Mobo and graphics advice

[sah202]

Im looking to upgrade my system and i was thinking of the following...

Intel I5-2500k (or I7-2600k if i can get one cheap or even i7-2700k)
Corsair H100 Liquid cooler (can get one for £50 brand new so why not?)
Another Zotac 560 ti graphics card for SLI
16 Gb Ram

So here is the question's

What motherboard is best for the job? local shop has Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4-B3 Intel Z68 for £154 but it only runs graphics at 8X in SLI mode and has a lack of USB3 jumper (i have the tech so why not us it eh?)

What RAM should i get for above?

Should i get a better graphics card rather than 2x 560 Ti in SLI?

Thank you one and all in advance

 

[alyoshka]

The difference in 2 560Ti's running @8x and @16x SLI is going to be 1% from what we find on the net.
So, if that board gives you an option to run both the 560's at 8x in SLI, it's as good as them running @16x

You could go for
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806

Or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583

Or if your store just has Gigabyte stuff you can opt for this Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488

 

[sah202]

The difference in 2 560Ti's running @8x and @16x SLI is going to be 1% from what we find on the net.
So, if that board gives you an option to run both the 560's at 8x in SLI, it's as good as them running @16x

You could go for
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806

Or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583

Or if your store just has Gigabyte stuff you can opt for this Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128488

thanks for the response alyoshka im defo going to get the asus board

unfortunately being in the uk im going to buy it from amazon as other stockists are quoting over £200 (near $300) for it

 

[jaquith]

The Sandy Bridge (LGA 1155) has 16 lanes of PCIe, and you 'could' get an LGA 1155 with a NF200 Chipset to get x16/x16, but the costs are higher with a near zip improvement; see -> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910.html

As far as MOBO's, I'm not a fanboy of micro ATX MOBO's since they lack Phases and other features. Further, I agree the i7-2700K is a waste of any extra money over the i7-2600K, but some games and apps do benefit from 4-core + 4-hyper-threads. However, if this is all about 'gaming' then IMO i5-2500K and use the savings for a faster GPU e.g. GTX 570.

Here's a few that I often recommend in a side-by-side -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=280%7C13-131-790%5E13-131-790-TS%2C13-188-098%5E13-188-098-TS%2C13-131-714%5E13-131-714-TS%2C13-131-792%5E13-131-792-TS%2C13-131-771%5E13-131-771-TS

 

[sah202]

The Sandy Bridge (LGA 1155) has 16 lanes of PCIe, and you 'could' get an LGA 1155 with a NF200 Chipset to get x16/x16, but the costs are higher with a near zip improvement; see -> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910.html

As far as MOBO's, I'm not a fanboy of micro ATX MOBO's since they lack Phases and other features. Further, I agree the i7-2700K is a waste of any extra money over the i7-2600K, but some games and apps do benefit from 4-core + 4-hyper-threads. However, if this is all about 'gaming' then IMO i5-2500K and use the savings for a faster GPU e.g. GTX 570.

Here's a few that I often recommend in a side-by-side -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=280%7C13-131-790%5E13-131-790-TS%2C13-188-098%5E13-188-098-TS%2C13-131-714%5E13-131-714-TS%2C13-131-792%5E13-131-792-TS%2C13-131-771%5E13-131-771-TS

Thanks for your input jaquith...

Ive got a Cooler Master RC-932 ADVANCED HAF ATX so space isnt an issue

now im even more stuck. im going for a gaming rig so im going for i5-2500k as everyone ive talked to recommends it and i dont think the £80 extra for the i7-2600k is worth it. also going to oc as ive got the corsair h100 to cool it.

is 16Gb too much for the rig?

my 560 ti is a good gpu but i think it has to be 570/580 and maybe go SLI later

 

[jaquith]

Yep, I recommend 4x4GB especially for 64-bit games; see (note 64-bit ) -> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ram-memory-upgrade,2778-8.html further I only recommend a 4x4GB kit, not individual or (2) 2x4GB kits, DDR3-1600 CAS 8/9 @ 1.50v; see -> http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/memory/2011/01/11/the-best-memory-for-sandy-bridge/1

As far as i7-2600K vs i5-2500K I agree as I've already stated above, but an odd thing is the i7-2600K often OC's faster and at a lower vCore and assuming a 12 Phase or higher MOBO ; see -> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoXai57oo6AGdDdmR19OYXg0UmIyZ0o0MU9aX05sRUE&hl=en_US#gid=6 there's also the 'luck of the draw' getting a good vs average SB CPU.

I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm trying to have you fully aware.

The Corsair H100 is very good and I often recommend it. If your vCore goes beyond 1.40v then I might suggest you purchase (2) more equivalent (RPM/CFM) fans for a Push/Pull vs running (2) fans so high noise becomes and issue.

 

[sah202]

Yes defo going to get 16Gb RAM prob settle for cosair vengance i think

got the i5 2500K on order so should be here soon

and thanks for your advice im either going to get ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 or ASUS P8P67 WS REVOLUTION

Thank you for all your help

 

[sah202]

Best answer selected by sah202.

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr