Components for a H61 chipset

[executionist]

I had this build in mind which consisted of

What I bought and is in the mail
Asus H61 http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8H61M_LE/
CM GX550 PSU http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6641
Casing, Mouse, KB, Speakers, Headset, Monitor

1. Initially I planned to get the i3 2120 but if I get the i5? Will the board be a bottleneck?
2. Should I go with the 1333 ram or 1600?
3. Should I get a high RPM HDD like Caviar Black which is Sata 6Gb/s or the low rpm Caviar Green which is 3Gb/s because the board only supports 3Gb/s

I knew exactly what I was getting, but suddenly my budget has increased.

Thanks for your replies

 

[James McKeane]

Assuming this rig is for gaming:

1. The i3 2120 would do fine, especially considering that the real bottleneck occurs at the gpu.

2. the motherboard only supports 1066/1333, so a good 1333 should be fine. If future upgrades are in consideration, then 1600 could be a purchase possibility. I think they (the 1600) would downclock themselves to 1333, but i'm not entirely sure. Check the user manual http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8H61M_LE/#download

3. If you're looking to keep things within budget, i'd get a 7200 Sata II. If you want a hard drive that will keep up with future hardware upgrades, i'd get the sata iii. the controller will automatically downgrade the speed to the appropriate settings.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

Don't get a green HDD for a primary drive. That MB won't overclock the CPU, but a 2120 won't o/c anyway. If you get an I5 K model CPU get a Z68 MB. Get the best video card you can squeeze out of your budget.

 

[executionist]

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