This is the rig I'm building, it's being put together with quietness in mind:
Intel i7 4770k Haswell
Thermalright Archon SB-E X2 CPU Cooler
Memory: Not Decided yet, but the Kingson 16GB DDR3 2400MHz HyperX Genesis look right up my alley.
Asus GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II OC 4GB
Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD
850W Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 PSU
I'll be looking to overclock mt processor to at least 4.0GHz, but I'm unsure as to how far I'll take it, maybe 4.5GHz if I can get the temperature stable. Ill mostly be using my PC for Home-Theatre purposes, some video processing (converting Blu-ray transfers for DVD and various over file converts, demuxing Blu-rays, etc), lots of unrarring and rarring, and also as a serious gaming rig (only at 1080p though). At the moment I've settled for a single Geforce 670 for graphics, but I'm planning to upgrade that a year or two down the line, so Dual SLI performance is important to me should I wish to go that route (I doubt I'll ever run a Quad-SLI set up).
I basically want to build the best PC I can within my budget and don't want to skimp on the motherboard, but my budget really only goes as far as £250. I need the motherboard to be quiet, so anything with fans can be immediately discounted; which means that boards with Thermal Armor are probably a no-go as well (I've read that the armor gathers dust if you don't use the included fans?).
So far I've made a shortlist, but I'm really having a hard time choosing an out-and-out winner. The Asus z87 Expert seems to get a stellar write up here, but it's not being compared to the Gigabyte UD5H or Z87X-OC there (I know the UD3H is a bit of a fan favourite).
ASUS Z87-Expert
Gigabyte Z87X-OC
Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H
ASUS Maximus VI Hero
Gigabyte Z87x-UD3H
I'm a real newcomer to overclocking and new higher-end PC tech in general (the last PC I built was 5yrs ago and it was on a budget). I'm also not really massively concerned about the performance-per-dollar(pound) of the motherboard, as like I say I don't mind spending the £250 for a better board.
Are Gigabyte generally considered better built? The only motherboard I've ever had fail on me was an Asus (P5N32-E SLI Plus that died after 3yrs).
Intel i7 4770k Haswell
Thermalright Archon SB-E X2 CPU Cooler
Memory: Not Decided yet, but the Kingson 16GB DDR3 2400MHz HyperX Genesis look right up my alley.
Asus GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II OC 4GB
Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD
850W Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 PSU
I'll be looking to overclock mt processor to at least 4.0GHz, but I'm unsure as to how far I'll take it, maybe 4.5GHz if I can get the temperature stable. Ill mostly be using my PC for Home-Theatre purposes, some video processing (converting Blu-ray transfers for DVD and various over file converts, demuxing Blu-rays, etc), lots of unrarring and rarring, and also as a serious gaming rig (only at 1080p though). At the moment I've settled for a single Geforce 670 for graphics, but I'm planning to upgrade that a year or two down the line, so Dual SLI performance is important to me should I wish to go that route (I doubt I'll ever run a Quad-SLI set up).
I basically want to build the best PC I can within my budget and don't want to skimp on the motherboard, but my budget really only goes as far as £250. I need the motherboard to be quiet, so anything with fans can be immediately discounted; which means that boards with Thermal Armor are probably a no-go as well (I've read that the armor gathers dust if you don't use the included fans?).
So far I've made a shortlist, but I'm really having a hard time choosing an out-and-out winner. The Asus z87 Expert seems to get a stellar write up here, but it's not being compared to the Gigabyte UD5H or Z87X-OC there (I know the UD3H is a bit of a fan favourite).
ASUS Z87-Expert
Gigabyte Z87X-OC
Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H
ASUS Maximus VI Hero
Gigabyte Z87x-UD3H
I'm a real newcomer to overclocking and new higher-end PC tech in general (the last PC I built was 5yrs ago and it was on a budget). I'm also not really massively concerned about the performance-per-dollar(pound) of the motherboard, as like I say I don't mind spending the £250 for a better board.
Are Gigabyte generally considered better built? The only motherboard I've ever had fail on me was an Asus (P5N32-E SLI Plus that died after 3yrs).
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