Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 126734 2012-09-15 08:58:00 New PC build - motherboard and CPU choice? darthcarnate (14113) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1301202 2012-09-15 08:58:00 Hey guys,
It's come to the point in the cycle where I have stopped upgrading the old workhouse and am building a new desktop.
Not having paid much attention to recent developments in components, I would appreciate some advice on what CPU, motherboard and RAM to use.

I already have my case - the Corsair Carbide 400R: www.corsair.com

Looking to spend $580 max. on CPU, motherboard and RAM. Also need to get a new graphics card, preferably under $400. I use my desktop for 1080p gaming (getting Assassin's Creed III, Far Cry 3 and an ENB mod for Skyrim), web browsing and movies. I will be carrying my Samsung 500GB HDD and Windows installation (with a clean install) over to the new build.

Should I get an i5 Ivy Bridge? Must be an Intel CPU and my preference is for Nvidia graphic cards. Had this motherboard recommended: www.asrock.com

Thanks for your help in advance!
darthcarnate (14113)
1301203 2012-09-15 09:20:00 Ivy Bridge i5s are what you'll be looking for in that price range, and pair it with a Z77-based motherboard. You can probably get an i5 3470 and an Asus/Gigabyte Z77 board and 8GB of DDR3-1600 for $580ish. GTX 660 Ti is the sweet spot for nVidia graphics atm, but if you really need it under $400, the 560Ti is still a solid choice. inphinity (7274)
1301204 2012-09-15 09:33:00 Had this motherboard recommended: www.asrock.com


Stick with ASUS or Gigabyte.
pctek (84)
1301205 2012-09-15 09:47:00 www.playtech.co.nz icow (15313)
1301206 2012-09-15 10:14:00 a 7850 is a beast of a overclocker and a pretty reasonably priced gpu as well. but definitely go for a 660ti if you can stretch your budget that far jonovw (16835)
1301207 2012-09-15 11:11:00 www.pp.co.nz
or
www.computerlounge.co.nz
dugimodo (138)
1301208 2012-09-15 11:16:00 Thinking of einfo.co.nz and stretching to the 660TI. www.pcforce.co.nz for processor? darthcarnate (14113)
1301209 2012-09-15 23:51:00 I quite like ASRock boards, they have a lot of extra features and are generally cheaper...the extreme 4, got a good review at Anandtech....

www.anandtech.com
SolMiester (139)
1301210 2012-09-17 06:43:00 Thanks to everyone for their help, probably going to order this one tomorrow: www.pcforce.co.nz
Sticking with Gigabyte as per advice, because my current Gigabyte board has been great. Four USB3.0 ports is sufficient I feel because I've still yet to see it go mainstream enough to warrant more.

Anyone know a good ENB mod for Skyrim?
darthcarnate (14113)
1301211 2012-09-17 07:12:00 skyrim.nexusmods.com

Looks good.
icow (15313)
1 2