Please help me make this gaming build a bit less expensive.

I'd get a cheaper Motherboard, PSU, memory, and case, With that money saved get a better video card.

But honestly Why build one Windows 7 is all about DirectX 11 and all you want is Nvidia So I'd wait.

First, the i7-860 is a 1156 socket cpu which is incompatible with a 1366 motherboard. For a 1366 motherboard, you want the i7-920.

If you want the i7-860 cpu, then look at a 1156 socket(p55) motherboard. They are cheaper.

I think 6gb is a sweet spot in ram size. If you go the 1156 route, then most compatible motherboards want either 4gb or 8gb. No need for expensive ram, faster speed and lower latency do not do hardly anything for real applications such as gaming. I used patriot 6gb kit with no problems on my P6T deluxe:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220365

For games, pay more for the vga card, and less on the cpu. Consider the 5870 or 5850 along with a i5-750 which will drive such a card nicely. At your resolution, you can play most anything very well with either, no need for a second card.

a 1920 x 1200 resolution will usually come on a 24" monitor, not a 20" unit. Some can be up to 26". I think bigger is better, but the 30" 2540 x 1600 monitors are expensive.

A quality psu from corsair, seasonic, antec, or PC P&C will only need to be 550-600w to drive such a card. Perhaps as much as a 750w unit with 4 pci-e connectors if you are preparing for crossfire in the future. No more is needed. Modular is primarily a cosmetic issue, not worth much to me .

The Antec 902 case is nice, but you can get a nice Antec 300 illusion model for much less. It will hold all your parts easily.:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129066
Cooling will be just as good.

You do want a decent oem cooler. Heat is the primary factor in getting a decent overclock. I don't like the cooler you picked, primarily because of the 92mm fan. They need to spin faster to cool well, and are therefore are noisier. I think the Xigmatek dark knight might be a good value.

---good luck---

* Wow, lots to process, and some great finds. Thanks for all the feedback.

* I'll grab a copy of Win 7 with a student discount ($30), and I have a headset showing some wear, and some ancient speakers somewhere too. The sound setup won't be that good, but it can tide me over a few months while I break in the system.

* Sounds like ATI is the way to go. I'll shoot for a 5870, hoping to add one down the line.

* Is Nvidia DX11 support coming in December or so? I don't have a primary machine right now, so I'll ditch brand loyalty and miss the card switchover to get in some L4D2 near launch.

Really, ATI drivers for Linux are getting better all the time, and I barely need graphics in Linux anyway.

* Here's an interesting combo:
- Intel Core i5-750
- ASUS P7P55D LE LGA 1156
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Bare Drive
- OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM OCZ3P1333LV4GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273660
$546
Combo Price plus $10 rebate: $490

With build's case combo (430) and card (390) and the monitor (150), that's down around $1240 if the deals hold out.

This is feeling pretty good.

UPDATE:
The 300 Illusion case has a 750W combo too:
- Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
- Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W 80 PLUS Bronze
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.265978
$185, -20 for combo, -20 for MIR = $145.

That drops us down to... no, that can't be right.
$955?!

UPDATE 2:
Oh, that's not right... I need cooling for the i5.
How about this Thermaltake, which everyone says is huge:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106123

Will it fit in the case? If so, that's +60ish and we're at $1015. Amazing.

There is also a combo for $134.94 after rebate in the Antec 300 illusion and an Antec truepower 650w psu. The psu is sli certified and will run two 5850/5870 cards. OOps, I see you updated your post. Good job.

Spend the extra savings on the best monitor you can buy . It is one of the few "future proof" PC purchases. You will be looking at it for several generations of PC. Pay attention to the viewing angle of the monitor. 178 degrees is good, 160 is just OK. Would you consider a larger 1080P TV monitor?

Updated the parts list. The "PRO" version of that ASUS board has 8x/8x and even official SLI support.

We're just about there, but two more questions:

1. Do I need to buy thermal grease, or will CoolerMaster provide good stuff with their cooler?

2. If I'm confident I'll drop another GPU in the system in 6 months or so, should I reconsider nVidia?
This i5 column (Tom's Hardware) makes it sound like nVidia scales better, and the board I'm now looking at actually has official SLI support.

3. Small SSD for the OS?