First off, I know that you stated you wanted to spend $150.00 on a Motherboard, but I would highly recommend this motherboard which is only $50.00 extra.
Motherboard ---
ASUS P8Z68-V PROAsus has a utility built into the BIOS called UEFI, which makes overclocking INCREDIBLY EASY... And I cannot stress that enough... All you have to do is press a button, and it is an automated process based on calculations
Asus technicians have predefined. (I have this board, and a Core i7 2600K ... Which comes stock out of the box at 3.4 GHZ and has a Turbo boost up to 3.8 ... After overclocking with this 1 step utility... My CPU has been
pushed to 4.4 GHZ... Which in my eyes is a pretty nice overclock for not having to do any work).
Anyway,
In regards to the rest of the components..
I would recommend for a CPU (Processor) both of which are "Second Generations" (AKA "Sandy Bridge"):
1.) Intel Core i5 2500k ---
Intel Core i5 2500kor
2.) Intel Core i7 2600k (which is 100 dollars more) ---
Intel Core i7 2600k*** Both of these processors (CPU's) fit the motherboard stated above (They use LGA 1155) ***
Both of which come with amazing speeds, and if you choose to overclock them will not disappoint you in the slightest.
As for memory, I would recommend this:
1.) 8 Gigabytes of GSKILL Ripjaws X Series ---
GSKILL Ripjaws A neat thing about this memory in particular is that it is specifically designed for 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors and the Z68/P67 motherboards.
Also, I saw that you were possibly mowing the idea over about getting a SSD... Well, let me tell you from personal experience. If you purchase an SSD to solely store your operating system
you will LOVE the speed at which your computer boots up at. From the time I push the power button on my PC until the time that I am in Windows, it times out at 14 seconds!
If your looking to purchase an SSD, I recommend this one in particular:
1.) OCZ Solid State Drive ---
SSD(Even though its only 60 Gigs, you can easily fit Windows 7 64 Bit + A few more Applications onto it) (**I have Windows 7 64 Bit + Battlefield 3 Installed on mine**)
And to top it all off, I am not sure what kind of power supply you are using... But you may have to upgrade to a higher wattage if you are upgrading to newer components such as the ones
listed above (I recommend an 850 Wat).
In all, I hope this helped guide you in a good direction.
Message me if you have any questions!
- Basmastersix
Edited by Basmastersix, 09 November 2011 - 11:07 PM.