like what things could i possibly get less of in order to lower the price? sadly i dont have an old desktop to salvage parts. then again if i get less now and just enough to play BF3 then when i upgrade later the prices will have gone down? cause pc parts price drop as newer models are released? so i would think id save money, not lose it?

Spending 100-200$ more now
Could make your build last 1-2 more years, before having to sink more money into new stuff

A build "just enough" to do something is a decent idea for now, but when, say, bf4 comes out, you'll barely be able to play it at a reasonable resolution.

Its whatever you decide. You can get a cheaper GPU and save a hundred or so. Could save some on a mobo
could downgrade the HDD to a 500-750gb
Maybe CPU, although i would keep it at it's price.
Get a cheap case, and buy something better in a few months
Find a way to get an OS cheap

what other motherboard would you suggest that i could get thats cheaper? and same on what other gpu would you suggest that could still play BF3 on ultra?

I do not really understand much about motherboards performance and such.

Thanks.

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Apr 14 2013 06:51pm

Whats cheaper now, will be more expensive in the future
and whats expensive now, might be on sale

The board i listed may go under 100$, or include free 8gb ram (like it has in the past)
No use playing the cheaper game when prices change so much
Best idea is to bump this thread, or start a new one, when you get within a few days of buying

Maybe someone else will give you some ideas, but a motherboard can go from 100$ to 140$ in a day or two

As for the GPU, can look at some benchmarks
But
660/660TI/670
7870/7950/7970
are all around the 200-400$ range.

ok thanks. but doesnt the GPU affect which motherboard i get? like some motherboards cant use certain GPUs?

all recent GPUs/mobos are comparable
least that i know of
CPU/mobo are what change

ok thanks again. i am definitely looking at the i5 processors which is intel and requires the LGA1155 motherboards. And i want it to be able to hold up to 16 gb of ram just in case. The "form factor" is a bit confusing? i guess they come smaller or bigger sizes of motherboards, but what does that matter, case size only? Also, would different LGA1155 motherboards have different speeds or whatever? I see they range from $50 to $450, lol which is a big price range if it only matters on max Ram and ram slots? there has to be something else that motherboards do?


like im looking at this motherboard : Foxconn H61AP . its like $50 and cheap? why not that one compared to the one you recommend? (not trying to argue, just trying to learn and see pros and cons, thanks again!!!!!!!)
or this one for around $75 MSI B75A-G43 .

Also just noticed this CPU cooler is the same price as the one you listed, but it has a higher RPM fan speeds. wouldnt that mean it cools better? im a bit confused on what i should be looking for in different fans? only thing i see would be the fan rpm and noise level, but i dont mind the noise level much. and it doesnt seem to display the fan size? which fan size would mean it could have lower rpm and still cool as well.

This post was edited by noob_whacker on Apr 14 2013 07:47pm

Motherboards differ in:

Quality
HDD/SSD outputs and speeds
USB ports (2.0/3.0)
Some boards are older than others
Some support more recent CPUs, while older ones will require a bios update
Audio quality/plug ins
Some mobos have inputs (like HDMI)
Some you pay for the brand. Like an Asus will cost more than an Asrock, simply because of the name on it
Some boards are cooler (temps) better than others
Some look better than others, and people pay a premium for that
Sometimes they have gimmicks that dont really do anything, but sound cool
Better overclocking
More detailed bios
More than 1 slot for a GPU
More PCI/PCIE slots
Lan/Internet. Some have wireless built in
Some are micro (for smaller builds, in small cases) and some are full. Usually full is better, as it allows for 2 GPUs (really dont know difference between micro and full, maybe someone else will tell)

Usually a 100-130$ board is average, anything less is usually an older board or maybe something offbrand (like biostar)
Really depends on the budget, as a budget gets higher its nicer to have a board that has future applications

Which cooler is same price as what?
The hyper 212+ (or evo, w/e is cheaper) is known as the best budget heatsink. Its just a "common" thing to add, not sure difference in heatsinks, but the hyper 212+ is the most recommended.
The stock fans on it are ok. I added a pair of scythe typhoons (40$ just in fans) to the heatsink for better temps, but if you're not going to OC its not going to make a huge difference.
If you are, itll shave a few temp off, but its not life shattering. I know going from a stock heatsink to a hyper 212+ i lost 10c off full load, but pretty much anything is better than a stock HS

This post was edited by Azenor on Apr 14 2013 08:07pm