Hey guys/gals, I was hoping you could give me some advice on a build I am looking into putting together sometime this year.
My question is what is the difference between getting a mATX mobo instead of an ATX? The mATX card I was most interested in is the ASUS Maximus V Gene (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131830). I had originally picked this over the full sized ASUS Maximus V Gene (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131854) because of the $100 price tag difference for what seemed to me like nominal differences. I was also looking at the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130686) which is actually less expensive than the mATX board.
I am going to put an I7 3770K for the CPU and a 2GB EVGA GTX 650 Ti BOOST (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130910) along with G.SKILL Ares 16gb 1600DDR3 RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231606) for memory. For the PSU I was looking at was the Corsair HX750 80+gold (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010).
Also, this is the mATX case I am looking at (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108236).
I hope you guys can give me some good input on the MoBo issue and perhaps give me some input on my setup. I am trying to build a beastly, but cost efficient gaming rig and I would like try my hand at overclocking.
- Thanatos
Dont buy a i7 then cheap out on the video card a i5 is cheaper and the loss of fps in games is negligible vs a i5 (maybe 1-3fps with the fastest card and hardwhere you can buy)
Spend more on the video card and less on ram there is no way your going to need 16gbs of ram for gameing 8gbs is more than enuff (games use a max of 3.7gbs of ram due to them running in x86)
what is your budget for a gameing pc?
750w psu is also prolly overkill.
i think that i choosed for the Msi board.
and indeed look up for a better GPU PNY GTX660Ti or if it is mainly for gaming, a 7870XT or 7950.
I appreciate your input on the build and I am looking into what you guys recommended right now, but no one really answered the main question about whether or not I should go with the mATX. MisteryAngel said that she would probably go with the MSI board which is something I am seriously considering as well. Any more input on the actual MoBo?
Well, this is completely up to you. Other than size, there isn't much difference between a mATX and an ATX board. Are you looking to cram all of this in a small case? Do you care how large your PC is? If this doesn't concern you, then go with a ATX board. Also, another thing to consider is price. There isn't much of a reason to spend $200-300 on a motherboard. A $100-$150 will more than serve your needs. This will also open up your budget for a better GPU. A GTX 650 Ti is considerably weak these days. I would recommend something along the lines of a HD 7870, HD 7950, or a GTX 660 Ti.
Also, I wouldn't get an i7 if your main purpose is gaming. The only thing an i7 has above the i5 is hyperthreading. Games don't particularly utilize this feature very well. Furthermore, games are barely beginning to make use of quad core processors. An i5 3570k would be a much better selection. This will save you even more money that can then be allocated to a higher end GPU.
If you can give us your budget and a bit more info, I'm certain I (and others) could recommend a spectacular system that is more balanced and better suits your needs.
Thank you! I would like to spend less than $1200 on the PC.
I would also prefer to have a reguar sized ATX mobo. I hear what you are saying about the I7 processor being overkill, but from what i have researched it is just a better processor and able to handle multiple tasks more efficiently. I need a processor that is able to play a game, run steam, play music, use skype, and be on the internet all at the same time. And I aso need a procesor that can handle encrypting and decrypting files and converting/burning music and video files. All arrows are pointing me towards the I7 3770K. I also have no experience overclocking, and while it is something I plan on learning and doing with this processor. While the I5 might be sufficient for now, I would rather pay the extra $$ now and have a processor that will do me right for a few years to come than have to upgrade to a new processor when the games and programs start bottlenecking it.
The GPU I really wanted is the EVGA GTX 670 FTW (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787) or the Radeon equivalent if I were to go with an AMD chipset.
Any help you guys can give me on building a system would be much appreciated. I have been out of the business for far too long after selling the last computer I built. I have only had a laptop due to constant travel around the world these past few years.
- Thanatos
The Msi looks good and is cheaper, and has more feutures, and also more pci-e expension slots. and it just looks better in a Mid or Big tower case, then a m-atx board.
a m-atx is nice if you plan to build a small formfactor pc, like a mini tower, but then you allways get problems with room to add things,like a big GPU.. thats why i personaly never buy a m-atx or a small formfactor pc. ofc it doesnt say nothing about the quality of that m-atx board. its just something personal.