Suggestions for $1500 "Futureproof" Gaming Build?

[Zadok]

Hello - I'm a lurker who's ready to make an attempt at my first build:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next week

BUDGET RANGE: 1400-1600, after rebates, including OS and peripherals; lower is good too, if possible

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (FPS, RPGs) with maxed settings, office productivity, media storage and conversion

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
ASUS MS238H Glossy Black 23" 2ms Ring stand & Ergo-fit LED backlight LCD Monitor Slim Design
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236075&Tpk=asus%20ms238h

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, tigerdirect, amazon

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: no preference

OVERCLOCKING: Yes --willing to try. First time for everything...

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe - whatever achieves better performance at price point

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

-My goal is to have this be somewhat "futureproof" where in five years I can still play games at reasonable settings, with only minor upgrades (to GPU, etc.) along the way.

-I'd like to use an HDMI connection to my monitor

-I'd like to access and use the data on my old IDE hard drives from Dell, if possible

-The build price needs to include OS and MS Excel, Word for productivity.

-The build price needs to include a mouse and keyboard suitable for gaming. I already have the monitor above, which was purchased last week.

-Simplicity is favored since this is my first build.

 

[MadAdmiral]

I don't know how much MS Office costs off the top of my head, but this will leave plenty of room for the extras:

CPU/Mobo: i5-750 and Asus P7P55D-E Pro $345
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $110
GPU: HD 5870 $390
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $70
PSU/Case: Antec 900 and TruePower 750W $165 after rebate
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $20
HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $30
OS: Windows 7 Home 64-bit OEM $100

Total: $1,230. If you're really worried about needing a new CPU in the five years, I'd recommend dropping to a X4 955 and Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 (saves $100), as the LGA1156 socket won't see any more powerful CPUs for it.

 

[semu]

Does it have to be Microsoft Office or is OpenOffice ok?

 

[Zadok]

To be honest, I had not considered OpenOffice. But after reading more about it, I think it will be okay since I can save/send files in MS Office formats.

 

[coldsleep]

I'm a big fan of Open Office, though the spreadsheet program can't do everything people can do with Excel...mostly it's that the macros don't carry over well.

If you find you can't do without MS Office, Home & Student edition is available for under $130 on Newegg.

 

[Zadok]

Best answer selected by Zadok.
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nWell I ended up going with the following:
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nMOBO: ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621
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nCPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
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nCase: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
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nPSU: Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025
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nHDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
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nGPU: HIS H587FN1GD Radeon HD 5870, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161329
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nRAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321
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nOptical: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335
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nHSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
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nExtras:
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nOS: Win 7- 64 bit, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
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nGaming Mouse, Logitech G500, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318
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nKeyboard, Logitech Internet 350, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126012
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nThermal Compound, Arctic Silver 5, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
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nWrist Strap, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005
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nTOTAL, WITH SHIPPING, BEFORE REBATES: $1,346.04
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nAs for the futureproof consideration, I figured the i5-750 is powerful enough for my needs without an upgrade for the next couple of years at least. I choose to futureproof with a more powerful processor instead of an upgradable socket. Either route would work I suppose.
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nThis all arrives TODAY, so I'll build it this weekend!
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