Will this work and which Motherboard?

[Skygaming03]

So I have to choose between 2 motherboards, which one should I get? And will they both work with the build that I'll put below.

1. GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3 AMD 970/SB950 AM3+ FX ATX Motherboard - ATX, Socket AM3+, AMD 970 Chipset, 2000MHz DDR3 (O.C.), SATA 6.0 Gb/s, RAID, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, CrossFireX Ready
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932738&Sku=G452-8442

2. ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296

The GIGABYTE one is about $40 less right now.

Now for the build it will have to work for (state any flaws I have or if anything will work better please)

CPU: ($170) Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor http://microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

PSU: ($70) CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

RAM: ($40) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

HDD: ($90) Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Official Case: ($70) Z9 U3 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://microcenter.com/product/400425/Z9_U3_ATX_Mid_Tower_Computer_Case

GPU: ($230) MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card N660 TF 2GD5/OC
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GeForce-Graphics-N660-TF/dp/B0094CX8QI/ref=br_lf_m_1000832461_1_3_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&pf_rd_p=1399605342&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000832461&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FVWFHW0F7631Z8VP0F4

Optical Drive: ($20) LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 – OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=



-So will this be a semi-good build? I am mostly going to play games like BF3/4 (I'll be able to upgrade a bit by the time 4 comes out), Skyrim, Minecraft, and games like that. I don't need a whole lot of graphics, medium to high is fine for me because I am a console player. As for frames, I would like 30-40. Any feedback is welcome, thanks

 

[mlcaouette]

Only the asrock will work for that build, you have a intel cpu therefore you need a intel M/B. The gigabyte is a AMD board.

 

[Skygaming03]

Only the asrock will work for that build, you have a intel cpu therefore you need a intel M/B. The gigabyte is a AMD board.

Okay thanks, now I just saw the same Asrock Mobo, but made by MSI, it has intel in it, so that will work, right?

 

[austinwillis81]

Yeah only the asrock board will work. Also I would go for this PSU, cheaper and 500watts is enough.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

And I personally I would go for a 660ti, you can get one for roughly $30-50 more than a 660.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125441

 

[austinwillis81]

Okay thanks, now I just saw the same Asrock Mobo, but made by MSI, it has intel in it, so that will work, right?

As long as its a Z77/H75 board

 

[mlcaouette]

You want a motherboard with a intel chipset (i.e. z77 or h77 or z75 or b75).

z77 is the top of the line but not needed in most situations.

Post the boards in question and I will tell you if they are compatible.

 

[Skygaming03]

You want a motherboard with a intel chipset (i.e. z77 or h77 or z75 or b75).

z77 is the top of the line but not needed in most situations.

Post the boards in question and I will tell you if they are compatible.

Okay so I was looking at this board that I actually just bought, it has 2 months return date so I should be fine if I find a better one, but it was $60, normally $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130653

 

[mlcaouette]

Not the greatest board in the world but decent for the price and as far as compatibility goes you're fine. The z77 chip is kinda wasted since it only has one graphics card slot.

 

[Skygaming03]

Well I only need 1 card anyways right? If I get the money ill upgrade the mobo but for now I think I only need 1 card, right?

 

[mlcaouette]

Yes you will only need one card, a gtx 660 should handle games just fine at 1080p or below. I wouldn't bother upgrading the board until you come to a time when the board no longer supports your needs and/or wants (which could include highest stable overclock on the cpu or dual graphics cards).

Good luck on your first build and be sure to post some pics when it's all done here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=31&post=310222&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0