After spending a few days researching and comparing prices I'm beginning to settle on this build. Any recommendations and advice would be appreciated.
Approximate Purchase Date: Before Christmas, but can wait for post-holiday price drops if it might be worthwhile.
Budget Range: $1000 before rebates, not including monitor and keyboard.
System Usage (from most to least important): Gaming (SW:TOR, Skyrim, LotRO), Multimedia, MS Office.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, OS.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country: U.S.
Parts Preferences: Intel CPU
Overclocking: Future overclocking as I learn more.
SLI or Crossfire: Not in initial build, but as a future upgrade.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Combo deals are a plus. Upgradability, future proofing, and reliability are important within the price range. Case with good cable management, clean installation, and cooling is important, as are good looks, but nothing that resembles a space ship or rave light show. Always follow up with rebate cards when available.
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
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
HSF: Need recommendations.
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
GPU: MSI R6870 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
DVD: SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AL/BSBE LightScribe Support - OEM
MONITOR: SAMSUNG S23A350H ToC Rose Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor or
ASUS VS Series VS238H-P Black 23" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech K270 Black 8 Function Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard
CASE: Antec Eleven Hundred Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case with 2 additional COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP 120mm Blue LED Case Fan
THERMAL COMPOUND: COOLER MASTER HTK-002-U1 Thermal Compound
Approximate Purchase Date: Before Christmas, but can wait for post-holiday price drops if it might be worthwhile.
Budget Range: $1000 before rebates, not including monitor and keyboard.
System Usage (from most to least important): Gaming (SW:TOR, Skyrim, LotRO), Multimedia, MS Office.
Parts Not Required: Mouse, OS.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country: U.S.
Parts Preferences: Intel CPU
Overclocking: Future overclocking as I learn more.
SLI or Crossfire: Not in initial build, but as a future upgrade.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Combo deals are a plus. Upgradability, future proofing, and reliability are important within the price range. Case with good cable management, clean installation, and cooling is important, as are good looks, but nothing that resembles a space ship or rave light show. Always follow up with rebate cards when available.
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
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
HSF: Need recommendations.
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
GPU: MSI R6870 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
DVD: SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AL/BSBE LightScribe Support - OEM
MONITOR: SAMSUNG S23A350H ToC Rose Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor or
ASUS VS Series VS238H-P Black 23" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech K270 Black 8 Function Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard
CASE: Antec Eleven Hundred Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case with 2 additional COOLER MASTER R4-L2R-20AC-GP 120mm Blue LED Case Fan
THERMAL COMPOUND: COOLER MASTER HTK-002-U1 Thermal Compound