cheap but upgradeable--IS Z68 FUTURE PROOF?

[jamdox]

Hai Guise,

I've been able to extend the life of my 5.5 year-old macbook pro through the magic of SSD, but am wanting to do some LIGHT GAMING and the old x1600 isn't cuttin' it!

IVY BRIDGE is coming! Late but soon, as are some new VGAs, so prices will be dropping and I don't want to commit to cutting edge hardware right now.

So I'm looking at a PCI gen 3 Z68 board, then sticking cheap but passable parts in to use for the next 12-24 months, at which time I can get HOT parts that will also have OSX SUPPORT!

IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PLAN? IS Z68 FUTURE PROOF? Or are the new chipsets going to allow substantially better performance in 2 years than a PCI gen 3 Z68 board now?

Here's what I'm thinking of building now:
cart2 copy.jpg

Thanks all!

 

[breiti3000]

Except for your board, I love your choices

 

[jamdox]

Thanks!

Regarding the mobo, I have seen posts reporting it working. I selected it about few weeks ago and it now looks like Gigabyte has updated more boards to have PCI gen 3, so I'll recheck and advise.

 

[jamdox]

Holy crap I think I'm going to pull the trigger... the core i3 is on sale for $110, plus another $10 off as a combo deal... can't pass up a $100 core i3...

Here's the cart. I also changed to a Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3, "the usual," and will probably get the SSD off Amazon, where it's $8 cheaper.

cart3 copy.jpg

 

[jester969]

Parts are good!

 

[jamdox]

Thanks guise!

...I was also naughty and got an MSI HD 5770 instead of the PNY GT 240. Figure, for 35 bux probably worth it; didn't want to go allll the way to 6850,,, ya know.

Also, I found the Antec case at Best Buy (!) for a cool $45, so booya.

I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

 

[breiti3000]

I like the Antec - actually it is in my built - the only thing is, that you can hear the two original fans a bit - not real noise but at least noticeable ...so I would call them silent, but not super-silent

 

[jamdox]

Do you think I'll cook my parts if I set the fans to low? Are they still loud on low?

In any event, it'll probably be quieter than my MBP, which is constantly going...I'd guesstimate it's 35 decibels, at an annoying high pitch no less.

 

[breiti3000]

I have set them to low right from the beginning, air flow and cooling is good, although I even OC my CPU - nevertheless, I am thinking to replace the built-ins some day with ultra-silents...

 

[jamdox]

Ooh, ultra-silent. That's like "more perfect union." Would that be a Scythe Slipstream or ... ?

EDIT: Can you install rubber grommets on the screws?