Gaming build for under $1000

[oxifer]

I have permission to spend $1,000 of the tax return on a new pc. I haven't built a PC since the Pentium IV was new and I have been doing a ton of research trying to make sure I am maximizing my dollar. I use my computer mostly for gaming and some mild Photoshop. I play SWTOR, WoW, Skyrim, and a few others. My monitor's resolution is 1680x1050. Here is what I have came up with so far:

Case:
Cooler Master HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119197

Processor:
Intel i5-2500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115073

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128512

Ram:
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231428

GPU:
XFX HD 6950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150523

PSU:
Corsair Professional Series HX750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139010

HD:
Seagate Barracude 1TB 6.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822148840

Optical Drive:
Lite-On Bulk Sata Model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Total with shipping is $1051.83. Take off the $60 in Mail in Rebates and I squeak under a grand. I picked most of the pieces by reading various forums and posts on Tom's and then looking at the top sellers in each category on Newegg. Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh, one last note. I don't know a thing about overclocking. That is the only reason I didn't get the i5-2500K.

Thanks in advance!

 

[vollman1]

#1 Buy from a Micro Center store if you are close to one.

Get the i5 2500k OCing it is too easy and people here can help you. Micro Center has it for $180.

I would recommend this board if you live by a Micro Center (its $50 off when purchased with that i5 2500k) and want to OC, but if not then your board is fine:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096

You would want to add an after market cpu cooler if you OC, but you can add that anytime in the future. They range from $20-$110 for most from air to water cooling.

Air coolers are cheaper, like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

But water cools better, is easier to install, doesn't put unnecessary stress on the mobo and is not that much more expensive. Some options are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015&Tpk=h60

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016&Tpk=h80

If you need to, you can get a different PSU and save some money for other components. Like:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018


Overall your build is pretty nice

 

[Why_Me]

I have permission to spend $1,000 of the tax return on a new pc. I haven't built a PC since the Pentium IV was new and I have been doing a ton of research trying to make sure I am maximizing my dollar. I use my computer mostly for gaming and some mild Photoshop. I play SWTOR, WoW, Skyrim, and a few others. My monitor's resolution is 1680x1050. Here is what I have came up with so far:

Case:
Cooler Master HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119197

Processor:
Intel i5-2500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115073

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128512

Ram:
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231428

GPU:
XFX HD 6950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150523

PSU:
Corsair Professional Series HX750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139010

HD:
Seagate Barracude 1TB 6.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822148840

Optical Drive:
Lite-On Bulk Sata Model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Total with shipping is $1051.83. Take off the $60 in Mail in Rebates and I squeak under a grand. I picked most of the pieces by reading various forums and posts on Tom's and then looking at the top sellers in each category on Newegg. Any advice would be appreciated.

Oh, one last note. I don't know a thing about overclocking. That is the only reason I didn't get the i5-2500K.

Thanks in advance!

Like the poster Vollman1 pointed out, over clocking these days is as easy as pie and it would be worth the extra $20 to get the 2500K imo.

Here's some alternatives to check out. The board down below is a newer Gen3 board that will allow for Ivy Bridge and PCI-E 3.0 .

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $121.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-Performance-CP-9020003-NA/dp/B005E98FVS/ref=sr_1_16?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1328515700&sr=1-16 $122.26 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Enthusiast TX V2 Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified High Performance Modular Power Supply CP-9020003-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401 $209.99
GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1328516179&sr=1-1 $89.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF ATX Mid Tower Case, RC-922M-KKN1-GP (Black)

 

[Zero_]

Check my sig

 

[oxifer]

Thanks for the prompt responses. I will have to check out the ASRock motherboard for sure as two people are suggesting it.

I assume that I can hold off on the Hyper 212 and drop it in later when I actually decide to investigate overclocking.

I went with a big modular power supply because I kind of feel that with computers you never know what the future will bring and I didn't want to have to upgrade PSUs in a year or two. Am I super far off from the point there?

Thanks again!

 

[vollman1]

There are many opinions on the PSU. But from what I researched, the best performance is at like 40-60% of the total. I think a little bigger PSU than you need is a good choice, and modular is great.