Need help deciding motherboard for my tower

yotorogo · Aug 17, 2012

Hi i want to build my own computer tower, i just need a little help selecting the motherboard. Give in mind i want to use this computer to play games life bf3 or skriym and sometimes go on facebook and youtube

i was thinking of getting the ASUS P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 ATX DDR3 2400 LGA 1155 Motherboard- Amazon.com: ASUS P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 ATX DDR3 2400 LGA 1155 Motherboard: Computers & Accessories

Other components:
Video Card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 560Ti
Processor: Intel i5 2500k 3.3Ghz
RAM: Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM
Power Supply: Either 600W or 800W Corsair GS(Leaning more towards 600 because its cheaper but i think i need the 800)
Software: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

i have a budget of $800 and with everything i just listed above its going to cost me $799.94 ( i already have a windows 7 ultimate cd)

any suggestions?

chugot9218 · Aug 17, 2012

You definitely do not need the 800w PSU, put the savings from that into either your GPU or CPU. That MOBO ain't bad according to the specs, I have the P8Z77-V Pro and the only advantage to that one is included wireless ethernet module and another PCI-E 3.0 Slot.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=%2D1&IsNodeId=1&Description=corsair%20psu&bop=And&CompareItemList=%2D1%7C17%2D139%2D028%5E17%2D139%2D028%2DTS%2C17%2D139%2D020%5E17%2D139%2D020%2DTS

Either of those PSU's should work for you as long as you don't need a modular one. i5 3570k is only like 20 more bucks if you wanna put the savings there or you can just put it into the GPU, probably a better idea for what you want to do with the machine.

Aaaanddd if you are not going to be OCing you could save 10 bucks and just get the i5 2500, but that is not much of a savings anyways. For gaming, the i5 2500k should be plenty, you will want the best graphics card you can afford.

bctande1 · Aug 17, 2012

yotorogo :

Firstly, you do not need that 800w power supply, unless you plan on going SLI real soon. Lower that to about a 600W, lets say hypothetically that gave you 20$ back, which is much less than actuality, if I know anything.

RAM - Seeing that you are on a budget, we will limit RAM to what you need, which would be 4GB for gaming. That gives you about 50$ back.

Hard Drive - Seems a bit weak, but if you really don't feel that 1TB is necessary, then you can go with what you have.

GPU - You can definitely make an upgrade here. Give a few minutes I will configure a setup for you after I post this, and will scale the GPU according to price range.

CPU - 2500k is good, but Ivy Bridge 3570k might be achieveable with 800$

Give me a few minutes, I will build you a system, and let others comment on it.

smorizio · Aug 17, 2012

if there a local micro center near you the cpu and some parts can be had cheaper then new egg.
http://www.mnpctech.com/Fan_Grill_Templates.html
http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk/11008/pic-2.png
http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=cad%20drawings%20atx%20motherboards&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.protocase.com%2Fpdf%2FHow_to_design_enclosures_for_motherboard_based_systems_092010.pdf&ei=QZouUMWmDq-d6AGzy4HwCQ&usg=AFQjCNED9xGj90Vx6sjSJl2wBiXQfFPhTg&cad=rja

trick is to have the standoffs in the right place to keep the mb from shorting. the i\o shield will come with a new mb.
some people use new 3d printers and plastic to make cool case mods.

bctande1 · Aug 17, 2012

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eSV0

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($43.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($252.55 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Rosewill 630W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $761.50

Before Rebates this system is 791$ -- After rebates it's 761$
_______________________________________________________________________________
I got you an AsRock Z77 MOBO for a few reasons. .
1) It features most to all of the ASUS Z77 ports

2) The VRM on the AsRock is actually heatsinked, compared to the ASUS-'s non-heatsinked design.

3) The AsRock features a 8+4 power phase design, which splits up the workload nice and evenly, lowering temperatures and providing you with more overclocking headroom.

4)You get premium Gold Capacitors on the AsRock, which, again, helps the board sustain overall life

I got you an Ivy Bridge CPU, which runs way cooler, and sucks way less power than 2500k.

I upgraded you to a HD 7850, which runs on Pitcairn 28nm process, which means cool, quiet, low-power

I equipped a Bronze certified Rosewill 630W with PFC. It supplies more than enough power to all your components, which, themselves, are low-power components.

Downgraded to 4GB of Crucial RAM, definitely enough for gaming.

And a 500GB 7200RPM Caviar Black.

I put emphasis on the low power components so you have more overclocking headroom if need be.
________________________________________
Any questions/ suggestions anyone?

mousseng · Aug 17, 2012

I've a few improvements on your list, if I may be so bold:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($66.79 @ NCIX US)
Total: $754.23
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-17 16:09 EDT-0400)

- Sandy Bridge actually runs cooler than Ivy Bridge, and can overclock higher.
- 8GB of RAM isn't really that much more than 4GB, and it'll help a handful with multitasking
- Make up the price difference between 4 and 8GB of RAM by dropping to a Caviar Blue, which is a little slower than a Black, but not a ton.
- HIS makes a really nice cooler, and is a lot more affordable than a Twin Frozr.
- Dunno if OP needed a case included in the price, so I threw one in there anyway.
- The Silencer Mk.III is a helluva lot better than an RG630 - the Rosewill is low quality (not to mention discontinued), whereas the Silencer is a Seasonic unit (very good) and also modular.

Edit: Didn't include a CPU cooler, because it wouldn't fit in the budget. Save up $30 or $40, OP, and you can get yourself a Hyper 212 EVO for when you want to overclock. Else, if you don't need the case, we can see what we can get for you.

bctande1 · Aug 17, 2012

mousseng :

I can agree to the fact the HIS would be a good choice compared to TwinFrozr, although TwinFrozr runs cooler, and provides more OC'ing options with MSI Afterburner.

As far as Ivy/Sandy, I don't see anywhere it says that Sandy "runs cooler" than Ivy. Some benchmarks would be nice.

I know that Ivy has a few issues when you OC to 4.5Ghz or higher, but at 4.2 GHz, Ivy will be completely stable, the 7850 won't need a higher CPU overclock than something like 4.2Ghz. Additionally, I have no idea why he would buy Sandy Bridge to overclock higher without an aftermarket cooler, instead of opting for cooler, more stable Ivy Bridge

Additionally, Ivy supports PCIE 3.0 and, LUCID VirtuMVP(on the AsRock), when equipped with the 7850 and Intel HD 4000 graphics, only on Ivy, will support many gaming-optimal features like Adpative V-Sync, which cancels out screen-tearing when the FPS is more than the monitors refresh-rate, which we all assume is 60Hz.

RAM - If you think the extra 4GB of ram is essential when you can't fit an aftermarket cooler into your budget... =/

PSU - Didn't see that =/ Good look!

mousseng · Aug 17, 2012

MSI Afterburner works with all video cards, not just MSI cards. Dunno if Twin Frozr is worth $30ish - that's up to the OP.

Here's a thread that talks about Ivy's heat problems.

The 7850 doesn't need an overclock from an i5 at all, except for in very CPU-intense games like Starcraft 2. I already said that he can save his money for a cooler for whenever he'd need it - a lot of people don't overclock right away (especially since it's not needed). He could save $30 and get a Hyper 212, or he could save upwards of $60 (I think it is) and get something beastly like a TUNIQ Tower120 Extreme, or save $100 and get a Hydro H100 if he so desired.

At this point PCIe 3.0 makes no difference. Probably won't for a while longer, either (I'm no Nostradamus, though). On Virtu MVP, as far as I can tell it also supports Sandy Bridge.

Buying one 4GB stick of RAM now and one later will cost you more than buying a matched set right now. Buying a cooler now or later will cost the same. It's really up to the OP, though; after all, it's his money, not mine.

bctande1 · Aug 18, 2012

mousseng :

Afterburner - I know all cards support it lmao, I use it with my 7850, in fact, but Afterburner support features like over-volting ONLY with MSI branded cards.

As far as Ivy Bridge, I had seen the exact same article before. But there have been conflicting opinions even in the comments sections as to the temperature sensors used, and there are other articles which acknowledge this problem, but do not completely can Ivy Bridge -- They achieved stable overclocks of ~4Ghz, the latter going up to 4.4Ghz with 3770k with stable temps.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5763/undervolting-and-overclocking-on-ivy-bridge
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22833/5

Once again, I know VirtuMVP supports Sandy, but your missing my point. Something like adaptive V-Sync and Hyperformance benefit greatly with the HD 4000 graphics. If he want's Sandy or Ivy is his decision, of course. Then there's better multi-monitor support with HD 4000, if the OP so desires.

RAM - Yes, but it's different when your working on a budget, RAM falls the the realm of non-essentials.

Guest · Aug 18, 2012

if you want the ASUS P8Z77-V LX with your listed build, it will serve you well. btw, those corsair GS series are not that great, they are made by CWT and not seasonic like the some of TX, HX or AX series.

i screwed around a bit and got a much better grfx card. both BF3 and skyrim likes nVidia

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($307.55 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total (before mail-in rebates): $805.48
Mail-in Rebates: $-30.00
Total: $775.48

you did say you had Win7, right?

mousseng · Aug 18, 2012

bctande1 :

Hm. Are you sure you're not meaning their 'triple over-voltage' feature? Because I thought you could overvolt with any brand of card. Could be totally wrong though.

there are other articles which acknowledge this problem, but do not completely can Ivy Bridge -- They achieved stable overclocks of ~4Ghz, the latter going up to 4.4Ghz with 3770k with stable temps.

I never said you can't hit the 4GHz range with IB - I think it's pretty common knowledge that a 3570k can hit 4.2 easily on air (and that a 2500k can get higher just as easily). What I'm saying, is that SB overclocked will generally stay cooler than IB overclocked on air.

Once again, I know VirtuMVP supports Sandy, but your missing my point. Something like adaptive V-Sync and Hyperformance benefit greatly with the HD 4000 graphics. If he want's Sandy or Ivy is his decision, of course. Then there's better multi-monitor support with HD 4000, if the OP so desires.

That's fair - I wasn't thinking about Hyperformance (which tends to give a good boost, even on Sandy). Although unless OP plans on running 3 monitors off of his IGP, I think he'll be fine with either HD3k or 4k in terms of multiple monitors.

RAM - Yes, but it's different when your working on a budget, RAM falls the the realm of non-essentials.

I suppose I should've mentioned this before, but there's a discrepancy between your list and mine - I included a case, where you didn't. I'm still not sure if he needs it or not (since he hasn't replied yet), but if not, that would instantly free up the money to get one.

On an unrelated note, I've really enjoyed this. It's been a great way to kill down-time at work. c:

yotorogo · Aug 18, 2012

thank you all for your help, i have two questions though
#1; What the difference between MSI Geforce GTX660ti and Nvidia Geforce 660ti. Or a HIS Radeon HD 7850 and an AMD Radeon HD 7850
#2: After like a year or so im going to want to add another graphics card and when i do thats when i will probably be needing 800W power supply

P.S. I Know that they might be NOOB questions but please forgive me because im only 14 and im just starting to learn and figure stuff out and all this info at once is very confusing :pt1cable:

but that doesn't mean that im going to give up

yotorogo · Aug 18, 2012

i live in Brooklyn,NY so the closest microcenter is roughly an hour or an hour and a half drive

mousseng · Aug 18, 2012

yotorogo :

The Nvidia and AMD branded cards are reference designs that are sent to the company's board partners and to reviewers - the board partners then take the design and configure it to their pleasure - they'll put their own coolers, VRAM, voltage regulators, etc on them (or not - the cards they don't do that for are called 'reference design' cards). You can't get any cards directly from Nvidia or AMD, you have to purchase them from their partners (ie, HIS, MSI, Sapphire, EVGA, etc).

#2: After like a year or so im going to want to add another graphics card and when i do thats when i will probably be needing 800W power supply

You should be just fine with a good 600W PSU for the 7850 and 660ti (both draw less than 160W each) - if you'd like, you could change the PSU to something like a Corsair TX750-V2 for added security.

P.S. I Know that they might be NOOB questions but please forgive me because im only 14 and im just starting to learn and figure stuff out and all this info at once is very confusing but that doesn't mean that im going to give up

Right on, brother, just keep reading up and talking to people. The more resources you find, the more informed you'll be.

yotorogo :

Yeah, sorry about that - it wasn't supposed to use Microcenter's prices. The 2500k would come from NCIX @ $200, and the mobo would come from Newegg @ $143 shipped. That puts the total cost at $823 before rebates; $803 after.

Sorry for being a quotewhore, guys.

Guest · Aug 18, 2012

yotorogo :

the first question was already covered besides that most vendors will tweak the reference design and try to get better performance so their version is more attractive like so:

though when it comes to what wattage of a PSU; too much can be as bad as not enough. it is wise to get a quality PSU that has 80+ efficiency because a more efficient PSU will generate less heat.
(heat is bad . . . mmkay?)

now a PSU has the best efficiency between 40%-60% generally. a 80+ bronze/silver/gold PSU will be tested to have 80% or better efficiency between 20%-80% load (say its a 500 watt PSU, that mean between 100 to 400 watts being pulled from the wall outlet)
so a 500 watt PSU would be perfect for system that has an idle load of 100 watts and needs no more than 400 watts on full load.

so you say, "well if the best is 40%-60% load then i should get a 800 watts PSU and be at 50% when i have a full load of 400 watts!"

and that would be wrong. because aside from a few PSUs efficiency takes a big nose dive when a PSU is under 20% load (usually 70%-72%). so that 100-400 watt system when idling, which it does a lot more than under full load, would only use 8% of the PSU and run extremely inefficient making it pointless at getting a quality PSU.

that is covering the total wattage. a very important component is the 12 volt rail. that supplies the power for your cpu, RAM, hard drive motors, chipset, most fans and graphics card(s). generally 110 - 150 watts will cover everything (the system) but the graphic card(s). ok, so now we have a 110 watt system and are looking at getting a 660ti. the power consumption(s) i have seen are 126 to 164 watts depending on the vendor. i am going in the middle and go for a 145 watt card.

so we have 110+145 is 255 watts on the 12 volt rail which is 255/12= 21.5amps. oh and we want to keep it under 80% load so 21.5/.8= 26.5625 or round it up to 27 amps.
but you want to SLI later? 255+140= 395/12= 32.916/.8= 41.14583 or 42 amps on the 12 volt rail.

(sorry if this makes your head hurt)

so we need a PSU that has a minimum of 42 amps on the 12 volt rail. now what PSU has that? a quality PSU will have 80% of its rated wattage on the 12 volt rail. so we take the 42amps*12volts and get 504 watts since that is 80 % of total, we find the total by 504/.8= 630 watts. they don't make 630 watt PSUs but the make 650 watt PSUs. there are some great 620 watt PSUs by seasonic that could handle this. but genrally a 650 watt PSU with 42 (or more) amps on the 12 volt rail will be great for your system when you get another 660ti.

and in the meantime it would be reasonable to believe your system wouldn't idle much less than 130 watts (20% of 650 watts) especially if you overclock with speed step turned off. i have over estimated a few things on the side of caution there are some very good quality 600 watt PSUs that will be great covering this; my examples are really more to show you that a crazy sized 1,000 watt PSU would be totally ridiculous; yet some people insist on it

thanks for your time and patience reading this.

yotorogo · Aug 18, 2012

thanks for all the information and i have concluded that im going to use these compunents for my pc:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 Newegg)

Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ( $84.99 Newegg)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($19.99 Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 Newegg)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 Newegg)

Power Supply: Rosewill 630W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 Newegg)

Total: $ 819.93 (More than my budget but im going to save up some more money, if i saved up $800 i can save up another $20

Guest · Aug 18, 2012

yotorogo :

i hate to tell you but that PSU won't do for a SLI configuration with only one each 6 and 6+2 power connections. (sorry i missed saying something about that in my "lecture")
you need either four 6 pin power connections or a PSU with two 6 pin and 2 6+2 pin PCI-E power connections for a SLI set up.

the lowest priced PSU that meets those is:
XFX Core Edition PRO650W $85.99
Price after rebate: $75.99

since i do not think you could fit that in your budget, it might necessary to get a 500+ watt PSU now and upgrade when you get another 660ti. not very cost effective i know but, you maybe able to sell the older PSU.

yotorogo · Aug 19, 2012

how about this PSU -http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Power-Supply-240-Pin-W0388RU/dp/B002RWJGHM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1345324070&sr=8-5&keywords=600w+power+supply

Guest · Aug 19, 2012

yotorogo :

that is the same as this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153114
which is
PCI-Express Connector 1 x 6-Pin, 1 x 6+2-Pin
not enough connections for SLI and thermaltake does not really make a quality PSU.

yotorogo · Aug 19, 2012

my dad wants me to build like a cheap computer first(for practice) before i buy $800 worth of components and don't know how to put it together. So what i was planning on doing is since i have an old computer in the basement i was just going to take all the parts out and reassemble them

It has intel pentuim 4
Geforce8600
512 mb of ram
and 80gb harddrive
(i couldn't find what motherboard it has, its a dell dimension E510)

would this be good practice?

NOOB QUESTION AHEAD: To play dvds and cd do i need an optical drive or is it included in the case, and i have been watching a couple videos on YouTube on how to build your own pc but i still don't understand one thing, how does the power supply connect to the computer, and how does pressing a button on the case turn it on?

yotorogo · Aug 19, 2012

which is a better video card
MSI GTX 660ti power edition or HIS Radeon 2GB video card
i'm thinking it would be the MSI GTX 660ti, but i could be wrong

Guest · Aug 19, 2012

yotorogo :

you need to buy the optical drive separately. there ought to be more detailed videos showing you where to put the PSU in the case, either the top or bottom, and how to plug in the 24 pin to the motherboard and 4 or 8 pin to the CPU on the mother board. the rest are hard drives, optical and some fans. taking the other computer apart and putting it back together will give you an excellent idea of where to put most all connections.

without getting too specific: there are two pins on the motherboard that when "connected" for a few seconds will tell the motherboard to turn on; a "connection" is made when you press the power button. when people "breadboard" (put everything on the motherboard outside the case to test it before putting it in the case) they can start the motherboard by using a screwdriver to touch the 2 pins; making a connection for a few seconds.

yotorogo · Aug 20, 2012

thanks i have been taking to computer apart and together and i think i have a pretty good idea of where everything goes and i think im ready to actually order all the parts

yotorogo · Aug 20, 2012

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($307.55 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total (before mail-in rebates): $805.48
Mail-in Rebates: $-30.00
Total: $775.48

i think this is a pretty good configuration. All i did was add a case, take the cpu cooler away because i don't think i need, and changed the motherboard, but i think i should get the ASRock Z75 because a couple of the reviews say that the way the motherboard is set up you cant make full use of the PCI slots.(Also can someone please explain to me whats a PCI slot because i cant figure it out, and its driving me crazy).

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($307.55 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 Newegg)

Guest · Aug 21, 2012

you will need a better than stock cpu cooler to overclock the 2500K.

the PCI and PCI-E slots are where you connect peripherals such as a graphics card (pci-e) or an older sound card (pci).
Conventional PCI PCI Express

the pci is much older than pci-e and pretty much getting phased out since it has limitations that affect newer expansion cards.

btw, see this review? that is a great board and haven't seen anyone here complain about the aly out.

Need help deciding motherboard for my tower

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