Help picking out a cpu/mobo (going to MicroCenter this weekend)

[badboyeee]

Driving up to the OC area this weekend and I need some help picking out a cpu/mobo combo.

Here is the link of specials: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0c260263#/0c260263/28

My first initial thought was to get the i5-2500k & Asrock Z77 Extreme4 as it was more comfortable for my budget ($250'ish). I would like to do a moderate overclock, I'm seeing these can easily do 4.0ghz, which sounds good to me.

However now I'm thinking I should pay extra for the Ivy Bridge (i5 3570k) which I don't know much about. What would be the benefits? Spending $300 on cpu/mobo wouldn't be too bad. Also started looking into possibly building a Hackintosh, so I would need a Gigabyte board right?

My use:
1. Playing RTS games (StarCraft2 and CoH2 when it comes out)
2. creating VM labs for near future MCSA/MCSE studies
3. create a Hackintosh (mainly so I can use iMovie, and for flexibility if I decide to want to be the Mac OS X guy at work)
4. use VMWare ESXi (don't know much about this but would need to study it if I want to further my career, after completing MCSA/E, so dont see myself using it for another year or two)

My immediate need is the top 2, the other two are optional or I can just build another machine if I really want that.. But would be really nice if an all-in-one setup is possible and just get it done with.

I'm running out of time on researching. So some assistance would be great!

What I already have:
-Coolermaster HAF 922 Case
-4gb DDR3 laying around somewhere, I can worry about upgrading to 16gb later, but feel free to make a suggestion
-ATI XFX 5750 Video Card, will upgrade later (btw what is the best bang for buck now days? a year or two ago it was the GTX460, I'm seeing it as the 7850? If so, I can wait another year to see if the price drops on that)
-Corsair CX430, willing to upgrade if needed
-Intel SSD 80gb'ish (forgot what model at the moment)
-A few WD Raptor 150GB 10000 RPM hard drives (or are these considered outdated?)
-Plan to use a WinXP Pro license so I can upgrade to Win8 Pro for $40, or what would be the best deal to get Win7 Pro?

Thanks!

 

[badboyeee]

Quick Notes
1. PC use (priority in order)
-RTS Gaming (particularly StarCraft2, CoH2)
-VM labs for MS Studies
-Casual Video Editing (hopefully for iMovie so need Hackintosh)
-VMWare ESXi (very very optional)

2. Budget
CPU/Mobo: $300, willing to go $25 higher if really worth it
Video Card: $175 (will upgrade ATI 5750 in a year)
RAM: best bang for buck on 16gb

3. What country
USA, SoCal.. Going to MicroCenter this weekend

4. Brand preference.
I'm usually cheapo so was sort of a AMD-Fanboy, but I want Intel this time.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
-Coolermaster HAF 922 Case
-4gb DDR3 laying around somewhere (upgrade 16gb later)
-ATI XFX 5750 Video Card, will upgrade later
-Corsair CX430, willing to upgrade if needed
-Intel SSD 80gb'ish (forgot what model at the moment)
-A few WD Raptor 150GB 10000 RPM hard drives
-Plan to use a WinXP Pro license so I can upgrade to Win8 Pro for $40, or what would be the best deal to get Win7 Pro?

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Moderate Overclock

8. What resolution will you be using?
1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Mobo/CPU buying this weekend, then build in the next couple weeks, free time permitting

 

[mfenn]

I'd go with the i5 3570K + ASrock Z77 Pro4 for $250. Take that other $50, add it to your GPU budget, and you're in striking range of a 7870 2GB. The 7870 is quite a jump from a 5750 (putting it mildly).

 

[badboyeee]

I'd go with the i5 3570K + ASrock Z77 Pro4 for $250. Take that other $50, add it to your GPU budget, and you're in striking range of a 7870 2GB. The 7870 is quite a jump from a 5750 (putting it mildly).

is the ASrock Pro4 better than the Extreme4? I'm seeing extreme4 as slightly better, or is it not worth the extra cost.

 

[Zap]

Some general notes on Micro Center.

If you are driving a distance, pre-order your stuff online for in-store pickup. That way you avoid showing up there to have your top choices out of stock.

The 2500K is not part of a bundle deal. The $30 more for the 3570K gives you a $50 discount when purchased with motherboard, making it $20 cheaper at the end of the day.

 

[badboyeee]

Some general notes on Micro Center.

If you are driving a distance, pre-order your stuff online for in-store pickup. That way you avoid showing up there to have your top choices out of stock.

The 2500K is not part of a bundle deal. The $30 more for the 3570K gives you a $50 discount when purchased with motherboard, making it $20 cheaper at the end of the day.

Ahh crap didn't notice that. I thought it was for any intel chip. So looks like my choices are i3-3225, i5-3570k, or i7-3770k to get $50 off. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[badboyeee]

Some general notes on Micro Center.

If you are driving a distance, pre-order your stuff online for in-store pickup. That way you avoid showing up there to have your top choices out of stock.

The 2500K is not part of a bundle deal. The $30 more for the 3570K gives you a $50 discount when purchased with motherboard, making it $20 cheaper at the end of the day.

Ahh now im getting confused.. From this link: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0c260263#/0c260263/28

The pricing of the 6 mobos showing already has the $50 taken off? But the long listed mobos, still need to deduct $50 from the red pricing?

 

[mfenn]

is the ASrock Pro4 better than the Extreme4? I'm seeing extreme4 as slightly better, or is it not worth the extra cost.

The Extreme4 isn't worth the extra money, especially when the difference gets you a better GPU.

Ahh now im getting confused.. From this link: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0c260263#/0c260263/28

The pricing of the 6 mobos showing already has the $50 taken off? But the long listed mobos, still need to deduct $50 from the red pricing?

Yes, the mobos in the blocks already have $50 taken off their price. Any of the ones in the listing can have an additional $50 subtracted from their price. Have your local store selected in the drop down box at the top, add both a qualifying processor and mobo to your cart, and you'll see that the mobo is $50 off.

For example, I selected my closest store (Yonkers, NY), added the i5 3570K and Z77 Pro3 to my cart, and got a price of $190 for the i5 and $45 for the Pro3.