1000 Dollar Build (OS+Monitor included)

[stew669]

Hi guys, I'm a first time poster but I've read many articles and forum answers. I stopped playing PC for a little while now(over a year) because I'm stuck with an Asus EEE PC but i recently got the chance to build my own, gaming PC. My budget is $1000 tops, and that must include the monitor and OS. I tried going with iBuyPower and CyberPC but soon realized that they are too expensive and buying each part is the way to go. So I spent over 4 hours picking parts, reading articles and reviews and this is what I came up with:

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K (Possible overclocking in the future) - $180 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

GPU: Gigabyte ATi Radeon HD 6850 1024MB - $180 (10MIR)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354216

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3P-B3 LGA 1155 P67 - $100(There's some sort of glitch when you add it to the shopping cart)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358106

PSU: Corsair Builder Series 500W 12V - $60
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361422

RAM: Crucial Balistix 4GB DDR3-1333 - $30
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364397

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0 - $45
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164

Burner: Samsung 22x DVD RW - $22
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049

Case: Cooler Master HAF912 Mid Tower ATX - $57 (10MIR)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0343331

Monitor: Acer S211HL bd 21.5" LED Backlight Widescreen LCD - $120
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354784

OS: Windows Home Premium 64 Bit - $110
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361170

Grand Total $993.13

Oh yeah, I'd prefer parts from Microcenter because I live close to it. However if the difference is huge I can settle with ordering some parts online

My questions:
1. Are the parts compatible?
2. Is there a way to knock down a couple of extra bucks, without sacrificing performance?(every dollar counts, I'm not made of money)
3. I'm going to play online games such as WoW, Gunz, Lineage, Minecraft ,etc... (may try Crysis or Dead Space too)- are they going to run smoothly, they dont need to be maxed out,let's say on high?
4. Is 4GB Ram going to be enough or do I need 8?

Well, if you're reading this you've hopefully read through the whole thread, so I thank you for that. I would love your feedback on this setup.
-S

 

[nerrawg]

Parts all look compatible to me, one way to possibly knock down the price a bit is if you are a student and can get special student discount on Windows, which could save you so $.

Newegg has the 6870 (sufficiently faster) for 174 bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

or
6850 at $155 and only $135 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131374

However if you are going to go with newegg you might as well buy the whole thing there as the have some good combo deals from time to time. If not then I am sure microcenter is fine.

If you are going to stick by microcenter than these are the 2 best GFX cards in you price range after rebate:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0342820
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0365471

 

[stew669]

Wow thanks for the fast reply!
I think I'm going to go with the Zotac 560,even though the total goes a bit over a grand.
PS: I'm open to other people's opinions too