Help me upgrade please, without the jargon :)

[taargustaargus]

I'm switching over to an Intel based setup, but I am going mostly off of the recommendations of an online friend, who isn't available, and I'm going to the microcenter tomorrow.

Here's the thing though, I love gaming, but I'm pretty much a fool when it comes to the jargon concerning motherboards and ram, so my endless searching of these forums leaves me scratching my head. I have somehow built three PCs without learning a lot of the technical aspects of each component :x

I have already switched to a GTX570, so now I'm upgrading my motherboard, processor, and ram. I am also working on a budget of around 580-600 dollars tops. Here are my prospects.

Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K LGA 1155
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-M PRO LGA 1155 Z68 mATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Series 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (2x4g sticks)
Heatsink for the MOBO: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Universal CPU Cooler
PSU: OCZ Technology 750 Watt Fatal1ty Series Modular ATX Power Supply

I don't plan on overclocking. I would like to be able to SLI when I have the money for another 570.

Is this a compatible setup? And would I be just as well going with the ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX mobo to save $15?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

 

[crewton]

Sadly, neither one of those motherboards will allow you to SLI another gtx 570. You will have to go with a motherboard that at least says "PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (single at x16 or dual at x8 / x8 mode)" Both of the ones you listed are x16 single or x16/x4 dual which won't allow 2xgtx570. You want something like ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 I know it sucks that they are all pretty much named the same.

I'd also recommend getting the i5 2500k and saving $100 since you plan to game and won't benefit (in fact if you leave hyperthreading enabled the 2600k tends to perform slightly worse). I'd also get your friend to overclock your cpu if you don't plan on doing it yourself. It's really a waste to have a nice heatsink and cpu and only use it at 3.7Ghz when you can get into the mid to high 4Ghz.

 

[taargustaargus]

Sadly, neither one of those motherboards will allow you to SLI another gtx 570. You will have to go with a motherboard that at least says "PCI Express 2.0 x16: 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (single at x16 or dual at x8 / x8 mode)" Both of the ones you listed are x16 single or x16/x4 dual which won't allow 2xgtx570. You want something like ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 I know it sucks that they are all pretty much named the same.

I'd also recommend getting the i5 2500k and saving $100 since you plan to game and won't benefit (in fact if you leave hyperthreading enabled the 2600k tends to perform slightly worse). I'd also get your friend to overclock your cpu if you don't plan on doing it yourself. It's really a waste to have a nice heatsink and cpu and only use it at 3.7Ghz when you can get into the mid to high 4Ghz.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775

Is that the motherboard you're referring to? Also, won't the i7 futureproof me a little bit? I don't get the money to upgrade very often.

 

[FesBeng]

You've picked up a great build !
Everything il compatible and will work perfectly !
As a personal thought, I wouldn't go for a microATX motherboard. It's small and makes it harder to work with. And it won't allow you to add another 570.

I'd rather go for an ASUS p8Z68-V LE.
You'll be able to add another 570 in SLI in the future witthout any issues.

 

[crewton]

eeek from microcenter's website the cheapest one that can support 2 gtx 570s is P8Z68-V/GEN3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard That is a bit overkill for you but it does futureproof your build since it supports PCIe 3.0 (sorry for the jargon >.<)

Are you deadset on an Asus motherboard or would you be willing to get a gigabyte board? You can get GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 which is $140 and would support a SLI configuration.

 

[taargustaargus]

Ok starting to get a little mixed up here. So the microATX which was in my original post is out of the question.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775

Is this a better choice?

 

[crewton]

Ok starting to get a little mixed up here. So the microATX which was in my original post is out of the question.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775

Is this a better choice?

You can't use two gtx 570s with that board either.

 

[taargustaargus]

Well, I'm trying to get one from microcenter that lists for about 120 (not counting the processor+mobo discount). The one that crewton referred to isn't at the microcenter, so that's where my problem lies now.

 

[taargustaargus]

Wait, why would I not be able to use two 570s with http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775 ?

Under specs it says
[PCI Express x1] 2

 

[thesnappyfingers]

you can xfire/sli with that board.

definitely drop to the i5 2500k, you won't need the i7 for gaming.

 

[taargustaargus]

you can xfire/sli with that board.

definitely drop to the i5 2500k, you won't need the i7 for gaming.

But will games use multithreading in the next say... 2 or 3 years? Cause I will definitely still have this processor in 3 years

 

[thesnappyfingers]

doubt it. Hyperthreading is good for many things but it probably wont be for gaming, or atleast gaming wont use it.

However, that is how it is now. It may be different in the future. If getting the i7 reassures you then go for it. I wouldn't worry about it though. to me its not worth the extra 100.00.

 

[taargustaargus]

So it seems it's agreed that the i5 is the better deal. And i could always spend that extra 100 bucks on a SSD.. very tempting.

 

[thesnappyfingers]

I don't own one so I can't testify to how awesome they are. I have had them in my cart ready to purchase but usually back out.

 

[jsc]

Wait, why would I not be able to use two 570s with http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775 ?

Under specs it says
[PCI Express x1] 2

It is telling you that the board has two PCIe X1 slots. Those at the short little slots. Video cards will not fit in them. You need physical X16 slots.

 

[AdrianPerry]

I'd rather go for an ASUS p8Z68-V LE.
You'll be able to add another 570 in SLI in the future witthout any issues.

Not true. the -v LE wont support SLI.

The cheapest ASUS board, in the Z68 chipset that supports SLI I believe, is the -V http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V/#specifications

Then there's also the -v PRO and the DELUXE.

Neither the -V LE, -V LX or -V M will support SLI.




FOR SLI SUPPORT THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR IN THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION: "2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)"