Motherboard selection...

selas

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2011
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18,680
Hello,

Building a new machine after getting some ideas from the forum and net. Primary purpose will be to run equipment (that relies on both USB 2.0 and RS-232), analyze images (2D), data analysis, and low-end coding.

Budget: Is not really an issue, however I suspect that I can get all I need within $1300

I need help with

(1) picking up a P67 motherboard as options tend to fluctuate with availability.
Associated questions:
(2) deciding whether should I stay with a 2600 SB or get a 2600K (won't be overclocking)
(3) should I get an after market cooling system?


Here is the list of items I have considered so far:

CD/DVD $19
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
CASE $100
LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112249
PSU $100
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
CPU $300
i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
RAM $85
G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426
SSD $195
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395
HDD $176
* Will be set up in RAID 1
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
GPU $130
*for potential use of CUDA
ASUS ENGTS450 DC OC/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121415&cm_re=asus_engts450-_-14-121-415-_-Product
MULTI CARD READER $17
Rosewill RCR-IC002 74-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223109
RS-232 SERIAL CARD $35
StarTech 2 Port PCI 16950 RS-232 Dual Voltage / Dual Profile Serial Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815158071&Tpk=StarTech%202%20Port%20PCI%2016950%20RS-232

TOTAL: $1,156 plus MoBo, 2x screens (not included in budget), keyboard and mouse...

Any input would be appreciated !
cheers