[Anthraxious]

Hi!

So I decided to make a thread here cause I need some help. My main issue right now is deciding to either buy a laptop (Eyeing the Asus G55VW) or build my own LAN PC. To do this I would go with the Node 304 case. Very neat little thing.

Now my question is for the motherboard. I've kinda wanted to go with the Asus P8Z77-I but I don't see much of a difference compared to Gigabyte's Z77N. The only thing is Asus having more USB 3.0 ports and Gigabyte having WiDi. I don't care much for WiDi as I build this for portability. I am aware of all the I/O differences except one thing I want to ask. The Gigabyte board has a PCI-E mini slot. Where is it and what can I plug into it? Also if I use the mini slot, will the PCI-E 3.0 port suffer any?

Here's the rig I wanted to build:
Asus P8Z77-I OR Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI (Want some input)
Intel i5 3570K 3.4Ghz
Patriot Viper Intel Extreme 1600Mhz CL9
Fractal Design Newton R3 600W (80 Plus Platinum - Subject to change, input wanted aswell)
MSI GeForce N660 TF 2GD5/OC 2GB
Samsung 830 256GB SSD
Fractal Design Node 304

If anyone has any input on a stupid decission please don't hesitate.


Another question, which I think Linus talked about in last months Live Show, is about the LGA 1155 socket. I believe he said that this socket is the one to build on in case you want to upgrade in the future. I can't remember if he said that 2011 was dying or if it was the 1156 he referred to. Anyway, just wondering about the sockets longevity. I'm going to help a friend build aswell, hence the question. He is going for a ATX-desktop so in that case it's more important to have the future in mind.


Hope you guys can help me out here. I should mention the obvious; I tried googling for the comparison between the motherboards but there aren't any (Just to see the ups and downs, really).

PS. Forgot to add: What cooling solution would you suggest? I am leaning toward the Corsair H-series. I've seen people recommend H40 and H60. Is the H100 too big? How about the space; enough? Or maybe I am fine with regular fan cooling. This being a small case however I doubt that.