Ever since my Dell XPS M1730 Laptop (HUGE mistake buying lol) died on me, I've been interested in the notion of building my own desktop. Although my knowledge is limited given the brief time I've spent perusing these forums and other websites, I'm still leaning towards building one myself over buying a prebuilt. Initially, I wanted to limit myself to about $1200-$1500 build, but I figure I may as well get a beast system for a few hundred more.
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month preferably, unless there's a good reason to wait
Budget Range: $1600-$2000 before rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching blu-ray movies, programming
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg or Amazon
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: I'm more familiar with Intel and nVidia, but I'm not opposed to AMD
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, either initially or in the near future.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Antec Twelve Hundred V3 - $159.99
I don't have much of a preference towards cases, but I'd obviously want one with good air flow and can fit everything with general ease.
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $121.99
Heard good stuff about this Mobo
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB - $599.99
This is one area where I'm still pretty doubtful. I'm debating between getting one of these (which I could only find on Amazon for $40 more...) or going SLI/CF on a different card. If I got the 7970, I'd most likely get another later on if/when I'm unsatisfied with the single card. Should I get this card off of Amazon or wait until they're restocked elsewhere for cheaper? Input on GPU(s) would be greatly appreciated.
XFX Core Edition PRO850W - $119.99
A little iffy on the PSU mainly because the GPU is still undecided.
Intel Core i5-2500K - $229.99
Seems to be the generally accepted CPU for most gaming rigs of this budget
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $49.99
Might get another 8GB if I have money to spare, but probably not
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM - $159.99
Didn't really know what to go with, so I just borrowed this HDD from another build. If there's a better/cheaper 1TB 7200 RPM one, let me know.
Crucial M4 128GB SSD - $182.99
I'd rather not drop down to 60-64GB, but if it helps put money into other performance boosts, I'll consider it.
SAMSUNG Black Internal Blu-ray Combo Model SH-B123L/RSBP - $59.99
Pretty much picked this at random. Again, if there's a better/cheaper BR player, please post.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99
Self-Explanatory
Scythe SCMG-3000 CPU Cooler - $49.99
A little pricey, but I think it's worth it for the system.
Total Price: $1834.89 before shipping and rebates
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month preferably, unless there's a good reason to wait
Budget Range: $1600-$2000 before rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching blu-ray movies, programming
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg or Amazon
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: I'm more familiar with Intel and nVidia, but I'm not opposed to AMD
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Yes, either initially or in the near future.
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Antec Twelve Hundred V3 - $159.99
I don't have much of a preference towards cases, but I'd obviously want one with good air flow and can fit everything with general ease.
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $121.99
Heard good stuff about this Mobo
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB - $599.99
This is one area where I'm still pretty doubtful. I'm debating between getting one of these (which I could only find on Amazon for $40 more...) or going SLI/CF on a different card. If I got the 7970, I'd most likely get another later on if/when I'm unsatisfied with the single card. Should I get this card off of Amazon or wait until they're restocked elsewhere for cheaper? Input on GPU(s) would be greatly appreciated.
XFX Core Edition PRO850W - $119.99
A little iffy on the PSU mainly because the GPU is still undecided.
Intel Core i5-2500K - $229.99
Seems to be the generally accepted CPU for most gaming rigs of this budget
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $49.99
Might get another 8GB if I have money to spare, but probably not
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM - $159.99
Didn't really know what to go with, so I just borrowed this HDD from another build. If there's a better/cheaper 1TB 7200 RPM one, let me know.
Crucial M4 128GB SSD - $182.99
I'd rather not drop down to 60-64GB, but if it helps put money into other performance boosts, I'll consider it.
SAMSUNG Black Internal Blu-ray Combo Model SH-B123L/RSBP - $59.99
Pretty much picked this at random. Again, if there's a better/cheaper BR player, please post.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99
Self-Explanatory
Scythe SCMG-3000 CPU Cooler - $49.99
A little pricey, but I think it's worth it for the system.
Total Price: $1834.89 before shipping and rebates