Mobo and GPU recommendations

[Skorpian]

Ok, which is the cheapest out of the P67, Z68, Z77 and Z75? Is there much difference between these four kinds of boards? Keeping in mind that I'd like PCIe 3.0, DDR3 1600 MHz and SATA3 support ( if I get an SSD it uses the SATA3 port right? ). I don't think I'd ever SLI/Crossfire since I've read that it's sometimes a reason for annoyance and headache, with issues arising in games and so.
I may go with that i3 if I can find it locally, I think the i3 the shop has is lower than the one you suggested. If I can get it, I also want a board that can do well down the road.
Also, does overclocking void the warranty?

 

[PP Mguire]

Since you want to buy locally it really depends. For PCI-E 3 you want a Z77/75 board. Just so you know, you don't really need PCI-E 3. A 2.0 16x slot will handle any GPU up to 680 and 7970 just fine. You can run any SSD off any SATA port, but for full speed you want 3 yes.

 

[Skorpian]

Yea true that PCIe 2.0 is plenty but I'm still looking for a system that won't need to be upgraded any time soon. Looking for 3 years minimum without upgrades ( except for GPU if absolutely needed ).
Does overclocking void the warranty?
Thanks .

 

[PP Mguire]

I still bet in 3 years time a single GPU card wont saturate the 16x 2.0 bus, but that is my opinion. Just to play games low-medium you wont need any upgrade for I'd say 5 years with an i3/660ti. For high settings 1080p for 3 years you will need more than that. More like a 670.

Others will disagree, but no it doesn't void the warranty. Technically it does, but the manufacturer is none the wiser. The only CPU I have ever fried was an i5 750 that I had under phase change cooling overclocked to 4.8GHz. I told Intel it just stopped working and assured them I was using the stock cooler. They replaced that chip with the one I'm currently using.

 

[Skorpian]

Okay thanks again for all the help.
So, which is better, a Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC or an EVGA GTX 660? ( not sure if an OC edition or a normal edition )

 

[PP Mguire]

The 660.

 

[Skorpian]

Okay I think I can squeeze in some cash and get the 3570k + the GTX 660 Ti.
So here's the final build that I'll hopefully get :
Intel Core i5 3570k
EVGA GTX 660 Ti OC edition
2x4GB DDR3 1600 MHz
Gigabyte Z77-D3H motherboard
2 TB Seagate HDD ( woulda gone for a W.D but this is what's available )
Cougar CMX 700W Power supply ( again, what's available locally ).

 

[PP Mguire]

Get a different brand of board if you can. Seagate if my preference in drives so no harm there. Still say if you are getting this caliber of rig you need to purchase a different brand of PSU.

 

[Skorpian]

Gigabyte is bad? Anyways this is the one available and my friend has it and he has a PC with the exact same specs ( except 1 x 8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz and 1 TB HDD ) and his PC is running good. If I had Asus boards available I would never hesitate to buy one.
I found a Sapphire HD Radeon 7950 OC at about 40$ more than the EVGA GTX 660 Ti OC, should I still get the 660 Ti or the HD Radeon 7950 is a better bang for the buck?

 

[PP Mguire]

660ti, and this is why.
HD 7950 May Give Higher Framerates, but GTX 660 Ti Still Smoother: Report | techPowerUp

Oh I have a Gigabyte board in my PC too and most run "decent" for a while. The problem is if you ever have to send it back. Their X79 line is just terrible though.