Extreme Gaming PC

Come back in June/July. Prices, availablity and products will have changed greatly since then.

Also, most people use Newegg links because it's easy to see what you're getting. You shouldn't expect people here to do all your work for you. Just take the products listed here and find them where ever you can buy from yourself.

So, here's my parts list from Newegg.

CPU/Mobo: i7-930 and Asus P6X58D Premium $585
RAM: Mushkin Enahnced Redline 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 6 $225
GPU: HD 5970 $700. Better than the 5870 Eyefinity 6.
SSD: Corsair Nova 128 GB $369
HDD: Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $85
PSU: OCZ Z Series 850W 80+ Gold $190 after rebate
Case: Coolermaster Cosmos $170 after rebate
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $22
HSF: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B $85 (with 2 fans)
Monitor: 3x Asus 23" 1080p $180 after rebate. A dual monitor setup isn't ideal since the bezel in the middle gets in your way.

Total: $2,971

The case is really up to you, but that's one I really like. It's also really expensive. I would say an alternative case would be the HAF 922.

I wouldn't know where to start w/ Irish web sites....so I apologize in advance for using US ones. As you might imagine, as these questions are asked frequently, many of us have small text files w/ the links readily available for cut / paste. You can ignore these or just use em to check the specs and pics....then try and find them on your favorite shopping sites. I tried the search engines on amazon and komplett and they were a bit difficult.

$230 Antec 1200 w/ CP-850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-Full-Tower-Twelve-Hundred...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ANTEC-CP-850-Power-Supply-Unit/...

$515 ASUS P6X58D-E w/ Intel i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/P6X58D-E-S1366-1394-SATA-DDR3/d...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-I7-930-Bloomfield-Process...

$450 3 x 2GB Mushkin DDR3-1600 CAS 6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$90 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-Barracuda-7200-12-Drive...

$700 Twin Asus ENGTX470/2DI/1280MD5 GTX 470 (Fermi)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

.....or

$640 Twin ASUS EAH5850 DIRECTCU/2DIS/1GD5 HD 5850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Note: ATI gaming cards and AutoCAD / Rendering has historically not been a good mix. True rendering or workstation cards i.e. the FireGL and Quadro are what you want for CAD / rendering ... they are not a good choice for gaming. If you are anti nViida, then I'd recommend separate boxes with a FireGL in the one you use when you render and a 5870 for when you game.

$125 Plextor 320SA Blue Ray Player / DVD Writer (With $3k, BR is a fit)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plextor-PX-B320SA-DVD-RAM-inter...

$500 SSD - Ask again in June / July

$100 Prolimatech Megahalems w/ IC Diamond Karat TIM, twin PWM fans and PWM splitter. No need for water cooling

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Proli...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prolimatech-Megahalems-Super-Fa...

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovatio...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pc-look-Thermal-Paste-Diamond-C...

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scythe-Case-74CFM-Stream-SY1225...

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCP...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobya-PWM-Power-Supply-Splitte...

$35 Card Reader - AFT XM-35U
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

For under $2750 US, this system gives you:

-Plenty of expansion capability in one of the best full tower cases (HAF 932 is a great alternate)
-PSU w/ 10.0 electrical Performance rating and the quietest hi wattage PSU tested at silentpcreview.com w/ capability for SLI or XFire and hi OC'ing....Corsair HX850 is a good alternate.
-HD which performs better than Samsung F3 in gaming and photo work, (F3 does better on movies and music)
-Low profile memory thatv doesn't interfere w/ aftermarket heat sink as often happens with the high profile heat spreaders on for example the Dominators and Ripjaws.
-Adequate GFX capability for DX11 gaming w/ 1 card at 1920 x 1200 and high settings at least thru XMas 2010....2nd card in SLI / Xfire can be put off till when needed; case and PSU has plenty of cooling and power.
-Ability for 200 BCLK and 4.2 GHz OC's.

Hmm... Thanks guys!

Is it worth it to buy a 5870 2GB now, or should i wait until new ati cards come out? Is 12GB ram an overkill on this rig even if i use 3ds max 2010 to render scenes?  

I would say it isn't worth it to buy the 5870 2 GB when you have the budget for the HD 5970...

If you really want to get 12 GB of RAM, it wouldn't hurt. I probably wouldn't get 12 GB of the Mushkin RAM. I'd get the G.Skill Pi Series CL 7 sticks instead to save some money.