I'm looking to upgrade my current PC (q6600 processor, 9800gt 512mb video card, 4gb ram) and get these components, but I don't know which mobo to go with....
CPU - perfect
Fan - I've heard the cooler is good, but can be loud. Check out the CoolerMaster 212 Plus http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103065
It'll get your processor to 4.5 GHz easily. And it's quiet and a bit cheaper.
RAM - I'd probably go with 1600MHz. You just won't notice the difference with anything higher and it'll save you a bit of cash http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231314
GPU - And then you can put that extra cash into a slightly better video card http://www.newegg.co...&Tpk=asus%20570
Both are 570s, but the Asus will be quieter and slightly faster.
If you were looking to save a bit more money yet not sacrifice much performance, you could go with an AMD 6950 or an Nvidia 560Ti. Of course they aren't QUITE as good as the 570, but are close. And it'll save you $80-$100, depending upon the brand, model, etc. I don't want to talk you out of the 570, because it's a great card. Just sharing what I thought through before I purchased my card. I ended up getting an MSI 6950, simply because I don't play THAT many computer games, and the ones I do aren't very GPU taxing (WoW, D3, SC2, Aoe3, etc etc).
PSU - you didn't mention what power supply you have. It may be something you'll want to upgrade as well, given the higher power requirements. As long as you have a good 650W or higher you'll be fine.
Edit: I saw this (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131791) motherboard, which looks like it's bad ass, but it's more than I wanted to spend. *frowny face*
Ha! Yikes. Check out that Asus I linked to earlier http://www.newegg.co...8-v+pro&x=0&y=0
Solid board, will let you overclock the i5 and, if you so choose, will work with the Ivy Bridge processors. At this point it should come with the required bios version of at least 0902 for the Ivy.
You could also go with a Gen3 version http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131790
But really the only difference between the two (aside from price) is the Gen3 supports PCI-Express 3.0. But I don't foresee GPU bandwidth being a problem for quite some time. So spending the extra $40 would be a personal choice.
What about this fan (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103046)? Or is it just overkill. The other one you linked looks pretty good too, just figured I'd ask.
If I won't be able to tell the difference between the 2133 and the 1600 RAM, then I'll go with this (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231358). I wanted 12gigs of RAM anyways, but the 2133 stuff was a lil' too expensive for 3x 4gig sticks.
This mobo (http://www.newegg.co...#scrollFullInfo) looks pretty good. Wish it was about $50 less (I know the other board is like $30 less, but it's open box & I don't trust that).
Ok, sorry for the giant quote but I wanted to touch on everything.
CPU
Excellent CPU choice, althought if you're not really on a restricted budget the i7 2600k is worth 100 more bucks (I'm glad I decided to do it when I was looking at the i5) and it's more "futureproof" than the i5 due to hyperthreading.
COOLING
For the Heatsink/Fan, you're already looking to spend around 50 bucks (close to it anyway) it seems so I recommend you go for the best Heatsink/Fan out there right now.
#1 on that list, it's amazing and has been consistantly #1 on that list for a year and it only costs like 50-60 bucks. Downside is it's hard to find. Here is a list of good sites that carry it. I got my from PerformancePCs.com but they are sold out ATM...http://www.frostytech.com/permalink.cfm?NewsID=78062
Getting the right cooling system will allow you to OC your i5 (or 7 :)) to 30%+ with really good temps and the HUGE increases in performance is worth it (my i7 is OC'd to 4.7GHz on that Heatsink I showed you and it idles under 40 celsius.
RAM
Superfula is correct when he says to stick with 1600MHz RAM. GSkill is a great choice and the RAM you picked is awesome.
GPU
Out of those 2, I would go with the EVGA card.
MOTHERBOARD
When it comes to the motherboard, I would look at P67 motherboards only unless you plan on using Intel QuickSync, SSD Caching, and the intergrated CPU graphics (the H67 feature). Those features are what separates Z68 from P67 and you'll save yourself 70-40 bucks depending on the P67 board you choose.
I personally have an ASRock Extreme4 Gen3. Picked it after looking at a few motherboard "roundup" reviews. It had really good SATA 6GB performance, excellent temps and power consumption scores. The ASUS boards on there are good too though.
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Ok, sorry for the giant quote but I wanted to touch on everything.
CPU
Excellent CPU choice, althought if you're not really on a restricted budget the i7 2600k is worth 100 more bucks (I'm glad I decided to do it when I was looking at the i5) and it's more "futureproof" than the i5 due to hyperthreading.
COOLING
For the Heatsink/Fan, you're already looking to spend around 50 bucks (close to it anyway) it seems so I recommend you go for the best Heatsink/Fan out there right now.
http://www.frostytec...p5heatsinks.cfm
#1 on that list, it's amazing and has been consistantly #1 on that list for a year and it only costs like 50-60 bucks. Downside is it's hard to find. Here is a list of good sites that carry it. I got my from PerformancePCs.com but they are sold out ATM...http://www.frostytech.com/permalink.cfm?NewsID=78062
Getting the right cooling system will allow you to OC your i5 (or 7 :)) to 30%+ with really good temps and the HUGE increases in performance is worth it (my i7 is OC'd to 4.7GHz on that Heatsink I showed you and it idles under 40 celsius.
RAM
Superfula is correct when he says to stick with 1600MHz RAM. GSkill is a great choice and the RAM you picked is awesome.
GPU
Out of those 2, I would go with the EVGA card.
MOTHERBOARD
When it comes to the motherboard, I would look at P67 motherboards only unless you plan on using Intel QuickSync, SSD Caching, and the intergrated CPU graphics (the H67 feature). Those features are what separates Z68 from P67 and you'll save yourself 70-40 bucks depending on the P67 board you choose.
Choose one from here ---> http://www.newegg.co...ING&PageSize=20
I personally have an ASRock Extreme4 Gen3. Picked it after looking at a few motherboard "roundup" reviews. It had really good SATA 6GB performance, excellent temps and power consumption scores. The ASUS boards on there are good too though.