I7 build buying tommorow

Question for you regarding the 28" monitor: How far back are you planning on sitting from the monitor? I work on a 30" monitor in one lab at school and a 24" in another lab. I've found the 30" to be a bit of and overkill. I know the Hans-G is 28" but unless you are sitting back a bit from the monitor a 24" should serve you well. Now if you are planning on using the monitor as a TV in addition to the computer monitor, then certainly the 28" makes sense.

Regarding the RAM, I've read the Mushkin is some of the best RAM as well. Also, as you mentioned, you do pay a premium for it. I think most builders are cost conscious and as such don't by $250 RAM for the same reason they don't buy above i7 920.

The HAF 922 is one of the widest cases, if it cant fit a megahalems, nothing can. The option side fan is the only possibel conflict with the case and the cooler. What you may have issues with is the cooler and the RAM, but that is an issue with motherboard spacing and tall cooling fins on the ram, not the case.

I really like that monitor a lot and I am thinking 24" should be more than enough as I don't sit very far from it. I must admit I don't really know what the difference between 1920x1200 and 1920x1080 resolution looks like. I've always just assumed more pixels = better. I almost exclusively am a gamer and if the 1920x1080 option that monitor provides is good than I'm definitely not against doing that.

Yeah I might end up just going with the G Skill and saving sixty bucks. I'm convinced the Mushkin is better but for 60 more bucks will I be able to tell a difference at all or wouldn't it only be a difference hardcore benchmark tests would pick up?

Any recommendations on good speakers that arn't that expensive?

ps: I'm going with the Megahalems because I want to overclock the CPU as much as possible and I hear its one of the best.

Best answer selected by presse1.

Ive stopped using speakers and now use a headset. (Cant play at night with the kids/wife asleep with speakers). The cheap logitech headset from walmart works fine for me.

Resolution: If you're a little fuzzy on monitors, you should check out Anandtech's LCD Thread. They provide a detailed explanation of the main specs relevant to a decision to buy an LCD, and then they have recommendations based on usage. You'll notice that the ASUS I recommended is one of the top-rated monitors for gaming, and is also one of the lowest-priced 24" screens.

Generally, the biggest difference between 1920x1080 and 1920x1200 is 120 pixels - roughly 60 pixels each on the top and bottom of your screen. Your horizontal pixels will stay the same. Effectively, you're getting the PC equivalent of a 1080p monitor with 1920x1080, and so you've still got true "high definition" video resolutions from it. In addition, a 1920x1080 monitor will have a 16:9 aspect ratio, so you can watch DVDs/Blu-Rays in "full" widescreen, while a 1920x1200 monitor will show black bars at the top and bottom unless you digitally scale down to 1920x1080.

Again, as far as I'm concerned, 1920x1080 is purely up to you. If you'd like the extra height, then 1920x1200 is the way to go. As I mentioned originally, though, 1080 LCDs seem to be the new thing, and they are far more prevalent now in the 23-24" range than 1200 LCDs. As a result, you'll end up spending more or sacrificing other specs if you go 1920x1200. Again, though, a lot of this comes down to preference.

Speakers: if you're willing to spend a little bit on your speakers, given any savings on your monitor or RAM, I highly recommend looking at the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 iPod/computer speakers. New they are $150, but Klipsch often sells refurbished products directly from its website, and I've seen the 2.1 set for $89.99 refurb. I've purchased refurbished speakers from them in the past, and would absolutely do it again. I know they are a little on the expensive side for computer speakers, but Klipsch is a heavy hitter in the audio world, and the ProMedia line, dollar for dollar, can't be beat in my opinion. You'll get more power and clarity from those speakers than most 2.1 configurations costing twice as much.

If you're looking for a cheaper set of speakers, logitech tends to be a safe bet, but with audio, it's worth keeping in mind that most of the time, you get what you pay for. If audio isn't a critical part of your system, a $25-50 logitech speaker set might do the trick. If you're interested in solid audio for music/Blu-Ray as well as gaming, consider spending a little bit more. A decent headset is always an option, too, especially if your top priority is gaming.

E: With regard to cooling: the Megahalems is a beast, one of the top performing air cooling systems available. For my OC needs (planning to push my 920 to around 4.0GHz), I think the Hyper 212+ will suffice. It doesn't get the rave reviews that the Megahalems Rev.B does, but still widely hailed as one of the best air cooling systems around, especially with its $30 price tag. In all honesty though, if I had a slightly higher budget, I might consider going to the Megahalems + 2 fans, just for peace of mind.

Also: Since it isn't on your list already, don't forget your thermal paste. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound.

Hope this helps you out. Enjoy your build, gonna be a beast!

I agree, a headset is a good thing to have. Only downside is if you're going to use the computer for multimedia as well as gaming, or if you don't like using a headset 100% of the time. I've got both a headset and speakers, since I prefer speakers unless I need to be using Vent. My headset is Turtle Beach Ear Force X1, which is about $50. It's specifically designed to be an XBOX 360 headset, but since it's just USB + audio jacks, it's perfectly suited for PC use as well (except that the cable is REALLY long). It's not a top-of-the-line headset, but you'll get good enough sound and bass from it to suit most gaming needs, and the attached mic is really convenient.

Hope I've been some help!