Gaming Build around $1500

[Enigmatic]

Here is my build. I trying to get a good PC for $1500. I plan to upgrade it in the future, and might buy another GTX 570 for SLI eventually.
I've seen some builds with a GTX 580 for the Video Card, for cheaper than this PC. That worried me.
My Motherboard, Power Supply, and Monitor make this a pretty expensive PC. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with such a good motherboard and power supply, I can handle really powerful video cards and processors?
So, can I justify buying this PC with hopes that my high end non-game effecting components (motherboard/power supply/monitor) will save me from having to upgrade them.

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
$46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

SSD:
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$218.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

CPU:
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
$219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Video Card:
EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$339.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593

Case:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

Fan:
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
$25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

DVD Drive:
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
$17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

Power Supply:
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016&Tpk=corsair%20750ax&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1kf5jr2lyiv3v

Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
$209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

Monitor:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers
$179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052


$1500 U.S.D


Also, I was considering this monitor instead
Monitor
ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (ASCR)
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=e8ug4j8dy1zd

 

[g-unit1111]

That is a pretty excellent build actually. Asus monitors are excellent, I use the 22" models at work and they are very clear, very crisp colors and so on.

The only one thing is I don't think I'd trust that build to a $60 case, I'd go for at least a little bit more - the Antec is a good choice but like a lot of Antec cases it lacks cable management abilities. My go to case is always the Corsair Carbide, but for the price I also like the Fractal Design Arc MIDI, and the NZXT Phantom.

And I can definitely agree with not having a secondary storage option since HD prices are absolutely ridiculous right now. Wait a couple of months before you get one. But having the SSD / HD option is always what I recommend.

Although if you want a motherboard recommendation the Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P is a really good value at $169, I have the same board and it is pretty exceptional.

 

[gmcizzle]

That motherboard is listed as $195. You could save $50 here and still get a SLI/CF Z68 mobo, but if you want to do some heavy OCing then stick with that.

Go with the 2ms LED backlit monitor, it's much better for gaming and better looking than the other 5ms one.

You could get a good quality 750w PSU for cheaper, but it won't be gold certified, unless you care about slightly more efficiency. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 will work just fine. Although, if you want to run 2x 570 in SLI I would go with a little more power (850w): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022

 

[Enigmatic]

That is a pretty excellent build actually. Asus monitors are excellent, I use the 22" models at work and they are very clear, very crisp colors and so on.

The only one thing is I don't think I'd trust that build to a $60 case, I'd go for at least a little bit more - the Antec is a good choice but like a lot of Antec cases it lacks cable management abilities. My go to case is always the Corsair Carbide, but for the price I also like the Fractal Design Arc MIDI, and the NZXT Phantom.

And I can definitely agree with not having a secondary storage option since HD prices are absolutely ridiculous right now. Wait a couple of months before you get one. But having the SSD / HD option is always what I recommend.

Although if you want a motherboard recommendation the Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P is a really good value at $169, I have the same board and it is pretty exceptional.

Thanks for your reply. I'm pleased to here my monitor is good from somebody who has used one. I'll research some more expensive cases, but the $70 case I originally picked has alot of positive reviews on NewEgg which to me qualifies as trustworthy. I don't know much about motherboards. I have never assembled a PC (although I watched a NewEgg Youtube video that was 45 minutes long), and don't really know how to tell if one motherboard is better than the next one. But from comparing the "Details" on NewEgg.com, it looks like the $169 motherboard is almost, or just as good as the $195 motherboard. My instincts tell me to stick with the more expensive motherboard because it is likely higher quality.

That motherboard is listed as $195. You could save $50 here and still get a SLI/CF Z68 mobo, but if you want to do some heavy OCing then stick with that.

Go with the 2ms LED backlit monitor, it's much better for gaming and better looking than the other 5ms one.

You could get a good quality 750w PSU for cheaper, but it won't be gold certified, unless you care about slightly more efficiency. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 will work just fine. Although, if you want to run 2x 570 in SLI I would go with a little more power (850w): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022

Thanks for the reply. I'll go with the 2m LED backlight monitor, I wasn't sure if it was much better than the other one. Also, I'll upgrade my build to an 850w gold Corsair AX580 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for your reply. I'm pleased to here my monitor is good from somebody who has used one. I'll research some more expensive cases, but the $70 case I originally picked has alot of positive reviews on NewEgg which to me qualifies as trustworthy. I don't know much about motherboards. I have never assembled a PC (although I watched a NewEgg Youtube video that was 45 minutes long), and don't really know how to tell if one motherboard is better than the next one. But from comparing the "Details" on NewEgg.com, it looks like the $169 motherboard is almost, or just as good as the $195 motherboard. My instincts tell me to stick with the more expensive motherboard because it is likely higher quality.

Motherboard brands are generally a lot of personal preference. I really like Gigayte - they make quality products, Asus is really good, Asrock is supposed to be good from what I hear, even Intel makes some pretty decent stuff. The thing when choosing a motherboard is that there's several factors you have to take in - OC'ing, SLI/Crossfire capabilities, how many SATA ports it has for future expansion, how many PCI-e slots it has for future expansion and so on. Cost generally isn't a factor - the reason that motherboards fail is because of user installation errors - and believe me, I've had more than a couple fail myself. :lol:

The other factor is tech support and RMA turn around times. One of the best in that area is EVGA - they have a really good support department to deal with, and their RMA times are quick in case something goes wrong. When you see negative reviews on Newegg - it's generally one of three things. The first is installation errors, and I get those. The second is idiots complaining about the refund department. :lol: And the third is people who don't own the product but feel the need to comment on it (it does go against their guidelines but I've seen it on multiple occasions).

As far as the case goes - I do like the Antec 300, but I will tell you that I do have the Cooler Master HAf 912. The inexpensive cases are not made for big video cards like the 570 - my Radeon 5800 which I'm using right now is a big video card and it just barely clips the edge. If I'm installing a drive or have to do anything that requires use of the SATA ports I need to take the video card out in order to do anything. I'm probably going to be moving my system to a Carbide relatively soon.

Thanks for the reply. I'll go with the 2m LED backlight monitor, I wasn't sure if it was much better than the other one. Also, I'll upgrade my build to an 850w gold Corsair AX580 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139015

I think that's a pretty good choice for PSU - you should also check out Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.

 

[Enigmatic]

Thanks for your reply. I'm pleased to here my monitor is good from somebody who has used one. I'll research some more expensive cases, but the $70 case I originally picked has alot of positive reviews on NewEgg which to me qualifies as trustworthy. I don't know much about motherboards. I have never assembled a PC (although I watched a NewEgg Youtube video that was 45 minutes long), and don't really know how to tell if one motherboard is better than the next one. But from comparing the "Details" on NewEgg.com, it looks like the $169 motherboard is almost, or just as good as the $195 motherboard. My instincts tell me to stick with the more expensive motherboard because it is likely higher quality.

Motherboard brands are generally a lot of personal preference. I really like Gigayte - they make quality products, Asus is really good, Asrock is supposed to be good from what I hear, even Intel makes some pretty decent stuff. The thing when choosing a motherboard is that there's several factors you have to take in - OC'ing, SLI/Crossfire capabilities, how many SATA ports it has for future expansion, how many PCI-e slots it has for future expansion and so on. Cost generally isn't a factor - the reason that motherboards fail is because of user installation errors - and believe me, I've had more than a couple fail myself. :lol:

The other factor is tech support and RMA turn around times. One of the best in that area is EVGA - they have a really good support department to deal with, and their RMA times are quick in case something goes wrong. When you see negative reviews on Newegg - it's generally one of three things. The first is installation errors, and I get those. The second is idiots complaining about the refund department. :lol: And the third is people who don't own the product but feel the need to comment on it (it does go against their guidelines but I've seen it on multiple occasions).

As far as the case goes - I do like the Antec 300, but I will tell you that I do have the Cooler Master HAf 912. The inexpensive cases are not made for big video cards like the 570 - my Radeon 5800 which I'm using right now is a big video card and it just barely clips the edge. If I'm installing a drive or have to do anything that requires use of the SATA ports I need to take the video card out in order to do anything. I'm probably going to be moving my system to a Carbide relatively soon.

Thanks for the reply. I'll go with the 2m LED backlight monitor, I wasn't sure if it was much better than the other one. Also, I'll upgrade my build to an 850w gold Corsair AX580 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139015

I think that's a pretty good choice for PSU - you should also check out Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.

Wow. I assumed that since it was the most bought, and one of the best rated cases on New Egg, that it would be able to fit bigger graphics cards like the Geforce GTX 570. That would have been really bad if I had gotten the parts and they didn't fit inside the case... Do you recommend this one or this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 I'm not really sure the difference, one of them has lit up fans which kind of looks cool but is probably a waste of power. The $15 price difference isn't much, I'd be glad to spend the extra $15 for the better case.

 

[g-unit1111]

Wow. I assumed that since it was the most bought, and one of the best rated cases on New Egg, that it would be able to fit bigger graphics cards like the Geforce GTX 570. That would have been really bad if I had gotten the parts and they didn't fit inside the case... Do you recommend this one or this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 I'm not really sure the difference, one of them has lit up fans which kind of looks cool but is probably a waste of power. The $15 price difference isn't much, I'd be glad to spend the extra $15 for the better case.

Here's the main thing you have to consider when choosing a case - will this fit? And will you have room for expansion when all is said and done? You have to factor in the size of your chosen video card, a standard ATX motherboard, whatever cooling solution you want to use, and how many drives you plan to install.

Let's use this as an example - take any standard ATX motherboard and PSU, an SSD, a regular HD and optical drive, a Radeon 69xx, and a 2 x 120mm fan CPU cooling solution. That's a lot of equipment in and of itself. What you have to look at is the case dimensions to be able to accomodate the fan setup, the graphics card(s), whether or not it has a power supply cable routing feature (most made after 2009 do), and whether or not it can accommodate 2.5" drives in addition to standard 3.5" hard drives and 5.25" optical drives.

Now using that example - if you choose a case that has the hard drives facing parallel to the optical drives, like the Antec 300 and some Cooler Master cases do (the Centurion 5 is a good example), if you install a big video card next to your 3.5" drives, you're going to be not having a good time as your video card since your video card - using the dimensions given, will not only block access to your SATA ports (assuming they face outward as all Z68 and 990FX motherboards do), but it will also clip the cabling of your HD or SSD.

Where as if you get a case with room to spare, and allows for cable routing and management, you wont run into that problem, and you want to make sure you get a case with the HD cages facing perpindicular as that will allow for it. Now a case with removable HD cages like the Corsair Carbide, NZXT Phantom, or Cooler Master HAF 932 will allow for any size video card and PSU you may have, with plenty of room to spare.

As far as the fans go - those are the least of your worries as far as power goes - even a 200mm fan uses next to nothing when it comes to power. Where you're going to use the most of your power - the motherboard (add extra voltage for overclocking), video card (add extra for SLI/Crossfire), and possibly HDs. You want to make sure you get a case that accommodates the cooling solution you want to use, I recommend reading the article that was posted today about air cooling.

I can post my own personal examples to show you what I'm talking about but I don't have access to Photobucket right now, I'll have to do that later.

 

[Enigmatic]

Here's the main thing you have to consider when choosing a case - will this fit? And will you have room for expansion when all is said and done? You have to factor in the size of your chosen video card, a standard ATX motherboard, whatever cooling solution you want to use, and how many drives you plan to install.

Let's use this as an example - take any standard ATX motherboard and PSU, an SSD, a regular HD and optical drive, a Radeon 69xx, and a 2 x 120mm fan CPU cooling solution. That's a lot of equipment in and of itself. What you have to look at is the case dimensions to be able to accomodate the fan setup, the graphics card(s), whether or not it has a power supply cable routing feature (most made after 2009 do), and whether or not it can accommodate 2.5" drives in addition to standard 3.5" hard drives and 5.25" optical drives.

Now using that example - if you choose a case that has the hard drives facing parallel to the optical drives, like the Antec 300 and some Cooler Master cases do (the Centurion 5 is a good example), if you install a big video card next to your 3.5" drives, you're going to be not having a good time as your video card since your video card - using the dimensions given, will not only block access to your SATA ports (assuming they face outward as all Z68 and 990FX motherboards do), but it will also clip the cabling of your HD or SSD.

Where as if you get a case with room to spare, and allows for cable routing and management, you wont run into that problem, and you want to make sure you get a case with the HD cages facing perpindicular as that will allow for it. Now a case with removable HD cages like the Corsair Carbide, NZXT Phantom, or Cooler Master HAF 932 will allow for any size video card and PSU you may have, with plenty of room to spare.

As far as the fans go - those are the least of your worries as far as power goes - even a 200mm fan uses next to nothing when it comes to power. Where you're going to use the most of your power - the motherboard (add extra voltage for overclocking), video card (add extra for SLI/Crossfire), and possibly HDs. You want to make sure you get a case that accommodates the cooling solution you want to use, I recommend reading the article that was posted today about air cooling.

I can post my own personal examples to show you what I'm talking about but I don't have access to Photobucket right now, I'll have to do that later.

So, everything I have selected fits if I pick this case? I'm planning on ordering the parts later today or tommorow.
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
$99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

Here is my final build, I plan on buying the parts from NewEgg later today or tommorow. This is all compatible right? I'd really, really be dissapointed if I bought all these parts and they didn't fit together or something

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
$46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

SSD:
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$218.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

CPU:
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
$219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Video Card:
EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$339.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593

Case:
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
$99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

Fan:
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
$25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

DVD Drive:
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
$17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

Power Supply:
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX) 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

Motherboard:
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
$209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730

Monitor:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers
$179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052


$1550 U.S.D

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

 

[Enigmatic]

Hey, could anybody tell me if these parts are all compatible with each other. The motherboard/processor/RAM/video card all fit in the case and stuff? And I'm pretty sure I'll be able to hook up the monitor.. and that the DVD drive is compatible. This is my first build and.. I am planning on purchasing from NewEgg today or tommorow. I'm quite a bit worried about the compatibility

EDIT: Is My Ripjaw RAM okay? I remember reading somewhere that it is too bulky or something like that, and it doesn't always fit and that you should buy Corsair RAM.

 

[gmcizzle]

I would get this monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174
2ms response for gaming and LED backlit for brighter/more contrast.

 

[Enigmatic]

I would get this monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174
2ms response for gaming and LED backlit for brighter/more contrast.

Oh hey. Should I get that monitor, or this monitor? They both look pretty much the same except one says HDMI.

ASUS VS Series VS247H-P Black 23.6" 2ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=mlefgugwxoq3
$189.99

ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (ASCR)
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=e8ug4j8dy1zd

 

[gmcizzle]

Oh hey. Should I get that monitor, or this monitor? They both look pretty much the same except one says HDMI.

ASUS VS Series VS247H-P Black 23.6" 2ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236174&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=mlefgugwxoq3
$189.99

ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (ASCR)
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=e8ug4j8dy1zd

The only real differences are that the second one has built-in speakers and the first one has a thinner stand. The first one also has a higher dynamic contrast ratio but it doesn't really make much difference.

 

[Enigmatic]

The only real differences are that the second one has built-in speakers and the first one has a thinner stand. The first one also has a higher dynamic contrast ratio but it doesn't really make much difference.

Thanks, I guess I'll get the one with speakers. Anyway, all my parts are compatible with each other, right? I'm mainly concerned about everything fitting in the case. I've looked on the details on NewEgg and have found a bunch of info that makes me think everything is compatible, like ATX motherboard compatibilty on my case, but I'm still not sure. If I bought the PC parts now, I think it would all work out and be compatible and fit, but I'm not sure

Also, what exactly is NewEgg's policy? Can you return stuff if it doesn't fit with your build or something?

EDIT: Actually, that monitor apparantly has an issue with ghosting. I'm looking into new monitors right now, don't want to buy an expensive monitor that has an issue.
K I found three monitors. All three are $179.99.

Asus VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

This are very similar monitors. They differ slightly in their dynamic contrast rates, cd/m2, and ms speed.

I don't think the first one would be a very good choice, not sure if the extra contrast ratio is worth the downgrade in cd/m2. I'm not sure what the difference is between the second and third. The third has less ms which is a good thing, and is slightly smaller (half a foot). But, the second one has much more reviews and has 3 more customer choice awards than the third one (not sure if its relevant, but I feel like I'm missing out on something).
The third one has 2ms versus the 5ms on the 2nd one. The second one has more ratings/awards and is half a foot longer. I think I'll go with the third one. To me, the faster ms speed seems much more important than half a foot extra in length.

 

[gmcizzle]

Everything is compatible and ready to go.

Only the monitors with greater than 2ms response time have ghosting issues. As long as you get a 2ms monitor ghosting should not be an issue at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=tqkvkncdz8qn is the one I would choose of those 3 - 2ms, LED backlit.

 

[Enigmatic]

Everything is compatible and ready to go.

Only the monitors with greater than 2ms response time have ghosting issues. As long as you get a 2ms monitor ghosting should not be an issue at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=tqkvkncdz8qn is the one I would choose of those 3 - 2ms, LED backlit.

Thanks for your confirmation on everything is compatible, I was beginning to doubt. I'll probably buy the parts later today

That monitor is worth it even though it has 250 cd/m2? It does have a nice contrast ratio I'll go with the one you suggested.

 

[gmcizzle]

Don't worry about the brightness rating. Unless you play with sunglasses on, you won't want the brightness up to 100% whether it's 250 or 300 cd/m2

 

[Enigmatic]

Okay. Thanks again I'll buy it today . Also, do you think my PSU is enough for SLI GTX 570s? I might upgrade to SLI 570s eventually.

EDIT: This monitor is 300cd/m2. The contrast ratio is lower than the one you suggested but it has a higher cd/m2. Its really a matter of, which is more important, higher contrast ratio or higher cd/m2.

ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236059
versus
Asus VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=tqkvkncdz8qn

 

[gmcizzle]

The AX850 with definitely handle 2x 570s. The second monitor is LED backlit so I would go with that one. The higher contrast of the LED backlit monitors makes colors more vibrant.

 

[Enigmatic]

The AX850 with definitely handle 2x 570s. The second monitor is LED backlit so I would go with that one. The higher contrast of the LED backlit monitors makes colors more vibrant.

Thanks so much for your help. Hopefully I'll have a sweet gaming PC soon

 

[Enigmatic]

Best answer selected by Enigmatic.

 

[gmcizzle]

Good luck