[Help] Which Mobo & RAM?

[Nadosin]

Hello, and thanks for taking your time to read my thread! I am upgrading 3 components on my PC - CPU, RAM & Mobo but I'm having a hard time deciding which mobo I should get (sandybridge 1155 socket) and which brand of RAM I should go for?

CPU: i5 2500k which I plan to OC to 4.5Ghz with Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 cooler. Also how much of a performance boost would I get by getting i7 2600k instead?

RAM: I'm not sure which would be the best to get from this list: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&sort=pricelow&limit=10&store=2&cat=3&filterca57=Non-ECC&filterca630=+8GB&filterca3413=Unbuffered&filterca52=1.5V&filtercondition=new&subcat=3117

Its mainly gaming PC so 8GB should be enough, but if there's a good reason to get 16GB then please let me know because RAM is cheap and if its worth it I dont mind bumping it up to 16GB.

Mobo: Again, I'm not sure which one to pick from this list: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&sort=pricelow&limit=10&store=2&cat=14&filterca50=Intel+Z68+Express&filterca46=ATX&subcat=3317

Now, the price comes into play here as it varies greatly and I have no idea which one should be sufficient enough for my needs. I will use HDD for storage, SSD for windows installation and programs which I constantly use. I will be upgrading my graphics card too in near future probably GTX570 or HD6970 and I don't plan to ever use SLI or CrossFire. So which would be the cheapest mobo that would meet my needs?

 

[HostileDonut]

Hello, and thanks for taking your time to read my thread! I am upgrading 3 components on my PC - CPU, RAM & Mobo but I'm having a hard time deciding which mobo I should get (sandybridge 1155 socket) and which brand of RAM I should go for?

CPU: i5 2500k which I plan to OC to 4.5Ghz with Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 cooler. Also how much of a performance boost would I get by getting i7 2600k instead?

RAM: I'm not sure which would be the best to get from this list: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&sort=pricelow&limit=10&store=2&cat=3&filterca57=Non-ECC&filterca630=+8GB&filterca3413=Unbuffered&filterca52=1.5V&filtercondition=new&subcat=3117

Its mainly gaming PC so 8GB should be enough, but if there's a good reason to get 16GB then please let me know because RAM is cheap and if its worth it I dont mind bumping it up to 16GB.

Mobo: Again, I'm not sure which one to pick from this list: http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=1&sort=pricelow&limit=10&store=2&cat=14&filterca50=Intel+Z68+Express&filterca46=ATX&subcat=3317

Now, the price comes into play here as it varies greatly and I have no idea which one should be sufficient enough for my needs. I will use HDD for storage, SSD for windows installation and programs which I constantly use. I will be upgrading my graphics card too in near future probably GTX570 or HD6970 and I don't plan to ever use SLI or CrossFire. So which would be the cheapest mobo that would meet my needs?

The links wouldn't load for me, but why need you need to pick from those lists?

Ad for the GPU, I would say get a GTX 570 out of those two because if you don't plan on SLi?CF, you will want to strongest single GPU you can afford.

As for the CPU, for gaming, you do not need a 2600k, there is only few FPS gain in the reviews I have seen. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287

I would get this RAM though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416 Good speed, voltage is good for SB CPUs, and it's fairly cheap. You don't need over 8gb now, but you can add another 8gb in the future. I have 8gb in my system and have never come close to using 5gb while gaming, it has been close to 4gb when I checked it, but still not even 4gb.

For the motherboard, I would get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 It is a pretty solid board, for a great price. Many features, including SLi/CF if you ever needed it, and should hit 4.5Ghz pretty well. It also should support Ivy Bridge and supports PCI-E 3.0. I actually own the board, and I love it.

 

[Nadosin]

The links wouldn't load for me, but why need you need to pick from those lists?

Ad for the GPU, I would say get a GTX 570 out of those two because if you don't plan on SLi?CF, you will want to strongest single GPU you can afford.

As for the CPU, for gaming, you do not need a 2600k, there is only few FPS gain in the reviews I have seen. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287

I would get this RAM though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416 Good speed, voltage is good for SB CPUs, and it's fairly cheap. You don't need over 8gb now, but you can add another 8gb in the future. I have 8gb in my system and have never come close to using 5gb while gaming, it has been close to 4gb when I checked it, but still not even 4gb.

For the motherboard, I would get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 It is a pretty solid board, for a great price. Many features, including SLi/CF if you ever needed it, and should hit 4.5Ghz pretty well. It also should support Ivy Bridge and supports PCI-E 3.0. I actually own the board, and I love it.

Thanks for your input! The reason I linked those lists was to make it more convenient for people to help me and also to make it easier for myself because I use ebuyer to buy my hardware ^^. I'm not sure why those lists dont work for you, they work fine for me... strange :S

Just incase it doesnt load for other people either here is the basic info written down:

RAM: Atleast 8GB and 1600 Mhz and compatible voltage with the mobo
Mobo: Z68 Chip ATX with slots for HDD, SSD, USB Mouse + Keyboard, PCI-E 2.0 x 16

 

[HostileDonut]

Well, that had 8gb RAM and a z68 chipset, so I think you are good to go if that fits in your budget. Unless you want to go with SUPER HIGH-END PERFORMANCE. But, without SLi/CF, you won't get that. So I think those should be great. Tell me your thoughts. Alos, make sure you have a good PSU.

 

[Nadosin]

Well, that had 8gb RAM and a z68 chipset, so I think you are good to go if that fits in your budget. Unless you want to go with SUPER HIGH-END PERFORMANCE. But, without SLi/CF, you won't get that. So I think those should be great. Tell me your thoughts. Alos, make sure you have a good PSU.

I'm having trouble finding that mobo, closest match I found on ebuyer is ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Socket 1155 DVI VGA HDMI DisplayPort 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard http://www.ebuyer.com/288926-asrock-z68-extreme4-gen3-socket-1155-dvi-vga-hdmi-displayport-8-channel-z68-extreme4-gen3 and its at £145 would be happy with a cheaper alternative if it would comply with my needs mentioned above.

RAM's are OK I suppose but why Gskill over other brands? And are those the best timings/voltage?

 

[HostileDonut]

I'm having trouble finding that mobo, closest match I found on ebuyer is ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Socket 1155 DVI VGA HDMI DisplayPort 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard http://www.ebuyer.com/288926-asrock-z68-extreme4-gen3-socket-1155-dvi-vga-hdmi-displayport-8-channel-z68-extreme4-gen3 and its at £145 would be happy with a cheaper alternative if it would comply with my needs mentioned above.

RAM's are OK I suppose but why Gskill over other brands? And are those the best timings/voltage?

The extreme4 gen3 is even better. But there are also things from GIGABYTE such as http://www.ebuyer.com/271790-gigabyte-ga-z68xp-ud4-z68-socket-1155-hdmi-onboard-7-1-channel-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-z68xp-ud4 which would be a great board for an OC, CF/SLi if you ever wanted it, good solid parts, and a great look.