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2k$ range gaming pc

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Looking to come back from iraq around october and need a new computer, want to have fun building it and doing my first OC and SLI build. Would like some input and advice on what i've thrown together with my limited knowledge. Thanks ahead of time!

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: October BUDGET RANGE: $2000 - $3000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, movies, storage, photo editing.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Have my own mouse and keyboard and 28'' 1900x1200 lcd monitor, speakers, windows 7 rc.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, tigerdirect, anywhere that has the right parts.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel, Nvidia, Full Tower case.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1900x1200 1080p

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I do not need super quiet pc but i need it to stay cool as possible. I have never done liquid cooling before and would not know where to start so was planning on Air Cooling but if liquid would help out my system more then by all means please teach me how to use the force!

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COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

2x ASUS ENGTX260 TOP/HTDI/896M GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

APEVIA WARLOCK POWER ATX-WA1100W 1100W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C7 G - Retail

3x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

2x Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - Retail

Thank you everyone!

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I have not done much with i7 builds, but I think you would see much better performance from 2x GTX275's for a little premium, but it would be worth it. I have seen GTX275 SLI top's a GTX295, GTX260's are great cards, but from what I understand the GTX275 is worth the extra, especially with your budget range. Maybe also look into SSD drives instead of the two Raptors? Much faster performance, but less space, you decide. +1 For the CM HAF932, amazing case, plenty of room, good cooling all around. Maybe get a 120mm fan for the bottom slot, it blows directly on the graphics intake, a great spot where you might want a fan.

I'm not sure about Apevia's PSU quality, I think all you need power wise would be something like a 850TX from Corsair, this would save you some to put towards graphics or SSD's.
*The 850TX has a guarantee it can run a dual-gpu config, and also has more connectors than the Apevia PSU. The Apevia PSU only has 70% 5 Star, the 850TX has 80%+ 5 star.

I ran your general configuration through Thermaltake's PSU calculator, came up at ~650W so your in the clear with the 850TX with overclocking and future upgrades. Quality>Quantity when it comes to wattage.

Message edited by brendano257 on 06-22-2009 at 01:16:46 AM

Reply to brendano257

Thanks i did want to go with the gtx 275's but i was not sure if that was just too much overkill or if it was really worth the step up in price from the 260's. On the power supply i really did not know how much the sli and all my hdd's would pull so i just made sure i'd have plenty lol...

Would the SSD's really be beter than the Raptor's? I understand that it's a differnt form if storage and has a lot higher rpm's but i wasn't sure how much the smaller hdd size would effect my computer as i tend to install every game i own and play them when i feel like it. While i could just install the graphic heavy one's on the SSD and all the other's on my storage drives.

Reply to grog189

As an American let me first say THANK YOU for serving your country!

I would go with the PC Power&Cooling 910w PSU & go with the GTX275's.

On the hard drives, I would go with 2 small SSD in RAID0 for your OS and run your games on the WD Black drives. You will see better performance that way. If you don't need 3TB hard drives, I would change to the 640GB hard drives. They are almost as fast as the VRaptors & cost 1/3 the price.

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
Reply to tecmo34

thx a lot for the support

so if i went with SSD it would be better to JUST run the OS off of them and then run my games on a couple of the WD black drives? The 3TB is for storage of movies/music/programs/etc.

Is there a specific gtx 275 card that runs better than the rest and i should dish out a little more money for or do they all run about the same?

also is there anything you guys would add to the system if it was you? i really have no set price limit just this is what i came up with trying to cut down on stuff i didn't have to have even though i wanted it lol

Message edited by grog189 on 06-22-2009 at 01:48:04 AM

Reply to grog189

Yes, the SSD would be best for OS & WD Blacks games... IMO

I would stick with XFX or EVGA brands, I like the EVGA 275 FTW card... myself PNY does offer the cheapest card but I don't know much about their quality.

Only things I could think to add would be a Blu-Ray Burner or a Water Cooling system.

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
Reply to tecmo34

Ok well deciding to switch to the gtx 275's and the 850TX corsair power supply just because i don't know the other company suggested.

As for my hdd's how much room would i need from a SSD for my OS? "vista 64 or win 7 64bit" Is it worth it buying two SSD's and raiding them? or is just one enough? Also for my games will just one of the 640gb wd black's be good for games or should i also buy a 2nd and raid them for running my games off of?

Last question for this post, is it worth it spending the extra money to get the gtx 275's with the 1gb+ ram or is there even much of a difference when sli'd?

Thank you

Reply to grog189

Hi...
Here are few suggestions that can consider for your build...

1. Get the D0 stepping of the i7 920...It overclocks better...
i7 920 D0 Stepping.
http://www.antaresdigital.com/cust [...] t=0&page=1

2. A heads-up on the mobo...The heatsink near the CPU socket, might block aftermarket CPU coolers...So see to that you don't have any problems...

3. As for you SSD options, I would suggest 2 of these in RAID 0...Sufficient for OS, apps and 1 or 2 favourite games...
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227393

And go for RAID 0 with the 640GB hard drives only if you have more games, that would load from the HDD and not from the SSD...If a single drive is good to go, then get the WD Black 1TB...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136284

4. For the price that you are spending on those graphics card, you can get ATI HD 4890s, which perform as good as the GTX 275...And the price difference between the GTX 275 and HD 4890 is not justifiable...And actually dual GTX 260 would max out all the games @ that resolution...but the HD 4890s @ that price are hard to avoid...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161276

5. As for the CPU Cooler, why not the TRUE eXtreme ...It is rated as onr of the best air coolers for the i7...
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] _1366.html

Message edited by gkay09 on 06-22-2009 at 01:12:18 PM

Reply to gkay09

even if you didnt get the SSD, the caviar blacks wouldnt be all the much slower than the raptors, according to many people on here.

Reply to mdale13

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