[New Build] Need Help With New Gaming PC!

[hooah11]

Hi! I'm looking to upgrade my current PC, pretty much replacing everything except a few components. I have a budget of around 1000$, and live in Canada, so will probably get everything from newegg.ca. I am going to wait until AMD comes out with the new 7xxx series before purchasing a new video card, I currently have a 5770 Vapor-X. Will run on Windows 7. Main games I will be playing are Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Skyrim.

What I already own and want to keep on new build:
Case: Antec P183 older version http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129174
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 600W http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-gamexstream-600w-700w-power-supply-eol.html
Sound Card: HT Omega Claro http://www.htomega.com/claro.html
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda 1.5 TB and 500G

New Parts:
CPU: Intel I5-2500 (dont care about OC) http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073
Motherboard: Really need help on this one, so many to choose from... Maybe this one? ASRock Z68 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157251
RAM: Not too sure on this one, open to suggestions! Patriot Gamer2 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220558
SSD: Debating between Intel, ADATA and Mushkin 120GB, mainly looking for best value.

Thanks!

 

[ScrewySqrl]

probly don't need the sound card nowadays.

If you're looking at a good value, look at the OCZ Vertex 2/Aglity 2 SATA 3.0Gb/s drives. Slower than SATA 3, they are still very very fast.

 

[hooah11]

Well the sound card is definitely better than onboard, but I can see how most users wouldn't need one.

As for ssds, I have read the best value for money articles here and will go with the best value and safest long term. I mainly need help with the motherboard and ram, and making sure everything fits in the case. My current build is pretty cluttered since the PSU has so many wires, and all the new GPUs take 2 slots.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Make sure you select an:
ATX form factor motherboard
Mid or Full Tower ATX Case
Modular PSU

That should ensure you have plenty of space, only the cables you NEED, and a motherboard big enough for expansion.

 

[hooah11]

My case is ATX, though my PSU is not modular. Didn't know about those, looks nice. Do you have any suggestions for an ATX motherboard, one that has enough slots for everything?

 

[AdrianPerry]

i5-2500k and other SandyBridge CPU's use socket 1155.

Popular brands include: ASUS, ASRock, MSI, Gigabyte
Z68 type is recommended, however P67 will also work providing your using a graphics card. (P67 has a few less features than Z68 and because the price difference is very little, Z68 is usually the worthwhile choice).

Avoid Micro-ATX motherboards, standard size will give your more slots and expandability.

When looking for a motherboard do you require it to be SLI/Crossfire ready? There's a fairly big price jump between Motherboards made for single cards, motherboards made for crossfire, and motherboards made for SLI.

Modular PSU - They aren't NECESSARY by any means, its just nice not to have unused cables left floating about in your case, due to it being modular, you only connect the cables your actually using.