I want to build PC on a budget of $750ish

[Lieutenant JAK]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: between now and April (sooner rather than later.)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Surfing the internet, um...
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse and Keyboard, and monitor
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com and/or Amazon.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: none
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes
MONITOR RESOLUTION: unknown
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: all i really want is a PC that will run smoothly, this is my first build so i have no idea what i'm doing, We have three monitors that work lying around the house but i don't know what their screen resolutions are, it would be nice to get a new monitor though if budget permits

 

[Alvin Smith]

Any strong preference for AMD or INTEL ? One over the other ?

Do you want to SLI two cards NOW? or get one good card and wait to see if a second card is needed?

Chance of home theater use? Chance of video editing?

What major game titles are you inerested in playing?

What about speakers &/or headphones?

What kind of monitor (now? later?) ... More than one monitor?

Anything else which can help us to anticipate your lifestyle/usage, in the coming years ?

Work?

Kids? Sibs? Spouse's needs? Any other users?

That sort of stuff.

= Alvin =

 

[Lieutenant JAK]

I'm thinking i'm going to use AMD stuff
Yes i plan to SLI two cards right away.
Games I plan on playing, lots of FPS such as Left 4 Dead 2, Bioshock 1 and bioshock 2, Starcraft 2 when it comes out. Half-Life 2, etc.
Speakers I already have and I'm replacing my headset as soon as i get the pc built.
The monitors i have are both hitachi brand, they both say Hitachi CM715 on the front
Well i'm going to need to use it for schoolwork/homework but i can use dif. comp for that.
No other users as far as i know.

hopefully that helps.

Thx
~Lieutenant JAK

 

[MadAdmiral]

Crossfireing right away isn't very smart. Leave it for an upgrade option.

Normally, we really need to know the monitor's resolution, but with your budget, it ddoesn't matter. The best GPU you can afford won't change.

CPU/Mobo: X3 440 and Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 $197 after rebate
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55
GPU: HD 5770 $150 after rebate
Case/PSU: Antec 300 Illusion and Earthwatts 650W $130
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $25
HSF (if OC): Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $29

Total: $701. If you need an OS in the budget, drop the HSF for now and have a total cost of $777.