Build Questions

[stewbug]

Hello. I am planning on build a new PC but I have a few questions before I buy the parts and begin to assemble them. First off, here are the parts I wish to purchase:

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8gb

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

Case: Cooler Master 430 Mid Tower Case

PSU: Corsair CX430 

GPU: ASUS ENGTX560 DCII (graphics card)

Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB

DVD Drive: Lite-On iHas124-04


Questions

1. Do I need to get a higher watt PSU for this build or is the CX430 enough?
2. Should I upgrade the motherboard? (I want my build somewhat cheap bear in mind)
3. Will the parts all work together?
4. Shout I get a AMD Radeon HD 6870 instead of the graphics card above?

Thanks for helping

 

[PP Mguire]

1. Yes, you need a minimum of 550w quality PSU to run the 560ti. *
2. Yes, the H61 does not natively support Ivy Bridge CPUs and you will need a bios update before it will work. Also, there is no point getting a K CPU and dropping it in a board that can't OC it.
3. Not right now, no. The motherboard needs to be at least an H77.
4. No, but I suggest getting the GTX 660 instead if you can afford it. If this rig is meant for gaming I suggest the i3 3220 instead of the 3570k so you can afford the GTX 660 instead.

* - By quality I mean one of Corsair's TX series, or a good Seasonic PSU.

 

[stewbug]

1. Yes, you need a minimum of 550w quality PSU to run the 560ti. *
2. Yes, the H61 does not natively support Ivy Bridge CPUs and you will need a bios update before it will work. Also, there is no point getting a K CPU and dropping it in a board that can't OC it.
3. Not right now, no. The motherboard needs to be at least an H77.
4. No, but I suggest getting the GTX 660 instead if you can afford it. If this rig is meant for gaming I suggest the i3 3220 instead of the 3570k so you can afford the GTX 660 instead.

* - By quality I mean one of Corsair's TX series, or a good Seasonic PSU.

Thanks for the reply.

1. Do I still need to upgrade the mother board since i switched the i3 to an i5? If so, what motherboard would you recommend that isn't too pricey?
2. By GTX 660 do you mean the EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Superclocked 2gb?
3. Should I get the Seasonic M12II-620 or the Corsair TX550M for this build? (Seasonic is cheaper by 20$)

Sorry for all the questions. I'm new to computer building/gaming.

 

[PP Mguire]

If you want Asus.
Newegg.com - ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

Or ASRock.
Newegg.com - ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

By GTX660 just any one. My preferred brand is eVGA, but some people don't mind going 3rd party for a cheaper card. The only difference is customer service.

Depends on how cheap you can get that 550m. Amazon is selling one for 103 bucks, but Newegg has the TX650 for 89. Would be a better deal and that PSU will last many builds if you stick with a single GPU.

 

[stewbug]

Is there any real difference between the ASUS and the ASRock except price? I looked at the reviews for the ASRock and it didn't look so hot.

I will get the TX650 from newegg because of the price (it has a 10$ off coupon as well) even though I will be getting everything else off of amazon.

 

[PP Mguire]

Yea, the biggest difference is the Asus is mITX which is super small compared to the standard ATX ASRock.

Another option would be this ASRock board.
Newegg.com - ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

If you are getting the 3570k then it would be better to grab the Z77 board anyways.

 

[stewbug]

Oops, just realized in an earlier posted I had the i3 and the i5 switched. I am still getting the i3 CPU.

I will get this motherboard (the one you posted earlier just on amazon):

Amazon.com: ASRock LGA1155/Intel H77/Quad CrossFireX/SATA3&USB3.0/A&V&GbE/ATX Motherboard H77 PRO4/MVP: Computers & Accessories

Well hopefully I can purchase this and start building! If I have any problems I know the sit to come to.

 

[PP Mguire]

Good luck. If you aren't familiar with building I suggest watching a bunch of tutorial videos on Youtube so you know exactly what to do. I have a feeling some people who aren't familiar who posted here made a mistake and don't own up to it.

 

[stewbug]

So, final specs before buying:

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8gb

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220

Case: Cooler Master 430 Mid Tower Case

PSU: Corsair 650TX

GPU: eVGA GeForce GTX 660 Superclocked 2gb

Motherboard: ??? (see below)

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB

DVD Drive: Lite-On iHas124-04

Should I get the ASRock PRO4-M LGA1155 Intel H77 motherboard or the MSI Z77A-G41 LGA1155/Intel Z77 motherboard?

 

[PP Mguire]

Hmm I would say the MSI.