Building PC need advice for Motherboard

[topcatin]

Hi All,
I am planning to build a desktop and here is the configuration I have so far:

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: May be in 2 months


Budget Range: So far my configuration I have below with warranty comes to $560 excluding a power supply.


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mainly to store photos and run Picassa, May be play flight simulation but not really a priority, May watch movies


Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts :
CPU:
Intel Core i5-2310 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52310
- $ 189.99 (+ $30 - 2 year warranty)
Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53330 - $189 with ($30 warranty )

Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470 - $199 with ($30)


Mobo:

Intel BOXDZ68PL LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - 85 ($5 - 2 year warranty)

RAM - one Kingston 8GB Ram



Hardrive:
Western Digital WD Green WDBAAY0020HNC-NRSN 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - 110$ ($28 warranty - 3year warranty)

DVD-CD drive/dvd/writer:
SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224BB/RSBS

$21 ($12 warranty)



Do you need to buy OS: No



Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (newegg.com)

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Florida US


Parts Preferences: Intel CPU,Kingston RAM, Still deciding which motherboard to get,


Overclocking: I honestly dont know what this means, so not bothered about it. Can anyone tell me what this is for and what are the benefits?


SLI or Crossfire: I honestly dont know what this means, so not bothered about it. Can anyone tell me what this is for and what are the benefits?


Your Monitor Resolution: I already have an monitor.



I have noticed that some motherboards come with the network interface card and sound card, so thats why I have not included in the list.
I would like to stay away from Biostar (Read reviews about the audio going dead because of the motherboard)
ASUS - read reviews that the motherboards fail after 5 months of use.

My concern is the CPU's I have chosen is an Ivy Bridge and some of the motherboards require a BIOS update. I would rather have a motherboard which
just works out of the box and dont have to deal with this.

Graphics Card: the intel CPU's I have chosen has a graphics card integrated with it but if needed I wouldnt mind placing a graphics card sometime in the future.


What motherboard works well with Ivy Bridge and how much power supply do I need for this?
Also it will be nice to have a wireless card adapter for the PC as I dont want to be running a long wire from my router to the PC but this is not really a big issue...any ideas here?


Thanks all!

Dave

 

[ittimjones]

Higher end ASRock, Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI

any lower end models u'll be disappointed. the ASRock's are pretty good throughout all price ranges though.

ASRock's do allow for overclocking (that's just adjusting the clock multiplier to add voltage to the CPU to speed it up, for instance my CPU comes from the factory as quad-core with each core showing up as 2 cores in the system (hyperthreading) and at a speed of 3.4GHz, but i over clocked it, so now all "8" cores are running are 4.6GHz, which is a HUGE speed boost)

SLI or Crossfire is adding another of the same graphics card to the system for an up to 80% improvement in graphics. I have that too, and i like it. it allows for improvement to graphics by simply adding to the system, instead of replacing parts.

 

[topcatin]

Higher end ASRock, Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI

any lower end models u'll be disappointed. the ASRock's are pretty good throughout all price ranges though.

ASRock's do allow for overclocking (that's just adjusting the clock multiplier to add voltage to the CPU to speed it up, for instance my CPU comes from the factory as quad-core with each core showing up as 2 cores in the system (hyperthreading) and at a speed of 3.4GHz, but i over clocked it, so now all "8" cores are running are 4.6GHz, which is a HUGE speed boost)

SLI or Crossfire is adding another of the same graphics card to the system for an up to 80% improvement in graphics. I have that too, and i like it. it allows for improvement to graphics by simply adding to the system, instead of replacing parts.

Thanks for the tip and response. This is the motherboard I plan on getting :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128546
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

What are your thoughts?

 

[edtheguy]

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Thats a good mobo, I have it in my current computer and it has worked flawlessly from the start, and has all the basic bells and whistles you would need.

If you get an overclockable z77 mobo, match it with a "k" series unlocked cpu (like the 3570k).

 

[topcatin]

Thanks for the tip. I plan on getting :

Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53330 - $189

OR

Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470 - $199 with ($30)

Can we really tell the difference in performance between the 2 processors? I feel between 3Ghz and 3.2 Ghz it is not a big deal and what do you mean by unlocked CPU?

 

[edtheguy]

I believe as well as being - slightly - faster, the 3470 has "quick sync video"(?) making it more intended for gaming, while the 3330 is more suited for workstation use.

And neither cpu is unlocked - which means the multiplier on the processor can be changed to add speed or "overclock" it, for locked processors like these get a H77 mobo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128548 for example.

 

[topcatin]

I will go with the 3470 since it is only a $10 difference. This may be a dumb question but I want to get this right. Now as far as the unlocked, all intel CPU's have always been locked and even though they are locked, they are still using 4 cores correct? I want to have a motherboard where I can use it for a future upgrade if needed. Is there a reason you recommend the H77 ? Does the 3330/3470 have issues when it comes to the Z77 mobo?

 

[edtheguy]

No issues, getting a z77 board would let you use the full benefits of a "k" series-overclockable chip if you wanted to upgrade in the future and wouldn't cause you any problems now.

And yes you would be getting the benefit of all cores no matter what cpu you buy, the "lock" only applies to the ability to overclock the cpu's speed after installation (which is a full blown hobby/subculture for many pc users)