I sort of know what I'm doing but I need help

[GreenFanta]

Hello,

I am busy building up a desktop for myself I was just wondering how to go about selecting a nice motherboard and how to tell which CPUs are compatible with the motherboard as well as RAM.
My aim is to set up a nice machine that can achieve my gaming and software compiling needs.
1. Motherboard that can handle an i7 and up to 16/32gb RAM.
2. Reasonably new graphics card (preferably ATI card.)
3. Power supply that can support all of it.
I can handle the RAM, HDD, case etc..

Regards

Matthew

 

[akxpckwb]

Any motherboard using a LGA1155 socket will handle an i7 with either Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge architecture. If you are considering other alternatives there's also the more expensive LGA2011 with Sandy Bridge-E, LGA1366 using first gen i7 (either bloomfield or gulftown) or LGA1156 (lynnfield).
Since this is a new build I'd suggest an Ivy Bridge if you can afford it. If not then a Sandy Bridge will be enough.

Regarding motherboards it's kind of easier to choose. Do you have any needs(overclocking,sli/crossfire,number of usb ports stuff like that)?

Graphics cards are also kind of easy to choose. How much can you spend?

About the power supply it will depend on all other components but I think you won't need more than a good 700watts one. PSU made by Seasonic,Corsair or Antec are very good and any of them has PSU's from 400w to 1000w so you will find what you need

 

[GreenFanta]

So I've got a rough idea of what I'm wanting to do now (thanks to you) and I want to know if this will be okay for covering my motherboard.

Intel BLKDP67BGB3 - Socket 1155 Motherboard

and for the CPU I can't decide between
Intel Boxed Core i5 3570K - 3.40GHz Quad Core - Socket 1155 CPU
or
Intel Boxed Core i5 3570 - 3.40GHz Quad Core - Socket 1155 CPU
What's the difference and which is better for my solution?

for the PSU I was thinking along the lines of this
Cooler Master - RS-500-PCAR - eXtreme Power PSU - 500w

and I still need help with a graphics card

Thank you so much for your help.

Regards

Matthew

 

[GreenFanta]

Okay I've made changes, I will create a new thread.

 

[jsc]

Gaming and compiling:
You want "fast". That means a "K" model (unlocked for overclocking) CPU.

I am not a fan of Intel motherboards. Intel motherboards tend to be good, solid boards. They also tend to be not particularly good overclockers. My motherboard choice would be Asus or Gigabyte.

I am really not a fan of CoolerMaster PSU's. All but a few are excessively mediocre.

Depending on your choice of video card, my first choice for a PSU would be a 500 - 600 watt Seasonic. Second choice would be something like a Corsair TX650V2 or XFX (both also built by Seasonic).

Video card? Choose your budget then:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html