Will this work i5 2500k/z68 around $550-650

[BigFish1010]

Approximate Purchase Date: next few weeks. First build I want to get it right and at a desent price not in a super rush.

Budget Range: ~$550-650 preferably the lower end.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: All around ( gaming, Quickbooks, surfing net, some video editing.)


Parts Not Required: OS (windows 7 home premium 64bit), mouse, keyboard, monitor, graphics card, 550 thermaltake psu, dvd drive/burner, 1 TB WD black cav. HDD


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com and Microcenter

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: 1. Good quality 2. On sale or combo if possible.


Overclocking: Yes


SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future


Monitor Resolution: don't care


Additional Comments:
- Want something future proof >3+ years
- Planning on upgrading video card in the future. That can just be dropped in. I will want something that can handle newer games like Black Ops and Battlefield 3

Here is what I have so far:

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 $99.98 ($10 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) $59.99
240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231430

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 LGA 1155 $254.98 ($15 MIR)
Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
bundled with:
1x OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644085

That comes to $422.58 with shipping and NO MIR yet.

I found these at Microcenter and I have one about an hour away. So if I make a single trip I can make it worth while saving about $55-20 in gas...lol.

Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor $179.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

Hyper 212 Plus Universal CPU Cooler $24.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315397

With tax thats $217.28 for a total $639.86

Should all this work? I'm wondering if this z68 will be everything they say it is. I might just run the SSD with operating system and a few games and not use the virtu software. Is the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO a better board? I would love some feed back on better deals, better parts, somethings that I might not know being this is my first build. Thanks in advance to all of you.

 

[Dougie Fresh]

That motherboard has no graphics ports so you'd need a discrete GPU now:

http://techiser.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Gigabyte-Z68X-UD3P-B3-Ports.jpg

On the NewEgg link it says "Discrete Graphic Card is required"

 

[BigFish1010]

Yes, that means I need a graphics card to add monitor support I believe. I was able to get my hands on a Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme 1GB for now until I upgrade in a few months. That is what it means right? Is that all I would need?

 

[ikyung]

Yeah that will all work.

 

[BigFish1010]

Anything you would change or improve on?

 

[BigFish1010]

Is everything good or do I need to change anything?

 

[BigFish1010]

How is the build? Are there better choices or are these pretty good components?

 

[BigFish1010]

Should I go with this build? Is this ram good with this motherboard? Is the Asus z68 better than the Gigabyte I mentioned? I wanted a few suggestions for improvements or "looks like a good build". Like I said this will be my first build and I'm not sure if I'm going in the right direction? Please help!

 

[BigFish1010]

Ok, maybe I need to ask a more specific question. Will I need the z68 for my needs or will a p67 be better? Also, are there better options for good airflow concerning a case than the HAF 922 for a mid-tower case?

 

[Dan--]

You might think about getting some more memory for a few more $$. Something like this today on sale for $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-233-147&ReviewNo=2254915&SortField=1&Pagesize=10&IsFeedbackTab=true&rdm=18#scrollHelpful1

Or this on sale for a couple more days $76: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-231-314&SortField=1&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

But you're having a similar problem as I'm having with my first build - getting confirmation that all the parts are good.

BTW, you don't need an aftermarket CPU cooler unless you're doing some *significant* OCing. The stock cooler is pretty good on the i5-2500K.

As far as is the Z68 better or not than the P67. I'd say for you it comes down to the use of the SSD. If you're not going to use the 64GB drive in SSD caching mode, I'd suggest a P67, since you're not using integrated graphics anyway. Sure, there's the quick sync capability also, but not much supports it now.

OTOH, you could probably get a smaller SSD (say 40GB) for use as SSD cache w/o much penalty.

Good luck,

Dan

 

[kurtcrosbie]

Just very curious as to why someone would spend $250 on a motherboard, especially for a solo gpu. For his needs, whats wrong with maybe a micro atx Biostar or something? Also, why not go for the lowest cost RAM like PNY 4GB DDR3 1333 for $31 after $10 MIR. I dont claim to know everything about computers, but it seems to me that folks like to blow serious dough on components they dont need. Im sure I will now be corrected, so thanks ahead of time.

 

[ridinon0$]

Just very curious as to why someone would spend $250 on a motherboard, especially for a solo gpu. For his needs, whats wrong with maybe a micro atx Biostar or something? Also, why not go for the lowest cost RAM like PNY 4GB DDR3 1333 for $31 after $10 MIR. I dont claim to know everything about computers, but it seems to me that folks like to blow serious dough on components they dont need. Im sure I will now be corrected, so thanks ahead of time.

[strike]
I agree that $250 is simply wasteful.[/strike]I am in a similar situation,(except I see OCing as more entertainment than effective, unless the cost to me is very similar...) I want to build a fast PC, for a reasonable price/performance, general purpose, maybe gaming. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/310654-31-quick-sandybridge-build-check-onboard-video-option

I waited for Z68 to come out but I don't see the point in $125 minimum. OTOH, I like everything about the H61 ASRock board that was recommended to me except the reviews. If you want to OC with a GPU, [strike]get a p67.[/strike], grab a Z68 if there isn't much price difference between your favorite P67 and Z68.

Oh, the $254 is a combo on an SSD and Z68. Plus a $15 MIR. See [strike]strikethroughs[/strike] above.

As far as your compatabililty question, CPU and MB need to be same chipset, 1155 - check. Case and MB need to be ATX - check. (I prefer mATX). DDR3 - check. Check some reviews to see if spending more $ on faster ram is productive. I plan to get 2x2gb or 2x4gb...

 

[BigFish1010]

Just very curious as to why someone would spend $250 on a motherboard, especially for a solo gpu. For his needs, whats wrong with maybe a micro atx Biostar or something? Also, why not go for the lowest cost RAM like PNY 4GB DDR3 1333 for $31 after $10 MIR. I dont claim to know everything about computers, but it seems to me that folks like to blow serious dough on components they dont need. Im sure I will now be corrected, so thanks ahead of time.

A friend of mine that builds his own rigs suggested I go with a higher end board incase I want to go sli/cf (x8x8 or x16x16) later if I decide to go with a larger monitor. Also, he suggested going with a better board due to the fact that you can always upgrade processors down the road but if you plan on changing mobo there is a lot more to it.

As far as RAM wouldn't the higher speed RAM with a low latency be better? Just asking because I don't know. Like I said this is my first computer build and I only know enough to get myself in trouble...lol.

I'm actually trying to save money but I don't want to cut corner either. I found the Asus p8p67 pro on sale and was wondering if the z68 chiipset will be that much of an advantage since I plan to use my ssd as a boot drive and not use the ssd for cache.

Please help I'm getting more and more confused as the days go on. Baught my i5 2500k and CM 212+ last night and looking forward to building within the next week if I can get a few thumbs up on the components!

Thanks everyone.

 

[Au_equus]

get this msi mobo instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583
(16x single, 8x dual @$120)

the ssd in your combo (btw nice combo) is on sale for $105 ($90 w/ mir), $225 total
in regards to kurt, imo the case is merely a holder for the pc components. iow, unless you have an unlimited budget, you can buy a $40 case that can do the same job a $100-200 case.

if you're using the ssd as your boot/os drive, follow these steps to optimize it.
http://surreystore.com/Forums/tech-reviews/ocz-vertex-3-pro-ssd-review-and-benchmarks/?prev_next=prev#new

did it last night and cleared GB of wasted space

 

[RetiredChief]

Mother Board - I recommend the Z68. There is only a small percentage markup between the P67 and the Z68 - with the same quality and the same features (ie # of SATA II/SATA III ports, USB2/3 ports, ect.) In terms of quality, you get what you pay for. As to the "extra" features of the Z68, while you may not benefit right now - You might kick yourself in the hind end later. The Z68 will not provide a boost in itself to game play, but does provide a boost to video work. See SSD/HDD for benefit. Note, None of the current p67 or Z68 chipsets support x16,x16. You do want the x8,x8 incase you want to xfire/SLI - resd the spec closely as some do a x8,x4.

Ram - DON'T go with the expensive high end, but also don't go with the Low end. The High end provides almost no benefit in performance (With gaming as the objective) and low end sometimes has more compatibility issues. Myself I like the DDR3-1600 Ripjaws. I bought the CL7 @ 1.6 V; BUT CL9 @ 1.5 V is just as good. Not a big diff in price from slower RAM - But what I do like is that it will run synchronous mode with bclk (even multiple of bclk (100 x 4).

SSD/HDD. You will love an SSD. Min size 80, prefer 120 Gig. All too often I read where someone has bought a 40->60 gig SSD and regretted it - Most end up buying a 2nd one and running in Raid0 - BUT you LOSE Trim. The SSD is NOT going to speed up the IN-GAME experience, But boot time and program load are greatly improved. At a later date, when more money is freed up you can add that 2nd small SSD to cache the HDD (this will improve game map/table loads. SSD is on average 20->40 times faster than a HDD. A HDD with a small SSD is from 2->4 times faster than a single HDD. (The HDD with the SSD cache would require the Z68 Chipset.

 

[technoidgit]

Mother Board - I recommend the Z68. There is only a small percentage markup between the P67 and the Z68 - with the same quality and the same features (ie # of SATA II/SATA III ports, USB2/3 ports, ect.) In terms of quality, you get what you pay for. As to the "extra" features of the Z68, while you may not benefit right now - You might kick yourself in the hind end later. The Z68 will not provide a boost in itself to game play, but does provide a boost to video work. See SSD/HDD for benefit. Note, None of the current p67 or Z68 chipsets support x16,x16. You do want the x8,x8 incase you want to xfire/SLI - resd the spec closely as some do a x8,x4.

Ram - DON'T go with the expensive high end, but also don't go with the Low end. The High end provides almost no benefit in performance (With gaming as the objective) and low end sometimes has more compatibility issues. Myself I like the DDR3-1600 Ripjaws. I bought the CL7 @ 1.6 V; BUT CL9 @ 1.5 V is just as good. Not a big diff in price from slower RAM - But what I do like is that it will run synchronous mode with bclk (even multiple of bclk (100 x 4).

SSD/HDD. You will love an SSD. Min size 80, prefer 120 Gig. All too often I read where someone has bought a 40->60 gig SSD and regretted it - Most end up buying a 2nd one and running in Raid0 - BUT you LOSE Trim. The SSD is NOT going to speed up the IN-GAME experience, But boot time and program load are greatly improved. At a later date, when more money is freed up you can add that 2nd small SSD to cache the HDD (this will improve game map/table loads. SSD is on average 20->40 times faster than a HDD. A HDD with a small SSD is from 2->4 times faster than a single HDD. (The HDD with the SSD cache would require the Z68 Chipset.

I myself I think will be going with MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3) $239.00
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/MSI-Z68A-GD80-B3-Motherboard/1279/1

feature:dual bios, two FireWire ports, four USB 3.0 ports, three PCI Express x16 slots, decent audio quality with optical SPDIF output, a very high-end voltage regulator circuit, and an impressive set of overclocking options, OC Genie if want to do easy OC, I will be crossfiring in future and can also upgrade memory to 32gb I also think that they use very good components, has intergrated graphics. Will I use the 3rd pci 2.0 slot? most likely not due to the nature of chipset(lossing connections) To be honest I saw a single Radeon6990 running 3 screens and I was impressed, not 100% sure of cpu or board though

To me for under $250 it looks like the cat's meow. Seems with what ever z68 board it is there is a little give and take and it all depnds on what you want/need.

 

[technoidgit]

I think what some folks miss about the z68 w/graphics is that if yo pay the power bill like I do, the board will shut off GPU (6970 or 6950 in my case) when not gaming/needed saving money in energy. I feel a Z68 w/o graphics is somewhat crippled

 

[BigFish1010]

I think what some folks miss about the z68 w/graphics is that if yo pay the power bill like I do, the board will shut off GPU (6970 or 6950 in my case) when not gaming/needed saving money in energy. I feel a Z68 w/o graphics is somewhat crippled

What do you mean a z68 w/o graphics? I thought all z68 would support descrete graphics card as well as integrated graphics? Or am I wrong with the gigabyte since it doesn't have the DVI port on the board?

 

[RetiredChief]

The " shut off Dedicated GPU" is misleading. If your Monitor is connected to the Dedicated GPU, you can not simply shut off dedicated GPU and use the Internal GPU. Since most people who build their own will use a dedicated GPU, in the case of gigabyte, they simply did not provide The HDMI output from the internal IGP. Biggy, the only thing you lose out on is the Back-up output to a monitor. I switch from gigabyte (which I love to) an Asrock Extreme 4 so that (1) I could check new system out without a dedicated GPU and (2) I have a fall back if the dedicated GPU fails.

 

[BigFish1010]

I see. Well how is the RAM or is there a better cheaper bet. I was hunting the low latency but does it make that much of a difference? Any other ideas or should I be good to go?

 

[RetiredChief]

Myself, I like your memory choice. That is almost Identical to what I'm using, and at a lower cost than what I paid. For the price it sounds great, It's DDR3-1600, It's low CL what the sense in going to a higher CL and save 10 bucks. Your really not going to see any performance gains. There is some, very few, software applications that latency will make a difference.
My vote, on memory - go for it.

 

[sotu]

ASRock Extreme4 is the best Z68 board out right now.. try that one.. even if you dont use sli its better than the model one step down.

 

[technoidgit]

The " shut off Dedicated GPU" is misleading. If your Monitor is connected to the Dedicated GPU, you can not simply shut off dedicated GPU and use the Internal GPU. Since most people who build their own will use a dedicated GPU, in the case of gigabyte, they simply did not provide The HDMI output from the internal IGP. Biggy, the only thing you lose out on is the Back-up output to a monitor. I switch from gigabyte (which I love to) an Asrock Extreme 4 so that (1) I could check new system out without a dedicated GPU and (2) I have a fall back if the dedicated GPU fails.

Well I don't know what the truth is in this matter. This is the exact quote from Hardware Secerts MSI z68 qd80 review. Now I know this is atleast the 4th Z68 card they have done a report or testing on.

Exact Quote(copy and paste)
"The big reason for this change was that Intel licensed a software from Lucidlogix called Virtu, which allows the computer to dynamically switch video cards depending on what you are doing with your computer. In a typical scenario, this software will make the system use the CPU’s integrated video engine when you are not playing games, turning your add-on video card completely off, and then turning on your add-on video card and turning off the CPU integrated video when you run games. By keeping your video card completely turned off when you are not playing games, you can save a lot of energy. "

Now I can say that is not misleading, but they can say what they want as they are not the manufacturer and really can't be held liable

 

[ridinon0$]

Well I don't know what the truth is in this matter. This is the exact quote from Hardware Secerts MSI z68 qd80 review. Now I know this is atleast the 4th Z68 card they have done a report or testing on.

Exact Quote(copy and paste)
"The big reason for this change was that Intel licensed a software from Lucidlogix called Virtu, which allows the computer to dynamically switch video cards depending on what you are doing with your computer. In a typical scenario, this software will make the system use the CPU’s integrated video engine when you are not playing games, turning your add-on video card completely off, and then turning on your add-on video card and turning off the CPU integrated video when you run games. By keeping your video card completely turned off when you are not playing games, you can save a lot of energy. "

Now I can say that is not misleading, but they can say what they want as they are not the manufacturer and really can't be held liable

So how do you connect a single monitor to your GPU and iGPU, then have the MB decide which to run?

Poor Bigfish, you are getting info from all directions. So I will throw mine in too

Chipsets are coming out on a monthly basis and GPUs are always advancing too, if you think you might spend an extra $100 on a MB to be able to buy and additional $200 GPU later, couldn't you just keep that $300 and get a whole new MB and CPU instead? That's my position. (I think I will save the $25 on the 2500 instead of the 2500k, but you already have that) If this is your first pc, try it out at lower expenses, you are going to be thrilled with any setup. No need to go straight to the top.
Ram - I don't know either, but I agree with the earlier poster, go middle road. You are new to this but you have the vocabulary to google your questions:
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS385US385&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=benefit+of+latency+ram+2011+faster

If you do want to CF/SLI, I do think the number of lanes is the main criteria, but I would check to make sure: http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS385US385&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=benefit+of+latency+ram+2011+faster#sclient=psy&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS385US385&source=hp&q=how+to+pick+an+mb+for+sli+2011&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=8d1fda340d494353&biw=1280&bih=709

SSD is going to make a huge difference but I don't want to punish myself by getting one that is so small I have to carefully manage it all of the time. Are you already running W7? See how much space your current Windows and Program files take up. I read somewhere (can't remember the source, not looking it up atm) that once an SSD reaches 70% capacity it slows down significantly. This is the area I will 'pay for' the luxury.

Are you still totally confused? You might post a recap of where you stand now that you have had a flood of information...

 

[RetiredChief]

@ technoidgit
What you said is correct, I'm not really disputing this. You indicated that your imput was based on both reviews, and your testing. Question, on your testing methodology - What was your configuration between computer and monitor?
Theory sound great and I agree CORRECT, but the devil is all in how it is implemented.

(1) If you have a single line (Say hdmi) from computer dedicated GPU to Monitor, I see no way that the Dedicated GPU could be turned off.

(2) Single line from ICP (again pick hdmi) to monitor. My question then is how the output is routed from the Dedicated GPU to Monitor. Only way that I can think of from a design standpoint is: (1) an Output from the dedicated GPU (in 3D mode) would have to be provided to the MB and (2) an added IC in between the Video and the output connectors on the MB. The IC would have an Input (A) from Dedicated GPU and Input (B) from IGP. A software control line to IC that would select (A), or (B) to the MB Video out.

(3) Two line output, One from Dedicated GPU and one from IGP. This would be the more plausible method. The use then becomes dependent on the monitor. (A) How many hdmi inputs - would require 2 or; is it hdmi and dvi input - if so then one case to come from Computer HDMI and one from DVI (Can use a dvi->hdmi). If this is the implementation, then it becomes a question of how the monitor reacts to switching line-in. Many monitors do an auto detect on power up, which would select one or the other, But what happens when the line in is switched during operation?? Most of my monitors have multiple inputs ( Over-the air TV, hdmi, dvi, ect. the 24 in Samsung has several hdmi and the 27 in only has one hdmi) The 2 in will try first last config say hdmi - if no signal it will general go to my over-the-air signal input. I have two computers hooked to this monitor. If both computers are on, then switching is manual. Say computer one shuts down, it will not go automatically to computer 2, even though there is a signal present. Theory great, but as I said the devil is in the details.

Next comes the "cost" savings of switching GPUs when switch from 2D to 3D (Dedicated to IGP). Many that use a High end GPU, or GPUs that are in xfire/SLI; add to that an OCed CPU - Somehow do not think this is a priority.
Assembled my new build (barebones on Kitchen table); the Power consumption (at the wall) was 80 Watts. My I5-750 OCed power is (If I remember right) about 125 W, but that was not a barebones config. I worked this out, I might save a whopping $8.00 a year (Based on 6 hrs/day 365 days/Yr @ 8 Cents/KWatt-hrs in 2D mode. Mind you this would be agreeably HIGER with SLI/Xfire or the Higher end GPU Cards.

Will findout when I install a GPU and look at What happens when switch between 2D and 3D - I could be ALL WET and that this savings is the best thing since the invention of Sliced bread - Been wrong before, and will be oin the future.This may be better implemented as it matures.

Bottom line - The ability to have a backup usable IGP was MUCH more important to me (and probably many others) than the "Big" cost savings by switching GPUs.