$1200 Motherboard Suggestions

sinsang

September 26, 2011 4:19:54 PM

Hey guys, I was hoping that you guys could provide some input and suggestions as to how I should build my new PC. Thanks!

Purchase Date: Unsure. See additional comments

Budget: $1000 - $1200

System Usage: Gaming and browsing

Parts Not Required: OS, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor

Preferred Websites: NCIX.com, CanadaComputers, DirectCanada, MemoryExpress

Country of Origin: Canada

Overclocking: Yes

SLI/Crossfire: Maybe in the future

Monitor Resolution: Monitor 1: 1680x1050 or Monitor 2: 1920x1200

Parts Preference:
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k
CPU Heatsink:Coolermaster Hyper 212
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 (Black)
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB
HDD: WD Green 2TB
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 8gb
DVD Drive: LG GH24LS70 24X SATA
PSU: XFX 750W 80Plus Silver
SSD: Crucial m4 128gb
MOBO:
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
ASUS P8P67 Pro REV3.1
MSI Z68A-GD65 B3
ASRock Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3

Additional Comments:
I'm unsure if I should wait to build this system or build it now. My current computer runs the games I play decently. The only games I play right now are League of Legends and Starcraft 2. And in the future I would play Diablo 3. I'm not going to be playing BF3 or other high intensive FPS games.

Should I wait for HD7000 series? Should I wait for Ivy Bridge?

Thanks for your help everybody!!

More about : 1200 motherboard suggestions

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sinsang

September 26, 2011 8:04:52 PM

Any help guys?

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Silvune

September 26, 2011 11:23:02 PM

Plenty of reviews have shown that 1600MHz is the sweetspot in terms of price and performance and anything above that is usually not worth the extra cost. I can provide links to support this if you want to see evidence.
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V $53/$43
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60640&vpn=996995&manufact...

This looks like one of the best price/performance units on NCIX:
XFX Pro 750W XXX Edition 80Plus Silver Modular $115/$85
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=62224&vpn=P1750BNLG9&manu...
For 6870 crossfire a 650W is easily enough, but I haven't noticed any 650W PSUs that are clearly better than the XFX for a similar price.

MSI Z68A-GD65 B3 $190/150
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=61910&vpn=Z68A%2DGD65%20%...

Asus P8P67 Pro Rev 3.1 $190
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=63761&vpn=P8P67%20PRO%20R...

The P8Z68-V, which would have been another option, doesn't have a PS/2 port. There are adapters which mean you can plug a PS/2 motherboard into a USB port.
I don't think it matters which chipset you get, unless you want to have the 'backup/troubleshooting' option of having access to the integrated graphics.

I don't know much about Ivy Bridge, but I can't imagine that it will offer much for gaming that Sandy Bridge doesn't. Some people might mention PCIe 3.0. But graphics cards won't need that extra bandwidth for years.
OTOH if you don't have a pressing need to upgrade yet, then you might as well wait. And is probably what I would do.
With next generation graphics cards around the corner that is another reason to wait.

Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB $225
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60445&vpn=CT128M4SSD2&man...
Seems to be one of the most popular drives around atm, apparently due to being more reliable than Sandforce drives currently.

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sinsang

September 27, 2011 1:30:35 AM

Thank you very much. I edited some of my parts to reflect your input. I know I'm probably overkilling this system, since Starcraft 2, League of Legends, and Diablo 3 are not very CPU + GPU intensive.

Since this system seems to be overkill for these games, is there a point in waiting for the new hardware that's coming in the future? With the HD7000 series right around the corner, will that even be a choice for me? Does anybody think that there will be a price drop in the 6800 and 6900 cards?

Thanks again

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