Help on a few questions regarding my build?

[Ocean Spray]

1) How do I know if a motherboard/video card are compatible? Someone told me the 2.0x16 video card will only work with a 2.0x16 motherboard and I'm not sure if that's true.

2) Is a GiGabyte z68x ud3h for $110 a better buy, or is z77x ud3h for $150 the better buy?

3) What differentiates a computer case from another?

4) AMD, MSIS, Sapphire. Which video card brand is better or are they pretty much all the same?

5) Is AMD FX 6100 for $120 better than i5 2500k for $150? How does FX 6100 fare against i5 2500k in terms of performance?

 

[azeem40]

All modern motherboards and modern PCIe Video Cards are compatible.

Z77 is worth it with an Ivy Bridge Processor and Z68 is worth it with a Sandy Bridge Processor.

# of fans, airflow, cable management, looks.

AMD is a manufacturer. For AMD cards, IMO, Sapphire is the best, and for NVIDIA, either Gigabyte, ASUS or MSI.

i5-2500k is better for gaming. Higher on the gaming charts.