Need help choosing a 1155 board!

[Rebmob]

This is my first build, other than swapping cheap parts of hand me down computers and I have all of the other parts picked out.

I've been reading reviews and they are always mixed, I don't plan on doing any OC'ing but I want a board that will guarantee longevity. The build is for gaming and I plan on constantly adding to it as time goes on. It's going in a HAF 932 case, 750w modular Corsair PSU. Intel i5 2500k Sandybridge CPU, 4x4g of Gskill Ripjaw series ram. And a decent graphics card I bought last year for around 150$.

My budget is around 200$ for a mobo, nothing over. Looking for 2 pci-e slots at least, usb 3.0, and I don't know if you need a special slot on the board to plugin a front usb 3.0 addon that comes with your case or not, but that would be added in.

I'm soooo undecided, I've done tons of researching and reading reviews... give me some ideas. Thanks!

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
2 Sets of ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Graphics card bring re-used: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130572&Tpk=EVGA%20GTS450

If I'm not OC'ing anytime soon will I need to buy a better heat sink for the CPU? Or will stock be fine... I do looong sessions of gaming. If so, recommendations?

 

[nikorr]

OC is easy, u can use the AI suite on ASUS and with a few clicks u can have 4.2GHz OC'd CPU to start with if u get aftermarket CPU cooler like this one @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

[strike]$29.99[/strike] $19.99 after mail-in rebate

 

[nikorr]

For the mobo, read the review @ http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/10/asus_p8z68v_motherboard_review

ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Average Rating
(129 reviews)
Write a Review
PCIE3.0,LucidLogix Virtu, BT GO!,USB3.0 Boost

In stock. Limit 5 per customer.

[strike]was: $219.99[/strike] $199.99 + FREE SHIPPING

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

 

[sonexpc]

This one should be within your price range...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

 

[nikorr]

I also recommend CORSAIR Vengeance, quality RAM and low profile with XMP profile. And if u will get an aftermarket CPU cooler, low profile is the worry free remedy with perfect fit with any large cooler.

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

Vengeance Low Profile heat spreaders have a reduced height of 1.03" (26.25mm). They're designed for high-performance systems with extra-large CPU coolers, small form factor system builds, or any other space-constrained application where standard Vengeance memory might not fit.

 

[Rebmob]

I've been looking into the cooler and ram you suggested Nikorr. I went out and bought a HAF X case today, I had the money to spare... so why not.

HAF X: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

Still undecided on a motherboard... one thing it must include is the capability to plug in the USB 3.0 header the case includes? I don't know much about mobos but how do I know if a motherboard has that capability? I would also prefer SLI capability as I said earlier.

Thanks for the previous recommendations, and to any future helpful replies I might receive!

 

[nikorr]

I've been looking into the cooler and ram you suggested Nikorr. I went out and bought a HAF X case today, I had the money to spare... so why not.

HAF X: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

Still undecided on a motherboard... one thing it must include is the capability to plug in the USB 3.0 header the case includes? I don't know much about mobos but how do I know if a motherboard has that capability? I would also prefer SLI capability as I said earlier.

Thanks for the previous recommendations, and to any future helpful replies I might receive!

That case is very good to cool insides.

 

[Rebmob]

The HAF line seems awesome, I dug up an extra 60$ so I got the HAF X instead of the HAF 932.

Last choices for my build to finish it... are...

Debating corsair vengeance ram vs g.skill ripjaw series ram...

and

A motherboard that has a usb 3.0 header on it so I can hook up that HAF X's cases front USB 3.0 panel. I don't know too much about this whole area (usb 3.0/headers/and such... so choosing a motherboard is becoming a hard decision, I don't even know where to look on the details of a motherboard to see if it has the plug on it to hookup the 3.0 ports on the case. Help? I would love to pick a mobo soon so I can pay for my cart on newegg. Thanks.

 

[e56imfg]

The HAF line seems awesome, I dug up an extra 60$ so I got the HAF X instead of the HAF 932.

Last choices for my build to finish it... are...

Debating corsair vengeance ram vs g.skill ripjaw series ram...

and

A motherboard that has a usb 3.0 header on it so I can hook up that HAF X's cases front USB 3.0 panel. I don't know too much about this whole area (usb 3.0/headers/and such... so choosing a motherboard is becoming a hard decision, I don't even know where to look on the details of a motherboard to see if it has the plug on it to hookup the 3.0 ports on the case. Help? I would love to pick a mobo soon so I can pay for my cart on newegg. Thanks.

RAM is more of a personal preference thing than performance but I would go with the Corsair RAM.
The mobo they linked you (ASUS P8Z68) has USB 3.0 ports on it. Go onto newegg and find the internal ports section, it'll tell you.
If you want to go cheap, you could always get this UD3 but I would recommend the P8Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

 

[Rebmob]

RAM is more of a personal preference thing than performance but I would go with the Corsair RAM.
The mobo they linked you (ASUS P8Z68) has USB 3.0 ports on it. Go onto newegg and find the internal ports section, it'll tell you.
If you want to go cheap, you could always get this UD3 but I would recommend the P8Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

So the internal i/o section of the mobo details is what determines if I can hookup my cases bulilt in front usb 3.0 slots?

 

[nikorr]

So the internal i/o section of the mobo details is what determines if I can hookup my cases bulilt in front usb 3.0 slots?

It is USB3 header...

 

[nikorr]

HAF

 

[Rebmob]

Best answer selected by Rebmob.

 

[Rebmob]

HAF
http://media.bestofmicro.com/Q/Y/297754/original/cooler-master_haf-x_usb-3.jpg

Thanks for the images, so most boards these days have the 3.0 header I'm assuming?

 

[nikorr]

Thanks for the images, so most boards these days have the 3.0 header I'm assuming?

Yes. It is usually blue. There is only 1 fit, so u cannot plug it in to wrong one : )

 

[nikorr]

Thanx for the vote : ) Good luck!

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr