Which combo for general use/some gaming budget build?

[elyjah]

My total budget is around 650 for the tower without the os. Case has already been purchased.
I need an average motherboard for either an i5 3450 or an i3 2120. Preferably under 100$.

Heres what i'm choosing between.

ASRock B75 PRO3 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157314
with the i5 3450

OR

MSI Z77A-G45 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130645
with the i3 2120

The rest of the system is :
Antec 550w modular PSU
WD HD 7200rmp SATA 6gb/s 250gb
Mushkin Blackline 8gb DDR3 1600 RAM
HIS turbo x 6850
Zalman Z9 Plus Case

The i3 build is cheaper by about 70$ Canadian, so would the jump to an i5 be worth the 70$?
Or I could pair the i3 with the cheaper Asrock and save even more?

 

[elyjah]

Anyone? I gotta order tonight or tomorrow

Thanks

 

[azeem40]

The first one as Z77 is useless without an OCable CPU.

 

[Pezcore27]

Motherboard from option 1 w/ processor from option 2 = Profit. This is the option that will end up being the least expensive.

With both choices, it is apparent that you are not looking to overclock, so the Z77 board can be done away with if you choose to, or you can keep it for upgradability in the future.

For general use/some gaming, you will really not need the quad core, depending on what programs you are using, and the hyperthreaded dual core would be just fine.

 

[elyjah]

So the B75 motherboard will be fine for either CPU?

What are the disadvantages of the B75 vs. Z77 other than OC?