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Choosing the right CPU and Z77 Motherboard (Gaming)! NEED HELP

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Im building my first PC and need help choosing the right parts to finalize and finally buy and build my machine. I cannot seem to decide on the right motherboard or CPU that is right for me.

For the Mobo, i want a z77 by intel that is around $150. I want the most bang for my buck and one that is best for gaming.

For the CPU, i cannot decide between the i5 2500k or the 3570k. I have been reading mixed reviews on which is better and i want the best for gaming.

I will be running a GTX 670 so you know the power of the GPU. I NEED someone to give me convincing options/suggestions on which is the best of those two component categories so i can get some sleep at night :cry: 

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CPU: I would go with the newer Ivy Bridge i5 3570K. It's generally better all around with 1 slight down fall. It runs a little hotter. But long as your not going crazy with OC and you have a decent cooler it won't matter.

MOBO: I would suggest the Asrock Extreme4 Z77. Imo it's one the best bang for your buck, can OC, as USB 3.0 ports, it was made for the IB.

BONUS: If you get both of those through microcenter you can give them for $280. Which saves you about $100.

If you are going the Z77 route, you would be better off going with the 15-3570K. It supports PCI-E 3.0 natively among other features that the i5-2500K cannot take advantage of.

As far as mobo goes, I have the Asrock exteme4 and like it. It was $129.99 on sale but normally runs around $150. If you don't want to go that route, find a comparable mobo from Asus or Gigabyte and you will be just as happy.
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Thank you both very much. You have helped me to settle on the ASRock Extreme 4 and the 3570K. I was just wondering then, what measures should i take to ensure the 3570K does not overheat incase i do decide to overlcock. Is a simple aftermarket heatsink fan sufficient, because i would have to go back to the 2500k if the only way to safely cool the thing while OCing is to buy an expensive water cooling system...

adampcpower said:
Thank you both very much. You have helped me to settle on the ASRock Extreme 4 and the 3570K. I was just wondering then, what measures should i take to ensure the 3570K does not overheat incase i do decide to overlcock. Is a simple aftermarket heatsink fan sufficient, because i would have to go back to the 2500k if the only way to safely cool the thing while OCing is to buy an expensive water cooling system...


I agree with this asrock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
and get the coolermaster 212 for your heatsink and you're set, get some arctic silver thermal paste too, this heatsink is all you will need to keep your cpu cool
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Yeah for the the CoolerMaster 212 EVO, and it comes with the thermal paste so you don't need to worry about that. It was keep it nice and cool for an OC up to 4.5GHz, which is all you would want anyways. Anything above that you have to start messing with voltages.

(make sure you get the EVO and not the plus, the EVO is the upgraded plus)
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Ivy Bridge does run hotter when OCing, but only when your going above 4.2Ghz or so and start messing with voltages. So a conservative overclock wont heat up the CPU too much.

I recommend the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO, not the 212+. The EVO has a better base plate then the 212+, this is better for mostly idle temps but it cools better under load.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Review of the EVO.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo...

The Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO looks great, but would it be compatible on the ASRock Extreme4 if i had corsairs Vengeance memory sticks? Those ram sticks (and other similar to it) have rather large heat spreader spikes on top of them. Would that obstruct the Hyper 212 EVO or other similar CPU heatsinks?
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Rawyn said:
get the coolermaster 212 for your heatsink and you're set, get some arctic silver thermal paste too

The CoolerMaster mystery goo that comes with the 212 +/EVO is quite decent, no need for AS5, Prolimatech or Indogo Xtreme for mild OCing.
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adampcpower said:
The Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO looks great, but would it be compatible on the ASRock Extreme4 if i had corsairs Vengeance memory sticks?

DDR3 RAM runs off 1.5V and uses fairly little power. Unless you want to overclock the RAM (which yields nearly no benefits in real-world applications past 1333MHz), the fancy heat-spreaders are almost entirely cosmetic.

Worst case, you can flip the fan around (switch brackets to the opposite side of the fan and then snap the fan to the opposite side of the heatsink) to make it pull air through the heatsink.

Oh, i thought those spikes on RAM sticks served a real purpose. In that case, are there other 8GB (2 x 4gb) RAM cards that are better than the Vengeance for more or less $$ and would also be compatible?
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Here you go take your pick http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $48.99 G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $49.99 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996988 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $44.99 Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 996770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $49.99 CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9
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