Gaming build around $1000

The i5-2500k is the King when it comes to gaming...you won't get any benefit from the Hyper-Threading of the i7, effectively wasting $100. I like directcanada.com for its better prices and free shipping on orders over $50. With the parts you already own, you can get some really nice components that I typically recommend for a $1500+ budget. Anyway, here's what I would do for a $1000 gaming build...

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD1527&v...
$220.25

CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Frio
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14660AC7712&v...
$55.08

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD2499&v... PRO&manufacture=ASUS
$192.40

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.5v
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&v...
$79.28

HDD: WD Black 1TB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25350DR0783&v... Digital WD
$79.69

Optical: Lite-On 24x DVD Writer
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12640DR2162&v...
$21.38

PSU: Corsair 850HX
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC2373&v...
$158.24

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC0874&v...
$159.85

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Total: $966.17 shipped

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A couple notes...

-That Frio will allow you to get close to 5 GHz should you choose to try.

-850 is the minimum suggested wattage for two 470s in SLi.

-You will want the good cooling capabilities of the HAF 932 if you SLi. Also, it has internal front-panel USB 3.0 support.

-This build costs $1040.42 plus $68.39 for shipping on newegg.ca

Here is a nice little setup that is easy on your wallet and can handle whatever you throw at it ^.^

NZXT M59 Case 49.99
http://www.directron.com/m59001bk.html

Corsair TX Series 850W 114.99
http://www.directron.com/cmpsu850tx.html

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 119.99
http://www.directron.com/hdz955fbgmbox.html?_s_icmp=fil...

ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO (6 core cpu support) mobo 109.99
http://www.directron.com/m4a88tdvevusb3.html

Patriot Extreme Performance Sector 5 G memory 8gb quad channel 125.99
http://www.directron.com/pgv38g1333elqk.html

Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm Fans X3 (7.99 each)
http://www.directron.com/r4l2r20agr2.html

Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA III 58.99
http://www.directron.com/st31000524as.html

Zalman CNPS7500-AlCu LED CPU Cooler, Pure Copper 24.99
http://www.directron.com/cnps7500alcule.html
(optional since stock cooler is actually pretty good for the black editions)

Black Samsung SH-S223C 22X SATA Internal DVD-Writer 19.98
http://www.directron.com/dvdshs223c.html

Total is $639.74 including shipping since most shipping cost is free due to promotions from company and also a 1.5% off discount using the code preferred3

*price is without the additional cpu cooling fan but shouldnt' change too much*
This is quoted for a nice stable work load that should definatly be able to handle anything you through at it.

on second thought forget i mentioned the cpu cooler it won't even work right since it's ment for lower watt ^.^ lol was thinking of another series.

*the memory and the psu can be dropped to something cheaper based on what your wanting it for* Standard dual channel 8gb should be about half as expensive and a 650watt power supply should be about 60-70*

Should at least give a good goal on where to shoot since most games are Gpu depended instead of cpu depended ^.^

This is a good build for 2009. But with his budget why recommend a build that has no future upgrade path and gets beat in gaming by the dual core Sandy Bridge i3?

ehh the board supports a 6 core but didn't bother to throught it in just incase he wants to shead some money else where.

AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1100T Thuban 3.3GHz 4000MHz
http://www.directron.com/hde00zfbrbox.html

Overclockable past 4.2ghz as long as you have a nice cooler on it.

overclocks to 4.4ghz at 1.5125vcore and temps are reasonable (<60C) with a CM hyper 212 with an extra 120mm fan for push/pull (water cooled normal temps of 48-54c) Or will clock to 4.0ghz with stock cooler

Oh here ya go of a X6 vs a i7 ^.^
http://www.erodov.com/forums/amd-phenom-ii-six-core-110...

Let me give you a little perspective on the current AMD vs. Intel scene. Scroll to the bottom and look at the gaming benchmarks. All prices are what's currently offered on newegg.ca and does not include shipping....

Intel Core i3-2100 ($119.99) vs AMD Phenom II x4 955 ($119.99)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=88

Intel Core i5-2500k ($219.99) vs AMD Phenom II x6 1100T ($199.99)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=203

That's an i7-920. Sandy Bridge offers about a 30% performance increase over Intel's older i5 and i7 architecture. In case you haven't heard, Intel released a new line of CPUs in January. You should read up on it. Wear a helmet, though, because it'll blow your mind.

oh so you have kept up with the Ivy platform also then ^.^

Yup.   Now that I've got your attention, I'll repeat my first question...why are you suggesting AMD with his budget when Sandy Bridge is clearly the better route?

Same reason people have moved over to ATI over Nvidia and same reason Intel is now wanting to fully support CrossFire ^.^ AMD has an over all edge in real life application not benchmarks. Of coarse your going to get a higher score on a bench mark if the programs was written for an exact cpu line. However, when it comes to putting to normal use there really is no difference between them that you can actually tell since most all games now adays rely on your gpu more if you actually use an AMD board along with your ATI cards same way that you notice a difference when you use Nvidia cards with Intel Boards.

Oh, That is his budget not how much he has to spend all in one shot ^.^ who is to say he doesn't want to buy a new tv to use as a monitor with some money he saved.

Because he listed a monitor under "parts not needed"

ehh but it's his choice on how much he wants to spend and how much he thinks he will need just like his price range. " Budget Range: 1000ish (cheaper if possible) "

Yeah...no. I disagree with everything except for the part where you said games lean on a GPU more. You won't notice a difference in real life when the difference during benchmark comparisons are small. But the difference is so large that there will be a noticeable difference in actual usage.

Of course it's his choice on how he is going to spend his money. But then why fill out all that information? I give up, this could go on forever.

To the OP, sorry for hijacking your thread. Good luck on your build.

Reason AMD invented a tool called AMD Fuel Service which allows your gpu to functoin as a cpu when it's not in normal use or has extra room to spare.

Also they have another tool called AMD Reservation Manager which is also used to limit resource use at software level to prevent cpu flooding issues.
AMD and ATI has actually changed a pretty good bit over the years

Thanks for the responses.
I will probably be buying the parts at a Canada Computers that is located near me (if they accept price matching against Direct Canada).

I will be getting the build provided by nd_hunter. I have just two final questions.

Would I see any kind of performance difference using the following RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz (PC3-12800) 8GB (2x4GB) Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH)
http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_31...

over

G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&v...

The other question is about the cpu cooling.
Would I be able to overclock my cpu further using:
Corsair (CWCH70) Cooling Hydro Series H70
http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_135...

over

Thermaltake Frio
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14660AC7712&v...

To the first question, you won't notice any performance difference unless you do benchmarking.

I think the H70 is comparible, as far as cooling is concerned, with quality air coolers, such as the Thermaltake Frio, Megahalems, and the like. In my opinion, the H70 is only called for if you have all four memory slots populated and are concerned about clearance between the heatsink fan and the heatspreaders on the RAM. Long story short...the Frio will allow for a very nice overclock if your CPU is capable.