Suggestions for Motherboard, i5 CPU and SLI

[Nazgren]

Hi,
My computer took a fall today, everything seems to be working except for the Hard Drive which is now Ticking like a clock very loudly when running and will not load windows past system repair. Needless to say, its dead. I am using this as an excuse to overhaul my system. As it currently stands my system is this:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 965 3.41ghz
Cooler: Stock
MOBO: Asus Crosshair V Formula Z
GPU: EVGA GTX Titan X Superclocked
RAM: G.Skill Trident 8gb (2 x 4GB) 2400 mhz
PSU: Corsair TX 850w
HDD: (Dead) Samsung HD753LJ 750 GB 7200rpm
Windows 7

From this i would likely keep the GPU (obv.) and the PSU only. I had very recently looked at Windows 10 and intel CPU's due to windows 10 being required for DX12 (is this still the case?) but when i found that it would mean a whole new mobo, OS, etc, i felt it wasent worth it, however now i have little choice and may as well take the oppertunity. For my next system i was planning on something along these lines, however while somewhat proficient in most forms of computing, i havent got a clue with mobo's:

CPU: Intel i5-4460 (I have no intention of overclocking myself, are there any good factory overclocked alternatives?
Cooler: T.B.C
Mobo: ?
GPU: Same as previous, with the very high probability of a second in the future
RAM: Same model as previous, but 16GB (2x8GB), will probably move to 4x8gb in the future
PSU: Same as previous (would this handle the planned system as it currently stands with 2 of my GPU?)
HDD: Samsung SSD 850-EVO 1TB
Windows 10

TL;DR:
What Mobo would you recommend for this system?

 

[TechyInAZ]

CPUs unlike GPUs are not factory overclocked, since they come from Intel directly where as a GPU goes from NVidia, to EVGA/Gigabyte etc. then to market.

What color do you like? The Z97-A is a great option, it's a powerful motherboard with SLI capability.

Yes windows 10 is required for DX12, you can upgrade from windows 7 to 10 for free this year.

 

[MarkW]

That power supply is not Haswell Ready from what I have been seeing. Which might explain why it was discontinued. We have a power supply list to guide you towards the good power supplies and away from the bad ones. It breaks down many of the power supplies into 5 tiers. We recommend people buy a power supply that is listed under Tier 1 or 2. The list can be found here.

No. Intel likes making money off of overclocking, but they are scared of it best I can tell. So no overclocked CPU's.

Memory, Video Card, and SSD are fine.

CPU cooler a lot of us like is the Cooler Master 212 Hyper Evo. But make sure it will fit into your case, as it is pretty big.

If you are not going to be overclocking at all, you could get a H97 motherboard and save some money. It has pretty much everything a Z97 motherboard has, except the overclocking features. On the other hand, if you want to take advantage of things like an M.2 slot, you might want to go ahead and get the Z97. That would also let you change your mind some day if you wanted to.

I do not see much sense in overclocking Intel CPU's though. They tend to be more than enough for most of us. I have an I5-4670K, which could be overclocked, and I have not bothered with it. Simply have not needed to overclock it.

As far as motherboard brands, I like Asus, AsRock and gigabyte. Just find one that has the features that you want on it, at a price you are willing to pay, and go for it.

 

[Nazgren]

"That power supply is not Haswell Ready from what I have been seeing. Which might explain why it was discontinued. We have a power supply list to guide you towards the good power supplies and away from the bad ones. It breaks down many of the power supplies into 5 tiers. We recommend people buy a power supply that is listed under Tier 1 or 2. The list can be found here."
Thanks for the link, will have a look later, I know that 850w is pushing it for a dual GPU set up, so have been prepared to upgrade it for some time, once I'm not sat in a airport departure lounge will take a look at the list.

"CPUs unlike GPUs are not factory overclocked, since they come from Intel directly where as a GPU goes from NVidia, to EVGA/Gigabyte etc. then to market."
"No. Intel likes making money off of overclocking, but they are scared of it best I can tell. So no overclocked CPU's."
Makes sense, that way if somebody breaks the CPU when overclocking they have to buy a new one, but factory overclocked removes that possibility.

"What color do you like? The Z97-A is a great option, it's a powerful motherboard with SLI capability."
Hmm, my current case is a Cooler Master Storm Enforcer which IIRC is black with red LEDs, it may be the MOBO that has the red LED but I'm not 100% sure. The one you suggested would go with it, so will definitely have a proper look at that one once I have access to a computer.

"Yes windows 10 is required for DX12, you can upgrade from windows 7 to 10 for free this year."
Shame, I hate the windows 8, 8+ style, but then I suppose most do. But DX12 looks like it will be huge, especially for SLI. I just hope that I can recover my existing OS, or at the very least the code so that I can upgrade it.

"CPU cooler a lot of us like is the Cooler Master 212 Hyper Evo. But make sure it will fit into your case, as it is pretty big."
Before today I was planning on getting a AMD FX-8 9590 and the Corsair h110iGTX to keep it cool, but that cooler is from what I gather absolutely overkill for anything other then that CPU and pretty damn big, but would fit in my case without issue, so I know that the case can accommodate most coolers. I would prefer not to use water cooling, as I don't like the idea of it breaking and pouring water all over my Titan X, as unlikely as that might be, I would imagine that without overclocking an air cooler would be enough, but will investigate my options in that regard.

"I do not see much sense in overclocking Intel CPU's though. They tend to be more than enough for most of us. I have an I5-4670K, which could be overclocked, and I have not bothered with it. Simply have not needed to overclock it"
I was always told that my AMD Phenom II was a terrible CPU that could not run anything modern, yet seemed to without issue, so I know where your coming from, but my hefty steam library consists of games like Total War and an EXTREMELY heavily modded skyrim. Hence my GPU and the consideration of SLI as even a Superclocked Titan X doesn't have the clock speed to run it, or even TW:R2 or higher but I suspect that my Phenom is starting to show its age. I got it shortly after release and have more then gotten my moneys worth from it, but I can't ignore the possibility that it's causing me issues that I have yet to identify it as the cause of. Seeing as I have been unwillingly given the oppertunity to reinstall the OS it seemed like a good time to make the apparently popular jump in CPU from AMD to Intel.

Thank you both for the help, will take all your points into consideration, dont know how long it will be before I can begin to rebuild, that will depend on the final price and if I can recover my existing OS. Will keep my eye on new releases, etc, if it ends up being a while, it *hopefully* won't be before the end of autumn, but that remains to be seen.