New i3/nVidia build, need experts advice!

[carnagegaming]

Hi, I'm building my second pc, I sold my first one but I cant stay away I love building and gaming! I mostly play Blizzard games(WoW, Diablo3 etc..). I'm going with the Intel build because I got my hands on a GTX 650ti for $100 when they usually go for more than $200(Best Buy employee discount!). And I heard that if you go nVidia then you go Intel CPU and vice-versa apparently they work better together(still don't know if this is true or if you can mix match with no penalty). I'm going for around ~$550 budget and seemed to make it work but before I buy I would like to get experts advice on if this build is good or if it will work before I waste money! I'm open to any alternatives and opinions you guys have to make my build better just need to see if this is a good build and what not. Thanks in advance!


Current build list:

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case(@newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard(@newegg)
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor (@newegg)
GPU: GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB 128-bit GDDR5(@newegg)
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600(@newegg)
PSU: CORSAIR Gaming Series GS700 700W(@newegg)
HDD: Western Digital 250GB 7200 RPM(@newegg)

EDIT: Also, what OS is the way to go for gaming? Or does it matter?

 

[strife_ff7]

Is the gtx 650 ti the only part you already have?

 

[carnagegaming]

Yes, that and the PSU, you can't get it from newegg, I got it at my job best buy.

 

[Outlander_04]

there is no reason to go nvidia/ intel rather than nvidia /AMD

stop listening to anyone who gives that advice immediately

 

[carnagegaming]

The main reason I've heard that is because you cant SLI on AMD board and the other way around.

 

[Outlander_04]

The main reason I've heard that is because you cant SLI on AMD board and the other way around.

That is also incorrect . AMD motherboards with 990X and 990 FX chipsets can SLI just fine

 

[strife_ff7]

A few things you could change to get better performance. You don't need a z77 mobo with a i3.Here are two different ways you could go.
cpu - i5 3470 $189 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087EVHVW/?tag=pcpapi-20
mobo - asrock h77m $70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157303
or
cpu - fx-6300 $134 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009O7YORK/?tag=pcpapi-20
mobo - asus m5a99x evo r2.0 $118 after $20 rebate http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=76030&vpn=M5A99X%20EVO%20R2%2E0&manufacture=ASUS
The first gives you a better cpu and the second gives you the option of adding another gtx 650 ti later for a sli setup.

 

[carnagegaming]

Thanks alot! I might just go with the i3 with that cheaper h77m just to save money. I looked at comparisons and I think the i3-3320 Ivy Bridge is plenty fast enough for most games, it beats the new fx-4100 quad. I'm not sure if I should upgrade to an i5 like you said. What do you think?

 

[carnagegaming]

Or go AMD with an OC mobo? Not sure if OC will make it better than the intel non OC'd. All I want is the processor that will give me the best quality for games because that's all I will be doing, i3, amd 8 core whatever will do the trick the best for games. Mostly WoW and mmo's.

 

[strife_ff7]

The fx-6300 oc'd will beat an i3 3220 by a good bit and with that mobo it will give you the option of sli later.

 

[carnagegaming]

I don't ever plan on playing and games needing two GTX 560's. Just trying to go cheap. Do I need 6 cores for playing 1 game at a time? I thought higher clocked Dual core cpu would do better on playing 1 game than having a 6 core and having lower clock speed due to not needing the extra cores on one application, I thought it does'nt really use all 6 at one time to power one game, rather one and the others don't really use.

 

[strife_ff7]

Some games will use more than two cores. I did some looking around and the i3 3220 will be just fine for wow, also you could always upgrade later to an i5.

 

[carnagegaming]

Best answer selected by carnagegaming.

 

[carnagegaming]

Some games will use more than two cores. I did some looking around and the i3 3220 will be just fine for wow, also you could always upgrade later to an i5.

Thanks alot for your help man! You've helped me make my decision to stick with the i3 and go with the board you recommended and possible cpu upgrade later.