly #1 on that list for a year and it only costs like 59 bucks. Downside is it's hard to find. Here is a list of good sites that carry it. I got my from PerformancePCs.com buyt they are sold out ATM...http://www.frostytech.com/permalink.cfm?NewsID=78062
Superfula is correct when he says to stick with 1600MHz RAM. GSkill is a great choice and the RAM you picked is awesome.
Out of those 2, I would go with the EVGA card.
When it comes to the motherboard, I would look at P67 motherboards only unless you plan on using Intel QuickSync, SSD Caching, and the intergrated CPU graphics (the H67 feature). Those features are what separates Z68 from P67 and you'll save yourself 70-40 bucks depending on the P67 board you choose.
I personally have an ASRock Extreme4 Gen3. Picked it after looking at a few motherboard "roundup" reviews. It had really good SATA 6GB performance, excellent temps and power consumption scores. The ASUS boards on there are good too though.
Going with the P67 board is a good call, Glowyrm. Sometimes I forget it's still around.
As far as the cooler....anything that's been mentioned by me or Glow will get your i5 up to 4.7 easily. It's pretty hard not to, as the processor ramps up pretty easily. I wanted the Spire Thermax, but Newegg didn't have it so I went with the CM 212 Plus.
Unless you want one of the three main items a Z68 board gives (onboard video, ssd caching and quicksync), go with a P67. I wanted the onboard video in case I flashed my video card wrong (and I did, so it saved me). ASRock is solid...I'm partial to Asus simply because their uEFI Bios ui is so far ahead of everything else out there. In the end, you can't go wrong with either brand.
Unless you want one of the three main items a Z68 board gives (onboard video, ssd caching and quicksync), go with a P67. I wanted the onboard video in case I flashed my video card wrong (and I did, so it saved me). ASRock is solid...I'm partial to Asus simply because their uEFI Bios ui is so far ahead of everything else out there. In the end, you can't go wrong with either brand.
Yeah that's one thing that I noticed, the ASRock has no on-board video (which looked really weird because I'm not used to it lol). I've got no real interest in the features the Pro offers, so I'm between the non-Pro ASUS & the ASRock. I'm curious though, are those blue waves on the ASUS boards just heat dispersers?
Ok, sorry for the giant quote but I wanted to touch on everything.
CPU
Excellent CPU choice, althought if you're not really on a restricted budget the i7 2600k is worth 100 more bucks (I'm glad I decided to do it when I was looking at the i5) and it's more "futureproof" than the i5 due to hyperthreading.
COOLING
For the Heatsink/Fan, you're already looking to spend around 50 bucks (close to it anyway) it seems so I recommend you go for the best Heatsink/Fan out there right now.
http://www.frostytec...p5heatsinks.cfm
#1 on that list, it's amazing and has been consistantly #1 on that list for a year and it only costs like 50-60 bucks. Downside is it's hard to find. Here is a list of good sites that carry it. I got my from PerformancePCs.com but they are sold out ATM...http://www.frostytech.com/permalink.cfm?NewsID=78062
Getting the right cooling system will allow you to OC your i5 (or 7 :)) to 30%+ with really good temps and the HUGE increases in performance is worth it (my i7 is OC'd to 4.7GHz on that Heatsink I showed you and it idles under 40 celsius.
RAM
Superfula is correct when he says to stick with 1600MHz RAM. GSkill is a great choice and the RAM you picked is awesome.
GPU
Out of those 2, I would go with the EVGA card.
MOTHERBOARD
When it comes to the motherboard, I would look at P67 motherboards only unless you plan on using Intel QuickSync, SSD Caching, and the intergrated CPU graphics (the H67 feature). Those features are what separates Z68 from P67 and you'll save yourself 70-40 bucks depending on the P67 board you choose.
Choose one from here ---> http://www.newegg.co...ING&PageSize=20
I personally have an ASRock Extreme4 Gen3. Picked it after looking at a few motherboard "roundup" reviews. It had really good SATA 6GB performance, excellent temps and power consumption scores. The ASUS boards on there are good too though.
Good deal about the PSU. As far as the fan...I've never used it so I couldn't speak to it's effectiveness. It may be worth searching around for some reviews or comparisons.
With the cooling it has, I'd have a hard time believing it wouldn't overclock higher than the EVGA. It may be another item to check actual reviews on. The Newegg comments are nice, but they can't replace a review that Anand or another tech site does. Another you may want to look at is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582&Tpk=msi%20570 Like the Asus it is overclocked slightly and comes with a superior cooling solution than most cards. A bit pricier though. Just throwing out options
The EVGA is nice, but with the stock cooling and smaller fan, it's going to be louder. It really comes down to personal choice.
Ah, didn't even see it was open box. Check this one out then http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729
It is exactly the same as the Pro, aside from three things
2 extra SATA III ports on the Pro
Onboard firewire on the Pro
Bluetooth V 3 (the non pro has v 2.1) on the Pro
When it comes to the fans were you talking about the Spire Thermax Eclipse II (http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2521) or the Prolimatech Megahalems (http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2481). BTW I can hardly even pronounce the 2nd one lol. I ask because the Prolimatech has a review of 98% compared to the Spire's 92%.
I have no experience with ASRock mobo's (the 2 I've personally used in the last 4-5 years have been ASUS) but that board you mentioned (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265)looks pretty good.
ASUS P8Z68-V ~ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro ~ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790
ASRock P67 Gen3 ~ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265
As far as the cooler....anything that's been mentioned by me or Glow will get your i5 up to 4.7 easily. It's pretty hard not to, as the processor ramps up pretty easily. I wanted the Spire Thermax, but Newegg didn't have it so I went with the CM 212 Plus.
Yeah that's one thing that I noticed, the ASRock has no on-board video (which looked really weird because I'm not used to it lol). I've got no real interest in the features the Pro offers, so I'm between the non-Pro ASUS & the ASRock. I'm curious though, are those blue waves on the ASUS boards just heat dispersers?