Time for an upgrade, need expert advice

[Leo Kislev]

Its time to upgrade my rig and I really need a good advice to pick my MOBO and CPU

My current specs are:

CPU: AMD 965@4.0GHZ
MOBO: Gigabyte 870A-USB3
CPU HS: CoolerMaster V6GT
RAM: 2x4 GB Kingston HyperX 1600 Mhz DDR3 1.65V
GPU: Gigabyte 670 GTX OC version
PSU: CoolerMaster 850W Silent
Everything is mounted on a CoolerMaster HAF 922 case

For CPU I'm looking towards an:

1) i5 2500k (I might be able to get better overclocks with lower temps, I live in a desert so the temps tend to be pretty high)

2) i5 3570K (Better clock for clock than the i5 2500k but generates more heat and I might not be able to get a decent overclock with it, the price difference between this one and the i2500k is $ 80 USD, I don't care to much about the price )


For a MOBO I'm looking towards a:

1) GA-Z77X-UD5H (I'm pretty sure my V6GT fits perfectly there)

2) ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 (I'm not sure if my V6GT could fit there)

3) ASUS MAXIMUS V GENE (Its so small, not sure if my V6GT fits there and I don't know if 2 670 GTX could fit there if I choose in the future to go SLI)

The main use for my system will be pure gaming, BF3, Skyrim, Metro, Crysis 2, Crysis 3, Far Cry, and emulators like PCSX2 and Dolphin that's why I'm concerned about the potential overclocks of those CPU's.

 

[loresr97]

i5 3570k with AsRock Z77 Extreme 4. Those motherboards are really expensive.

 

[jay2tall]

1) I would go Ivy Bridge. As you mentioned clock for clock it is better. The the overclock/heat items with Sandy bridge is when you are really trying to squeeze out every last clock from an Ivy Bridge, the Sandy Bridge will go a bit further. The reason is Sandy Bridge is a larger die, which equates to a larger surface are to dissipate heat, and it uses solderless flux between the die and heat spreader. The Ivy Bridge uses thermal paste.

2) I think your concerns with your cooler are valid for the Sabertooth. I honestly wouldn't hassle with the chance it might be. I like the Gene, but would only go that route if you knew you wouldn't add a second GPU. They would sit right up against each other and heat might become an issue then. The Gene has a nice onboard sounds card, and I love nice sound cards for gaming. There is always the ASUS P8Z77-V. I don't think there is much difference in features between the Gigabyte besides the Gigabyte having an mSATA onboard for an SSD. Unless you are using Intel SRT, you probably don't need that. Once you start getting into the higher end motherboards you have to look at what features they have. Some are just simply not needed and you will never use them, so you are just overpaying for a board. I usually get a higher end vanilla board so it have all the good stuff, but nothing I don't need.

 

[Leo Kislev]

I think I'm going to get an i5 2500k, temperature is a main concern for me, since I live in a very warm zone and I really need to overclock my CPU to get the most of my PS2 and Wii emulation. I guess an i5 2500k@4.5-4.8 will be equal or perform slightly better than a i5 3570k@3.8-4.0.