First build - which mobo with 2500k

robjonaldo

robjonaldo

robjonaldo

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2 Dec 2011
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I realise this may be a common question but there are so many boards i am getting overwhelmed with choice.

My first build i have decided on the i5 2500k
i already have a 750w PSU and a gt560ti card

I will be buying a 60gb SSD for the OS
In the future i will no doubt overclock and posibly SLI.
Should i go with a z68 board for better performance from an SSD?

On the OCuk shop there is a bundle with Asus P8Z68-V for £282
and a Asus P8P67 for £280

I would be looking at around £350 for board 2500k and RAM could i do better buying a board seperate. if i factor ram at around £50 and cpu at £170 i have around £100 for a board.
I would obviously rather not max out my credits if there was something i didnt actually need :)

i have read you can limit an overclock with your choice of ram, if i was to go for 8GB and choose either a 4x2GB of 2x4GB set would this limit the OC?

Thanks
 
Hello and welcome to the forum :)

What make / model of the psu being used?

I have come up the quick spec below, the ram i on offer for today only, In the past some users have managed to get good over clocks with all banks filled.

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £169.99
(£141.66) £169.99
(£141.66)
MSI Z68A-GD55-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £124.99
(£104.16) £124.99
(£104.16)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
(£29.99) £35.99
(£29.99)
Sub Total : £275.81
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £57.06
Total : £342.37
 
what's the make/model of the psu?

no need to spend £50 on the ram, 1600mhz is more than enough no need for faster than 1600mhz

the Kingston hyperx genesis grey 8gn(2x4gb) pc3-12800 1600mhz is currently £40

if you plan on overclocking you will want a 3rd party CPU cooler, the intel stock cooler does allow you to overclock to some extent but a 3rd party cooler gives you lower temps/noise and dependent on the cooler allows you to push the oc further.

do you plan on sli in the future? if you don't then the favourite seems to be the gigabyte z68ap-d3, if you do then it gets a bit more complicated(the usually suggested one seems to be no longer on sale here, the gigabyte z68xp-ud3 ~£100).

the asus p8z68-v is currently £115, not sure how long the offer is on for. I'm sure stulid will be along to link you to threads as to why you shouldn't go asus.

either way z68 chipset is the one to go for over the p67, even if you don't use most of the extra features of the z68 the onboard VGA alone is worth it. If your graphics card ever breaks down then you can carry on using the pc for normal tasks and some light gaming while you get a replacement card.

edit: damn it why does someone always post while I'm typing? :(
 
Thanks for the quick response

ok the make and model of the psu is right here http://www.highpowerplus.com/750.htm
youl probably tell me its no good but it was 80 plus and reviews seemed fine.

I will have to factor in a cooler i almost forgot, i will look at z68 boards and try to keep it all under £350 if there are some decent boards for that.

what about the Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H Intel Z68 £105?

I may be using SLI in the future at may aswell factor it in :)

thanks
 
Intel Core i5-2500 3.30GHz Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive £75.98
Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller -£49.99
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Dual £35.99
Corsair A70 High-Performance Dual Fan CPU Cooler £32.99

Sub Total : £302.45
Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £62.84
Total : £377.04

£100 for mobo unless there is a drastic step up with £120 £125?
 
ok updated

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £163.99
MSI Z68A-GD55-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard MSI £124.99
OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (AGT3-25SAT3-60G)£79.99
Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black £49.99
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual £35.99
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler £22.99

Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £82.01
Total : £492.05

This setup seems sorted now. if i were to buy this does the cooler come with paste or do i need to buy some of that. i am worried about installing the cpu to the board/cooler as i have never done it before.

What sort of OC would i be looking at with this setup, would it be easy to do and i take it my psu seems ok?

thanks
 
thanks for the help, just a follow up question about SSD

when i install my ssd (60gb) i turn on AHCI mode make ssd primary boot drive etc and install the OS (windows 7) is there anything special i need to do in windows to allow some programs to be installed on a secondary hdd. i will have OS and some main programs on the SSD, but for other less used programs is it just a case of installing them on the secondary hdd as it is?
 
I think you got it right, not aware of any special settings in windows. I think when you want to install anything to your hdd just chose custome install and change the destination to whatever your hdd letter is.

Have you considered using your 60gb SSD for caching?
As you are getting a z68 mobo it might be worth setting your ssd for "Intel Smart Response Technology" this'll make everything on your machanical hdd load much faster including windows. It wont be as fast as a native SSD but the benefits are great as your entire hdd will be accelerated.

Check out some vids on this, it really is a great way to use a small SSD. I'll check youtube and post a link that will explain more on this assuming you are not aware of it of course. If you do decide to use SRT then you will have to change the sata mode to raid rather than AHCI and make your machanical hdd as the boot device. A word of warning though....do not connect your SSD while installing windows as some files are written to the SSD and when you set it up for SRT it gets wiped making windows broke and it wont boot.

Good luck whatever you decide.
 
Quick question, on the msi z68a-gd55 g3

There are two pcix16 slots for graphics cards

Can I install my gpu on the second (lower) slot just for aesthetics really?
I understand it runs in x8 mode when two cards are installed but I only have one.
Will it run at the optimum speed if I install it in the lower slot

Thanks
 
Lower slot might be electrically set to 8 x, only way to tell is install the card and check with GPU-Z.
 
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