~$1200 Gaming PC

[Arr86]

Approximate Purchase Date: Around Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Budget Range: ~$1200 after rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing, movies.

Parts Not Required: Anything outside of the tower.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: Open to suggestions. Prefer ASUS or Gigabyte mobo.

Overclocking: Maybe, just moderate OCing though.

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080, will upgrade in the future.

Additional Comments: Kinda set on the HAF X or 932 just because I really enjoy the look

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Parts:

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

DVD Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

Video Card: GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

** Combo for Motherboard and CPU

SSD Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Total: $1,192.91 before rebates.

Other Thoughts: I'm going to either use an old hard drive for now, or just buy a cheap one to tide me over until the prices settle down a bit. I haven't looked at parts much since I built a machine ~4 years ago, so any advice would be appreciated if I've made a silly mistake somewhere. Thanks!

 

[gmcizzle]

If you're running at 1920x1080 or higher I would get the 2gb version of the 6950. 650w is more than enough to run a single 6950, but not quite enough for 2x 6950 in CF.

550w, single 6950: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&Tpk=xfx%20550w
750w, 6950 in CF later: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139030

All else looks great.

 

[Zero_]

$1000 build in my sig + the SSD you picked. You can also keep the case.

i5 2500k + GTX570.

 

[kodern]

You should try amazon.com and if you're a student you can get free 6 months of Amazon Prime. It's free 2 day shipping and 4$ per item for 1 day shipping if the seller is partnered with Amazon. Some parts could be cheaper on it too and helps me avoid shipping fees. And just remember to turn off auto subscribe on the account options so you don't get charged after the 6 months is over.

I wish I got that ram instead I got the blue version and it doesn't fit my red theme!

 

[vx53c]

I don't really like the gigabyte motherboard because of it's 7 power phases. Besides the Asrock z68 extreme3 gen3 costs less and offers more.
I don't like the ripjaws+hyper 212 evo either.
I'd go for:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104262
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011&Tpk=corsair%20a70

You could also get a less expensive case like the Thermaltake MSI Commander or Antec 300 illusion and upgrade your gfx to gtx 570

 

[calguyhunk]

Board+CPU: $370 Combo in your rig

RAM: $45 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB

HDD: $120 OCZ 120GB Vertex Plus

GPU: $490 EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 580

PSU: $80 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2.

Case: $80 CCorsair Carbide Series 400R.

HSF: $25 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus

Total: $1210 after rebates.

I normally recommend the Intel 320 series SSD's just for their reliability if not for anything else, so you'll do well if you can fit that into your budget somehow without scrimping on the gfx card. The OCZ @ $120 is an absolute steal, though.

EDIT: Didn't notice you want a HAF. Get the $80 COOLER MASTER HAF 922

Spending nearly 200 bucks on a case in a 1200 dollar build is prolly a luxury most can't afford