Okay Revision

[pattonrommel]

My friend told me he can now spend $2,000 for the computer, and he said it's okay to go a little over. Please check if this is good. Thanks! http://amzn.com/w/23XZ6O8560US0

Thank goodness for Prime was able to save a lot of money lol. Oh and it's for gaming haven't really thought about which games he would want to play, but I have convinced him to get Rome II Total War.

 

[cball1311]

Here is what I would suggest.

1. You don't need an i7 for gaming because the hyperthreading is not utilized.
2. The motherboard is a bit overkill.
3. You would do much better in a CrossFire setup over the 660 Ti
4. Get an IPS monitor, they are much better
5. No need for HDMI cable as the monitor will come with a DVI cable (if you choose my recommendation)
6. No real need for 1866MHz RAM. The performance increase will not be noticed over 1600
7. Spending way too much on peripherals
8. Go with a cheap mouse pad, unnecessary spending

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.50 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($212.95 @ Mac Connection)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($115.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (32-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Mech4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($89.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00280500-R3M1 Wired Laser Mouse ($66.00 @ Amazon)
Other: Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset ($49.99)
Total: $1997.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 15:52 EST-0500)

 

[pattonrommel]

Here is what I would suggest.

1. You don't need an i7 for gaming because the hyperthreading is not utilized.
2. The motherboard is a bit overkill.
3. You would do much better in a CrossFire setup over the 660 Ti
4. Get an IPS monitor, they are much better
5. No need for HDMI cable as the monitor will come with a DVI cable (if you choose my recommendation)
6. No real need for 1866MHz RAM. The performance increase will not be noticed over 1600
7. Spending way too much on peripherals
8. Go with a cheap mouse pad, unnecessary spending

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.50 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($212.95 @ Mac Connection)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Green) ATX Full Tower Case ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($115.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (32-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Mech4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($89.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00280500-R3M1 Wired Laser Mouse ($66.00 @ Amazon)
Other: Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset ($49.99)
Total: $1997.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 15:52 EST-0500)

Thanks! Also, I'm going to keep the mouse and headphones, but change the mousepad to a Razer Sphex and the keyboard to the one you recommended. Also, how about I do SLI 560? Also, I changed the RAM to a Corsair Platinum 2x8GB 1600 mhz. Oh and also I changed to the i5 you said to get and the tower too. I also changed the monitor like you said. I'm also getting him W8 because he wants it. Also, changed the motherboard.

 

[cball1311]

No, I wouldn't go with the 560 SLI, still not that good.

Look at the 1920x1200 benchmarks (essentially 1080p) below for each on Metro 2033 (very demanding game)

560 SLI
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_560_Ti_SLI/14.html

7950 SLI
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7950_CrossFire/14.html

If you really wanted to go lower here, I wouldn't suggest anything less than the 7870 if you want true maxed out settings. If you prefer to go with Nvidia go 660 Ti or 670 if you can.

 

[pattonrommel]

Best answer selected by pattonrommel.