Need help with a $699-999 (sort of) gaming PC

[RobPucher]

Hello,

Me and my son are looking to build our own PC. We'd like to get 40-60 FPS on most modern games (Left 4 Dead 2, Battlefield 3, etc.) and a Blu-Ray drive to watch movies on our HDTV. Overclocking and USB 3.0 are essential. We're reusing our old 1680x1050 monitor, but we need a new keyboard and mouse. Any help getting the price down would be great.

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Approximate Purchase Date: Within about a month or so

Budget Range: $699-999 (depending on longevity)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Surfing the internet and gaming are the two #1 priorities, watching movies to some extent

Parts Not Required: Monitor and speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, TigerDirect, Amazon, (We are looking for your suggestions here, too.)

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: I want an Intel CPU, Corsair RAM, the rest is pretty much whatever.

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: I'd like to watch HD movies by hooking the HDMI port to an HDTV, I need a discrete graphics card with a VGA port as well.

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Temporary Parts

Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOX80623I52500K-Core-i5-2500K-Processor/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1VKHO368YL08V&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Windows 7 Home Premium
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IQOEK1JFB7RHN&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3VOX3U9L3PYS7&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Samsung Blu-Ray Combo Internal 12XReadable and DVD-Writable Drive with Lightscribe SH-B123L/BSBP
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-12XReadable-DVD-Writable-SH-B123L-BSBP/dp/B003XIM3QK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1I0OWSRHH8ERR&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Logitech Desktop MK120 Mouse and keyboard Combo (920-002565)
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Desktop-MK120-keyboard-920-002565/dp/B003NREDC8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I29VZM681LF24H&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001EYV690/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I23ULZAEA1X7L2&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 1800 ATX Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/SABERTOOTH-P67-REV-3-0-Motherboard/dp/B004K330KK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2SG6SWZ2SALL9&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Western Digital 1.5 TB Caviar Green SATA Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD15EARS
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Intellipower-Desktop-WD15EARS/dp/B002ZCXJZE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1SAOO7NP4A0QW&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

MSI R5670-MD1GD3 Radeon 5670 1024 MB DDR3 HDMI/DVI/VGA Video Card
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-R5670-MD1GD3-Radeon-5670-Video/dp/B005FA4SYO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3EZ1ZQ87AQMKQ&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-Case-RC-912-KKN1/dp/B003ZM7YTA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3H1C2WZNZWB2V&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C​9
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-240-Pin-Platforms-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9/dp/B004CRSM4I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I242QJRMOQG2N9&colid=2DYW9BEZMSJCJ

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Again, any help getting the price down without losing value is appreciated. Thanks~

 

[tlmck]

First, if you happen to live near a Microcenter you can get the processor for $179.99. Locations are at the top of the page. http://www.microcenter.com/

I will quote prices from Newegg.com and change components as appropriate. you can compare on the other sites.

Motherboard - $124.99 (will do dual AMD vid cards and overclock, plus I have one and it is very good) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131786

OCZ Mod Extreme Pro - $38 after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

Samsung BlueRay - $59.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151232 or this one is $50 w/promo code(no Lightscribe though) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

Cooler Master HAF - $49.99 with rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

I also know this ram works well with my motherboard, and will have any height issues with the cooler. It will also overclock a little. $39.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104246

Lastly, that video card will not be all that great in modern games at the level you require. I think with the savings you should be able to bump up to this one, and you get a free game! - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

 

[Delirious788]

I would get an i5-2500K and definitely check for a microcenter because at $180 its a great deal.
Next your mb is way too expensive for the budget. I would suggest something around $120.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781
Those are some great mbs and will do what you need.
Your PSU is ok. It is 80 Plus certified, which is what really matters. Corsair puts out a good 500w PSU that might be worth checking out. It is $50 so a little more expensive. You only need 500w if you are not doing any SLI or CrossfireX. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
I would get a different HDD. The green series is SLOW. I would look at like a wd blue 1tb or 500gb wd or seagate. HDDs will eventually just come down in price and are easy to install if you need more space later.
Be careful with your RAM since it is tall. It might interfere with your CPU cooler. I would suggest getting a low profile set, and you say Corsair brand which is great, but Kingston and G.Skill make great RAM too that is a little cheaper normally. You want 2x4GB 1600MHz 240Pin DDR3 RAM.
Calculate what is left in the budget and go here http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html and figure out which is the best GPU you can get. I would aim for a Radeon HD 6870. Considering your monitor resolution, you dont need to run SLI or CrossfireX and most cards will come with a DVI-to-VGA Dongle so thats not a problem. If it doesnt you can just buy one here for $4. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999201

What is left is a matter of comparing prices and newegg will normally beat out other sites like amazon. Also check buy.com, they have some good deals randomly.

 

[Tavo_Nova]

i say the PSU is not good, i used some and didn't go well as i thought they would be, and yes 4 units from the same company so i switched back to Corsair/Seasonic, best psu i ever had and even until now all the pc which i recommended and used which are corsair/seasonic are still alive and kicking, go get some MSi GTX560Ti Twin Frozr II/OC on SLI if you want for higher FPS and will still do well with your resolution but you can still live with a single of those