Gaming build, need a screen, keyboard and mouse

[omin_of_deat]

Hey guys i've picked out all the parts for the computer, and i have a mouse and a keyboard that i can use temporarily, but i have no monitor, and i dont know where to find more information about them. i'm looking eventually to have a dual screen setup, but i need to save some money right now so i'll just go with 1.

here is the other details of my build.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($323.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($151.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Agility 4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($378.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 760W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.00 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1682.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-07 15:58 EST-0500)

Thanks

 

[inzone]

What is your budget amount for the monitor and what are you lookin for with the screen size and the resolution ?
Will you be getting a second monitor of the same when your ready for it ?

I guess if you had the money this would be the thing to get.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824185028

But since your on a budget and you haven't said what it is yet and what you want for size and resolution I'll have to guess for now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236295

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001550

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236123

 

[omin_of_deat]

Actually i was hoping to get a 21 or 23 inch monitor for around $150. is that reasonable for something that will perform well with games?

like what about something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-24-009-255-_-Product
are there any glaring problems with that?

I'm flustered, because i dont know jack about monitors.

 

[inzone]

I think that it would be a good choice and work well when you are ready for the second monitor.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236289

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254102

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005147

I would go with one of these over the Acer and while the Acer may be a good monitor I feel that Asus , Lg , Samsung would be better choices over the Acer brand.

Don't be flustered about the monitor , you have done a good job with your build so far and now your getting to the last few choices and just take your time and look over the choices. There is really not much seperation between the brands and for the most part they all give a good picture.

 

[omin_of_deat]

made a few tweaks how does this look?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($151.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($378.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 760W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.00 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($143.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech G510 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Cooler Master SGM-4000-KLLN1-GP Wired Laser Mouse ($37.34 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1831.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-08 08:30 EST-0500)

 

[inzone]

There is one thing that I will comment on and that is the Samsung 250gb SSD. That particular SSD model from Samsung uses thier trilevel flash memory instead of the MLC that is used on the 840 Pro model. I know it's a lot cheaper to go with the non-Pro model but the write times are drastickly lower then the Pro model and if you can afford the Pro model I would most defenetly make the change.
I went with the 840 pro model 256 gb.

 

[inzone]

BTW good choice on the monitor.
Also do some more reading of reviews on Windows 8 , It's starting to sound about as popular as Vista. I have Windows 7 and I'm keeping it and waiting for the next one.

 

[omin_of_deat]

What about downgrading to a 128 ish gb ssd? i'm not super sure whats the best way to utilize the ssd. i know about saving the os there and using it as a boot drive, but also saving certain programs there? after i do that, how can i best utilize the ssd/hdd arrangement? and is it really that important for me to have 250ish gb? are there any good articles that point to this? thanks.

 

[inzone]

I have always gone with the idea that a 256gb SSD makes the perfect drive for the OS , because it's large enough to hold the OS and some games along with a few applications without worrying abot space.
If you go with the 128gb then you can put the OS and your current favorite game and the rest on the traditioal hard drive. Even though you have 128gb of space you never want to fill a SSD past 80% capacity , plus once a SSD is formatted your left with about 111 gb of space.
Having the OS on the SSD is the most important thing for speed anyway so having things on the secondary HDD will be ok.

 

[omin_of_deat]

also which windows 7 should i buy?

 

[omin_of_deat]

i get the argument that 250ish is better then the 120ish ssds, but i'm having a pretty hard time stomaching the price jump from the 840 to the 840 pro. and i was looking on the toms hardware heirarchy chart for the best ssd's by performance, and the 840 that i'm looking at is pretty high up there. i feel like for the price its in a good spot for me.

 

[inzone]

For Windows 7 I would go with Professional or Ultimate 64 bit. As far as SSDs go you can certianly get the one that you want and sometimes I get cought up in recomending what I would get and it's not necessarily what everybody else can afford , wants or needs. If the 250gb works for you then you should go with it , the slower times are with the writes and won't be as much of a factor as the reads would be if they were slower.

 

[omin_of_deat]

what are the benifits of the different windows 7 versions?

 

[inzone]

Microsoft will start with the basice version of Windows and progressivly add features as you go up in version. I can't think of anything specificly right now but I have seen things that will say you need the Professional or Ultimate versions in able to do something.
I would hate to find that ot after I had already bought and installed a lesser version. If your not concerned about that happening then a lower version would be ok for you.

 

[omin_of_deat]

Best answer selected by omin_of_deat.