Edit: This whole build is a work in progress, I've decided to up my budget a little for added longevity. I was going to pick up a Radeon 6850 card but the 6950 can be unlocked to 6970. Looks like it's worth the added cost. I like the current motherboard choice because of the great review it got on this site. I'm willing to pay extra for the PSU just to make sure I get something reliable which won't hold me back if I'm using Crossfire and overclocking left and right. 
I'm a new member here. I know tomshardware has an amazing community and I could really use the expertise for this build I'm trying to put together. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Some info for clarity's sake:
Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better. My current machine is useless and I do everything on my PC. That's not to say I'm impulsive.
Budget Range: 1000-1400$ I'm really looking for longevity here. I would like to get the most bang for my buck (who isn't
)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming then movies. I can't think of anything else that could come into account here.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers are A-ok. My current monitor will have to do but I will be looking to upgrade to something good at some point down the line. I also think I'm going to hold on to my DVD drive until good Blu-ray burners are more affordable.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've been looking at newegg.ca and tigerdirect.ca mostly but anywhere where the price/service is good won't yield any objections on my end.
Country of Origin: Canada. Bet you guessed it, eh?
Parts Preferences: I've narrowed down certain choices but nothing is set in stone as of yet. I'm keeping an open mind and listening to the pros.
Overclocking: Definitely. I read somewhere that anyone building a computer today has to overclock, it offers great returns for manageable risk. Also, just for the fun of it.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but I see a dual card setup as a way to prolong the GPU's life. I see myself buying the second one later on and would like to get a card now which would do the trick by itself for the time being.
Monitor Resolution: Right now it's 1680x1050. Like I said, I will be upgrading my monitor once I've recovered from the shock of this expense.
Additional Comments: I think a cooler would be important to have but I don't know enough to be able to make a good judgment on the subject. Also, I've opted for the i5 CPU over the i7 as I'm under the impression that Hyper-threading is going to have a negative effect on my computer's gaming performance. Isn't the added heat better used by overclocking the CPU?
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Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better.
Budget Range: 1000-1400$
System Usage: Gaming.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor and DVD-drive.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've been looking at newegg.ca and tigerdirect.ca mostly but anywhere where the price/service is good won't yield any objections on my end.
Country of Origin: Canada.
Parts Preferences: Sandy Bridge build with unlocked "K" processor for overclocking
Overclocking: Definitely. I read somewhere that anyone building a computer today has to overclock, it offers great returns for manageable risk. Also, just for the fun of it.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but I see a dual card setup as a way to prolong the GPU's life. I see myself buying the second one later on and would like to get a card now which would do the trick by itself for the time being.
Monitor Resolution: Right now it's 1680x1050. Like I said, I will be upgrading my monitor once I've recovered from the shock of this expense.
Additional Comments: I think a cooler would be important to have but I don't know enough to be able to make a good judgment on the subject. Also, I've opted for the i5 CPU over the i7 as I'm under the impression that Hyper-threading is going to have a negative effect on my computer's gaming performance. Isn't the added heat better used by overclocking the CPU?
CPU: 220$
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Motherboard: 240$
ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), Gigabit LAN, 8-Channel Audio, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, SLI/CrossFireX, Bluetooth
GPU: 280$
HIS H695F2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
RAM: 78$
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBXH
PSU: 150$
XFX Black Edition XPS-850W-BES 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Case: 98$
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooling:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
HDD: 100$ part of a combo with the OS
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
I'm a new member here. I know tomshardware has an amazing community and I could really use the expertise for this build I'm trying to put together. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Some info for clarity's sake:
Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better. My current machine is useless and I do everything on my PC. That's not to say I'm impulsive.
Budget Range: 1000-1400$ I'm really looking for longevity here. I would like to get the most bang for my buck (who isn't
)System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming then movies. I can't think of anything else that could come into account here.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers are A-ok. My current monitor will have to do but I will be looking to upgrade to something good at some point down the line. I also think I'm going to hold on to my DVD drive until good Blu-ray burners are more affordable.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've been looking at newegg.ca and tigerdirect.ca mostly but anywhere where the price/service is good won't yield any objections on my end.
Country of Origin: Canada. Bet you guessed it, eh?
Parts Preferences: I've narrowed down certain choices but nothing is set in stone as of yet. I'm keeping an open mind and listening to the pros.
Overclocking: Definitely. I read somewhere that anyone building a computer today has to overclock, it offers great returns for manageable risk. Also, just for the fun of it.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but I see a dual card setup as a way to prolong the GPU's life. I see myself buying the second one later on and would like to get a card now which would do the trick by itself for the time being.
Monitor Resolution: Right now it's 1680x1050. Like I said, I will be upgrading my monitor once I've recovered from the shock of this expense.
Additional Comments: I think a cooler would be important to have but I don't know enough to be able to make a good judgment on the subject. Also, I've opted for the i5 CPU over the i7 as I'm under the impression that Hyper-threading is going to have a negative effect on my computer's gaming performance. Isn't the added heat better used by overclocking the CPU?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better.
Budget Range: 1000-1400$
System Usage: Gaming.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor and DVD-drive.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've been looking at newegg.ca and tigerdirect.ca mostly but anywhere where the price/service is good won't yield any objections on my end.
Country of Origin: Canada.
Parts Preferences: Sandy Bridge build with unlocked "K" processor for overclocking
Overclocking: Definitely. I read somewhere that anyone building a computer today has to overclock, it offers great returns for manageable risk. Also, just for the fun of it.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but I see a dual card setup as a way to prolong the GPU's life. I see myself buying the second one later on and would like to get a card now which would do the trick by itself for the time being.
Monitor Resolution: Right now it's 1680x1050. Like I said, I will be upgrading my monitor once I've recovered from the shock of this expense.
Additional Comments: I think a cooler would be important to have but I don't know enough to be able to make a good judgment on the subject. Also, I've opted for the i5 CPU over the i7 as I'm under the impression that Hyper-threading is going to have a negative effect on my computer's gaming performance. Isn't the added heat better used by overclocking the CPU?
CPU: 220$
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Motherboard: 240$
ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 Intel P67 Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), Gigabit LAN, 8-Channel Audio, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, SuperSpeed USB 3.0, SLI/CrossFireX, Bluetooth
GPU: 280$
HIS H695F2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
RAM: 78$
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBXH
PSU: 150$
XFX Black Edition XPS-850W-BES 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Case: 98$
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooling:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
HDD: 100$ part of a combo with the OS
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
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