Time to Upgrade

[algifford]

Well, it has been many years since my last computer build (AMD 3700+) and I believe it is time for an upgrade...

I was thinking Intel i5-3570k CPU
16 Gig DDR3 RAM (RAM is cheap and this leaves me slots to upgrade in the future)...
I will be adding an SSD as well...Samsung 830 256G...

I tend to keep my computers for a long time (too long probably), so future proofing is a major concern for me...
I will reuse my current case (I love my all aluminum super flower), PSU, optical drive and even video card (for now)..

Should I be concerned with an x16/x16 motherboard to accomodate future upgrade by drop in of second video card?
There are way too many motherboard options even within a single brand... I know I want USB 3.0 (the more the merrier), and I want a full-sized motherboard... I am having a hard time nailing down the exact motherboard though...

I play games, write/compile code and fiddle with graphics... I do not want to spend ridiculus amounts of money, but an extra hundred bucks or two to future proof the machine is a no brainer...

I was hoping I could get a recommendation on a motherboard..The Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H looks like a good choice but does not have 2 x16 graphics slots... On the other hand, the ASRock z77 Extreme 4 has the slots but is not a brand that I trust. I was hoping to get some community input...

Thanks!

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

A total budget would help ....

All the best Brett

 

[algifford]

OK....I do not want to spend more than $300 on a new mobo...

Thanks...

 

[Raiddinn]

x16/x16 is overrated. The nf200 chip makes x16/x16 slower than x8/x8 most of the time. Most video cards can't use more than an x8 path anyway, or if they can they can only go a couple % higher than it anyway.

I would just get some kind of board that has 1 x16 and 1 x8 that drops both to x8/x8 when a second card is added.

I don't think you should add a second card for a lot of reasons, but if you want "future proofing" then at least just do that.

- edit - typod

 

[geofelt]

Your plan is good.

The Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H looks fine to me.
No need to spend more.

Today's cards don't push the limits of X8 anyway.

The motherboard will support sli/cf, @x8/x8, with no loss in performance, but a more likely upgrade will be to replace your intital card with the next best thing.

There are limits on how many usb 3.0 attachments any Z77 can handle. It is a bunch.
And, if you really need more, a usb3.0 add in card will give you more.