$1300+ Gaming Computer [Second Build]

[mitchbones]

Hello, this is my first post here and I was seeking the communities expert opinion.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next Week (August 17th)
BUDGET RANGE: $1200-$1500

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Gaming, Gaming. I have a macbook for that other stuff



PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I would prefer to only buy my parts from Newegg. That is who I went with previously and everything was perfect. I've had a good record with tehm.

PARTS PREFERENCES:
Intel
Nvidia
Full tower

OVERCLOCKING: Yes. First time ever overclocking, still researching but still a little in the dark.

MONITOR RESOLUTION:1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm unsure what I need to do to have good cable managment, and what extra cables I should buy to do that. With the HAF I can wrap cables behind the back of the case that holds the motherboard (not tray, forgot name)

Link to wishlist: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10578031

Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366

CPU:Intel Core i7 920

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (ALREADY BOUGHT)

Case:COOLER MASTER HAF 932

PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0178RU 850W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (Already Bought)

Memory: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 I am thinking about either this RAM or forking over a bit extra for the higher quality Corsair memory

Optical Drive: LG 22X DVD±R DVD I put the least amount of thought into this part. I don't need anything fancy. Just trying to save money where I can

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1tb

Edit: I want to overclock and I'm looking for a heatsink around $50 for the Core i7 chipset. Are there any fan favorites?

I also already have the OS

 

[daidalas]

Xigmatek Dark knight is a well respected cooler, and comes with lga 1366 brackets. Will look good and fit fine in HAF932.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Also, get some good thermal paste like AC MX-2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

and if you go for the xigmatek apply your TIM like so
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

 

[gkay09]

Those are pretty good parts...

But generally for the PSUs, the Quality of Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, PCP&S are preferred over other brands...

CPU Cooler - Some of the favourites are...
Xig Dark knight
Scythe Mugen 2
Sunbeam CCTF + 1366 retention kit

As for the RAM, those OCZ are good quality...
The Dominators are little overpriced but are worth it if you are into extreme overclocking...else the Platinums are more than suffice...
But if you want better quality, here are few options...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148253

And maybe another GTX 260 in SLI would give more performance...

 

[Yoosty]

Here is another new CPU HSF Cooler that is making some waves, that you should check out.
Thermalright CoGage True Spirit 4-Heatpipe Core i7 CPU Cooler $39.95
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9403/cpu-tri-62/Thermalright_CoGage_True_Spirit_4-Heatpipe_Core_i7_CPU_Cooler.html?tl=g40c14s757

COGAGE TRUE Spirit

The ‘spiritual’ winner of today’s roundup goes to the TRUE spirit. As the most inexpensive cooler it is easy on your wallet all the while giving you exceptional performance without interfering with your motherboard components. This is one cooler everyone should consider for the next build and one I am certainly going to be using in my personal rig. There is a lot to like about this cooler and hopefully this is a sign of things to come from the crew at COGAGE

Check out Review @ link below.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/07/23/intel_core_i7_heatsink_roundup_q309/5

 

[notzaar]

It's a shame you went for an i7 platform. Going with a C2D/Q would have given you much cheaper CPU/mobo options which would have left you with more money for a better video card (you are using this for gaming after all.) But since you already got your mid-range card bought it's too late.

 

[redgarl]

It's a shame you went for an i7 platform. Going with a C2D/Q would have given you much cheaper CPU/mobo options which would have left you with more money for a better video card (you are using this for gaming after all.) But since you already got your mid-range card bought it's too late.

Absolutely right, now he needs a second GTX260 if he wants to clearly take advantage of the core i7.

Here what happens with a single GTX260 with different cpus...