I am trying to assemble a new gaming system to augment my aging (7+ years) system. I (obviously) don't purchase new very often, so I am looking for something that is expandable and upgradeable. Crossfire/SLI is not necessary, but I want to keep my options open for the future. I've done enough research that I am sure I want to go Core i5 and with a Radeo HD 5850 based video card (even though they appear to be in short supply). I've read some of the posts and have spec'd out a system based on other people's suggestions. I am an IT professional, but this is the first time I've built a system for myself, so I appreciate any feedback. Oh, and if I can save money somewhere without sacrificing future expandability, that is, of course, a bonus.
Diamond Radeon HD 5850 725MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.0GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card $282.83
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11340BD3444][/url]
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 Atx 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No Ps Front Usb & Audio $61.82
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC8944][/url]
Antec Earthwatts 750W Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 EPS12V Active PFC 80PLUS 120MM Fan $114.45
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC7487][/url]
Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Ncq Hard Drive Oem 3YR Mfr Warranty $52.89
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350DR9550][/url]
Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X DVD+-RW SATA DVD Writer Black OEM $31.90
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14040DR6756][/url]
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM $116.60
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113][/url]
Kingston DataTraveler 410 8GB USB Flash Drive $27.37
[url=http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12410DR9025][/url]
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming. Gaming. Oh, and Gaming. And web surfing, email, word processing, iTunes, etc. But we have computers that do that. So, mostly, gaming. Not really high end stuff, though. As long as I can play Lord of the Rings Online at highest quality without lagging in the 21st Hall, I'll be happy.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard is not required at this time. I have lot's of those. Unless someone knows of a really good quality backlit keyboard that's reasonable (i.e. under $50). I have a nice 24" LCD monitor that I will be using with this system.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: directcanada.com, newegg.ca. I open to other suggestions, as long as they are in Canada.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel Core i5, Radeon HD 5850 based graphics adapter. Is one video manufacturer really better than another when the chipset is the same?
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Don't really need it to look really pretty. I'm more of a function over form person. Quiet is nice though. I really hate listening to a whole lot of fan noise or hard drive chatter.
Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately neither of those items are available on Newegg's Canadian site (newegg.ca). In fact, I couldn't find a single Core i5 Heatsync on newegg.ca, which was really annoying. The Samsung Spinpoint drive specifically states that it is not available. Weird, but true.