Approximate Purchase Date: as soon as I can find a LGA 1155 motherboard
Budget Range: $1400-$1700 (before rebates if $1700 or above)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (MMO, FPS (Bad Company 2), RPG, Minecraft, Starcraft II), business, Internet
Parts Not Required: speakers, Win 7 64-bit professional
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg preferably, wouldn't mind Amazon
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: Intel and Nvidia (EVGA)
Overclocking: No, not in the immediate future.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, SLI
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Case must have bottom mounted power supply with great air flow for a fair price. I'd prefer no LEDs on power supplies and cases. The last build I did was in 2006 for Battlefield 2142, and with Battlefield 3's release nearing this fall I'd like to make sure I'll be able to play it with all the graphical bells and whistles. Since that time I've performed a few upgrades on my current PC, but I'm so ready to be able to wipe the floor with new games in the way that only a new PC can do.
Please feel free to point out if what I've selected isn't very cost-effective or high quality. I'm just trying to get this build right the first time and enjoy PC gaming for as long as possible without having to worry about upgrades.
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Here's what I have selected so far:
CASE:
Need help here. I'd like a mid-tower case. Would a mid-tower give me sufficient room for all of this, or would I need to move up to full tower? Look above at additional comments for casing preferences.
MOTHERBOARD:
LGA 1155 motherboard
I'd prefer ASUS here. SLI is a must. When should these things be widely available and not require me F5'ing Newegg product pages for restocks? What models should I be keeping an eye on?
CPU:
Intel i5-2500k Sandy Bridge - $229.99
VIDEO CARDS:
EVGA Nvidia GTX 560 Ti - $249.99 x 2 = $499.98
MEMORY:
G. SKILL Ripjaw Series 4GB x 2 - $99.99
I've seen the Sniper series recommended here a lot as well. Any reason to pick one over the other--they're both the same price.
POWER SUPPLY:
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - $99.99
This, along with the motherboard, are my greatest uncertainties. Definitely feel free to critique.
HARD DRIVE:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $64.99
MONITOR:
ASUS VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - $189.99
I'll use my old 2.1 speakers, not the monitor speakers. If there's a cheaper, quality monitor solution sans speakers then please let me know!
OPTICAL DRIVE, MOUSE, KEYBOARD, WIN 7 PRO 64 BIT:
$217.96
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Thanks in advance for the help. I'll be checking the thread periodically in order to check responses and answer questions.
Budget Range: $1400-$1700 (before rebates if $1700 or above)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (MMO, FPS (Bad Company 2), RPG, Minecraft, Starcraft II), business, Internet
Parts Not Required: speakers, Win 7 64-bit professional
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg preferably, wouldn't mind Amazon
Country of Origin: United States
Parts Preferences: Intel and Nvidia (EVGA)
Overclocking: No, not in the immediate future.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, SLI
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Case must have bottom mounted power supply with great air flow for a fair price. I'd prefer no LEDs on power supplies and cases. The last build I did was in 2006 for Battlefield 2142, and with Battlefield 3's release nearing this fall I'd like to make sure I'll be able to play it with all the graphical bells and whistles. Since that time I've performed a few upgrades on my current PC, but I'm so ready to be able to wipe the floor with new games in the way that only a new PC can do.
Please feel free to point out if what I've selected isn't very cost-effective or high quality. I'm just trying to get this build right the first time and enjoy PC gaming for as long as possible without having to worry about upgrades.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what I have selected so far:
CASE:
Need help here. I'd like a mid-tower case. Would a mid-tower give me sufficient room for all of this, or would I need to move up to full tower? Look above at additional comments for casing preferences.
MOTHERBOARD:
LGA 1155 motherboard
I'd prefer ASUS here. SLI is a must. When should these things be widely available and not require me F5'ing Newegg product pages for restocks? What models should I be keeping an eye on?
CPU:
Intel i5-2500k Sandy Bridge - $229.99
VIDEO CARDS:
EVGA Nvidia GTX 560 Ti - $249.99 x 2 = $499.98
MEMORY:
G. SKILL Ripjaw Series 4GB x 2 - $99.99
I've seen the Sniper series recommended here a lot as well. Any reason to pick one over the other--they're both the same price.
POWER SUPPLY:
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - $99.99
This, along with the motherboard, are my greatest uncertainties. Definitely feel free to critique.
HARD DRIVE:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $64.99
MONITOR:
ASUS VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - $189.99
I'll use my old 2.1 speakers, not the monitor speakers. If there's a cheaper, quality monitor solution sans speakers then please let me know!
OPTICAL DRIVE, MOUSE, KEYBOARD, WIN 7 PRO 64 BIT:
$217.96
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks in advance for the help. I'll be checking the thread periodically in order to check responses and answer questions.