Want to build a new computer and just seen scan are doing an offer on i5-2500k + Gene-Z for: £287.99 so was thinking of getting it with: RAM: 8gb Vengeance - £44.16 PSU: 520W Antec - £47.99 As for the GPU I will have to do with the onbard one for 2 weeks or so till I get more pay. As for there rest of parts, I have got spare ones lying about. Budget for now is around £400, but will extend to another 200£ or more in 2 weeks. Only problem is Gene-Z only has an HDMI output and my screen isn't HD. So I was wondering if its possible to connect a HDMI to VGI converter until I get a GPU?
What will you be using it for? Will you be overclocking? Does it have to be uATX? Do you already have a case?
-Will be using it for gaming + uni work (photoshop, premier, After Effects, adobe flash, etc) - I would like to overclock, give it a try atleast. -Doesnt need to be necessarily be a uATX, but I really like the Gene-Z and fancied one -I've got a spare Antec 300 that Ill use for now. Got spare acrylic and materials to build my own case at some point in the future. Edit: The converter is only £1 on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Premium-HDM...I6FC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315403749&sr=8-1
HDMI to DVI should be fine. There are apparently some issues with changable resolutions and obviously it wont transmit audio but it *should* be more than ok. As for the chip, it's the one to get, ram and PSU are fine. Personally I'd go for a different board. If you've got an ATX case why not use it? The Gene is a lovely board mind, but with ATX you've got a lot more options.
Cheers Well there is also i5 - 2500k + Asus P8Z68 - V for £273 or + Asus P8Z68-V PRO for £291 but I have no idea what those boards are like
It's personal choice really and depends how hard you're going to want to push the overclocking (Just as an aside, you need to get yourself another CPU cooler as well if you intend on overclocking). If you're absolutely sure you wont need any expansion slots for sockets/soundcard/wireless/whatever then uATX is fine. Actual performance is much of a muchness for motherboards and unless you're going to overclock the nuts off of it then just go with the board that meets your needs best for the best price. You'll want to stay away from the super cheap stuff (Even that £105 biostar clocked to 4.9) but anything over £100 will be fine. This board has been reccomended around the interwebs. This also received a perfectly acceptable Bit Tech review. EDIT: There are also P67 board very similar to above that offer the same or similar for a bit less, excluding the Z68 of course.
Shush you or I'll crush you in Neptunes Pride! We've also had awards on here for the P8P67 and Maximus IV GENE-Z! The Z68 boards use the same tech. BlancAnarchy - simple Google "P8Z68-V PRO review" and you'll get what you need to know
Haha, I swear it was just a coincidence they were GB boards. What I obviously meant to say was board are much of a muchness at a certain price point, except Asus board which are always better. But seriously, Bindi is right (as usual). For £291 on TO you just can't argue with that board and chip and you have the case for it so personally I'd definitely take that route unless your heart is completely set on the Gene.
Cheers for all the replys. In terms of expansion slots, come to think of it I probably will need to get a Wifi PCie Card. I dont think I will need the extra features of the P8Z68-Pro. So atm torn between Gene-z, P8Z68-V or just go for a P67 Asus and get my hands on a dirt cheap GPU till I can get a better one in a couple of weeks. Or alternatively just wait those couple of weeks, and who knows Bulldozer might be good >.< and drive the prices of intel down a bit. Edit: Might go the Pro version if someone convinces me
I'm sure Bindi would be able to explain in great detail the difference. For a layman like me the only difference I can see is 4internal sata 6gb on the pro as opposed to 2 on the other. Other than that they're identical internally and on the i/o panel. The pro might have better VRM circuitry, there also appears to be an extra via chip on the southbridge, but I have no idea what it does. GO GO GADGET ASUS MAN!
