Gaming Computer Motherboard

[Zachk]

I'm planning on buying/building a gaming desktop soon, and I've pretty much figured out what parts I want. The only problem I have right now is finding the right motherboard for it. The parts are below:

Case: NZXT Phantom
http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-Crafted-Tower-Steel-Chassis/dp/B003WE9WQY/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I337HG9PEDZASI&colid=T2TTMBDYSLL9

CPU: i7 2600k
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-2600-Processor-3-4GHz-LGA1155/dp/B004EBUXSU/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3SRODV7RFRLA5&colid=T2TTMBDYSLL9

Video Card: GTX 590
http://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-GeForce-ENGTX590-3DIS-3GD5/dp/B0009PTE58/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3G7158P393RC1&colid=T2TTMBDYSLL9

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468

HDD: 1 TB 7200 RPM 64 mb cache
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IWIGFVKTDQNBH&colid=T2TTMBDYSLL9

Power Supply: CoolerMaster Silent Pro 1000 W
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Modular-Certified-RSA00-AMBAJ3-US/dp/B002RWJGCM/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3I4PNZD24CGBH&colid=T2TTMBDYSLL9

The parts listed above total about $1470 if I remember right, although the 590 is out of stock right now.

I don't know much about motherboards, and although I've been reading what I can find about them I'm still very confused. I'm pretty sure that the P67 Chipset is ideal for a gaming build using a 2600k processor though. I don't want to leave out any relevant information, so I'll just list whatever else might be important:
-Don't know which motherboards will hold the GTX 590
-I don't plan on adding a second graphics card or really making any changes to the hardware other than adding a new cd/blue ray drive, an additional hdd/ssd at some point, and maybe another 4 or 8 gb of RAM if I end up needing it
-I don't know anything about overclocking, but I'll probably learn how when/if I need to, so I'd like the option to overclock

Other than that, if anyone has any suggestions, notices problems with the selected parts, etc. I would appreciate any advice you have to offer. Thanks for your time!

Zach

 

[chillin15]

In terms of gaming performance, z68 = p67.

z58 is the most recent chipset and offers three advantages:

1) with a 64gb or smaller ssd, you can use your ssd as a cache to make your hdd faster.
2) you can use sandy bridge's integrated graphics
3) you can use sandy bridge's integrated graphics for faster transcoding

If you are getting or plan to get a 120 or bigger ssd, go with the p67. The 590 and 6990 are rare cards and rarely worth the asking price. I suggest getting the 580 and since you will only be getting one 580, get the asus 580:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121429

Mobos:
ASRock extreme4 gen3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265&Tpk=asrock%20p67%20extreme4%20gen3

 

[starravier]

Lol your another person buying the most expensive stuff there is to buy, then asking what mobo should i get...If your gunna waste money on a 2600k that offers no performance boost over the 2500k..why stop now and ask "What mobo should i buy" Buy the most expensive. its what you've been doing.

On a serious note, get the 580 or 2x 6970=GTX590
Skip the 2600k and get the 2500k
Also you forgot the mention your CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D14 for Air or Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H60/H70 for Water

 

[Zachk]

@StarRavier: I was planning on getting the most expensive graphics card, yes, but the 2600k is far cheaper than any of the 9XX i7 processors and not by any means the most expensive cpu out there. It also doesn't cost much more than the 2500k, and I thought it did offer higher performance.

As for the motherboard, I don't want to just buy the most expensive one because there would be no point. Getting a higher end cpu and video card will be worth it because they'll be powerful enough to run anything for a number of years. I just want a motherboard that will be compatible with all the parts I plan on using and won't end up limiting the performance that the cpu or video card can provide.

I forgot about the cpu cooler, I still need to make sure I have all the necessary parts. I've never built a computer before, but the lower costs would certainly be worth it if I make sure I know what I'm doing and get all the right parts.

@chillin15: I thought the 590 would be nearly twice as powerful as the 580(I was told it's basically two 580s). In that case, if I could get it for $700 it seems worth the extra cost. But I can't find one in stock that cheap, and I don't know if my assumption is correct, so I probably will take your and StarRavier's advice and go with a 580.

I also have few questions about the motherboard you suggested. What is the difference between PCI Express 2.0 and 3.0? The 580 lists PCI Express 2.0 x16 for its interface, which I think is what it requires to connect to the motherboard. The motherboard's specs list "PCI Express 2.0 x16: 1 @ x4 ". Does this mean there is one slot with 16 and one smaller slot with 4? In that case it can't take a second 580 or a single 590, right?

Thank you both for the advice

 

[starravier]

Well honestly you wouldn't need to spend more then 200 on a mobo. Gigabyte and Asus make fine boards that will deal will all your needs. Are you doing alot of overclocking?

 

[chillin15]

@StarRavier: I was planning on getting the most expensive graphics card, yes, but the 2600k is far cheaper than any of the 9XX i7 processors and not by any means the most expensive cpu out there. It also doesn't cost much more than the 2500k, and I thought it did offer higher performance.

As for the motherboard, I don't want to just buy the most expensive one because there would be no point. Getting a higher end cpu and video card will be worth it because they'll be powerful enough to run anything for a number of years. I just want a motherboard that will be compatible with all the parts I plan on using and won't end up limiting the performance that the cpu or video card can provide.

I forgot about the cpu cooler, I still need to make sure I have all the necessary parts. I've never built a computer before, but the lower costs would certainly be worth it if I make sure I know what I'm doing and get all the right parts.

@chillin15: I thought the 590 would be nearly twice as powerful as the 580(I was told it's basically two 580s). In that case, if I could get it for $700 it seems worth the extra cost. But I can't find one in stock that cheap, and I don't know if my assumption is correct, so I probably will take your and StarRavier's advice and go with a 580.

I also have few questions about the motherboard you suggested. What is the difference between PCI Express 2.0 and 3.0? The 580 lists PCI Express 2.0 x16 for its interface, which I think is what it requires to connect to the motherboard. The motherboard's specs list "PCI Express 2.0 x16: 1 @ x4 ". Does this mean there is one slot with 16 and one smaller slot with 4? In that case it can't take a second 580 or a single 590, right?

Thank you both for the advice

NO GPU currently needs PCIe 3.0 but once Ivy bridge comes out (next gen processor) and a GPU which will utilize PCIe3.0 (more bandwidth) than you will be one of the first to have a pcie3.0 mobo. It's basically for future proofing. PCIe3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0 so you can use it now with the GPUs on the market.

 

[Zachk]

Well honestly you wouldn't need to spend more then 200 on a mobo. Gigabyte and Asus make fine boards that will deal will all your needs. Are you doing alot of overclocking?

No, but I don't know much about overclocking or how to do it right now. I pretty sure I can overclock with the parts I've chosen and I plan on learning how when I need better performance from this computer.

NO GPU currently needs PCIe 3.0 but once Ivy bridge comes out (next gen processor) and a GPU which will utilize PCIe3.0 (more bandwidth) than you will be one of the first to have a pcie3.0 mobo. It's basically for future proofing. PCIe3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0 so you can use it now with the GPUs on the market.

Well, I think that answers all of my questions. I'll most likely switch to the 580, get the motherboard you suggested, and get the cpu cooler StarRavier suggested.

Thanks again for your guys' advice, I appreciate it.

 

[Zachk]

Best answer selected by Zachk.