Just bought new i5-3570k and Intel mobo... Should I return?

To clarify, I feel like I had other options. I could have upgraded to an AMD X6 for instance, or a FX-8150, for much cheaper. Or I could have just gotten a new cooler and OC'ed my old card for even cheaper. I'm sure there are other options as well. So what do you think?

To be honest, your money was not wasted upgrading to a 3570k and a Z77 motherboard. They will perform significantly better than your Phenom II X4, and once OC'd, oh goodness, you would be flying through anything you throw at your rig.

Also just to keep in mind, a GTX670 SLI would have most likely been bottlenecked by your X4 965. Not to mention, the X4 965's would've had a very short life span (another 2 years TOPS), that 3570k will most likely last you a good while compared to your Phenom II.

Actually, it's only around 25-30% better than the phenom. I'd say you should have waited another generation or two.

@Mocchan If the 965 is also OC'd, It won't bottleneck a 670 SLI configuration enough to warrant a new CPU and Mobo.

I say return the parts. You pretty much have buyer's remorse with good reason.

I only ever buy computer parts if the ones I'm buying cost the same/less than my current parts and deliver 75% or more performance.

Save ze money from the intel doo-dads, and use that to buy a nifty GPU when NVidia/AMD release their next series.

Yes, that's true about the Phenom II's, they're still very modest, and with a very nice OC, they're still very 'deadly' today.

You do make a great point about waiting for next generation CPU's   with AMD's Piledriver on the horizon; along with Intel's Haswell, it would seem smart to wait for those considering the Phenom II's still have plenty of life in them for the next year or two  

also your mobo can take FX processors I suspect, and will be able to take any AM3/+ trinities. So send them back. Although it will be faster you won't see much benefit in real life.

keep them.You WILL see a real life difference between the i5 and the FX or phenom ii.You spent your money well.

Ha just look at my specs in my sig (or member configuration link) i can already fly through anything (i can encode and burn HD video in about 15 - 20 minutes and smoothly play a game) and it cost half of what a comparable intel system costs.

My point; thats your decision but i think it was rather unessecary. a few upgrades to your current system would have gotten you a large performance increase depending on what you upgraded

I agree with you guys for the most part. I went ahead and installed the MOBO and CPU, because I'll still be able to return them if I want to, and I can always sell my old MOBO and Phenom.

What a mistake.

This mobo was almost impossible to install, and once I did, my cooler wouldn't fit correctly (and it is built for LGA 1150 sockets). I finally got my cooler on, after literally 4 hours of messing with it.

Then, the damn thing won't boot. Three beeps for memory error. I use Crucial Ballistix 2x4GB sticks at 1333 9-9-9-24-1T (they're rated for 2T, but I can't find the option to change this in my new BIOS.) I also have 2x2GB Micron Technology 1333 sticks that worked just fine on my old board, but I can't figure out on my new one.

The board won't boot with memory in the A channel, and it only boots with either of my Crucial sticks in the first slot of B channel. Once in BIOS, I was able to change my RAM voltage to 1.65, up from 1.5, and then I could insert my other Crucial stick into B Channel. So I can get 8 GB working, which is probably plenty. But I want Dual Channel, and I want my 12 GB. I could probably purchase a duplicate 2x4 GB RAM for about $40, and I'm thinking about doing it so that I can try to run 16 GB.

When I OC'ed my CPU, my system wouldn't boot anymore. So I had to take out the second Crucial stick, and it booted, and I had to up the voltage again. It then booted back up with both Crucial sticks in the B channel.

This board is such a hassle. Granted, it looks wonderful, and the CPU is a BEAST. It almost doubled my Cinebench scores over my "old" Phenom 965BE that ran at 3.9. It easily OC'ed to 4.5 Ghz from 3.4, and during 4 hour stress test I got zero hours and a max of 70C, average of about 60C, which I think is perfectly fine for a 100% load 1.1 Ghz overclock. These CPU's take more heat than AMD's.

I might try to get my Micron Sticks working in Channel A, but I have some questions about that. Does anyone know if it would be better to do my Larger memory in the first channel? Or does it matter?

Also, should I put both Micron 2GB in the same channel, and both 4GB in the same channel? Or, is it better to use both 4 GB in slot 1 in channel A and Slot 3 in channel B for dual-channel use?

Does anyone know why my RAM would suddenly not work at the normal V?