[CommanderDJ]

Hello!

It's that time: I'm looking to build a new system. At this moment I'm still very much in the planning/research stages (and probably will be for a while, as I'm looking at water cooling). Sadly, one area I'm sorely lacking knowledge in is motherboards. Right now I'm looking to get an Intel 1155pin CPU, most likely an i7-2600(K?), but amongst the multitude of mobos available I'm not sure which ones are good/bad. Are Intel boards any good? My current board is a Gigabyte, so I'll be looking at them again, but I'm open to suggestions. Like I said, this is one area I really need to bring myself up to date on. Input/links appreciated!

Thanks.

[jr2]

I like ASUS and MSI boards, but that's just my 2c.  I've used Gigabyte in the past, I do like them, but I don't think I like them as much as the other two... although perhaps the newer Gigabyte boards might change my mind if I tried one of them.

[Polpolion]

for what it's worth if you opt for the best i5 instead of the best i7 you can save $100 and just give up hyper-threading.

[Klaustrophobia]

i'm doing pretty much the same thing as you right now.  after a couple days combing through newegg and various reviews, i picked out this motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

as far as the i5 vs. i7, is the hyper threading really that insignificant of a difference?  some of the reviews i was reading (mostly about bulldozer, but comparing the i5 and i7 as well) were showing a non-trivial difference in performance between the two.  this will be my first intel build.  i'm something of an AMD fanboy, but bulldozer just wasn't up to scratch.  money isn't an issue, and i was looking to splurge a little bit with this build/make it last for a long time.  mostly for gaming, but i do a fair bit of audio and video converting as well.

[CommanderDJ]

Yeah, it looks like a P67 is definitely a probable choice, as it seems that Intel has locked out overclocking on at least some other chipsets (I'll have to do some more reading on that though). I really want to OC this build, so yeah.

I'll be going for the i7 pretty much just cause I can. If budget constraints do come into it I'll switch down to an i5 without too much fuss though, but I'd like HT if I can get it. I'm looking for a longevity build too, though we'll see how that compromises with overclocking .

[TwentyPercentCooler]

The i7-2600K can go to some ridiculous clock speeds ludicrous speed.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-overclocking-efficiency,2850-4.html

Edited for lols.

[Klaustrophobia]

Yeah, it looks like a P67 is definitely a probable choice, as it seems that Intel has locked out overclocking on at least some other chipsets (I'll have to do some more reading on that though). I really want to OC this build, so yeah.

I'll be going for the i7 pretty much just cause I can. If budget constraints do come into it I'll switch down to an i5 without too much fuss though, but I'd like HT if I can get it. I'm looking for a longevity build too, though we'll see how that compromises with overclocking .

from what i've found p67 is the ONLY sensible choice for -k processors.  there's plenty of cheaper options available as long as you don't want an obscene number of PCI-E slots. 

[Bob-san]

Yeah, it looks like a P67 is definitely a probable choice, as it seems that Intel has locked out overclocking on at least some other chipsets (I'll have to do some more reading on that though). I really want to OC this build, so yeah.

I'll be going for the i7 pretty much just cause I can. If budget constraints do come into it I'll switch down to an i5 without too much fuss though, but I'd like HT if I can get it. I'm looking for a longevity build too, though we'll see how that compromises with overclocking .

from what i've found p67 is the ONLY sensible choice for -k processors.  there's plenty of cheaper options available as long as you don't want an obscene number of PCI-E slots.

P67 or Z68. Either one. Hyperthreading is nice if you have a many-threaded processor programs. Depends on what type of load exactly.

[CommanderDJ]

I just read up a little on the Z68 - it supports overclocking on SB processors, which is good as the shop I was planning to buy most of my parts from has tons of Z68s and almost no P67s. SSD caching interests me too as I don't fancy buying a 160GB SSD for my primary drive, so having just a small one to serve as a cache while I use my HDDs as my drives sounds really good. I'll do more reading and post anything update-worthy.

[Klaustrophobia]

personally i'm leaving SSDs well enough alone.  far too expensive just to speed up load times, when load times don't even bother me. 

[CommanderDJ]

Fair enough. To be honest I doubt I'll be able to fit SSDs in my budget anyway. Water cooling is damn expensive, but I'm set on it.

So, I've done more research and am pretty much set on an ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe and an i7-2600K. One thing I'm still unsure on is what graphics card to get. I'm a bit of an nVidia fanboy, so I'll most likely go with them again, but I'll have to do more research. I'm not convinced the price difference between a GTX560 and a GTX570 is worth it, so right now I'm leaning towards the 560, but I'll see how I go. Anyone who's got relevant input is welcome to post it!

[CommanderDJ]

Double post!

Scrap what I said earlier, it looks like water cooling will just be too expensive for me. I'll just get a good CPU cooler and a few extra fans. Maybe I'll think about buying a water cooling system later, but it's pretty much another $700AUD for a full custom WC loop, which I don't have.

Here's the system specs I'm currently looking at:
(all prices are in AUD and rounded up to the nearest $100)
Mobo: Asus P8Z68 Deluxe - $300
CPU: Intel i7-2600K - $400
GPU: 1GB Asus GTX570 - $400
PSU: Corsair TX650 - $100
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws X 2133MHz - $100

I'll probably go with the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU cooler. Read lots of good things about them. I can get them for about $30-$40.

Additionally, I'm looking at either the Corsair 800D case or the 650D. The 650D is available at the store I'll be buying the parts from but is smaller and less roomy (but still bigger than my current case) which is a disadvantage if I want to later put in a water cooling system. I'd have to order the 800D online though which means additional costs for shipping.

Opinions/criticisms/thoughts?

[MP-Ryan]

I've found the Tom's Hardware quarterly builds to be a really excellent starting point for components.

Two comments:
-I have been less than impressed with Gigabyte's drivers and warranty.
-When you pick a case, actually take a look at it for ease of component replacement.  While I quite like the Sonata I got, I discovered that the PSU can only be replaced by removing the entire motherboard first because it wouldn't clear the cooling pipes around the processor, nevermind the CPU HSF unit.

[JCDNWarrior]

Go for a Geforce GTX560 Ti, got one a few days ago for 200 euro after a lot of researching and benchmark stuff. The GTX570 is a little steep for the relatively small performance increase it gives in comparison.

Also, pick a i5 2500k, saves a bunch of money yet almost the same performance as the 2600k.

You might also be able to save some money on the motherboard too, mine was around 150 euro (150-200 dollar I think). Also a Z68 motherboard.

SSD can be great, from my own experience a 120 GB SSD is more than enough, a Intel 320 seems a good choice.

Hope that helps a little in your choice.

[LHN91]

^ Agreed on the slight downgrade to a 560Ti and a 2500k. Longevity is all well and good, but the price difference doesn't justify the comparatively very small increases in power, and you'll probably need to upgrade around the same time either way.

Never used an SSD though, never felt the need. Of course, the added cost seems somewhat steep to me too, especially when I've always run into problems with storage space well before running into (to me) noticeable drive-speed bottlenecks.

[KyadCK]

Both the 800D and 650D are huge and have a bottom mount PSU, he'll have no trouble with mounting, though I prefer CM HAF myself. Beyond that, you could save a bit of money via 2500k and 560Ti and get an SSD instead. It really makes all the difference in the world on boot and load times.

[Dark RevenantX]

Get two 560Ti video cards and you can destroy any game.

[CommanderDJ]

Thank you all for your input. I've actually found another store which does quite competitive prices in my area, so I'll be checking them out. They also have both the 800D and the 650D, which the original place I wanted to buy from didn't have in stock, so I'll be checking them out next week sometime. You've convinced me on downgrading to the 560Ti, but I reckon I'll stick with the 2600K just because of the "top of the line" factor, plus the increase in that price doesn't bother me (for now). I'll be OCing the processor as far as I can get it (on air initially until I save up enough for a WC setup), and if my GPU becomes a bottleneck a few years down the line I can always buy another and go SLI. I don't play all the top-notch games so I intend to keep this system for around 5-6 years if I can. It's probably my last opportunity to spend this kind of money on a computer that I'll have for quite a while.

I'll be doing more research over the weekend and I'll probably come up with a pretty solid idea of what I want - then I'll compare prices and see what deals I can get etc. After that I'll have to consider whether it's even financially feasible for me to get it now. Regardless it'll probably have to wait til the end of the year as I have other things I need to pay for first.