Another try at building a new computer

Hello everyone. A month ago I made a thread about new rig and it was budget oriented. I still haven't bought anything and there is a chance I will be able to afford more expensive rig. My budget rig got positive feedback so now I'd like to hear opinions on this one. It will be used for browsing, gaming, home cinema and all that stuff. I also wouldn't mind playing Battlefield 3, but not on ultra settings. So here it is:

MoBo: Asus P8P67-M
CPU: Core i5 2500k
GPU: XFX Radeon HD6850 1GB DDR5
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
RAM: Mushkin SilverLine Stiletto 1333 MHz 2x2GB DDR
PSU: XFX Core Edition 80 550W
CPU fan: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus
Case fans: 2x Arctic Cooling F9 Pro PWM

With current exchange rate, these components sum up to ~$890. Again, much more expensive than on NewEgg, but what can we Europeans do...

And now, the questions:

1. This might be a broad question, but I can't figure out the differences between these Asus' motherboards: P8P67-M, P8H67-M EVO, P8P67-M PRO, P8P67 LE, P8P67 PRO. I have tried comparing specifications (from official site), but I got completely lost in all the information. What does the "-M" stand for and what do "EVO", "PRO", "LE" and no suffix mean?

2. Should I go with P67 or Z68 motherboard? I know Z combines the good sides of H and P, but I don't really need integrated graphics support. I do want to overclock, so P67 should do, right?

3. Is there better PSU in same price range? I'm aware that Seasonic is probably the best, but it's also a bit too expensive. I suppose XFX is better than Corsair CX series?

4. I have heard a lot of mixed opinions on Hyper 212 Plus, some people are extremely satisfied while others have complained about a number of things. How good is it and is there something better in same price range? Most people applaud its low price. Another thing to note, I would like to overclock the CPU to at least 4 GHz, but no more than 4.5 GHz.

Thanks for help.

Cheers.

Forgot to ask one more thing... How much power does overclocked i5 2500k need?

XFX Core Edition 80 550W has 44A or 12V rails (528W), is that enough when all the other components are taken into account?

http://www.techspot.com/review/448 [...] page7.html

As you can see, the phenom is owning the i5 and i7 by about 3 FPS. It doesn't look much but the Phenom is a $100 dollars cheaper. BF3 isn't CPU intensive so you should really get a good video card.

Get a 6950. The 6850 won't cut it. Tom's $500 dollar build has a 6870. Don't skimp on the GPU.

Since your resolution is lower than I expected, a 6850/6870 will do fine. Also, you could get away with a corsair 430w since you're only running 1 gpu.

Yes, I was just comparing 6850, 6870 and 6950 for my resolution and 6870 seems to be the golden middle.

I am 99% sure that I will never run more than 1 graphic card.

Don't you think I need more than 430W to be sure when overclocking?

Also, I've read somewhere that XFX Core Edition 80 is rebranded Seasonic which is great, but can anyone confirm this?

Also, i've never heard of that RAM company so try for a crucial ballstix sport series there.

Ah yes, I know that article. Couldn't find it, thanks for confirmation.

I was in a dilemma between Mushkin and G.Skill, but I decided to go with Mushkin because it's from USA (compared to G.Skill which is from Taiwan). People say both are excellent choices.

Can anyone answer other questions?

-M<LE<EVO<PRO

Theres just some extra features in the higher end mobos that you don't get in lower end mobos. Also, you get better overclocking but since you aren't going heavily for gaming, I would just go with -m to save money.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 542-8.html

This is it, it's 1 year old but it should still be accurate.

Anyway. Tom's conclusion is that G. Skill Ripjaws is the best brand for them.

Good luck bro. There nothing better than a gamer happy with his system. Get the 6870 btw.

Hyper 212+ ftw

Thanks, that definitely helps. I think I'll go with P8P67 LE then. I have to ask, though, what's power design, DIGI+VRM and those 16+2, 12+2 and 4+1 things?

Heh, I know, a lot of people say it's the best cooling for that price, but will it suffice for overclocking to 4.5 GHz?

That's provided you get a good chip and good air flow going to keep temps down. I can get 4.5Ghz, but at the voltage I need to maintain it and the temps, I don't think it's worth it. I'm currently sitting at 4.3Ghz @ about 1.275v with (what I consider) good temps. But from what I've heard, 212+ is a very good performer. I can only comment from what I've seen as I don't own it. I have a Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B.

I briefly tried my P8P67 using the easy Turbo mode that BIOS provides (no tinkering with anything) and I got it to 4.2 Ghz. I used Prime95 to test it (100% load) for about half an hour and my average temperature was 60 degrees. I attribute it to not applying thermal paste directly. I think with some advanced tinkering and using better thermal paste I get lower the temps and get it to 4.5. I have HAF 912 with 2 Enermax 120mm fans intake and the stock fans as exhaust (one top, one at back).

The Digi-VRM is basically the voltage regulators. According to many, helps with better overclocking. If you only plan to take it to 4.5 then LE will be perfectly fine. Read up on some reviews to be sure.

Thanks for replies. Right now I've got my eyes on Scythe Mine 2, but I'm afraid my (old) case won't be big enough (width) so I might have to cut the left panel somehow.