I7 Build - Final Build

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $99.99

Motherboard:
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $279.99

Processor:
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - $279.99

GPU:
2x EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $369.98 (after $40.00 MIB)

RAM
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $74.99 (after $20.00 MIB)

DVD Burner:
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - $24.99

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 - $114.99 (after $25.00 MIB)

Cooling:
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - $39.99

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $92.00

Total $1,376.91


I'm purchasing within the next forty-eight hours, trying to make sure each component is the best option and value. All prices mentioned are from Newegg.com, except for the case which I can purchase cheaper at a local retailer.

Primary uses involve MMORPG and FPS gaming on a twenty-three inch monitor (possible second monitor of equal size and resolution, purchased at a later date), graphic art and manipulation, programming, and an assortment of low-resource tasks. I'm still a bit unsure for which GPU I should purchase, and if the Antec Nine Hundred will be able fit all the above components. Future plans involve combining a small SSD to run fundamental programs and operating system procedures, while the large terabyte HDD consolidated for media and secondary operations.

Debated heavily on the topic of a modular PSU and decided to save a few dollars and go with the Corsair 850TX (obviously not modular). I purchased that two nights back due to the MIB expiring (thought I'd include the component in the build not to confuse anyone).

The Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 gets phenomenal reviews and is generally viewed as the fastest 7200 RPM HDD on the block (if not faster in some cases than the Western Digital Velicoprator line). Tom's charts on Average Read Throughout and Average Write Throughout clearly indicate such performance.

We went through the whole "Seagate is faster" thing last year, then we found out how many of them were faulty.

I'll stick by the hard drives less likely to have problems

I haven't played in some time, but if you are concerned about performance in towns or in large battles, then I would say yes you might want the extra FPS. It's a very demanding game.